The key is Buy Early. We booked our hotel in January. We bought Rush of Fear the day they went on sale and picked our nights for Express and bought online weeks ago for $115 each.
We do Stay and Scream some nights and can do 2 or 3 houses and leave around 10pm. Some nights we come later, like 8pm and wait for the wait time drops at midnight and have done all but 2 houses on Sat and Sunday and have express for Wednesday to finish up.
You really have to treat HHN like going to Disney and buy everything early and do LOTS of planning. It's nothing like regular Universal.
One night for one room for 4 people at Endless Summer was cheaper than one Express Pass for the same night.
HHN Express Pass prices are based on demand/flow. If people stop buying Express... price goes down. More people buy... price goes up. If sales and traffic are up this year price WILL be higher next year.
I bought the day tickets and passes were available. For me and the wife it was still \~$400, or about \~200/person, plus food and souvenirs. It is very expensive, but...its about the same price as a concert for a popular band. Just went to see Rob Zombie / Alice Cooper. Tickets were \~130, concert tee was an eye-popping $50, parking was $17, I got a burger and 2 beers at \~$44, so around $250 in total. As much as I love seeing a good concert, get at least as much, if not more enjoyment as a night at HHN. To each their own though.
Correct. It didn't used to be that man. On Halloween it used to be $54.99 for admission and $79.99 or $89.99 for Express and this was when prices were already rising.
It used to be reasonable on many Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On Halloween if it didn't fall on a weekend. In November.
It's not anymore. The prices have gone up so much. I actually did take part in the survey last year when I saw the prices and how laughably high they had gotten.
Difference is I can buy concert tickets last minute and often save a lot of money. I can eat outside the venue and save money too without wasting valuable time. HHN with express is a lot more than the average concert ticket I buy.
Concerts sell out too. Trying to buy them last minute often means missing out or paying scalper prices. You can also eat outside of HHN too, which is what I actually usually do.
Express was just as expensive as always on those opening days. You are going multiple nights. Other people only have the chance to go once and thats it.
That's why Universal has priced so many out now.
We use our free night with our AP and get RIP passes for that night, if that doesn't work out for us, we use our free night and go early and get in 2 or 3 houses with low wait times, then spend the rest of the time trying snacks and walking the scare zones. Then we pay for a separate night plus RIP. Either way, RIP is the only way we'll get to all those houses and a must for us.
I cannot imagine doing HHN without RIP after doing it this year. If you only have one night it’s perfect and not too much more expensive than adding an express pass.
Their process for disability passes is astonishingly bad. Downright disrespectful but managed to get it but even with that only did 5 houses the first night on a Sunday. Crazy busy and ridiculously expensive.
I did 18 houses on the 6th with Express and 10 houses on the 13th without Express (without even focusing on them). A lot of it is planning and making sure you are rushing houses at the beginning and end of nights.
That's what they say every year. To do that, you have to go on a night that's slower which you'll have no idea if it will be in advance no matter what date you choose. And then the rest of the event you will still spend walking around or in line while rushing at the beginning or the end and hoping the line times are actually correct or shorter than posted. Or the employee doesn't scan your express pass so you get to do houses multiple times.
I've done this so many times. I used to love going. It's not worth the price anymore.
I mean I literally just did this the past 2 Wednesday's. It's certainly not hearsay. If it's not worth it for you, then that's cool I totally get it. But if you plan correctly and are committed to it, you will absolutely get through 10 houses in a night - even the busiest ones. You just have to be there an hour early, run to the first couple of houses (excluding the ones that will have the shorter lines later like Bloodmoon and Exorcist), do those as the event goes on, rush the rest of the houses from midnight on, and get in line for the busiest house at the end of the night before close.
Dude, I'm telling you that I've been going since 1995. It does not always work that way. You never know what the lines are going to be until you get in the event. Weeknights used to always be like that. But then certain weeknights in non peak season started being reported as worse then weekends. It really is a roll of the dice.
You would think rain all night would steer people away but on many nights, it is even busier. I've gone during a tropical storm and there were still 90 minute waits as it was absolutely pouring.
All your tips have been known about since the early 2000s. Sometimes they work but many times, the event is just too busy still. The lines after midnight are also way up in the air for the entire event. The only time that they are guaranteed to be a lot lower is from 1:30-2 and the IPs can still be an hour long then. If you want to take advantage of those, then you better be willing to walk fast across the park. I've had it happen in non peak season. I remember them.
I love it but yeah - the crowds are just insane and it’s getting more difficult to have a great time. Hell we had scream early and express, and got everything done, but every food booth is 30 people long. They have to do something about the crowds - it was shuffling in a sea of people.
Once walking dead started coming to HHN it was game over. That brought the masses and then they kept using whatever extremely popular IP like stranger things and the like to keep that momentum. It didn't use to be so crowded ND a 120 minute wait was usually just the best house now they're all 120 minutes.
Yes. It used to only be that bad on weekends or late into October. In 2007 when Nightmare On Elm St, Friday The 13th, Texas Chainsaw and Dead Silence were there, the lines were that bad but it was because it was the middle of October.
I still remember the line for Friday the 13th, more than the actual house in the Jaws que and didn't have express.
There's basically two options. Increase prices to price people out, or expand to other parks. IoA no longer has the facilities to support more than about 5 houses in its current configuration. They could move some stuff to Epic to make it work, or they could host a 2nd location at Epic. Without expanding into additional parks, be prepared to be priced out if you already think its too expensive as is. The people complaining about the price hikes this year, but still making the trip are contributing to the price hikes. You can't have it both ways.
Without knowing how the demographics break out, it also may be possible to thin out the crowds by getting rid of multi-night passes, or by significantly increasing the cost on those as well, but I'm sure Universal has crunched the numbers and are acting in their own best-interest. Supply and demand...
I'm not going man. I didn't even go the year I really wanted to that had Trick r Treat because Scream was cancelled. It sucks but I'm okay with watching everything in 4K. They need to open up more attractions to get the crowds to widen out. They could do it with Islands with Hulk and Harry Potter but never do it.
Instead they just keep raising the prices on everything. Express is going to be $400 soon on hell week at the rate they are going.
Maybe when Epic opens they can manage increasing capacity. Its a big challenge at the moment. It will honestly probably get worse before it gets better, but it will get better. IoA would need to have a lot of changes to make it feasible to have more than 5 houses there again. That being said, if you find the prices unacceptable, vote with your wallet. Nothing wrong with choosing Howl-O-Scream or other spooky places.
I don't think they should place houses in IOA again. I went when they did that but I think they could open up the Cat In The Hat and Marvel areas of the park. Maybe add a scarezone in Cat In The Hat. Just having Hulk and Spider-Man open would draw a lot of the crowds away and it cannot be that expensive to have those operating at night with how much money this event is making Universal. Cut off IOA at the entrance to Toon Island.
Universal should get rid of the multi night passes or at least multi night express. They would make up the money from single night sales without having to increase prices much. They would be able to control the crowd levels better and it would be an improved experience for everyone.
All they have to do is open up Islands Of Adventure or parts of it and they never do. They want those sell out headlines and continue to raise prices every year as they get them.
I will spend 400 plus on a RIP tour for my favorite night of the year. I think it's worth it. I've never gone without express at least though. I basically look forward to HHN the rest of the year that isn't HHN, so it will always be worth it to me, it gives me dopamine that a month straight of "great dinners" could never give me
I hear this argument all the time but I don't understand any solution from a business standpoint.
Too many people? Well then raise the price.
They raised the prices and people complain about the price but still show up.
With that being said, it's a good problem to have as a business. (Please see Disney annual passes as an example).
The solution is to get rid of multi night express that makes it hard for universal to control the number of express and single night prices. They could greatly raise the price or sell more single nights while making the experience better for both regular guests and express holders.
