From Enemies To Lovers: My First Year As A UOAP! '19/'20 (CLOSED - 6/21)

[PlutosRHM55]

"Hey! You shouldn't be out here.
With Doc Ock on the loose,
this could be the most dangerous night of my life and YOURS.
Be careful.
Nice shades."



HEY KIDS!!!!!

Wild to think I've been on these boards for a decade and I haven't formally introduced myself over here. Better late than never and what a better time than now!

And who is I?



The name is Timmy. No Tim. PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF DUELING DRAGONS, DO NOT CALL ME 'TIM'. Miss me with that stuff about how it sounds more professional. It's boring and I'm an exciting fun person so Timmy it will be or Queen Timothy if you really feeling up to task hehe



*ahem* Anyways, I'm a 24 year old recent college graduate with a BS in Management & Business (which has no reflection on my personality whatsoever) and a minor attached in Theater (which has everything to do with my personality) who was recently unemployed (3 months ago to be exact) thanks to Miss Rona aka COVID-19/Coronavirus so I have lots of time on my hands. Prior to Miss Rona's debut, I was an on-again off-again cast member at Walt Disney World. Still up in the air if that's gonna continue, but as of now it is a former position. To elaborate, since 2016 I have devoted blood, sweat and tears to the Disney parks across three Disney College Programs which included a summer at Disney World's "big sister park" of Disneyland on the west coast. Earlier this past year that effort at Disney drained me so the devotion might've waned and I slid my way across Orlando, spending ample time at the Universal Orlando Resort.

Before that little sidle on over to UOR, I had only been to IoA and the Studios park three times prior, all single day trips which included an HHN evening, but I'd always wanted to spend more time in the "other" park. I've spent more time in all domestic Disney parks than most get to spend in a life time and I wanted to give the "enemy park" some love (it's a happy rivalry obviousl). It was my big goal during my CP this past year. I began working towards that goal when I jumped the gun and got myself a Frequent Fear Pass for HHN29. This eventually led to a MASSIVE slew of HHN nights, an upgrade to the FF+, purchasing my AP, booking the Unmasking The Horror Tour, an unfortunate amount of visits for Grinchmas ,etc. etc.

Needless to say, the rest was history and I fell in love with the enemy (hence, "enemies to lovers") and now I'm here to tell you that love story. A love story that could go up to bat with the Brontë sisters and yes I say that with the utmost of confidence. This is a work of classic canon non-fiction.



I will be documenting all that I mentioned above and more in this here report. My first year as a UOAP from getting my Frequent Fear Pass through to my Preferred Pass's expiration date. To be exact September 2019 through to November 2019 (since my pass was extended the two months Universal was closed). It will be a little companion to my entire College Program experience over on the Disney World trip reports side of the boards (that only covers until from June 2019 through till the beginning of January 2020). If you wish to check that out and get to know me even better over there, click on this link below:
Third Time's The Charm At The DISNEY COLLEGE PROGRAM Fall '19!



But as I said before, my recounts of my visits from this past year and onward seem to fit better over on this side of the boards. Sharing my love of Universal with others who are a bit more familiar with the park and all the little quirks that make it special for us. I'm still kind of a newbie, but maybe that will be a good change of pace for me, even if I do shock myself with certain in-park knowledge I have.

In lieu of this report continuing beyond past visits, I'm hoping to return to the Orlando area soon-ish. No concrete plans yet but we have hopes, dreams and potentially HHN scare-actor auditions so fingers big big BIG crossed for all of that! There will be a return either way so prepare yourselves for that.



Until then, hope you've enjoyed yourselves so far and decide to stick around for all the shenanigans of my wild year as a local UOAP.

Granted...

"Personally, I would've enjoyed this interview a lot more if I had gotten MY CUP OF COFFEE!!

*Imhotep hands cup of coffee* Thank you. *Brandon Fraser SHRIEK*"



​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Table of Contents

Introduction - Above

PREFACE
My Personal Universal HERstory (June 2014, October 2016 & December 2016)

~September 8th, 2019 - HHN Opening Weekend~
A Hurt Rib Won't Stop Me From Getting Spooky

Closing Remarks​

 

[schumigirl]

Welcome to the Uni boards Timmy......

Look forward to reading your trip report!

And good luck with the HHN auditions.......there are a lot of HHN addicts over here...us included!!! And yes, this year has been a little bit off to say the least......

