The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor hosted a bloodcurdling season of terror that concluded Friday, November 2. With nearly 150,000 thrill-seekers passing through the gates over 23 nights of terror, Southern California’s most authentically haunted experience saw massive crowds flock nightly to experience the newly re-imagined, choose-your-own-adventure mega haunt.
Dubbed the most sinister season yet, Dark Harbor 2018 unveiled an entirely new park footprint along with new maze designs, interactive alternate paths, and four all-new captivating secret speakeasies and bars. The Dark Harbor team also welcomed the macabre and twisted mind of innovative Dark Harbor Production Designer, Jon Cooke. The season unveiled fan-favorite scares within six signature mazes, completely redesigned and reimagined. Menacing mischief masked the park nightly as haunt enthusiasts solved riddles and puzzles to uncover sought-after wooden tokens in hopes of gaining access to the secret drinking areas hidden within attractions, mazes and throughout the park footprint.
For the landmark Queen Mary which produces the yearly fright nights, 2018 proved the most successful year yet, with revenue up over seven percent from the same time in 2017. The multi-million-dollar production brought a dramatic increase in overall October sales by six percent beating planned forecasting. Urban Commons, the operator of the former Cunard luxury liner, saw growth in stalwart attractions such as Happy Haunting Hour, Evil Express and Sinister Swings which continue to show year-over-year growth while showcasing the aforementioned activations. The Dark Harbor event was not the only area of revenue growth. Queen Mary experienced strong sales in food and beverage, overnight stays and supplemental experiences such as tours and attractions including Aiden Sinclair’s “Illusions of the Passed.”
Dark Harbor 2018 became a favorite of the scare season with Hollywood’s hottest celebrities. Oscar-nominated actress Margot Robbie joined in on the frightful fun to experience the bone-chilling mazes along with model and actress Cara Delevingne and friends on Halloween night. Members of pop-sensation R5 braved the all-new Dark Hour – Behind the Screams experience aboard the Queen Mary for an unforgettable feast and cocktail hour. Halloween’s favorite couple, Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler, also experienced Dark Harbor along with sister Stella Hudgens, actress Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical), actress Cierra Ramirez (ABC’s “The Fosters”) and influencer Alexa Losey (“Relationship Status”). Dumplin’ star, Danielle MacDonald and close friends also immersed themselves within the frightful fun at Dark Harbor this season.