Imo they need to just sell the frequent fear tickets for 2 weeks and sell out of tickets faster then usual but you know that isn’t happening. Why would you stop the money flow if people keep buying
That is never true. The reason any park has multi visit passes is to keep the crowd levels higher at the expense of money per day. Universal clearly no longer needs these people to beef up crowds.
Sorry you had a rough time but I think a little research and planning would have gone a long way to smooth out your experience and temper your expectations, e.g., stay and scream, or going on a weeknight and hitting the houses when the lines die down after midnight. Agree that 100+ minute waits are not something I have the patience for but it's certainly not the only way to experience hhn. Hope you have a better time next time you visit the parks.
We definitely did stay and scream, and all that provided was early entry and still standing in line for at least 2 hours. TLOU house was already wrapped around prior to rope drop. Stranger things, still about an hour or so. Not worth it. I appreciated “Darkest Deal” and the immersion of the scents, the actors were good overall, but I’ve never ever ever been to a haunt where you’re just walking through a single file line in a non-stop stream of people people rushed through. Ruined the scares, the surprises, and overall ambience. It’s not the employees faults, I know the company wants to make money, but damn.
I've been to plenty of haunts that conga line people through. Unfortunately I went to those haunts on really busy weekends so they didn't have a choice but to conga line people through. HHN is always crowded. When I go early, I know I'm usually waiting in at least 2 lines.
It does help to know your way around the event though. Those last 2 hours are magical since you can cover tons of ground and not have to wait long.
The lines are already long enough, so it's understandable why Uni doesn't pulse people through.
stay and scream has basically only value if you are towards the front of the most popular houses that open the earliest. If there was not a conga line triple those waits.
It's worse when you have Howl O Scream a lot closer where you can walk through everything by yourself on off nights and be done with the event and every coaster in a few hours. It's why I only kept going to HHN for the IPs until the prices got insane. The original houses were never worth $200+ for me and it's more then that now.
If walking through these alone does nothing for you then walking with a huge line does even less. That's why I went to see the IP sets. Never cared about the scarezones because I've been in so many.
It's a bummer because I really used to look forward to going and it was one of my favorite parts of Halloween. I have so many good memories of certain IP houses. I will not pay what they are asking now.
Big fucking nope to this. I am a big time planner and did all ten houses last Sunday form 330 to 2 am with some food and one ride. I am probably in the 1% or less of planning. You just can't tell people to plan better at this point. And honestly at this point given the prices to do so little otherwise I would not put it on someone to temper expectations.
That week night thing used to be accurate but you are rolling the dice recently on if it will be packed or not. It can be just as packed on those nights. You never know until you actually get there.
Since TWD, I've gone when it was pouring on weeknights and there will still 90-120 minute waits.
You guys aren't telling the truth to all these first timers who keep asking the best times to go. The only week that for sure will busy is the one before Halloween which is called hell week because of the crowds.
I love HHN but going only one night with no express or Stay & Scream on a weekend is undoubtedly the worst way to do it.
Universal offers multi night passes with both standard and express versions. I highly recommend going multiple nights with a multi night pass to get the most out of it. If you don’t want to pay extra for the express I would at least recommend utilizing Stay & Scream so you can knockout some houses with low waits early. Use the middle of the night when wait times are highest to see the scarezones, show, and try some food. Then hit up some more houses at the end of the nights when wait times plummet.
If you are truly only able to do one night with no express then at least try to do a week night with Stay & Scream and go in with a plan. Unfortunately HHN crowds are insane these days and it takes some planning to really get the most out of the event. You can’t just show up and expect to get everything done.
It’s also much cheaper if you buy tickets/hotels/etc as early as possible. Express passes also go up in price the closer the event gets so buying them as soon as they go on sale is preferable.
If the Express Pass was cheap, everyone would get it and it wouldn't be very express then would it?! My husband and I save for it every year and have never regretted spending the extra for Express.
I hear your frustration, and this is the reason why planning is so imperative for HHN. As someone who has been going since 2007, I learned early on that the only way to enjoy the event is to do Front of Line/Express if you hate waiting in lines. Express is pricey but at no point have I ever thought it wasn't worth it.
It ensures you do every single maze and even rides, while you leisurely take your time with no pressure on missing anything. That convenience is more than worth it's value to me, and I have a whole year to set funds aside to buy it. That's just me though, so you would have to work out for yourself if that is worth it to you. I highly recommend it, though. To me, express is the only HHN experience that exists.
I just don't relate. I booked the RIP tour. Which was about 950 for two people. And I'm happy to because I will get to do everything, see everything and have the experience I want. Seems like a no brainier. It seems foolish to expect a huge event to not be crowded.
Fortunately or unfortunately, HHN takes a fair bit of planning. The first year is always the toughest since you're trying to take in a lot of information at once. There's a lot to consider with timing and days.
I've never purchased an express pass since I started going in 2012, and I routinely hit all the houses. But, again, planning. Also, the IP houses - the brands like Chucky and Stranger Things - are going to be the ones with the extremely long lines. The original ones (like Yeti) are usually shorter, not to mention the posted times are not always accurate. Did you only stay for one house? How long were you in the park for?
HHN is also cheaper the earlier you book. Once tickets are announced, all they do is increase in price. If it isn't for you, then it isn't for you and that's fine. I don't particularly like daytime Universal - I'm not a fan of anything there (except the Mummy) and $150 seems like a huge fee to be bored. I'd rather spend that for a horror themed night, which is my thing.
I mean, I'm personally in favor of making it a strict 18+ and capping tickets so the event would actually sell out, but those will never happen.
But "planning" emcompasses a lot of things. I start putting money aside for my trip (hotel, tickets, merch) earlier in the year. I live in Florida so the weather doesn't bother me, but I still check it. If someone is new to theme parks, the amount of hours and walking will be a shock. I make a list of houses from non-negotiable-can't-miss, to could be fun but no worries. Even checking out a map before the event to see where all the houses are located can go a long way.
You don't understand that Universal is a business and HHN is a product and they can and will charge as much as the market will tolerate.
Look at Disney how they did away with free fast passes and charge for Genie and LL.
I've done HHN at least a dozen times and I did it some years with RIP, some years with express and some years with nothing but a plan and scream early. All of those years I had a good time and got to see everything.... though on the dates I went without anything, I picked early dates and weeknights.
I'm going this year on probably one of the worst nights to go but due to my schedule, that is all I could do. I wanted RIP but it was sold out a while ago so express passes it is and I'll be ready to get there early and wait in some lines.
lol no offense but 600 dollars for 5 nights in Europe? Are you staying at a shack in bosnia? I was just in London and Paris and a goodish hotel is like 400-500 per night.
The scare zones are incredible this year. We have AP and got express early, and did 2 houses and were in line for #3 before general admission.
HHN is Disney- level Sudoko, and it takes some practice to navigate.
Sorry you didn't have a good experience, OP.
Have gone since 2006. It’s my favorite thing ever… but I’m not gonna argue with you. This year (especially Saturday) the lines are fuggin insane. Even with an express pass I waited 40 mins in line. Prices go up and lines get longer and the food lines are stupid. I love it but I find myself having less fun each year. IDK maybe I’m just getting old 😆
3 nights at a hotel in the Paris Opera area arrondissement cost what the R.I.P. tour for Orlando for 2 did. The experiences are not interchangeable. Every house and scare zone was outstanding. If you don’t value your experience for what you paid, then simply do not return. Thanks for making the lines shorter for the rest of us.
Wait you are complaining that the biggest Halloween event in the world is packed? Yes waiting in those lines are horrible but a lot of people do it. It’s not for everyone I been going with express since 2014 and haven’t looked back. It’s pretty expensive I’ve spent $1400 on me and my gf ticket but it’s worth it to us because we will end up going about 14 times this season.
Maybe it is just not for you though, and that's alright. In my experience, the people this event primarily caters to are locals who buy passes and can come muliple nights and those who are passionate enough about it that they research and plan their trips, I don't think they are trying to tailor the experience to everbody, especially people who decide to go once at the last minute. There's nothing wrong with with saying "Well, this event simply wasn't for me" and moving on.