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Scare actor auditions .....rehearsal photographs please, let’s see you at your worst Timmy!!! Break a leg.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

My Personal Universal HERstory
June 2014, October 2016 & December 2016

In a way, I kinda rushed through my little introduction there. I've been on a tight update schedule with my other TR so I guess that energy kinda just made its way here. In light of that, I thought I'd elaborate more on my time prior to becoming a Frequent Fear Passholder and subsequently my Annual Pass. For the record, it is a Preferred Two Park Pass so I came and went as I pleased.

Anyways, I first visited in Universal back in June 2014 following my high school graduation. Most kids ask for a party with a small graduation present. I instead requested a Disney trip with friends. I saved up the summer prior at my old job working as a lifeguard at a local lake to pay for it. I split it with my parents. Unfortunately, I was the singular friend who was a Disney fan so my best friend at the time, who lived in another state, was the only one who joined. It was still fun and because my mother is stubborn I still ended up with a small party anyways.

Anyways, to the trip! In planning the trip which was a six day, five night stay at Disney's Art of Animation Resort, I decided that I'd finally step out of the Disney bubble and go to Universal. It was around this time that they were finishing up on Diagon Alley so the hope was that I'd maybe walk in on a soft opening. I grew up with Harry Potter so that was a major driving force in trying to get to Universal, but also my mom talked it up a lot from when she went back in its early years. I was pretty excited so I bought a one day two-park ticket for my first visit.

Originally, it was supposed to break up the trip, happening on our third day. Alas Nathan, the aforementioned former best friend, wasn't feeling good midway through this trip so we pushed that day back, which worked out fine. It only meant that some of my FP reservations at Disney were lost along with a dining reservation, but I wasn't going to force a friend to have to take the journey from Disney to Universal and be stuck there all day. The day was moved to our last full day and we just took a slow day midway through. We did end up re-booking the dining reservation with concierge so it wasn't a huge loss and we even snuck in some good FPs.

Anyways, skip a day and we finally got to Universal! We booked a Mears bus there, which I've used one time since and frankly, never again. Uber is WAAAYYY more efficient. Take it from someone with experience on both. There is no reason to have to be on a bus ride for an hour to get to the Universal parks. None at all.

We spent the day covering both parks and we honestly got through some major ground. I got to see Hogsmeade for the first time as well as try some frozen Butterbeer, got the most unbelievably drenched on Popeye's on the most humid day ever, flew with E.T. and internally cried about it, took some pics in front of the Diagon Alley exterior (no soft opening sadly) among many other things in the shortened day we had there. There's so much more I wish I had done at this time since Twister, Disaster, Beetlejuice and a bunch other attractions that are now gone still existed, but no room for regrets, even when two of those attractions were removed for... Fast and Furious *insert psychotic twitching here* It was a pretty great day, even when Nate and I kinda snapped on each other, we made the best of what was probably the most difficult trip I've ever taken. (If you want to read more about it, here's a link to that TR (sans photos sadly): https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...-a-pixie-dusted-nerdventure-complete.3298004/)

















Frankly, the worst part about this was when I was on the phone with another friend of ours and I missed the last step down to the bus loop at Universal, screwing up my ankle. No joke, I really screwed it up. I was in pain for weeks after. I basically used crutches to walk around my house. I already bad collapsed arches as is, but this has haunted me since. Every so often it acts up and if I overwork myself walking, I end up with a slight limp. Not fun. At first, I thought it was punishment for going to Universal, abandoning Disney, then coming back despite. Now... I just know to use a railing when walking down stairs lmao

It would be awhile until I returned to the Orlando area. I was now in college and thus eligible for the Disney College Program. After a failed attempt for Fall 2015, I ended up getting in 2016 where I worked from August to January in Magic Kingdom Custodial, mostly based in Tomorrowland. I had wanted to get an AP at Universal this program, but never got around to it. Luckily, one day when I was rushing around talking about wanting to go to HHN, some co-workers of mine overheard letting me know they were going on the day I had considered. It was fate and so a few days prior to Halloween I got to experience my first HHN ever!















Despite not being super close with anyone, I had a really fun time and I totally fell in love with the event, even if I almost got turned away at security for my Britney Spears shirt (I'm sure you can guess if you know her iconic catch phrase) lol The first house I ever did was the first iteration of American Horror Story, my main reason for going that year, and it was everything I could've wanted even though it only featured one of my favorite seasons from the show. I also came across my first scare zone obsession in Vamp '55. The former Twihard in me walked in completely ready for a Greaser Edward Cullen to take a bite. I also got to see Diagon Alley on this first night, which was AMAZING! A big bunch of us were pretty skiddish so it was a nice break. We still managed to get through 7 out of the 9 houses (No Chance or Walking Dead for us) and all but 1 scare zone (no Central Park Banshees either). I tried to come back to finish out the event and go into some houses I really enjoyed but got overshadowed by a few others like Ghost Town and The Exorcist, however nobody was available so that was my one and done for HHN26. I vowed to come back as soon as I was able though.

