The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor was a long-time favorite Southern California haunt until the pandemic sank it in 2020. When Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group brought the event back in 2024, I missed out due to scheduling. This year, however, I was fortunate enough to be invited out to experience the event firsthand on media night, and it made for one of the best nights I’ve had so far this Halloween season.
This year’s event features six mazes—three on the ship and three in the harbor—live entertainment, carnival rides, a variety of food and drinks, and several additional immersive attractions and experiences.
For folks like me who are used to the pre-COVID Dark Harbor, the first thing you’ll notice is an all-new footprint. The old entry village has been leveled to make way for The Shipyard. The event now opens into the Village Graveyard, where you’ll find familiar props and photo ops alongside new sights and scares. The new space feels instantly more immersive and effectively utilized, making for what Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group Director of Special Projects Brett Bertolino called, “the largest Halloween festival in the country.”
With a new footprint, the event takes on a new opening ceremony as well. Previously hosted by The Captain above the Dark Harbor gates, it now takes place at the Shipyard Main Stage. At 8:08 p.m. nightly, guests can experience the Maiden Voyage Launch Party, where they meet the cast of legacy characters before The Captain calls for the gates to open and his minions and monsters are unleashed on the crowd.
The Mazes
One element that always sets Dark Harbor apart is the ship itself. If the vessel’s haunted history weren’t enough, the fact that three mazes—Lullaby, Infirmary, and Feast—are housed within its depths certainly is. What I’ve always loved about the Queen Mary mazes are the dark, ominous corridors you walk through as you make your way to each new scene.
Among the three, Lullaby, home to legacy character Scary Mary, remains a favorite for its story and scares. Not to mention, the creative team has created a final pool scene that sends you straight to the deep end—it’s a set you have to see to believe.
Infirmary is a close second, as Graceful Gale has been another long-time favorite character of mine, and the love story between her and the evil surgeon Dr. Edwin Masters adds another layer to the character. What makes this one feel so special is that it evokes the time when The Queen Mary served as a passenger ship, truly embracing the era’s aesthetic and featuring some great scenes and characters throughout.
Feast is not without its merits, but I’m curious to see what comes next, as 2025 will be the final year for this maze, which has told the origin story of legacy character Chef over its last two iterations. I will note that the new scare added to the maze for the event’s special Friday the 13th Haunt Feast Butcher’s Blackout did its job and got a serious jolt out of me.
In the harbor, you’ll find Big Top Terror, Breakout: Maximum Security, and the all-new Voodoo: The Queen’s Curse. Big Top Terror got me with the most scares, while Voodoo: The Queen’s Curse is pure eye candy, featuring some impressive animatronics toward the end. Be warned: both Voodoo and Breakout bring back a nasty trick from Dark Harbor’s past—two sections where you go through a fog-filled container against a strobe light. This makes it nearly impossible to see and can be disorienting for some.
Overall, there isn’t a bad maze in the bunch, with each offering something unique and exciting in relation to the maze and its story. And, of course, many are home to secret speakeasies where you can also partake in some themed beverages and perhaps get up to some mischief that impacts other guests’ experiences in the maze.
The Entertainment & Experiences
In addition to mazes, there is, of course, plenty else to do. During our visit, we caught LVCRFT’s DJ KILLtrina spinning spooky songs for the dance floor and took in a hot performance from Dark Harbor’s Fire Spinners. A must-see is the Slider Show, where the Queen Mary Sliders leave their alley at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. to show off their incredible skills.
This year’s event also features the addition of the Bizarre Bar stage at the exit of Big Top Terror. We weren’t able to attend any of the shows during our visit, but you can experience a mix of sideshow performers, drag queens, and more there. The event also boasts plenty of exciting add-ons like axe throwing, Pirates Plunder Shootout, and Bayou Buccaneer S’mores.
Other experiences and add-ons at this year’s Dark Harbor include:
- Lady Mabel Presents: The Summoning of Samuel
- Spirits of Dark Harbor
- Trick ‘r Treat AR Experience
- Carnival Rides: Zero Gravity, The Zipper, Sinister Swings, & Scary Mary’s Ghost Rider
As noted, the event offers plenty of food and drink, so come hungry—but be prepared to pay for it. The portions at nearly every food stand are fit for a Queen (or a King!), but the price matches, so just be ready for some sticker shock. That’s not a knock, though. Everything looked amazing, and the food we got from the Voodoo Fries stand was excellent.
Beyond the attractions, there is one thing Dark Harbor absolutely nailed this year that you don’t always get at haunts: energy. Our experience from beginning to end was top-notch. The scare actors were fully on point, and their performance was better than I’ve seen at many other haunts this season. The whole experience felt like it was firing on all cylinders, making for a truly fantastic night out and one of my best haunts so far this year. If you’re in Southern California, I would absolutely make The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor one of your must-visit haunts for 2025.
You can check out highlights from my own trip to The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor in the video below. Tickets to the event start at just $45.99 on select nights, running through November 2. For more information or to secure tickets, visit https://darkharborhalloween.com/.
