Morey’s Ghost Ship to Reopen!
The number one question folks ask when it comes to Morey’s Piers is “When will the Ghost Ship open?”
This is a valid question since the Ghost Ship hasn’t scared any guests since October 2019.
Jack Morey sat down with “Dark in the Park,” to give folks a behind-the-scenes insight into what happened and what the future holds for this dark ride.
Ghost Ship stands tall and ominous, an eerie beacon that beckons visitors into its haunted depths. This nautical-themed haunted house attraction offers a unique twist on traditional haunted experiences, immersing guests in a chilling maritime narrative. The storyline revolves around the lost vessel “The Ghost Ship,” which mysteriously resurfaces in search of new souls to join its cursed crew.
Its storyline takes after the Philadelphia Experiment, which claimed the Navy was working on a project to turn a ship invisible but instead turned all of its crew into Zombies.
You can check out the history of the Philadelphia Experiment in the video at the bottom of this page.
Back with its storyline. Legend has it that the Ignis Fatuus, a vessel that was part of the infamous Philadelphia Project military experiment, vanished without a trace. The experiment, located at the Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard in Pennsylvania, witnessed the ship’s disappearance from Philadelphia. It embarked on a journey down the Delaware River with the intention of reaching the Atlantic Ocean.
Unfortunately, in 1942, during its voyage, a fierce storm arose in the middle of the Atlantic, causing the Ignis Fatuus to sink. Rumors circulated that the ship carried a “cargo of questionable goods hidden in the hold.”
Morey’s Ghost Ship to Reopen!
Nearly seventy years later, the mighty ship washed up on the beach just outside of Morey’s Pier. The park, during its early months of operation, hosted a “live press conference” to announce the ship’s restoration. However, doubts arose immediately as massive gashes marred the ship’s metal, raising questions about the authenticity of the refurbishment. Throughout the performance, doubts about the ship’s restoration grew, largely due to the mysterious Captain’s strange behavior.
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The presence of the North Atlantic Paranormal Society (NAPS) further fueled skepticism regarding the ship’s renovations. In the midst of the dialogues, the presence of toxic and nuclear waste came to light, suggesting that top-secret atomic experiments had been conducted onboard. In a surprising twist, the Captain invited guests to explore the vessel before the relaunching celebration.
As visitors lined up for the tour, tension mounted as the ship groaned and creaked ominously. Upon entering the ride, it became evident that the undead Captain had betrayed his guests, leaving them to find their own escape from the ship’s clutches. The unfolding story revealed that the hazardous waste had played a significant role in the ship’s original mystery.
The combined effects of the toxic substances had transformed the crew into grotesque creatures, trapped forever on this ill-fated barge as either fully deceased or half-dead monstrosities. Visitors would be compelled to navigate through various rooms, such as the crew quarters and communications room while being assailed by spectral forces.
The attraction opened up in the summer of 2010 to the tune of 3,000,000 dollars making it one of the most expensive haunted attractions in New Jersey.
To make room for the Ignis Fatuus, Morey’s removed a mini-golf course and built a building in the shape of an eerie ship.
The layout of the attraction would take visitors from the boardwalk level up to two stories, overlooking Mariners Pier.
Over the years the ride had changed a bit. The storyline stayed pretty much the same but its hours changed. While you could visit this attraction day and night, after the summer of 2017, it became a 6 pm and later attraction.
This was mostly due in part to how many actors were required to keep the spirits at bay.
In the interview with “Dark in the Park,” Morey said that it takes 11 people to put on the right kind of show and that they need to seek certain kinds of people who like that kind of work.
It’s no surprise that when the pandemic happened, this kind of attraction was forced to close its doors. State and Federal regulations would keep this attraction closed for the summer of 2020 and 2021. For 2022 Morey’s had the problem of finding the staffing for the attraction after J1 students were unable to make their way to the States.
Morey said that they were almost considering closing the Ghost Ship forever and turning it into something else. Guests who visited Morey’s Piers website may have gotten the same feeling after the Ghost Ship was removed from their attraction line-up.
When it comes to what to do with the space Morey said “We have looked at other things, not removing it but changing it potentially to a happier fun house. It’s like 11 000 square feet so we could cut it in half and still have a really good size attraction. We’ve looked at putting water park Cabanas on top, we’ve looked at turning it into a restaurant it looks at a lot of things I haven’t made any decisions yet.”
The important thing to know though, Morey’s Piers is opening up the Ghost Ship later on this month. While a date hasn’t officially been given, we are told to keep an eye on their website for any updates.
Since the attraction had been closed for so long, mother nature started taking a toll of some of the equipment.
Morey commented on that by saying, “bringing the ship back to life [that] sat Idol for two or three years…there was a fair amount of rotten mildew and yeah and then all kinds of things you might expect when the traction just sits open to the weather for two years without touching it so that was quite costly to fix that.”
Also See: New Attraction Coming to Morey’s Piers?
The Wildwood Video Archive was at raging waters this past weekend and did note that crews were on the Ignis Fatuus repairing some of the features.
Rumors are circulating that Morey’s may only be opening up a certain section of the ship, such as the first floor, but it won’t be known until it fully opens later on this month.
Currently, Morey’s Piers are hiring for actors for the Ghost Ship. The listing goes on to say; “As part of the Ghost Ship acting team, your role will be to scare our guests using a variety of techniques taught by our scare masters, in several different scenes and settings. You will be directed by a team of professional actors, and will be expected to perform as part of a cast of characters that include Zombies! We use Hollywood-style make-up and costumes, as well as professional props and animatronics to enhance the overall guest experience.”
If you would like to become a part of the team Click Here.
The Wildwood Video Archive will be sure to film inside once they re-open so be sure to Subscribe to us on Youtube (We are also trying to hit 100,000 subscribers by Labor and we can only do that with your help)
Below is the history of the Philadelphia Experiment! Watch and let us know if you think this was real!