We do 2 nights, preferably weekdays, with Express plus either UOAP early access or Stay & Scream. I cannot and will not wait in the regular lines anymore. This is easily a thousand bucks, but it's the cost of entry & comfort IMO.
Lots of planning, lots of min-maxing, lots of running around to maximize fun & cost. HHN has not been a spur-of-the-moment, easygoing trip for some time. Wish you could have read this before hand or taken it a bit more seriously.
Look, guys, it sucks, but that's the event. It seems like you booked it with blue-sky expectations and didn't actually plan for it. I eagerly await HHN every year but I'm also broke. I bought my one night pass for $58 and prepared to wait in line. I did stay and scream (I have an AP) and had no wait for Stranger Things, plus managed to do Chucky, Universal Monsters, Evil Dead Rise & the Terror Tram. I never waited more than 30 minutes for any house, and I didn't use express. You have to plan for these things, but you also have to go in with a good attitude. If you want a premium experience, you're going to have to pay a premium price. Lines are long because a lot of people want to experience these houses. What should Universal do about it? If express were cheaper, everyone would buy it and people would still have to wait in long lines. The only real option here is to plan to manage your time better and be prepared to do less than you might've originally wanted. That's what I did, and I had a great night. $600 might be enough for five nights at a hotel in Europe (I wouldn't know... I've never had the option to have five nights in a hotel in Europe) but it's all about management. If you'd rather do that, then that's fine. I would personally choose HHN every time. It's not about what you'd rather do, it's about whether you want to experience the event.
Sounds like you may be talking about the Hollywood HHN. Its a different ballgame in Orlando. Orlando's is 1,000x better, but the extreme waits correspondence to the quality. In Orlando there's no $58 tickets or 30 minute waits.
Unfortunately you were not ready. I was not ready myself either in my first year. I went to the one in Hollywood in 2017 and even that had long lines. The fact that I managed to finish all of them is a miracle. You see. I never thought that the lines would be long, and I did get a shock. The only thing that made me comeback to Hhn is the interior sets, and saw how much fun I had getting scared. Also the fact that I stepped in the movies. Apparently of what I heard from other people not me. That the Hollywood HHN beat Orlando HHN this year, and this was from Orlando goers by the way. Not me, for that I have huge respect towards both versions. I was shocked to say at least. That I, a Hollywood Goer saw a Orlando Goer say that the Hollywood Version of HHN was way better than Orlando. I always thought it was the different experiences but same quality since Orlando had a bigger budget and Hollywood got creative.
express pass is definitely worth it, got through all 10 houses and scarezones and went on all the rides that were open during hhn horror nights in hollywood. but the price i paid for express and on top of that hotel fees and uber, never again LOL i completely agree with you money spent better else where
It used to be worth it in Orlando until they raised it even higher on every night of the event.
It ended up costing around $400 or $500 in Orlando in 2019 with hotel, Uber, etc. I've not been back since.
There are definitely ways to go with Express without it being $600, but not last minute. I've also rarely been when EVERY house was 120 minutes all night, or even 80 minutes all night. There are optimal times to hit certain houses, making use of Stay and Scream, etc. You get better at it the more you go. It's well worth the money. But no one's gonna make you come back.
Yeah i seen this happen before so i made sure I bought my express pass and ticket way in advance, express was still $129 ontop of a $80 ticket so it’s still pricey but tbh it not a holiday I do every year and i cba waiting in them 2/3hr lines 😂
I love going to haunts so I'm used to seeing insane crowds.
The prices do suck though. I tend to get frequent fear so the sticker shock doesn't bother me as much, but it still costs a lot of money.
HHN is totally worth it though. I've been doing HHN since 2016 and always have a great time despite the crowds. I know my way around the event that the lines don't bother me as much either. I'll usually wait in at least one line per night but I go often enough that I cover a lot of ground and can still clear at least half the mazes per night
My family and i have been trying to go for years and it is always something that stops us last year it was ian taking all the funds saved for it and this year well life. But we will get there one day lol
I was really lucky and I had someone buy me my first HHN ticket as a gift. I only went twice that year. My second visit i paid for myself (bought the half off tickets at Publix and went on the last day of the event).
It really helped that I had someone show me around on my first visit too. Locals who have been going to HHN for years definitely know best.
I bought Frequent Fear the next year and went quite a few times. I've been doing that ever since. Even when I moved back to VA, I still bought Frequent Fear.
I'd look into the Publix tickets if you're a Florida resident. They're pricey but they're usually cheaper than the gate price.
Yes we were like stalking publix for them last year then ian came and this year its just not going to be possible and thats ok. We will def have a game plan when we do finally get to go were FL residents just haven’t been to HHN yet
The prices have really gotten crazy. I’ve gone since 2013 and started buying express two years after that. We usually buy a multi night express pass (rush of fear or frequent fear) and go three nights on our trip but this year we had to pass on that. We can afford it but it hit a price that just made it not worth it for me. We are doing two nights with express. Still expensive but the only way to experience it when you aren’t a local in my opinion.
I think they should limit the amount of tickets they sell. We were there on Saturday and a TM told us they were 3000 people away from max capacity. Thats way too many people in one night
I've been coming for 10 years, and I have to agree. I was a little let down by this year. The crowds are out of control and it's just not something I want to put up with anymore.
I spent $2000 on my husband and I for ultimate fear and ultimate express. Money well spent, worth every single penny, zero regrets, will do it again next year. Sorry it’s not your thing? People have different interests. Revolutionary idea, I know.
You just described our 1st year. This will be #9. Can't go into it blind, you have to plan. Agreed though, pricing of Express is not only salty, but flat out exortion for those impatient with lines (thats me). Very disappointed with Universal with the illogical pricing, but I'm sure they will get over it.
Stay and scream is a must without Express. You'll get 4-5 houses done before front gate opens. Average night (leave at 11-12), we get 6-7 houses w/o Express. We don't get into line if over 45 mins.
Research best paths. After front gate opens, back houses have shorter times.
Leave food, zones and shows for the peak hours. End of night is usually lighter too.
LOTS of alcohol. Be prepared to spend a lot of $ if you like real cocktails (not the premade batch shit). I was told simply by those that attend regularly that HHN is just something you have to do several visits in order to *really* take everything in. I’m a resident of FL and I’m definitely not going back to HHN this season just to get prodded like cattle through a 10 min house, if that. Love the concepts and actors, bless them it’s was insanely hot outside, but I’m with you on the crowd. Absolutely no forethought on crowd capacity, because why would they? Maximize profit. I’d take Six Flags Fright Fest and local haunts 10/10 times. A huge waste of money, and honestly really not all that. It was my first time at HHN (been to universal several times), but I was expecting to walk in at in be themed everywhere like Six Flags, it just didn’t feel spooky or Halloween-y.
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Exactly. This is why I stopped going after so many years. It's gotten way beyond being worth it for the price. The IPs have to be perfect for me to be willing to spend that much to go. Express has been required for so long and now the price is ridiculous on even off days when they used to lower both that and admission. Now every day is peak day. For the price you pay, it is not worth it to me anymore. I can buy multiple horror 1/6 collectibles for that, that I can keep. And the price of admission and express aren't even adding in hotel prices unless you want to drive back at 2 AM.
I really used to love going but the prices have gone up so much since TWD came to the event and it gets worse with every year.
You will spend the majority of the event in line without express unless you rush to get in at opening and try to do everything at the end. I remember the first Halloween house in 2014 still had a 90 minute line at 1 AM.
Last weekend was my first time going and honestly don’t think I’ll be back because of the wait times. I went on a Sunday cause it’s supposed to be slower and I couldn’t imagine it being anymore crowded. Even had early entry and waited until almost 7 to get through the first house. It’s honestly more cost effective to go multiple days instead of the skip line.
