SADDEST PLACE ON EARTH?

Report: Disney World a Popular Spot to Spread Ashes

“The Haunted Mansion probably has so much human ashes in it that it’s not even funny,” a custodian said.

Disney World and Disneyland are popular spots for relatives to spread their loved ones’ ashes, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The newspaper reports that park custodians say they have to clean up the cremated ashes, known as “HEPA cleanups,” about once a month. According to current and former custodians, park guests typically spread ashes in flowerbeds, bushes, Magic Kingdom lawns, the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, the Dumbo ride, and the Haunted Mansion ride. “The Haunted Mansion probably has so much human ashes in it that it’s not even funny,” a custodian told the newspaper. When ash residue is found, the ride reportedly shuts down for “technical difficulties” while a manager searches for ash piles. Park guests have reportedly smuggled in ashes in pill bottles, makeup compacts, and Ziploc bags at the bottom of their purses or backpacks. “Instead of going to a grave… I go to Disney World,” said one woman who spread her mother’s ashes on the It’s a Small World ride. A Disney spokeswoman told the Journal, “this type of behavior is strictly prohibited and unlawful. Guests who attempt to do so will be escorted off property.”