Fast forward a few months later, my family (minus my dad) came to visit around Christmas! Through use of the wonderful discounts I got for the holiday season, I booked a week long trip Christmas Eve onward for my mom and my two sisters. It was a crazy week that was so busy with work and hanging out with family, I ended up getting sick and called out for the second and final time that program. Still, it was oodles of fun. The best part, we all spent a day at Universal!















This was the second time we used Mears and it wasn't as bad as when Nathan and I used it, but it just was way too long a commute. Again, Uber or Lyft or whatever ride-share service exists in the future. Just be careful of those scammers.

Back to Universal! This was my first time going to the park during the Christmas season. I wasn't feeling super duper in the spirit, nor was my family who was definitely more interested in the attractions. A lot can change in the two years since I had a full day so we covered a lot. We rode Dueling Dragons (at the time called Dragon Challenge) for the first and last time (I'd be sadder if Hagrid's wasn't such an incredible replacement), I bought my first wand, rode the Hogwarts Express as well as all the other Potter attractions minus Hippogriff (still haven't gone on it), my mom and I were put out of commission by Rip Ride Rock It (never again), lunch at Three Broomsticks, a family ride on E.T. and some other stuff I'm probably forgetting. Overall, it was a supremely pleasant first visit for us. It was as if every time I visited, the Universal parks got better and better. (If you want to know more about this trip, also sans photos now, here is a link to that: https://www.disboards.com/threads/i...for-a-very-disney-christmas-complete.3611781/)

I never ended up getting the chance to return since I was home a week after my family left then back to finish school. My graduation was pushed back so I ended up using my last summer before I graduated to do a Disneyland College Program then fast forward a year and I was back in Orlando again. My love still runs deep for the Disney parks, but as I started my third program I knew I had to get away to the other Orlando parks, specifically Universal. I didn't want to jump on an AP at first since with being moved to Galaxy's Edge fairly early on, it would be tight once things got busy. In the end, my love for HHN was the deciding factor and I bought a Frequent Fear Pass midway through August of last year. This also hung in the balance of what was a VERY intense work schedule upon opening, knowing I may not get the right days off. With a little perseverance, some very hefty paychecks and such, I made it work and thus truly begins how I truly fell in love with the enemy.

We'll jump ahead from here (or in some ways, go back in time) to September 8th, 2019. After a physically taxing work day where I ended up possibly bruising my ribs, the question became one of "I'm gonna call out, but will I or won't I go to HHN during opening weekend?"

The answer lies ahead.

Continue Here​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Welcome to the Uni boards Timmy......

Look forward to reading your trip report!

Thank you! And to my report haha

And good luck with the HHN auditions.......there are a lot of HHN addicts over here...us included!!! And yes, this year has been a little bit off to say the least......

Thank you! They've actually only announced for current TM internal auditions so I'm mostly just hoping for the opportunity. So glad to be in good company with some big HHN fans! And yeah... it's so up-in-the-air. My ear is to the ground on how HHN30 is gonna go and IF it's gonna go. Always hoping for the best though!

Scare actor auditions .....rehearsal photographs please, let’s see you at your worst Timmy!!! Break a leg.

Haha, omg I think auditions are far from my worst. Based on what I know about Universal scare actor auditions, you don't even do much but get ogled by a casting director while you tell them your favorite scary movie lol Again, it's still up in the air if they are even gonna open up auditions to non-TMs so fingers crossed I at least get that. But thank you!

 

[crabbymom]

Yay Timmy! I love reading about your CP adventures and I am so happy you are writing over here as well. We jumped to the dark side a couple of years ago and have be loyal passholders ever since. We are headed back down in two weeks just because we NEED a break! Can't wait to follow your year with the enemy!

 

[Robo56]

Welcome to the darkside Timmy you are among friends here. Great start to your report.

Yes, you have joined the ranks of the true HHN fans here.

Wishing you great success on auditioning for HHN.

We are all sprinkling mummy dust into the universe with great hope that HHN 30 will happen for sure.

 

[macraven]

Universal is not the “enemy”.

It’s a park that offers fun for all.

No reason people can’t like all the different parks in Florida.

