Halloween Horror Nights Dates speculation (1 park Only?)

[Ghost]

Halloween Horror Nights Dates speculation (1 park Only?)

 

Looking at the dates on the official site following dates could be for the HHN

October 2005

Sat 1st

Fry 7th

Sat 8th

Sun 9th

Thu 13th

Fri 14th

Sat 15th

Sun 16th

Thu 20th

Fri 21st

Sat 22nd

Sun 23rd

Thu 27th

Fri 28th

Sat 29th

Sun 30th

Mon 31st

 

Looking at the opening times in Universal Studios, only Ioa Closes at 05:00 (up to now the park closed at 5 when HHN event was on in the evening) With that in mind I can see it either going back to IoA only… Or linked to US (that would open later in the evening)

 

The dates do look OK. However I do not understand why no more days (like Wednesday) Or at least the last two weeks with some more days.

However… with those dates up I will be able to go 2 nights for sure. 27th and 30th. Maybe I could push in a 31st, but that will depend on the ticket (will this be on the Fear pass as it is Halloween night itself?) I arrive in Orlando on the 23rd, however would not make it to the park before 7 – 8 PM… and after 9 hours in a plain, not sure if I will go for that… I guess 2 visits are better then no visits at all…

 

I’ll try for three… but no way am I paying extra for a Friday or Saturday Peak Night ticket.

 

See you there

[Sir Clinksalot]

Last year Islands closed a bit earlier than the Studios as well. Since the only entrance was at Islands, there was more to set up and they assumed that it would take longer for folks to get around to the Studios side (which really ticked off folks like me who opted to camp at Captain America's Diner to get a head start - we couldn't go past Point of Entry for at least a good 45 minutes to an hour (which of course meant lots of rides on Hulk with no waiting)).

 

While I think last year was a little convoluted, I certainly hope they keep the two park thing going. Having the parade back last year was a nice surprise (and you KNOW they're going to want to do something with the Fear Factor area).

[SharkTums]

That's really cool that they already released the dates!

 

As for which parks...I also hope they keep the both park thing! If they do something with the Fear Factor show, I"m hoping they will also open up MIB since it's right next door. Now that would be a long walk...MIB to Bill & Ted Show! Whatever, as long as you can go thru the 'porn field' it's cool!

 

Elissa "yay HHN!" Alvey

[jarmor]

HHN rocks!! Last year was my first year and im hooked. But if I would make a suggestion, try to go early in the season because it can get soldout real fast in the latter of oct and get the EXPRESS PASS, it will become your best friend!!

[Wes]

I'm aiming to get out there this year to see it, but I'm kinda hoping that it's at Studios only, simply because I have never been to IoA, and I'd like to see it without the Halloween overlay.

 

wes (is it october yet?)

[shepp]

Guess I'm in the minority, but I preferred the IOA-only HHN to either Studios-only or last year's combo dealie. While it was cool to be able to ride both Hulk and ROTM, things were sooo strung out, requiring a major trek from Bill and Ted to the furthest houses at the Studios. It was really tough to backtrack, so I ended up blowing off both the POE show and B&T (which is never my favorite part of HHN, anyway). While at the IOA-only HHN each of the islands had its own unique immersive theming, with noticeable transitions from one island to the next, at last year's there was a lot of unthemed dead space (pun intended), especially at the Studios end of things. And despite the cornfield, hiking between the parks was mostly boring. It was great to have the parade back, though...excellent floats.

[Leekak]

I went last year for the first time, and all I can say is WOW, Coming from the UK we have nothing like this at all. We always take our holiday in Florida but never in October this changed last year. I ordered my tickets direct from Universal and they arrived one week later. (Great Service).

I had asked for the tickets to be on Halloween night itself which was an added bonus. If I had a complaint it would be the amount of people and the long wait for the Haunted Houses but hey I choose to go on the 31st.

My next holiday is planned for October and HHN will be a must, it an added attraction to an already non stop two weeks. This time though I will get the tickets for any other day rather then the 31st.

Thanks for the dates.

[Rugged One]

I agree with shepp that it was better when it was just at IOA. The whole thing just seemed so much more immersive. There was literally no place to hide as each island was pretty much done up as a big scare zone. I understand why they expanded it though and just hope that they take what they learned from last year and use it to make this years event even better.

[Sir Clinksalot]

I'm torn.

 

I think the number one problem with Islands only is that the walkways there seem a lot smaller in areas. With Islands, you're going to lose the parade which is quite enjoyable.

 

But when I think back to how wonderfully immersive HHN 12 was (where each island retained parts of its normal daytime theming, such as having the villains taking over Superhero Island), I have to agree that last year was lacking on many fronts (and where the &^)# was the foam last year?!?).

 

So honestly I don't care which way they go with it, I just hope it's more consistently good, as opposed to having all the dead zones where nothing's going on (oh, and specially designated Scare Zones? LAME. You should never know when that guy with a chainsaw is gonna be coming at you).

[SharkTums]

Leekak,

 

Be sure to order the HHN Express Passes when you order your tickets! The event has grown so popular that even on non-peak nights you won't fine a line under 60min. We got the passes and they were worth every penny!

 

It allowed us to be able to backtrack, or relax for food, since we didn't need to worry about waiting 60min for every house! We even got to go back and do some twice. Plus we got to ride Mummy a lot!!!