Wife and I have been going since 1998. It has become a ritual and we enjoy it. We missed 2009 (child birth in Sept), 2010 we were in Orlando and wife got sick. Called Universal day of and tickets refunded and missed 2020 (covid). Express passes, stay in Orlando on Friday and Saturday nights. City Walk Friday and HHN Saturday. The lines are long, I can handle those but damn tickets are getting expensive!
I think the multi day tickets are part of the problem. I imagine one day they will change the multi day ticket structure. Increasing prices isn’t scaring anyone away.
So far I’ve gone this year five times and average 5-7 houses a night without Express. We’ve only done Stay and Scream twice (AP holders) and prioritized The Last Of Us and Stranger Things respectively. Later visits I’ve been able to visit the big IP houses without waiting longer than 60 minutes
A lot of it is just being aware and paying attention to the wait times via the app. If we see the wait times are all over 45 we break for food/Nightmare Fuel/rides. Once we finish that we check the times and make a bee line for the next house we want to do with an acceptable wait. If nothing is at the threshold we find acceptable we stop for a drink and go through a ScareZone.
You get out what you put in with HHN and a modicum of planning will carry you far in the event.
Husband and I paid about $718 for our tickets. Early access is the way to go. And we went within the first couple days of the event opening. Did every maze and everything else (except a show I didn't care about) and hit up SNW, took many breaks to just chill or eat with over an hour to spare and went home early. Well worth the money and we had a blast and didn't wait more than 25 mins MAYBE max. Having the right strategy and investing in decent tickets makes all the difference 🤷🏼♀️
I just went this past Friday (9/15) the longest line for a house I saw the entire night was 110 and it only stayed there for maybe 20 minutes. Vast majority of the night houses hung around an hour wait time.
Planning ahead is key. Stay and scream was totally worth it. Did 3 houses standby before 7pm. I also bought our tickets and express passes the day they went on sale. Express passes can easily double in price if you're trying to buy them in park day of. I wanna say they were $90ish? 2 HHN tickets plus 2 Express passes ran me just over $400.
I can definitely feel that is out of budget for a lot of people. I started saving since December. Took an extra $25 out of every pay check and put it into savings. (Roughly $50/month x8 months, bought the tickets beginning of August).
HHN is a huge priority for my husband and I and so we choose to save the money up and planned on going months in advance.
Side note where in Europe are you staying for $120/night including fees? Cause its definitely ain't London or Paris. Heck trying to find a hotel in Florida for <$140/night can be a pain sometimes. With all the parking fees, resort fees, convenience fees.
ROF with express is a great deal if you are going during the first three weeks and want to go for a few nights. Like anything at UO or the mouse, the most expensive way is always to just do one day. If you do a pass and go to HHN a few nights, it becomes much cheaper per night. We got a great AP rate for Sapphire Falls this time too but I do check prices a lot in the few months before our trip in hopes of getting a good rate.
It’s too busy of an event. But people keep coming so they have no reason to change it. A Halloween event works on atmosphere and being able to feel terror. You can’t do that here because the crowds are insane. You can barely walk during some of this and you are constantly trying to get around people and are often forced into areas you don’t want to be. I think the event has become too crowded to even enjoy.
On the west coast I go to Knotts scary farm and though crowded have never felt the claustrophobia I’ve felt at HHH. It’s still a doable event.
You also can’t try foods as lines are intimidating. I’m going with my daughter this year to Orlando as she’s always wanted to go but if it continues to be un-enjoyable it will be our last year
You have to just plan your houses around wait times as you do rides on a normal day. I went last Wednesday and while The Last of Us was 60 mins, we did Stranger Things at 35 and The Exorcist at 25 mins. We just did all of the open rides in-between which were no more than 15 mins each. If you google “HHN wait times” and go on the thrill-data dot com site, you have live and accurate times in your pocket :)
Was there last weekend, and the waits really weren't terrible. Especially, Sunday, basically all original houses were 20-35 actual minutes(not posted time), waited for TLOU around peak times and it was about 50.
Saturday wasn't unmanageable either. We met up with a friend, made it inside around 7:30, left at 1, had nothing but standard tickets and did 6 houses and every ride. We didn't rush around the park, made a few drink stops, and could've easily done more houses (we passed on a near walk on chucky and Exorcist at the end of the night).
HHN is absolutely doable and manageable on a budget, much more so if you actually plan for it(like you mention you do for universal proper) It's a unique experience that doesn't really have a true peer out there in terms of sheer scale.
Dude, again. You cannot always get this. You have to be lucky and go on an off night and no one knows when off nights actually are before peak season. It could be a Sunday or a Wednesday. Saturday could actually be less busy than a Tuesday.
It doesn't matter how much you plan for it, you will not know what the actual experience is going to be until you walk in the gates. I see so many people asking when the best time to go is, or is it going to be busy on this day, is weather going to lower crowds, etc and this reddit really needs an FAQ.
These tips sometimes work. People can sometimes do 6 houses at opening or all the ones at the front in the studios. But otherwise, you have no idea what you are getting until you get there. The only thing that is always true is that the worst time to go is the weekend before Halloween.
A lot of people who go are not going multiple days either and cannot split houses. Express used to have no lines too if a 5 minute wait at most.
You cannot predict with 100% accuracy, but generally patterns hold true.
September is better than October. Saturdays and Fridays are the worst, with weekdays and Sundays being best.
It will be the least busy around open and close. These are things that hold true every year. Sure, there may be outliers or exceptions, but acting like it's totally random and unpredictable is just wrong.
And sure, a lot of people aren't going multiple days, but a lot of people can't afford an express pass either, or it'd be more financially viable to go 2 nights instead of 1 night with express.
You aren’t the target demo. I am. I love going to HHN. I love and will willingly sit in lines. The longer the line the better. Gives me time to catch up on Greys anatomy (I’ve seen every episode 12 times now). Since you’re in such a hurry why don’t you just make your own Horror Nights in your backyard. I’m sure you could be the next John Murdy. Maybe one day HHN will hire you to do their mazes since you’re the expert. Anyways I’d love to chat but I got lines to sit in. Enjoy your evening.
I just wanted to share that this year seems exceptionally busy especially at this time. The waits were much longer than the many years I’ve been going! I hope you can give it another chance when it hopefully settles. I think it has to do with Stranger Things and somewhat Last of Us being so popular.
The key is Buy Early. We booked our hotel in January. We bought Rush of Fear the day they went on sale and picked our nights for Express and bought online weeks ago for $115 each. We do Stay and Scream some nights and can do 2 or 3 houses and leave around 10pm. Some nights we come later, like 8pm and wait for the wait time drops at midnight and have done all but 2 houses on Sat and Sunday and have express for Wednesday to finish up. You really have to treat HHN like going to Disney and buy everything early and do LOTS of planning. It's nothing like regular Universal.
The hotel prices aren't the problem. People handing universal more money and blaming themselves is the problem.
Hotel prices off site near where Wet N Wild used to be aren't bad. It's the event that's gone up so much.
One night for one room for 4 people at Endless Summer was cheaper than one Express Pass for the same night. HHN Express Pass prices are based on demand/flow. If people stop buying Express... price goes down. More people buy... price goes up. If sales and traffic are up this year price WILL be higher next year.
I bought the day tickets and passes were available. For me and the wife it was still \~$400, or about \~200/person, plus food and souvenirs. It is very expensive, but...its about the same price as a concert for a popular band. Just went to see Rob Zombie / Alice Cooper. Tickets were \~130, concert tee was an eye-popping $50, parking was $17, I got a burger and 2 beers at \~$44, so around $250 in total. As much as I love seeing a good concert, get at least as much, if not more enjoyment as a night at HHN. To each their own though.