I hope you do become a scare actor!
Think you would put a lot into it and enjoy the job.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Yay Timmy! I love reading about your CP adventures and I am so happy you are writing over here as well. We jumped to the dark side a couple of years ago and have be loyal passholders ever since. We are headed back down in two weeks just because we NEED a break! Can't wait to follow your year with the enemy!

Oh hello there! So glad you've joined me over here and I'm glad I'm not the only one who is definitely gonna be keeping my AP for awhile lol Hope you have fun on your trip! I've heard Universal has actually done a really good job maintaining the new parameters.

Welcome to the darkside Timmy you are among friends here. Great start to your report.

Yes, you have joined the ranks of the true HHN fans here.

Thank you and to my report haha Y'all really are so nice and welcoming.

YAASSS!!! I hope once I start writing the "true HHN fan" distinction holds to be true. I know I had many opinions on this year's event that many have disagreed with me on, but I'm getting ahead of myself there.

Wishing you great success on auditioning for HHN.

Thank you! Let's just hope they happen for non-TMs. *fingers crossed*

We are all sprinkling mummy dust into the universe with great hope that HHN 30 will happen for sure.

I'm ready to offer up some blood sacrifices for it too. We're going hardcore for manifesting HHN30!

Universal is not the “enemy”.

It’s a park that offers fun for all.

No reason people can’t like all the different parks in Florida.

Oh most definitely. It's kinda just a joke since some people called me going to Universal so often "a betrayal." I never REALLY thought of it as the enemy. Although I do know there's people who go to Disney but would never go to Universal and vice versa. For me, like you said, nothing should stop anyone from liking all the parks. I just thought it was a funny, catchy title that kinda fit considering their rivalry lol

Also, !

I hope you do become a scare actor!
Think you would put a lot into it and enjoy the job.

Oh thank you! I really hope so too. I've been told tall skinny malnourished-looking guys are always needed for HHN so hopefully it makes me a shoe-in haha

 

[PlutosRHM55]

***I'm gonna preface these updates to let you know these are all slightly re-worked copy-and-paste jobs from my DCP report. I wasn't sure originally if I was gonna do a companion report, but then I realized how many days I truly did spend at Universal during my program and how strong my intentions are to return AP in hand so here we are. In short, most of these updates have already been written, but written with an audience in mind who might not be as familiar with these parks as I or most of you are. I'm gonna try my best to omit those sections so it doesn't feel like I'm patronizing you the whole update, but bear with me on that.

They also might contain some little snippets from my days working at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios, since I sometimes would go after a morning at work. That was my home location up until March when the parks shut down and all Disney College Program participants were thus termed (Disney word for 'fired') and sent home. People generally seem to find cast members stories interesting so I'm gonna leave them in hopes that you might find them insightful or entertaining. After all, I was on the opening team for SWGE (the acronym we used for Galaxy's Edge, which you'll see a lot).

There might be some other acronyms or shorthand for Disney terms so if anything confuses you, please feel free to ask me to clarify. It's like a second language even for the most seasoned Disney guest so don't be ashamed if you have no clue what I'm talking about. I'll answer any and all questions about my time with Disney. I loved it immensely so I'm more than happy to offer up my special brand of expertise as a former cast member.

Another quirky thing about my TRs is that I also insert a lot of videos, which will definitely come into play when we get into my first full night at HHN. They aren't YouTube videos so they show up as pictures but at the top of the photo, there will be a bolded caption saying either "Click to watch!" or "Click to BOOMERANG!" (I'm very active on instagram). If you see those, click the image, it will bring you to the video page and you can watch it through there.***

Now that that's out of the way, since this will be an on-going report, I thought I would give a quick update from current Universal.

No, unfortunately I am not back in Orlando writing about this, but I have quite a few friends who are and have already spent a day or two since the park reopened. One ended up managing to find an extra 30th anniversary AP magnet and decided to send it my way. He also threw in the ET button that was released since he knows how much I love that ride and he didn't care for it personally (I know, BLASPHEMY).

I got it in the mail yesterday so I thought I'd share that since I think this is a really cute button and magnet pairing.



I do have many others as you'll soon discover, but I'll leave it up to the report to let you in on which AP collectibles I've acquired before E.T. and retro Uni there came into my life. Among multiple other items of merch I own.

So keep scrolling, don't be shy.

A Hurt Rib Won't Stop Me From Getting Spooky
September 8th, 2019 - HHN Opening Weekend!

