Queen Mary's Dark Harbor

This is my second year attending Queen Mary's Dark Harbor. The first time I was not very impressed, especially for the price and the long lines despite paying for the front of the line passes. This year is much better. The parking is inordinately expensive, but travel over from the shopping center is ample and more affordable.

The Mazes

* Intrepid



The Intrepid maze is my favorite of the whole event. It starts out with a Scottish music and soldiers on a ship. Then, it oddly turns to 14th century plague doctors in bird masks with beautiful architecture. The best room was one full of fog with laser lights over the top of it. I had no idea where to go and scare actors popped out of the fog, but it had such an otherwordly effect.

* Circus



The Circus maze has everything you could want: a mirror maze, creepy clowns, a fortune teller, and tons of other sideshow freaks. My friend was so disoriented by the mirror maze that she ran into a mirror trying to catch up with me and others kept running into dead ends. The bright colors and cheerful music set it apart from the other mazes. The final room full of fog with metal walls was the most effective scare of the maze.

* Feast

Feast is the newest maze with a deranged cannibal cook that greeted us while we waited in line. He and his deranged kitchen staff terrorize you as you navigate his kitchen and look at the food (made of human meat) that they have cooked up. There is a small bar after the first room if you feel like some liquid courage. The biggest scare for me was walking through the kitchen and a scare actor slamming on the metal trays and screaming at us. The Chef was pretty creepy, as was where the food came from and finally the table setting where it would be eaten.

* Deadrise



Come aboard a World War II sunken vessel returned to the surface with a crew of zombies to chase you. This nautical themed maze has morse code, horn blasts, and militaristic drum music playing throughout with lots of metal sheeting for surprisingly loud jump scares. Zombies scream like drill sergeants, spring towards you, and even shoot water at you. The zombie Captain greets you at the end, taunting, and the very last scare comes from a zombie above the exit. Be prepared. I especially liked that this one is mostly outside and gives a different feel than the other inside mazes.

* Lullaby

This maze is home to Scary Mary, a demanding, spoiled, and deranged ghost girl. She wants us as toys and shortlived companions for her games. The children's song Mary Had a Little Lamb plays throughout the maze, making the familiar tune creepy accompanied by her macabre toy collection and play room. The stuffed bear with human ribs was an inspired touch. Many iterations of Scary Mary follow you around the maze waiting to play.

* Soulmate

This maze has a 20's vibe with Graceful Gale's search for a soulmate. The room full of celebrities throughout the ages gives you an idea of Gale's mania and desperation in her search. The human skins and bodies attempting to be disposed of give an insight to what happened to her past lovers. The heart of the ship and it's inscription that it's alive were a little off topic, but creepy additions to the maze. Happy music plays throughout, giving a nice dissonance between it and the grisly sights.

* B340



This maze is the most nonsensical. Samuel the Savage leads you through his deranged mind, but I didn't really get a clear picture of a story. There were creepy set pieces and effective scare actors, but B340 is never really explained and parts of the maze just don't mesh. Nuns, school, shattered mirrors, skeletons, and insane asylums don't really have a cohesive story. The moving bridge and someone screeching at you from beneath the stairs you are climbing up is a particularly good touch in an otherwise lackluster maze.

* Sideshow and Mainstage

The sideshow and mainstage had many different performers, most dressed like clowns. I saw a vaudeville style dancer, an aerialist, fire breathers, and a man who had people staple money to him. There are two different stages plus the sideshow, so tons of acts are going on at the same time. It gave a cool vibe to the event and I always love discovering new talented people to follow.

Queen Mary's Dark Harbor is a huge improvement from last year. It helped that my friend and I went though most of the mazes alone. Super scary. The makeup and scare actors were much improved. There is a large emphasis on drinking with numerous bars, some even in mazes. Of course that's not the whole thing but keep it in mind if you're not interested in drinking. Only one maze was disappointing and it's unavoidable that mazes on the ship will be super hot. The others impressed and were well executed. I will definitely be going again next year.