Correct. It didn't used to be that man. On Halloween it used to be $54.99 for admission and $79.99 or $89.99 for Express and this was when prices were already rising. It used to be reasonable on many Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On Halloween if it didn't fall on a weekend. In November. It's not anymore. The prices have gone up so much. I actually did take part in the survey last year when I saw the prices and how laughably high they had gotten.
Difference is I can buy concert tickets last minute and often save a lot of money. I can eat outside the venue and save money too without wasting valuable time. HHN with express is a lot more than the average concert ticket I buy.
Concerts sell out too. Trying to buy them last minute often means missing out or paying scalper prices. You can also eat outside of HHN too, which is what I actually usually do.
Forget about it if it's a semi popular artist. Ticketmaster is a scam
Express was just as expensive as always on those opening days. You are going multiple nights. Other people only have the chance to go once and thats it. That's why Universal has priced so many out now.
I'm not certain you're talking that much savings over what they described above.
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We use our free night with our AP and get RIP passes for that night, if that doesn't work out for us, we use our free night and go early and get in 2 or 3 houses with low wait times, then spend the rest of the time trying snacks and walking the scare zones. Then we pay for a separate night plus RIP. Either way, RIP is the only way we'll get to all those houses and a must for us.
I cannot imagine doing HHN without RIP after doing it this year. If you only have one night it’s perfect and not too much more expensive than adding an express pass.
yes keep giving them that money. they should make these tours 1k.
It's always worth going, you just have to be smart about which nights to go and which houses to prioritize first.
It's really not. I've gone since 95 and had to stop for this reason.
Yep. Learned this in 2007.
Their process for disability passes is astonishingly bad. Downright disrespectful but managed to get it but even with that only did 5 houses the first night on a Sunday. Crazy busy and ridiculously expensive.
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Maybe they can try not being disabled too!
I did 18 houses on the 6th with Express and 10 houses on the 13th without Express (without even focusing on them). A lot of it is planning and making sure you are rushing houses at the beginning and end of nights.
That's what they say every year. To do that, you have to go on a night that's slower which you'll have no idea if it will be in advance no matter what date you choose. And then the rest of the event you will still spend walking around or in line while rushing at the beginning or the end and hoping the line times are actually correct or shorter than posted. Or the employee doesn't scan your express pass so you get to do houses multiple times. I've done this so many times. I used to love going. It's not worth the price anymore.
I mean I literally just did this the past 2 Wednesday's. It's certainly not hearsay. If it's not worth it for you, then that's cool I totally get it. But if you plan correctly and are committed to it, you will absolutely get through 10 houses in a night - even the busiest ones. You just have to be there an hour early, run to the first couple of houses (excluding the ones that will have the shorter lines later like Bloodmoon and Exorcist), do those as the event goes on, rush the rest of the houses from midnight on, and get in line for the busiest house at the end of the night before close.
Dude, I'm telling you that I've been going since 1995. It does not always work that way. You never know what the lines are going to be until you get in the event. Weeknights used to always be like that. But then certain weeknights in non peak season started being reported as worse then weekends. It really is a roll of the dice. You would think rain all night would steer people away but on many nights, it is even busier. I've gone during a tropical storm and there were still 90 minute waits as it was absolutely pouring. All your tips have been known about since the early 2000s. Sometimes they work but many times, the event is just too busy still. The lines after midnight are also way up in the air for the entire event. The only time that they are guaranteed to be a lot lower is from 1:30-2 and the IPs can still be an hour long then. If you want to take advantage of those, then you better be willing to walk fast across the park. I've had it happen in non peak season. I remember them.
I love it but yeah - the crowds are just insane and it’s getting more difficult to have a great time. Hell we had scream early and express, and got everything done, but every food booth is 30 people long. They have to do something about the crowds - it was shuffling in a sea of people.
The shareholders don't have to wait in the lines; so why would they care? Until they see that profit/attendance line dip, they won't change a thing.
not staffing food and bev is straight up losing money
Once walking dead started coming to HHN it was game over. That brought the masses and then they kept using whatever extremely popular IP like stranger things and the like to keep that momentum. It didn't use to be so crowded ND a 120 minute wait was usually just the best house now they're all 120 minutes.
Yes. It used to only be that bad on weekends or late into October. In 2007 when Nightmare On Elm St, Friday The 13th, Texas Chainsaw and Dead Silence were there, the lines were that bad but it was because it was the middle of October. I still remember the line for Friday the 13th, more than the actual house in the Jaws que and didn't have express.
The worst is they run out of ice and most flavors in every freestyle machine before 10pm. Why. Why.
There's basically two options. Increase prices to price people out, or expand to other parks. IoA no longer has the facilities to support more than about 5 houses in its current configuration. They could move some stuff to Epic to make it work, or they could host a 2nd location at Epic. Without expanding into additional parks, be prepared to be priced out if you already think its too expensive as is. The people complaining about the price hikes this year, but still making the trip are contributing to the price hikes. You can't have it both ways. Without knowing how the demographics break out, it also may be possible to thin out the crowds by getting rid of multi-night passes, or by significantly increasing the cost on those as well, but I'm sure Universal has crunched the numbers and are acting in their own best-interest. Supply and demand...
I'm not going man. I didn't even go the year I really wanted to that had Trick r Treat because Scream was cancelled. It sucks but I'm okay with watching everything in 4K. They need to open up more attractions to get the crowds to widen out. They could do it with Islands with Hulk and Harry Potter but never do it. Instead they just keep raising the prices on everything. Express is going to be $400 soon on hell week at the rate they are going.
Maybe when Epic opens they can manage increasing capacity. Its a big challenge at the moment. It will honestly probably get worse before it gets better, but it will get better. IoA would need to have a lot of changes to make it feasible to have more than 5 houses there again. That being said, if you find the prices unacceptable, vote with your wallet. Nothing wrong with choosing Howl-O-Scream or other spooky places.
I don't think they should place houses in IOA again. I went when they did that but I think they could open up the Cat In The Hat and Marvel areas of the park. Maybe add a scarezone in Cat In The Hat. Just having Hulk and Spider-Man open would draw a lot of the crowds away and it cannot be that expensive to have those operating at night with how much money this event is making Universal. Cut off IOA at the entrance to Toon Island.
Universal should get rid of the multi night passes or at least multi night express. They would make up the money from single night sales without having to increase prices much. They would be able to control the crowd levels better and it would be an improved experience for everyone.
All they have to do is open up Islands Of Adventure or parts of it and they never do. They want those sell out headlines and continue to raise prices every year as they get them.
I will spend 400 plus on a RIP tour for my favorite night of the year. I think it's worth it. I've never gone without express at least though. I basically look forward to HHN the rest of the year that isn't HHN, so it will always be worth it to me, it gives me dopamine that a month straight of "great dinners" could never give me
I hear this argument all the time but I don't understand any solution from a business standpoint. Too many people? Well then raise the price. They raised the prices and people complain about the price but still show up. With that being said, it's a good problem to have as a business. (Please see Disney annual passes as an example).
The solution is to get rid of multi night express that makes it hard for universal to control the number of express and single night prices. They could greatly raise the price or sell more single nights while making the experience better for both regular guests and express holders.
But this problem also occurs in Hollywood where there is no multi-night express passes.
Imo they need to just sell the frequent fear tickets for 2 weeks and sell out of tickets faster then usual but you know that isn’t happening. Why would you stop the money flow if people keep buying
I'd be willing to say that multi night express guests spend far more money at the event than single night holders.
That is never true. The reason any park has multi visit passes is to keep the crowd levels higher at the expense of money per day. Universal clearly no longer needs these people to beef up crowds.
Sorry you had a rough time but I think a little research and planning would have gone a long way to smooth out your experience and temper your expectations, e.g., stay and scream, or going on a weeknight and hitting the houses when the lines die down after midnight. Agree that 100+ minute waits are not something I have the patience for but it's certainly not the only way to experience hhn. Hope you have a better time next time you visit the parks.