 

Elissa "yay mummy!!!" Alvey

[JT3000]

I'd like to see the event in both parks again, but only if they are prepared to go all out. Every area except the Kids Zone should be open, and more themed than not. We'd probably be talking around 10 separate scarezones, each island included. The problem last year was the fact that there were only 2 major scarezones and they were both in-between the parks. Once you got to the Studios, there was nothing in the way of scarezones. The Midway was a pathetic excuse to bring it back in name only. It was just wasted space. The real Midway can only truly exist in it's rightful place, Amity, which should be open anyway. It's where HHN was born (The first ever HHN house was in the Jaws queue). If the current trend continues, there'd probably be 8 houses. This probably sounds like a lot, but I think the 2 park thing should either be done this way or not at all. It should truly use both parks to their fullest. The question is whether they are prepared to make that leap or not. They'd probably turn them into two separate events, and charge admission for both. :?

[shepp]

Leekak,

 

Be sure to order the HHN Express Passes when you order your tickets! The event has grown so popular that even on non-peak nights you won't fine a line under 60min. We got the passes and they were worth every penny!

 

With all due respect, SharkTums, if you're...um, thrifty, like me, it is possible to do all the HHN houses without shelling out still more for Express Passes. Last year the longest I waited was maybe a half hour, maybe a bit more, and a couple of the houses, Disorentorium and Ghost Town, were essentially walk-ons (or walk-throughs, or whatever). I skipped B&T because of the distances involved (and because I found the previous year's offensive in a non-amusing way). But I did the Hulk, two ROTMs, a Shrek, the parade, and all the houses, and lived to tell the tale.

 

It's a matter of getting there way early so you're first through the gate (or doing Stay and Scream), studying the map in advance so you know where you're going, knowing what houses open when, doing single-rider lines where available, and keeping briskly on the move so you stay one jump ahead of the crowd. And especially going non-Friday-and-Saturday early in the month. I've done three HHNs without Express Passes, and the only house I missed was the Jurassic Park dealie (because of its schedule). However, my way does require tolerance for queuing with seriously drunk people for extended periods of time...

[SharkTums]

It's just a matter of personal opinion. To me, it's worth $25 not to have to plan and study the map, get to hit all the rides, not queue with drunk people, and have an easy going time.

 

BTW, we were there on a Thursday mid-October last year and it was insanely packed!

 

Elissa "doesn't like waiting in lines!" Alvey

[Rugged One]

Well, we've done it both ways. Last year, we didn't buy our express passes soon enough and they sold out. So we were forced to do the whole study the map, get a head start, stay ahead of the crowds, etc. The only haunt we had an extended wait for was Hellgate at an hour. We only did that though because we were forced to. It was still a pain in the but and we didn't get to ride any rides. In 2003 we got the express passes (I believe that was the first year) and I must say that it was the best $15 I've spent. EVER! Basically, like Elissa said, it really helps make the whole event more relaxing. You can do things more at your own pace.

[robbalvey]

Yeah, it was well worth the $25 to basically be able to "throw the map away, go where you want, and have a good time."

 

It had nothing to do with being "thrifty" or not. Trust me, the way we go through parks we are the most efficient park-goers out there!

 

But at time like HHN, I don't want to have to worry about it AND it meant that if we wanted re-rides, we could.

 

We saved our Express passes for after we were being 'thrifty'. We do the stay and scream, then we made a very efficient run through the park, got on most rides and mazes, then as the lines grew we went through mazes and rode things twice.

 

For just $25 we doubled the experience we would have normally otherwise had without express passes.

 

Last year the longest I waited was maybe a half hour, maybe a bit more

 

The longest queue we waited in last year was...um....zero! We didn't wait in any queues!

 

--Robb

[shepp]

Well, I'm convinced, basically. But see my other thread, "Queue-jumping for dollars"...

[BarryH]

I spent $120 to do the HHN VIP tour and I thought it was well worth the money. We got to jump the lines on virtually every house and ride, we got interesting stories about HHN and background material on the houses, and we were treated like royality. Plus, I had finally gotten into the Navigator's Club! It was pricey, but well worth it. In fact, I think I will do it again this year.

[JT3000]

You know, my group used Express Passes this year, and it was great to be able to walk right into the houses and not have to worry about whether or not you'll get everything done, but as strange as this may sound, it felt like something was missing. Yes, I actually missed waiting in line. Maybe because it's what I was accustomed to, and I think queueing up for a haunted house builds more anticipation than simply walking right into it the moment the entrance is in view. Plus, this was the first year that each house had it's own queue video, and I didn't really get to watch much of them. And of course, if you're waiting in lines, you obviously won't be able to go right from one house to the next, which was the case this year. Non-stop scaring sorta takes the edge away, and causes the houses to blend together by the end of the night. We were done every night in about 3 hours, with 2 left to spare.

[Ghost]

For me the express passes are a must have. I will only be there for two nights (maybe 3) and with the time already lost on waiting for your FEAR Pass (of peak nights) I need to make up in time.... So, express passes it is. I might even buy multiple passes per day.... You can never be scared enough on those days (or enjoy all the scared people around you)... for me a big yes to express passes...

 

I know it's still about 6 months away... but I am so exited