As I mentioned previously, I had called out today. My body finally gave out and it was much better off that I stay home. I said that I originally would go to the health service center they had for cast members to get myself checked out, but honestly relaxing and icing where I knew I hurt my rib helped a lot. For all I know, it wasn't as serious as I thought it was. It just was a bit freaky that my cough hurt my rib that much to the point it hurt getting up.

My friend, Adam, invited me at one point to have some Krispy Kreme with him since we hadn't been able to follow through with that last time we hung out. I didn't stay too too long with him since I really needed to take care of myself and relax myself.

When I got home, I spent most of my day resting and making sure I was icing myself properly. It seemed to be helping. Although I called out sick today, which usually meant stay home for me as well as by Disney standards, but I still wanted to go to HHN. I felt so behind everyone else and I wanted to experience a little from its first weekend. Today was my last chance so eventually I said screw it and decided I was going.

Today would be the first time since my one HHN night on my first program back in 2016 that I would be back and I was so excited! I followed all the announcements and everything. It was the one thing I was ready to push myself for, which included having to call an Uber all by my lonesome. Of course, this became a recurring thing, but at first, my socially anxious self freaked a bit.

Also, the first few times, since I barely used Uber prior, the rides ended up being half off so I barely paid anything to get to and from Universal for HHN.

Anyways, after a day of proper R&R, I got an Uber and went to Universal. Today was also the day that I realized that Uber didn't drop off where I thought it did since I always recall them picking up and dropping off near the bus loop but it was moved to the top of Jurassic Park. This will be important information for a later update.

Eventually, I made it to Universal, through security without any issues. And yes I have had issues with their security before that may or may not have involved a shirt with some colorful language. But that's in the past.

We are here now!



I left fairly early so I decided I needed to stop in Starbucks to get a pick-me-up. Pumpkin Spice Latte was ready to come in clutch (or was she?)



After that, it was officially time!

Click to watch!


The park-wide music this year was really the best. I found that entire loop on spotify and gosh it is so great to listen to while writing these updates. Ironically, I'm listening to the Jagged Little Pill cast album while writing this but NORMALLY, we tip-tap-typing away to some 80s dark goth synth.

I had my Frequent Fear pass on my phone on the Universal app, which I recommend if you can since it makes it much easier going in on the first night. I did eventually end up with some physical tickets to get in, but we'll get there when we get there lol

Eventually, that epic and wonderful opening announcement for the event came on and it was time to head in. I made sure to grab a park map.



Of which I never used after the first night.

We first had to go through the first scare zone which was Anarch-cade.

Click to watch!


This might've been the first and last night where I saw those jellyfish boys in that zone. They eventually were removed but it's funny to think back that that was one of the designated scare actors of that zone. This was definitely a zone that needed to be seen in the evening. Anarch-cade in the daytime was just tragic, but we'll be back, make no mistake.

I however was following the crowd as I hit up my first house of the event.



And which house was that?

I'll give you a hint!



Yup, me being as basic as I usually am, I went to the Stranger Things seasons 2 & 3 house! This was the most heavily advertised house for the event, which makes sense since it was the most current and popular property. I loved the show as evident by the fact I watched season 3 well in advanced of coming to the event. I was sad I missed it the year prior so of course, knowing that it would have the craziest waits during the event, I was gonna conquer it first. Knowing how well HHN had done with American Horror Story back in HHN26, I had high expectations for this one too.

And what did I think of it?

Click to watch!


At the time, I really enjoyed it. Especially the exit of the house which blasted Dustin and Susie's rendition of "Never Ending Story" from season 3. I will say, it did leave me a bit disappointed since it left out quite a bit for me. Back when they did AHS, there was stuff they had to leave out, but it didn't feel like something was missing. For this house, it definitely did. STILL, the German girls that were in front of me in the house who were SHOOK that I was doing this event alone were a blast. They freaked at everything. They definitely made that first run through Stranger Things one of the best I had, of the very few I had.

When I got out, I spotted a familiar couple just waltzing through.

Click to watch!


I decided that I would take a break from the houses for a minute and go through scare zones. First, I went through Zombieland: Double Tap.

Click to watch!


This ended up being the most disappointing part of the event for me from day one. It was so dull. I vividly remembered walking through here from my first HHN in 2016 how packed and overwhelming this area can be with scare actors. This time and every time I sent... there wasn't really anything going on, just snarling, growling and running. I was not a fan and I was pretty excited Zombieland was getting a zone. I thought it would be pretty fun, but they didn't play up the funny of that movie at all. All this zone was at the end of the day was to promote the release of the sequel which I still have never seen and have no interest. Clearly this zone could not do its job on any front.