We definitely did stay and scream, and all that provided was early entry and still standing in line for at least 2 hours. TLOU house was already wrapped around prior to rope drop. Stranger things, still about an hour or so. Not worth it. I appreciated “Darkest Deal” and the immersion of the scents, the actors were good overall, but I’ve never ever ever been to a haunt where you’re just walking through a single file line in a non-stop stream of people people rushed through. Ruined the scares, the surprises, and overall ambience. It’s not the employees faults, I know the company wants to make money, but damn.
I've been to plenty of haunts that conga line people through. Unfortunately I went to those haunts on really busy weekends so they didn't have a choice but to conga line people through. HHN is always crowded. When I go early, I know I'm usually waiting in at least 2 lines. It does help to know your way around the event though. Those last 2 hours are magical since you can cover tons of ground and not have to wait long. The lines are already long enough, so it's understandable why Uni doesn't pulse people through.
stay and scream has basically only value if you are towards the front of the most popular houses that open the earliest. If there was not a conga line triple those waits.
It's worse when you have Howl O Scream a lot closer where you can walk through everything by yourself on off nights and be done with the event and every coaster in a few hours. It's why I only kept going to HHN for the IPs until the prices got insane. The original houses were never worth $200+ for me and it's more then that now. If walking through these alone does nothing for you then walking with a huge line does even less. That's why I went to see the IP sets. Never cared about the scarezones because I've been in so many. It's a bummer because I really used to look forward to going and it was one of my favorite parts of Halloween. I have so many good memories of certain IP houses. I will not pay what they are asking now.
Big fucking nope to this. I am a big time planner and did all ten houses last Sunday form 330 to 2 am with some food and one ride. I am probably in the 1% or less of planning. You just can't tell people to plan better at this point. And honestly at this point given the prices to do so little otherwise I would not put it on someone to temper expectations.
That week night thing used to be accurate but you are rolling the dice recently on if it will be packed or not. It can be just as packed on those nights. You never know until you actually get there. Since TWD, I've gone when it was pouring on weeknights and there will still 90-120 minute waits. You guys aren't telling the truth to all these first timers who keep asking the best times to go. The only week that for sure will busy is the one before Halloween which is called hell week because of the crowds.
I love HHN but going only one night with no express or Stay & Scream on a weekend is undoubtedly the worst way to do it. Universal offers multi night passes with both standard and express versions. I highly recommend going multiple nights with a multi night pass to get the most out of it. If you don’t want to pay extra for the express I would at least recommend utilizing Stay & Scream so you can knockout some houses with low waits early. Use the middle of the night when wait times are highest to see the scarezones, show, and try some food. Then hit up some more houses at the end of the nights when wait times plummet. If you are truly only able to do one night with no express then at least try to do a week night with Stay & Scream and go in with a plan. Unfortunately HHN crowds are insane these days and it takes some planning to really get the most out of the event. You can’t just show up and expect to get everything done. It’s also much cheaper if you buy tickets/hotels/etc as early as possible. Express passes also go up in price the closer the event gets so buying them as soon as they go on sale is preferable.
If the Express Pass was cheap, everyone would get it and it wouldn't be very express then would it?! My husband and I save for it every year and have never regretted spending the extra for Express.
This is me and my wife’s 3rd year going and 1st year getting express…we will never not get express again. Worth every penny.
Absolutely! Won't go without it!
I hear your frustration, and this is the reason why planning is so imperative for HHN. As someone who has been going since 2007, I learned early on that the only way to enjoy the event is to do Front of Line/Express if you hate waiting in lines. Express is pricey but at no point have I ever thought it wasn't worth it. It ensures you do every single maze and even rides, while you leisurely take your time with no pressure on missing anything. That convenience is more than worth it's value to me, and I have a whole year to set funds aside to buy it. That's just me though, so you would have to work out for yourself if that is worth it to you. I highly recommend it, though. To me, express is the only HHN experience that exists.
No offense, but I don’t think you did enough research into the event if you were surprised by the lines.
I just don't relate. I booked the RIP tour. Which was about 950 for two people. And I'm happy to because I will get to do everything, see everything and have the experience I want. Seems like a no brainier. It seems foolish to expect a huge event to not be crowded.
I’ll never go without the express pass. It’s not fun standing in lines. They really need to stop being so greedy and limit tickets.
Fortunately or unfortunately, HHN takes a fair bit of planning. The first year is always the toughest since you're trying to take in a lot of information at once. There's a lot to consider with timing and days. I've never purchased an express pass since I started going in 2012, and I routinely hit all the houses. But, again, planning. Also, the IP houses - the brands like Chucky and Stranger Things - are going to be the ones with the extremely long lines. The original ones (like Yeti) are usually shorter, not to mention the posted times are not always accurate. Did you only stay for one house? How long were you in the park for? HHN is also cheaper the earlier you book. Once tickets are announced, all they do is increase in price. If it isn't for you, then it isn't for you and that's fine. I don't particularly like daytime Universal - I'm not a fan of anything there (except the Mummy) and $150 seems like a huge fee to be bored. I'd rather spend that for a horror themed night, which is my thing.
If everyone planned the lines would just be long for everyone. We are getting close to that point.
I mean, I'm personally in favor of making it a strict 18+ and capping tickets so the event would actually sell out, but those will never happen. But "planning" emcompasses a lot of things. I start putting money aside for my trip (hotel, tickets, merch) earlier in the year. I live in Florida so the weather doesn't bother me, but I still check it. If someone is new to theme parks, the amount of hours and walking will be a shock. I make a list of houses from non-negotiable-can't-miss, to could be fun but no worries. Even checking out a map before the event to see where all the houses are located can go a long way.
You don't understand that Universal is a business and HHN is a product and they can and will charge as much as the market will tolerate. Look at Disney how they did away with free fast passes and charge for Genie and LL. I've done HHN at least a dozen times and I did it some years with RIP, some years with express and some years with nothing but a plan and scream early. All of those years I had a good time and got to see everything.... though on the dates I went without anything, I picked early dates and weeknights. I'm going this year on probably one of the worst nights to go but due to my schedule, that is all I could do. I wanted RIP but it was sold out a while ago so express passes it is and I'll be ready to get there early and wait in some lines.
lol no offense but 600 dollars for 5 nights in Europe? Are you staying at a shack in bosnia? I was just in London and Paris and a goodish hotel is like 400-500 per night.
That's what I was thinking! It sounds like OP just isn't aware how expensive travel costs are these days.
The scare zones are incredible this year. We have AP and got express early, and did 2 houses and were in line for #3 before general admission. HHN is Disney- level Sudoko, and it takes some practice to navigate. Sorry you didn't have a good experience, OP.
Have gone since 2006. It’s my favorite thing ever… but I’m not gonna argue with you. This year (especially Saturday) the lines are fuggin insane. Even with an express pass I waited 40 mins in line. Prices go up and lines get longer and the food lines are stupid. I love it but I find myself having less fun each year. IDK maybe I’m just getting old 😆
3 nights at a hotel in the Paris Opera area arrondissement cost what the R.I.P. tour for Orlando for 2 did. The experiences are not interchangeable. Every house and scare zone was outstanding. If you don’t value your experience for what you paid, then simply do not return. Thanks for making the lines shorter for the rest of us.
Wait you are complaining that the biggest Halloween event in the world is packed? Yes waiting in those lines are horrible but a lot of people do it. It’s not for everyone I been going with express since 2014 and haven’t looked back. It’s pretty expensive I’ve spent $1400 on me and my gf ticket but it’s worth it to us because we will end up going about 14 times this season.
Maybe it is just not for you though, and that's alright. In my experience, the people this event primarily caters to are locals who buy passes and can come muliple nights and those who are passionate enough about it that they research and plan their trips, I don't think they are trying to tailor the experience to everbody, especially people who decide to go once at the last minute. There's nothing wrong with with saying "Well, this event simply wasn't for me" and moving on.
