Universal Orlando Resort (USO, IOA) Discussion Thread

[disneyfan1313]

Don't forget - Universal Orlando will be doing a live feed of the Opening from 6-6:30 eastern time and a house from 930-1100 eastern time.

Here is the link - www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com/orlando/news_index.html

Click on the WATCH LIVE FEED button on the upper right when it is time.

 

Also - check back all throughout the weekend for TPR's OFFICIAL opening weekend coverage of the event! We will have multiple photo trip reports with lots of cool info!

[jarmor]

So who all is coming tonight? I'm gonna be at the pass holders event. Always up to chit chat and hang out. Who knows, T.J. Manirino might escort us to a house like he did last night...

[indierocker91]

Hey TPR members, I was just wondering if anyone would be attending HHN on Oct, 21. If so that would be awesome...Going alone on this trip and some advice will be appreciated as well.

[Erik Johnson]

Here is the full introduction for Halloween Horror Nights 20 as seen on the large monitor hanging from the front gate of Universal Studios Orlando.

 

[disneyfan1313]

^^ Welcome to TPR! I'm not going on the 21st but here is some advice for this years event...

-You are going on a Thursday so the lines shouldn't be THAT bad - but if you want to see everything you really do need to get an express pass. That way you will also have some time to do your favorites a second time waiting in line.

- GET THERE EARLY! Plan to be there by 6pm at the gate and in line. They generally open the gates around 6:15 or 6:30. Head immediately to the "tent" houses that are back by Men In Black and Barney. Once you do those two (Havoc and Catacombs) head to the Jaws Queue and do Orfanage. If the lines haven't gotten long at this point do Zombiegeddon in the earthquake queue.

- First Bill and Ted generally has the shortest lines of the night. If you have Havoc, Catacombs and Orfanage done by the first show - then see bill and ted. If you got there late do the last show of the night.

 

Enjoy! If you have time we would love to see a trip report when you are done!

[jarmor]

Nice running into you say erik! Hope you guys had a nice time!

 

Hey TPR members, I was just wondering if anyone would be attending HHN on Oct, 21. If so that would be awesome...Going alone on this trip and some advice will be appreciated as well.

Its always good to have options so im gonna give you mines! I presume you are doing the stay and scream? If you are PERFECT! You would want to stay in the kids section. From there you can hit hallowed past which lets out right by catacombs, catacombs lets out righ by havoc, then head to the orphanage. From there zombiegeddon then psychoscarapy. After that head to hades the legandary truth. I was able to do all house by following that order without an express pass (but when I got there fri night and all night sat the average wait was 20 mins. And you would want to go back and do the tent houses (well catacombs is no different at night its not that great lol) and que line house.

 

Also some people like to work in reverse and do the soundstage house first since they are gonna be automatically dark inside and do the other house later when the sun sets.

[brucetosis]

Hi everyone,

 

I am coming down from Philadelphia (with friends from Providence) to do HHN on October 20th. Being a Wednesday night I was wondering what the crowds will be like. I've heard on this board that Thursdays aren't too bad, so i didn't know if Wed. would be the same or slightly less crowded. Is it possible to do it all in one night? We may come back on the 21st depending on if we can or not. I'm used to standing in lines for Halloween-related stuff, so anything under an hour doesn't faze me (although I'd prefer a shorter wait time, especially with so much to do).

 

I've already gotten some good info off this board (like where to hang out and wait when you have Stay and Scream), so thanks for what I've learned, and in advance for the above and any other stupid questions that may come to mind!

[ernierocker]

^I would get an Express Pass regardless of how crowded it will be. We went on Thursday the 12th last year, and the lines were insane! You really can't predict what the crowds will be like especially that late in the month even on a weekday.

 

If Express Pass is not an option, do what others have suggested and use Stay and Scream as a way to stay ahead of the front gate crowds.

[jarmor]

I think you went during hell week. this year hell week is the week of the 16th. Its really your call man but I can stress the fact that I have been to the event every night of the week except on a sunday and didnt need an express pass. Now granted, I didnt go during times when school was out and such but when I left the park around 830 sat night they were still selling express pass, after I had already did 6 house.