Once I got out of there, I ended up headed towards Academy of Villains and Rob Zombie Hellbilly Deluxe, my third scare zone that evening. I was pretty excited for this one. It's weird to say but my dad basically raised me on some songs from that album. Dragula and Living Dead Girl bring me back big time to my early iPod years. Two songs we'd play regularly in the car when we first discovered how an AUX card worked. Yeah, what a time to be alive.

Click to watch!


Click to watch!


This was the point where the PSL became a bad idea. I drink my caffeine rather quickly and sometimes it can cause me to be quite jittery. That combined with being at a haunt event by myself where I'm clearly a target, it was not good and in Hellbilly Deluxe in particular, they were coming after me and they were relentless. Heck I even caught one of them get me pretty good on those videos. I was living for the zone and then BAM! Yeah, I had no clue how I was gonna go back through that zone.

Again, I was a bit agitated now so I went into Diagon Alley to try and calm myself down.





That shirt I'm wearing by the way was the shirt I got during my first event back in HHN26. It had Reagan (from The Exorcist), Twisty (from AHS: Freak Show), Leatherface (from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Michael Myers (from Halloween) on it since they were the main "monsters" featured that year. It was the perfect shirt to kick off my second official year at the event.

However, it didn't make me feel any less of a vet. Haunt events definitely can make me jumpy but this time I was on edge having tonight be the first time I was doing it the first time. Gosh, if this was how I was gonna be during the hours when daylight was still out, how was I supposed to make it through the night?

I did think this might just be the caffeine talking through me so I went on Gringotts to get my mind off, which was fun and helped a bit. I then decided maybe going to see Academy of Villains which was starting soon-ish that that would change things a bit for me so I went there.

AOV's debut year was my "debut year" and I only ever really watched them in passing on the stage that was by Mel's. Since I've heard it was actually a really entertaining show and that I should've really watched them so it became a priority on my return that I'd actually watch one of their shows. This was my mission right now and I was pumped!

Let's enjoy Academy of Villains: Altered States!

Click to watch!


Click to watch!


Click to watch!


Click to watch!


Click to watch!


Click to watch!


And what did I think?

Click to watch!


For those who are not familiar with AOV or who didn't experience it, I'll give you a quick overview of exactly what you just watched above (at least I hope you did). AOV is essentially a dance troupe that was brought to Horror Nights to put together these little shows that have a horror theme or horror-adjacent theme. They tend to include dance, other aspects of choreographed performance and variety aspects like the aerialist, the contortionist and the guy doing the tricks with the soccer ball.

For this year's show in particular, they had a strong storyline, which I've heard has been the new thing since moving into the Fear Factor theater. This year was a Jekyll & Hyde themed storyline where the central Jekyll & Hyde character was trying to find a cure to fight the Black Plague but ended up creating an evil serum that created monsters out of people. The serum would then be used on various victims which is what allowed for segues into the three variety acts since they looked pretty unsuspecting when they came on-stage then suddenly a guy was bending in ways most humans can't. It also allowed for a shadow play performance that played out the rest of the storyline to get you to the grand finale.

As I said before, I really liked it. I didn't realize how much I'd learn to love it at the time. It was just such a fun high energy show with really good music and even better dancing. Also, unlike most people that contortionist was one of my favorites. Am I weird for thinking that whole routine is attractive? If I am, whatever. Granted the aerialist was my favorite of the three, but contortionist was a close second. The soccer guy I felt at first was out of place but his section got more to fun to watch as time went on. But I shouldn't jump ahead too much. At this moment, I really enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, my enjoyment was plagued by the fact was that I was in this event and now I was genuinely kinda freaking out. Not just any freaking out, but potentially breaking into tears on the ground type of freaking out. It was not good. I somehow managed to get through Rob Zombie again without an embarrassing moment. I then snuck around Zombieland to go check out the Tribute Store, another safe zone.

It was really cool in there. I didn't expect it to be as themed and as much an attraction as the rest of the event. It was the one place you could get a photo with the demogorgon so why would you not consider it something less than an attraction? It ain't just a store.



I did however buying a shirt for this year's event. Something to wear for my next visit when I actually would spend some time there.

After that, I decided I wasn't gonna be staying the whole night. I just was not in the head space to do some of the scarier fare. However, Killer Klowns and Ghostbusters seemed like houses I could handle surprisingly so I was gonna hit those up next. First, I went to Ghostbusters.