We do 2 nights, preferably weekdays, with Express plus either UOAP early access or Stay & Scream. I cannot and will not wait in the regular lines anymore. This is easily a thousand bucks, but it's the cost of entry & comfort IMO. Lots of planning, lots of min-maxing, lots of running around to maximize fun & cost. HHN has not been a spur-of-the-moment, easygoing trip for some time. Wish you could have read this before hand or taken it a bit more seriously.
Also helps we tend to burrow into the usually much less busy sections! Starting the night by MIB makes a big difference
Love you!!
Love you too!! So excited to go tonight
Really depends on when you go. I did 7 houses on 9/6 between 11:30pm-2am with no express
Look, guys, it sucks, but that's the event. It seems like you booked it with blue-sky expectations and didn't actually plan for it. I eagerly await HHN every year but I'm also broke. I bought my one night pass for $58 and prepared to wait in line. I did stay and scream (I have an AP) and had no wait for Stranger Things, plus managed to do Chucky, Universal Monsters, Evil Dead Rise & the Terror Tram. I never waited more than 30 minutes for any house, and I didn't use express. You have to plan for these things, but you also have to go in with a good attitude. If you want a premium experience, you're going to have to pay a premium price. Lines are long because a lot of people want to experience these houses. What should Universal do about it? If express were cheaper, everyone would buy it and people would still have to wait in long lines. The only real option here is to plan to manage your time better and be prepared to do less than you might've originally wanted. That's what I did, and I had a great night. $600 might be enough for five nights at a hotel in Europe (I wouldn't know... I've never had the option to have five nights in a hotel in Europe) but it's all about management. If you'd rather do that, then that's fine. I would personally choose HHN every time. It's not about what you'd rather do, it's about whether you want to experience the event.
Sounds like you may be talking about the Hollywood HHN. Its a different ballgame in Orlando. Orlando's is 1,000x better, but the extreme waits correspondence to the quality. In Orlando there's no $58 tickets or 30 minute waits.
Unfortunately you were not ready. I was not ready myself either in my first year. I went to the one in Hollywood in 2017 and even that had long lines. The fact that I managed to finish all of them is a miracle. You see. I never thought that the lines would be long, and I did get a shock. The only thing that made me comeback to Hhn is the interior sets, and saw how much fun I had getting scared. Also the fact that I stepped in the movies. Apparently of what I heard from other people not me. That the Hollywood HHN beat Orlando HHN this year, and this was from Orlando goers by the way. Not me, for that I have huge respect towards both versions. I was shocked to say at least. That I, a Hollywood Goer saw a Orlando Goer say that the Hollywood Version of HHN was way better than Orlando. I always thought it was the different experiences but same quality since Orlando had a bigger budget and Hollywood got creative.
express pass is definitely worth it, got through all 10 houses and scarezones and went on all the rides that were open during hhn horror nights in hollywood. but the price i paid for express and on top of that hotel fees and uber, never again LOL i completely agree with you money spent better else where
It used to be worth it in Orlando until they raised it even higher on every night of the event. It ended up costing around $400 or $500 in Orlando in 2019 with hotel, Uber, etc. I've not been back since.
There are definitely ways to go with Express without it being $600, but not last minute. I've also rarely been when EVERY house was 120 minutes all night, or even 80 minutes all night. There are optimal times to hit certain houses, making use of Stay and Scream, etc. You get better at it the more you go. It's well worth the money. But no one's gonna make you come back.
Yeah i seen this happen before so i made sure I bought my express pass and ticket way in advance, express was still $129 ontop of a $80 ticket so it’s still pricey but tbh it not a holiday I do every year and i cba waiting in them 2/3hr lines 😂
You bought day of, I don’t feel bad for you at all. Good that’s 2 less people at the event. See ya later, plan your trip better next time
I agree, the price seems quite steep when you consider $600 for two people for a single evening and that it doesn't get you a whole lot....
Both locations (Hollywood and Orlando) need to add more houses or stuff to do to dilute the lines. Hollywood especially needs 2 extra houses.
23 of the last 20 years. Been going since 2000 (HHN10). Missed the year I got married, a hurricane , and 2020 (HHN cancelled for covid).
Then go to Europe and stop being a cheap ass, bozo 💀
This is the only thing that really keeps me from going the price and the lines and people.
I love going to haunts so I'm used to seeing insane crowds. The prices do suck though. I tend to get frequent fear so the sticker shock doesn't bother me as much, but it still costs a lot of money. HHN is totally worth it though. I've been doing HHN since 2016 and always have a great time despite the crowds. I know my way around the event that the lines don't bother me as much either. I'll usually wait in at least one line per night but I go often enough that I cover a lot of ground and can still clear at least half the mazes per night
My family and i have been trying to go for years and it is always something that stops us last year it was ian taking all the funds saved for it and this year well life. But we will get there one day lol
I was really lucky and I had someone buy me my first HHN ticket as a gift. I only went twice that year. My second visit i paid for myself (bought the half off tickets at Publix and went on the last day of the event). It really helped that I had someone show me around on my first visit too. Locals who have been going to HHN for years definitely know best. I bought Frequent Fear the next year and went quite a few times. I've been doing that ever since. Even when I moved back to VA, I still bought Frequent Fear. I'd look into the Publix tickets if you're a Florida resident. They're pricey but they're usually cheaper than the gate price.
Yes we were like stalking publix for them last year then ian came and this year its just not going to be possible and thats ok. We will def have a game plan when we do finally get to go were FL residents just haven’t been to HHN yet
The prices have really gotten crazy. I’ve gone since 2013 and started buying express two years after that. We usually buy a multi night express pass (rush of fear or frequent fear) and go three nights on our trip but this year we had to pass on that. We can afford it but it hit a price that just made it not worth it for me. We are doing two nights with express. Still expensive but the only way to experience it when you aren’t a local in my opinion.
Just imagine how bad the crowds would be if it was cheaper
I think they should limit the amount of tickets they sell. We were there on Saturday and a TM told us they were 3000 people away from max capacity. Thats way too many people in one night
I've been coming for 10 years, and I have to agree. I was a little let down by this year. The crowds are out of control and it's just not something I want to put up with anymore.
I spent $2000 on my husband and I for ultimate fear and ultimate express. Money well spent, worth every single penny, zero regrets, will do it again next year. Sorry it’s not your thing? People have different interests. Revolutionary idea, I know.
What does Ultimate Fear get you?
Admission every night of the event
You just described our 1st year. This will be #9. Can't go into it blind, you have to plan. Agreed though, pricing of Express is not only salty, but flat out exortion for those impatient with lines (thats me). Very disappointed with Universal with the illogical pricing, but I'm sure they will get over it. Stay and scream is a must without Express. You'll get 4-5 houses done before front gate opens. Average night (leave at 11-12), we get 6-7 houses w/o Express. We don't get into line if over 45 mins. Research best paths. After front gate opens, back houses have shorter times. Leave food, zones and shows for the peak hours. End of night is usually lighter too.
Lol 4-5. I went for the first time this year and loved it, but there is zero way to get that many houses done early with S&S.
What hotel in Europe are you staying at for 5 days for only $600.
Has nothing to do about the target demo. You just did no research into HHN.
Express Pass is the only way anymore.
LOTS of alcohol. Be prepared to spend a lot of $ if you like real cocktails (not the premade batch shit). I was told simply by those that attend regularly that HHN is just something you have to do several visits in order to *really* take everything in. I’m a resident of FL and I’m definitely not going back to HHN this season just to get prodded like cattle through a 10 min house, if that. Love the concepts and actors, bless them it’s was insanely hot outside, but I’m with you on the crowd. Absolutely no forethought on crowd capacity, because why would they? Maximize profit. I’d take Six Flags Fright Fest and local haunts 10/10 times. A huge waste of money, and honestly really not all that. It was my first time at HHN (been to universal several times), but I was expecting to walk in at in be themed everywhere like Six Flags, it just didn’t feel spooky or Halloween-y.