[robbalvey]

^I would get an Express Pass regardless of how crowded it will be.

I would agree with this. Even if the lines for the mazes are only 20 minutes, why wait 20 minutes when you can wait zero minutes? Add up all those 20 minutes you can save with the express pass and that's a lot more you can do during your visit.

 

I would not recommend anyone go without them.

 

--Robb "Worth every penny!" Alvey

[KDcoasterMAN]

^ I think this is true for any Halloween Events that offer front-of-the-line access. Quick Que at BGW has been a godsend these last 2 years.

[indierocker91]

Thanks for the advice guys..And I'm doing the Gory Getaway package...It seemed like a great deal. Thanks again, and hopefully i'll have time to do a trip report.

[brucetosis]

Thanks for all the advice! My friend and I toyed with the idea of an Express pass, so it might have to be revisited. Do you have to get them in advance or can you get them at the park (without waiting in the outside line, of course)? Thanks for putting up with a newbie.

[live2tell75]

A review of HHN is in this weekend's Tampa Bay TImes:

http://tampabaytimes.fl.newsmemory.com/

 

I kind of agree with some of her points.

 

FROM BOO TO BLAH

 

 

Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights lacks the thrills of scare zones past.

 

By Mina Asayesh-Brown

 

tbt* correspondent

 

After 19 years of creating elaborate mazes designed to make people scream, the only thing left for Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights to do was pit the fans against Fear himself, master of all things terrifying. It’s a novel concept for HHN, an interesting attempt at adding some dimension to its displays of gore. After all, isn’t the only thing we have to fear “fear itself ?” Sounds like a good time.

 

Unfortunately, facing Fear — which takes form as a very tall guy on stilts with a face that’s all veins and rotten teeth — isn’t nearly as scary as you’d hope. I didn’t even scream once (unless you count the one time when the random guy in the line next to me yelled, “BOO!”).

 

HHN has been wildly successful in the past, so what’s different this year? Are there not enough scare-actors? Are the scare-actors just not very good? Maybe when the promising story ideas fall victim to poor execution, fans of HHN are left with an unremarkable, bland experience and none of the paralyzing fear they’ve been looking forward to.

 

For its 20th anniversary, HHN’s goal has been to branch out, with eight all-new haunted houses full of things we’ve never seen before. My friend and I entered Legendary Truth: The Wyandot Estate, expecting to lose our souls to the ghostly spirits inhabiting it. Too bad the ghosts in Wyandot are about as scary as Casper.

 

As the night went on, it became clear that this year’s HHN lacks the creative genius and horrific edge of years past (think back to 2008’s Scary Tales haunted house, which had Alice from Alice in Wonderland kneeling on a table and feasting on the insides of the White Rabbit. Now that was something).

 

In contrast, this year the majority of the eight houses ranged from just plain bad to boring. The point of walking through a haunted house is to be worrying about what’s going to hit you next, and at most of the HHN houses, you don’t really care. Even Catacombs: Black Death Rising was a let down. With a story based on a real-life plague in France in 1534 and actors dressed as plague doctors, Spy vs. Spy style, it had the potential to be both cool and creepy, but ended up another failed attempt.

 

The only haunted house this year that had any real merit was Horror Nights: The Hallow’d Past. While still not scream-worthy, it was the lone representation of what higher quality HHN used to be like; it captured the glory of 19 years past, with rooms from the different themes all brought together in one house (including a tribute to Alice and her rabbit feast).

 

Universal has spent a lot of time and money hyping up Halloween Horror Nights. The press release tells us “fear that truly consumes us comes from deep inside our souls, stirred by something we don’t always understand and rarely have the chance to confront.” That’s where they’re wrong. It turns out that fear from within simply isn’t enough; HHN needs to do more of the work itself.