I didn't take a video of my reaction, but that actually was a pretty good house. It got me the most that night, but not in a way that would've had me on the floor like Rob Zombie did at first. At the time, it didn't stand out too too much, but this was one I really loved by the end of the event. I know it was a long-awaited IP for the event and with that in mind, it paid homage wonderfully.

After I got out of there, I considered just heading over to Killer Klowns but someone texted me saying he saw me at the event. It was an acquaintance I made on the facebook pages for the DCP so I thought of him harmless and I could use someone with me so I asked if he wanted to meet up. Heck he even offered to let me use his Team Member discount so yup, let's hang. He ended up joining me in Vanity Ball which was the last scare zone I visited that evening (no Vikings or chainsaw gang) and my favorite of the night and throughout the event.



Click to watch!


Click to watch!


Click to watch!


Gosh. VANITY BALL. I remember a lot of people were hyping this one up on twitter but I didn't get why. At the time, it came off very plastic surgery body horror and that's all. I didn't understand but after walking through, seeing the runway, the costuming and the make-up I was in love. As the event went on, I loved it more and more as I spent more time and got to understand what it really was about. This zone means so much to me. It not only is great horror dark comedy, but it also has great representation for LGBTQ+ culture that I never thought I would see at a Halloween event. It was everything I wanted. Not to mention, I'd get a lot of attention in that zone come later in the event, but again we'll get there when we get there.

After Vanity Ball, I decided I felt better about doing Killer Klowns so this child I was with joined me. To cut to the chase, I REALLY loved Killer Klowns. Easily my favorite of the night. It was just so much fun. The buttons you could press were EVERYTHING for me. Of course, in retrospect, this might be something HHN would have to remove this year, but gosh I had too much fun with those on later nights. It was the one property I had no familiarity with, but I fell in love with it. It was definitely my favorite house of the night. No complaints on that one.

I still had this acquaintance with me and before I left I had to get that photo with the arcade machines in Anarch-cade that everyone was getting so we went there to do that. They didn't come out great but the aesthetic is still cool to look at.





And BOOM, the minute we finished getting those photos one of the viruses that ran around there jumped out from the boo holes and lunged at me. I near went flying. Easily the best scare of the night. It made me laugh after.

I talked with this acquaintance I had around with me for a bit after and we eventually decided that things were going so well that if I were to be at future HHN nights we might meet up again. I got his phone number and headed out while he stayed. Not to leave you in suspense, I'll say he ended up being bad news very quickly. He was an individual that became quite scary. I had to block him on everything the next day and I don't just block anyone. I have not paid him any mind, but he was there this night so I thought to include him nameless. He will not be showing up again in this report.

It was about 10pm when I left HHN that evening which was easily one of the earliest nights I've had with the event. Most nights I stayed right up until it ended or at the very least midnight.

On my way out, I gave my overview which I'll only post a snippet of since it kinda meanders and goes on and on since I was dodging crowds as I left.

Click to watch!


Overall, the night turned out pretty good. I might've not been ready to take on the event by myself, but I'm proud I did and even with some not-great moments that night I made the best of it. Also, the Uber situation worked out wonderfully to and from. It made future visits to HHN and Universal more accessible so my frequent fear pass already did not seem a waste, bless up.

As a way to show the progression of my thoughts during this event, here are my rankings of houses and scare zones that I experienced that night from that night exactly.

HOUSES

Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Ghostbusters
Stranger Things 2 & 3

SCARE ZONES

Vanity Ball
Anarch-cade
Zombieland: Double Tap
Rob Zombie Hellbilly Deluxe

With that, we have night one of a very many at an event that defined my program. Hope you're ready for more.

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[schumigirl]

Did I miss the date of your next trip coming up Timmy??

 

[macraven]

I have a difficult time reading threads with some colors and small prints

I must have missed this was a past trip or is it a planning for a new trip ?

I need to have the report in the correct section but the time jump of what I read has me guessing

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Did I miss the date of your next trip coming up Timmy??

This is not a PTR, I'm documenting my visits from my first year as an AP. I bought my Annual Pass last September when I lived locally so I'm covering that time frame until I have to renew which will be later this fall.

I have a difficult time reading threads with some colors and small prints

I must have missed this was a past trip or is it a planning for a new trip ?

I need to have the report in the correct section but the time jump of what I read has me guessing

It is essentially "a year of visits" TR, if that makes sense. I lived locally this past year in Orlando so I bought an AP. This report will cover all the visits I took with my AP which I actively still have. I will be posting about visits that have already happened as well as ones yet to come, but there isn't any trip planning if that makes sense.