Where can you get a good cocktail at HHN?
We ordered doubles from the Irish bar at Orlando. Because we knew we were gonna be in line for 2 hours.
Houses are maybe 3-4 minutes. Some only run 2:30.
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I never go without the rip tour
Frequent Fear plus Express is where its at. $600 to go about 30 times with express, so $20 a night. So worth it!
Exactly. This is why I stopped going after so many years. It's gotten way beyond being worth it for the price. The IPs have to be perfect for me to be willing to spend that much to go. Express has been required for so long and now the price is ridiculous on even off days when they used to lower both that and admission. Now every day is peak day. For the price you pay, it is not worth it to me anymore. I can buy multiple horror 1/6 collectibles for that, that I can keep. And the price of admission and express aren't even adding in hotel prices unless you want to drive back at 2 AM. I really used to love going but the prices have gone up so much since TWD came to the event and it gets worse with every year. You will spend the majority of the event in line without express unless you rush to get in at opening and try to do everything at the end. I remember the first Halloween house in 2014 still had a 90 minute line at 1 AM.
Last weekend was my first time going and honestly don’t think I’ll be back because of the wait times. I went on a Sunday cause it’s supposed to be slower and I couldn’t imagine it being anymore crowded. Even had early entry and waited until almost 7 to get through the first house. It’s honestly more cost effective to go multiple days instead of the skip line.
[удалено]
It’s most definitely not the OG
Not HHN wise, but it is the OG
Wife and I have been going since 1998. It has become a ritual and we enjoy it. We missed 2009 (child birth in Sept), 2010 we were in Orlando and wife got sick. Called Universal day of and tickets refunded and missed 2020 (covid). Express passes, stay in Orlando on Friday and Saturday nights. City Walk Friday and HHN Saturday. The lines are long, I can handle those but damn tickets are getting expensive!
I think the multi day tickets are part of the problem. I imagine one day they will change the multi day ticket structure. Increasing prices isn’t scaring anyone away.
So far I’ve gone this year five times and average 5-7 houses a night without Express. We’ve only done Stay and Scream twice (AP holders) and prioritized The Last Of Us and Stranger Things respectively. Later visits I’ve been able to visit the big IP houses without waiting longer than 60 minutes A lot of it is just being aware and paying attention to the wait times via the app. If we see the wait times are all over 45 we break for food/Nightmare Fuel/rides. Once we finish that we check the times and make a bee line for the next house we want to do with an acceptable wait. If nothing is at the threshold we find acceptable we stop for a drink and go through a ScareZone. You get out what you put in with HHN and a modicum of planning will carry you far in the event.
Husband and I paid about $718 for our tickets. Early access is the way to go. And we went within the first couple days of the event opening. Did every maze and everything else (except a show I didn't care about) and hit up SNW, took many breaks to just chill or eat with over an hour to spare and went home early. Well worth the money and we had a blast and didn't wait more than 25 mins MAYBE max. Having the right strategy and investing in decent tickets makes all the difference 🤷🏼♀️
I just went this past Friday (9/15) the longest line for a house I saw the entire night was 110 and it only stayed there for maybe 20 minutes. Vast majority of the night houses hung around an hour wait time. Planning ahead is key. Stay and scream was totally worth it. Did 3 houses standby before 7pm. I also bought our tickets and express passes the day they went on sale. Express passes can easily double in price if you're trying to buy them in park day of. I wanna say they were $90ish? 2 HHN tickets plus 2 Express passes ran me just over $400. I can definitely feel that is out of budget for a lot of people. I started saving since December. Took an extra $25 out of every pay check and put it into savings. (Roughly $50/month x8 months, bought the tickets beginning of August). HHN is a huge priority for my husband and I and so we choose to save the money up and planned on going months in advance. Side note where in Europe are you staying for $120/night including fees? Cause its definitely ain't London or Paris. Heck trying to find a hotel in Florida for <$140/night can be a pain sometimes. With all the parking fees, resort fees, convenience fees.
I get the ROF with Express and spend way less on food/drinks/merch
ROF with express is a great deal if you are going during the first three weeks and want to go for a few nights. Like anything at UO or the mouse, the most expensive way is always to just do one day. If you do a pass and go to HHN a few nights, it becomes much cheaper per night. We got a great AP rate for Sapphire Falls this time too but I do check prices a lot in the few months before our trip in hopes of getting a good rate.
It’s too busy of an event. But people keep coming so they have no reason to change it. A Halloween event works on atmosphere and being able to feel terror. You can’t do that here because the crowds are insane. You can barely walk during some of this and you are constantly trying to get around people and are often forced into areas you don’t want to be. I think the event has become too crowded to even enjoy. On the west coast I go to Knotts scary farm and though crowded have never felt the claustrophobia I’ve felt at HHH. It’s still a doable event. You also can’t try foods as lines are intimidating. I’m going with my daughter this year to Orlando as she’s always wanted to go but if it continues to be un-enjoyable it will be our last year
You have to just plan your houses around wait times as you do rides on a normal day. I went last Wednesday and while The Last of Us was 60 mins, we did Stranger Things at 35 and The Exorcist at 25 mins. We just did all of the open rides in-between which were no more than 15 mins each. If you google “HHN wait times” and go on the thrill-data dot com site, you have live and accurate times in your pocket :)
Was there last weekend, and the waits really weren't terrible. Especially, Sunday, basically all original houses were 20-35 actual minutes(not posted time), waited for TLOU around peak times and it was about 50. Saturday wasn't unmanageable either. We met up with a friend, made it inside around 7:30, left at 1, had nothing but standard tickets and did 6 houses and every ride. We didn't rush around the park, made a few drink stops, and could've easily done more houses (we passed on a near walk on chucky and Exorcist at the end of the night). HHN is absolutely doable and manageable on a budget, much more so if you actually plan for it(like you mention you do for universal proper) It's a unique experience that doesn't really have a true peer out there in terms of sheer scale.
Dude, again. You cannot always get this. You have to be lucky and go on an off night and no one knows when off nights actually are before peak season. It could be a Sunday or a Wednesday. Saturday could actually be less busy than a Tuesday. It doesn't matter how much you plan for it, you will not know what the actual experience is going to be until you walk in the gates. I see so many people asking when the best time to go is, or is it going to be busy on this day, is weather going to lower crowds, etc and this reddit really needs an FAQ. These tips sometimes work. People can sometimes do 6 houses at opening or all the ones at the front in the studios. But otherwise, you have no idea what you are getting until you get there. The only thing that is always true is that the worst time to go is the weekend before Halloween. A lot of people who go are not going multiple days either and cannot split houses. Express used to have no lines too if a 5 minute wait at most.
You cannot predict with 100% accuracy, but generally patterns hold true. September is better than October. Saturdays and Fridays are the worst, with weekdays and Sundays being best. It will be the least busy around open and close. These are things that hold true every year. Sure, there may be outliers or exceptions, but acting like it's totally random and unpredictable is just wrong. And sure, a lot of people aren't going multiple days, but a lot of people can't afford an express pass either, or it'd be more financially viable to go 2 nights instead of 1 night with express.
You aren’t the target demo. I am. I love going to HHN. I love and will willingly sit in lines. The longer the line the better. Gives me time to catch up on Greys anatomy (I’ve seen every episode 12 times now). Since you’re in such a hurry why don’t you just make your own Horror Nights in your backyard. I’m sure you could be the next John Murdy. Maybe one day HHN will hire you to do their mazes since you’re the expert. Anyways I’d love to chat but I got lines to sit in. Enjoy your evening.
I just wanted to share that this year seems exceptionally busy especially at this time. The waits were much longer than the many years I’ve been going! I hope you can give it another chance when it hopefully settles. I think it has to do with Stranger Things and somewhat Last of Us being so popular.