 

 

 

 

 

[SharkTums]

I think the main problem with Halloween Horror Nights is that it's at the top of its game. I truly believe that there's not much more they can do at this point. When you're putting on a Halloween event 20 nights with 40k people each night there's just a limit and I fear they may have reached this limit.

 

From what I've seen this decade versus last decade is that they're turning more towards 'story' and 'amazing sets' as opposed to actually trying to scare people.

 

Aside from doing a HoS style upcharge house or putting scaractors EVERYWHERE I really don't see much more they can do.

[downunder]

I guess I'm new to Orlando HHN, and I'm learning.

 

I did USO HHN Sunday and last night (Thursday) and using this year and last year at USH HHN as a comparison point, I didn't think the mazes were very scary. They were so dark at times it was difficult to make out what it was that was scaring you, there was plenty of artistry and detail in the mazes but the scare actors mostly just bob out, boo, go back. By comparison I thought the scareactors at HHN had intent like they really wanted to get you, albeit they probably had instructions to do so and for sure, the events are drawing from different pools of scareactors.

 

I thought the crowds were breath taking, crikey, I think they must be at the crossroads capacity wise. Perhaps they need to create a separate event at IOA to split the crowds and deal with what I presume will be increasing crowds in the future.

 

I got to spend an hour with the main creative guys on a behind the scenes tour on Wednesday and their ethos is to create original stuff rather than use movies, and sometimes that works. I guess because I'm new to it, the whole story telling thing hasn't grabbed me yet, and I find I really connect with mazes based on movies especially one's I love like Halloween. Best answer to a question: "How many hours a day do you work?" A: "All of them".

 

Oh well, I'll check out Howl O Scream tonight and see how the extreme house goes.

 

Here's one photo I liked, I ran into the main HHN creative guy last night, and he loved it too.

"I'm way better than that Sylvie b*tch at HOS" (okay, okay I believe you).

[cfc]

I think the main problem with Halloween Horror Nights is that it's at the top of its game. I truly believe that there's not much more they can do at this point. When you're putting on a Halloween event 20 nights with 40k people each night there's just a limit and I fear they may have reached this limit.

 

From what I've seen this decade versus last decade is that they're turning more towards 'story' and 'amazing sets' as opposed to actually trying to scare people.

 

Aside from doing a HoS style upcharge house or putting scaractors EVERYWHERE I really don't see much more they can do.

 

I think it tends to cyclical. For a few years, it's all about gore and general grossness, followed by a concentration on "storytelling" and general atmosphere. Both approaches are OK. (My answer to the the "How do HOS and Haunt in Virignia compare?" is to say that BGW is like a Hammer movie while KD is more like a Sean Cunningham or Rob Zombie flick.)

[dandaman]

Just got back from a great HHN event. Average lines were 30-45 minutes for the houses, 10-15 for the rides. Bill & Ted was a bit weaker this year than last, but as stated before, they had less quality material to work with. Also saw the Malice show with Brian Brushwood; the nail trick got a good reaction out of the audience and my friends. Only did 4 of the houses, though, but it was nice just to be a little more relaxed and walk around instead of, "Okay, we have to hit this house NOW, then this one, etc." Favorite of the bunch was probably Zombiegeddon, where I also managed to (very) briefly talk with another TPR member who recognized my awesome shirt (Gambit).

[Gambit]

Just got back from a great HHN event. Average lines were 30-45 minutes for the houses, 10-15 for the rides. Bill & Ted was a bit weaker this year than last, but as stated before, they had less quality material to work with. Also saw the Malice show with Brian Brushwood; the nail trick got a good reaction out of the audience and my friends. Only did 4 of the houses, though, but it was nice just to be a little more relaxed and walk around instead of, "Okay, we have to hit this house NOW, then this one, etc." Favorite of the bunch was probably Zombiegeddon, where I also managed to (very) briefly talk with another TPR member who recognized my awesome shirt (Gambit).

 

What up, Dan?!?!? Great running into you at Zombiegeddon!