The reason for the time jump was I thought I'd give context to my experience with Universal prior to being local and having an AP, hence me describing briefly past visits in 2014 & 2016 with that first update. This report however will exclusively focus on my time as an AP beginning in Fall 2019 and concluding this Fall 2020.

I hope that answers your question. Sorry that wasn't clear before.

 

[BrerMama]

Timmy, I'm loving having you over here and reading about your experiences at UO. I hope you do get back to UO... and how much fun would scare actor auditions be?!? Especially with your theater background.

We'll likely have another near miss. Fun story for those reading -- Timmy and I were both at Disneyland in 2018. I saw him in a group as he was doing his Cast Member Orientation thing. Then my daughter went down to WDW in January and got assigned to SWGE for quick service and again, she'd text me to say "I saw Timmy today. He was putting his lunch in the fridge while I was getting off but we were both in a hurry." So our interaction is through trip reports and we've never actually met, but it sure is nice to see his familiar face and read his stories.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Timmy, I'm loving having you over here and reading about your experiences at UO. I hope you do get back to UO... and how much fun would scare actor auditions be?!? Especially with your theater background.

I'm so happy to be here! I really fell in love with Universal and I miss it more than Disney now most days. So glad you are joining in over here!

Ugh, I really hope they hold it for external auditions. I really do. It would be a dream to be a part of the event this coming year.

We'll likely have another near miss. Fun story for those reading -- Timmy and I were both at Disneyland in 2018. I saw him in a group as he was doing his Cast Member Orientation thing. Then my daughter went down to WDW in January and got assigned to SWGE for quick service and again, she'd text me to say "I saw Timmy today. He was putting his lunch in the fridge while I was getting off but we were both in a hurry." So our interaction is through trip reports and we've never actually met, but it sure is nice to see his familiar face and read his stories.

Oh my gosh, ONE DAY! ONE DAY WE WILL! Also, I swear I saw Ches so many times in passing, but I didn't want to scare her by saying hello while she was keeping to herself on break. Not to mention, I was seriously going through it during the second half of my program so most days I avoided others backstage. It's really too bad. I still can't believe about what happened at DLR. If only we had figured SOMETHING out.

 

[macraven]

Moved thread to park forum

 

[keishashadow]

My ear is to the ground on how HHN30 is gonna go and IF it's gonna go. Always hoping for the best though!

It’s not a matter of if, it’s when lol

IMO the highest scareactor calling is being a member of the chainsaw brigade (inserting a hearty chainsaw wolf howl here! )

my understanding a lot of casting it has to do with specific body type/role.

Good luck on your audition

 

[PlutosRHM55]

It’s not a matter of if, it’s when lol

I already was prepared for it to be cancelled so either way I'm happy. HHN30 will happen one way or another.

IMO the highest scareactor calling is being a member of the chainsaw brigade (inserting a hearty chainsaw wolf howl here! )

I would LIVE for that, but I have a feeling that group might be altered this year or be primarily re-hires from last year.

my understanding a lot of casting it has to do with specific body type/role.

That's what I was told by my friends who have been scare actors previously. They all said the audition is you show up, they look at you a bit, ask you your favorite scary movie and then you leave. Probably would be the easiest audition of my life lol

Good luck on your audition

Thank you! Here's to hoping they extend the invite to audition to the general public.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

~Greetings everyone!~

Before I say anything else, I want to thank you all for the positive and supportive responses to me joining the UOR side of the boards and deciding to share my experiences as a first time AP here! It really meant a lot and I'm so glad I hopped over here to join in on the fan love, especially with the HHN crowd since that event means the world to me.

That being said, after much introspection and deliberation, I have made the decision to close this TR.

I realize the decision to write this was both premature as well as a delayed investment in reporting on this park in the fashion I wanted to and I'm so sorry for jumping the gun on that. I was just a bit too excited, but I think my presence on this side of the boards is better suited for other means. I'm also already writing daily updates for my DCP TR that has been quite the undertaking so it really is adding too much to my plate.

That being said, I still will be documenting my day trips to Universal from last year in my DCP TR if you still would like to read those as well as all my other fun adventures in the Orlando theme park sphere. That TR has been a major labor of love for me so I'd love to see you over there, even if you only respond during the Universal updates. You can follow this link here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...-college-program-fall-19-new-6-20-x2.3752481/

Again, thank you for that warm welcome and I look forward to sharing my love of the Universal Studios park and Islands of Adventure with you all over here more often!

A big *pixie-dusted* UO Fist Bump to all of you!

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