After a subpar experience at Thirteenth Floor's Red Castle last weekend, I had low expectations for their sister event Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor. I’d heard that parking on opening weekend was a nightmare that left people significantly disgruntled, so I headed to the venue well ahead of opening time, determined to beat parking lot traffic. This ended up being a great call, as I was waved right in and parked easily in front of the entrance. I waited in line under a beautiful oceanside sunset before the event opened, and walked in the entrance path as darkness began to settle over the ship. The sky was purple and orange as I meandered through a set of cobwebbed facades and rolling smoke. A few actors in spooky costumes lurked about, occasionally approaching behind unsuspecting shoulders or sliding through the fog towards shrieking groups of guests.
As I passed through the entryway the space opened up, and the Queen Mary ocean liner sat before me. The Queen Mary is the clear highlight of this event, as three out of the five haunted mazes take place inside the ship itself. Between the entrance and the ship lay a large carnival of sorts, full of dozens of food options, rides, and all sorts of surprises (for example, a haunted hookah bar.)
Spooky actors meandered around the entire space, decked out in creepy attire and ready to frighten guests. Actors at these types of events have to walk a fine line between being playfully frightening and jarringly pushy, and the Dark Harbor actors did a fantastic job. Every time an actor approached me I felt willingly unsettled and not deeply uncomfortable. I also couldn’t help but notice the flawless, vibrant makeup on every actor. Clearly a lot of time and effort went into the costuming for Dark Harbor.
I was lucky enough to have VIP access to all the mazes, so the longest I waited in line was about five minutes. This allowed me to run back through the mazes time and time again, without the heightened, frightful energy being broken by a long wait in line. Depending on how much you’re interested in the mazes, I would recommend investing in a higher-level ticket to avoid lines. The Fast Fright, Evil Express, and VIP options offer a varying degree of special access to amenities like shorter lines. (Prices dependent on the day of the week.)
The Lullabye, Feast, and Infirmary mazes all take place inside the ship, with entry via gangplank. Stepping into the ship, there is an immediate sense of immersion at the beginning of each of these mazes. Thirteenth Floor did a wonderful job utilizing the historical nature of the ship to set a scene for each narrative. The narratives are not too complicated, nor do they need to be. These mazes rely on jumpscares and well-executed set dressing along their narrow and winding paths. A few times the mazes got congested and a bit claustrophobic, but one could argue this plays into the sense of discomfort quite effectively. Again, I’d recommend investing in a way to skip the lines so that if you do end up in a congested maze run, you can redo it and have a better experience without waiting in line again.
The food options were aplenty. I passed sizzling sticks of roasting meat, tacos, BBQ, pizza, ice cream, and more. There were a few bars as well, and I opted to try a drink from the Bayou Barrel Bar. The drinks were larger than anticipated, and not as cloyingly sweet as I would’ve expected given the ingredients. There were a handful of cocktail tables near the Barrel Bar, as well as small, raised bowls of fire by which you could roast marshmallows and make s’mores. I sadly did not partake, but it looked very fun.
The main attractions were complemented by a handful of smaller-scale activities. Photo booths, a shooting range, well-decorated lounging areas, etc. There were also a handful of classic carnival rides, but I cannot fully report on those because I am deeply apprehensive of temporarily constructed rides and too frightened to ride them. The mazes provided enough thrill for me. My favorite experience outside of the ship was the Big Top Terror maze. This maze utilized the outdoor space very effectively, incorporating open air areas and classic carnival components along its path. I don’t want to spoil too much, but there was a ball crawl involved (crawling not mandatory).
I am happy to say that my evening at Dark Harbor restored my faith in Thirteenth Floor, and provided me with an ample amount of frights to kick off the month of October. The actors and ambiance were captivating, food and drink options were varied and seemed of consistently high quality, and there were plenty of side activities to complement the main attractions. If you’re looking to attend a Thirteenth Floor attraction in the Los Angeles area this Halloween season, this is the one.
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