 

Yeah. It was a great night. We got 5 houses done in the first 90 minutes which really took the pressure off of rushing around trying to hit everything in time. So it was nice to take a more leisurely pace with the Scarezones and the remaining houses. Took LOTs of great pictures! I am happy to report that we did all 8 houses, Bill & Ted (which I actually wish I had skipped this year. It was that weak. Give Hollywood the point on this one this year), and spent a lot of time in the SZ's and we left an hour early (my friends don't have the stamina that I do... sigh). We did all of this without the Express pass! I'm sorry. I know TPR swears by it but I'm still morally opposed to Universal bilking more $$$ out of us after charging $75 just to walk through the gate.

 

As for the event itself, I thought it was neither an unqualified success OR huge failure. It definitely wasn't a revolutionary step forward from the past but it was still a solid overall event. I have to commend the creative team for always looking to do something new and innovative. The problem with taking such risks is that sometimes it's a hit (like, say, the Hades house this year) and sometimes it's a miss (like The Catacombs, IMO). I felt that there were no truly "bad" houses this year like there have been in the past (People Under the Stairs: Under Construction in 2006 or The Spawning last year) but there also weren't any mind-blowingly awesome ones either (like last year's Wolfman/Dracula/Frankenstein trio). So it was consistently good but far from the best ever. I'd give the entire event a B overall but I still think it's the best Halloween event in the country.

[jenn202]

New to the forum, but just wanted to drop by and say how bummed I am that I spent an extra $60 on Express passes this year! We go every year without fail, and have always gotten the FFP but this year our schedules are so packed that we knew we wouldnt be able to go more than twice. So instead, we opted for the Express passes, thinking we will be able to see EVERYTHING atleast once, if not twice each! Mind you, Ive never used one before, so i read the FAQ questions about them before buying.. Well, a friend just told me that they can only be used ONE TIME per attraction!! What?! I thought they were wrong, but just went to the website and in the "Details" section under tickets, there it was, in fine print!! I am sooo frustrated, they dont tell you that in FAQ nor do they suggest you take a look at the "details" page, so when we purchased them I read: "can be used to bypass lines in participating attractions." Why did I pay TRIPLE the amount of admission for passes that I will only be able to use one time per house??!! I think this is very unfair of Universal, and they are unwilling to refund our money for the passes. We are going tomorrow night, but Im not even looking forward to it anymore, because I just keep thinking about how we totally got ripped off!!

[SharkTums]

^You won't feel ripped off when you go and won't have to wait in line! I really don't understand why you're angry and pissed. The express passes are golden and I wouldn't be caught dead at that event without them.

 

If you want to do the houses multiple times get there early, DON'T USE THE PASSES IF THERE'S LITTLE TO NO WAIT, then when you're done with all of the houses once and they all have a 60 - 120 minute wait go back and use the Express pass!

 

Boom, done. Stop complaining!

[jarmor]

You didnt get ripped off, you got what you paid for. you said...

So instead, we opted for the Express passes, thinking we will be able to see EVERYTHING atleast once, if not twice each!

You will lol lol...

 

HHN only has express pass so you get to use it once each attraction. You can use your judgement on how you use it. In my opinion, if the wait time is 15 mins or less I would wait for it and use the pass when the line is longer on a second or third round of the houses.

 

I see you say they dont tell you to look at the details but seriously, why wouldnt you look at the details of the product you're purchasing when the details are right there. Why look at FAQ's?

[krazekiddd]

Express Passes are golden! We went last Thursday and got there at opening. Did a few houses without express passes with a near 0 minute wait and then switched back to express when we didn't want to wait. It worked perfect. Also, one house was a 30 minute wait for Express due to Bill & Ted just letting out. We went down the street and did something else, came back and the express line was about 5 minutes.

 

If a wait is 75 minutes and the park is only open 5 or 6 hours, I will always do what I can to experience everything.

[PennStater]

Does anyone know if Rockit is reopened yet? If not, I'm wondering if it will be in time for Thanksgiving week, as I'm planning to visit then. I haven't heard any updates on its status anywhere lately.

 

Thanks.

[SharkTums]

It's still down, and from what I've heard won't be open in October at all.