Official 2018 HHN-28 Thread

[macraven]

Okay wait... now I'm confused. Is the public tour the one where the guide takes a group of you (maybe 8-10 people) from house to house? You also start in that restaurant directly across from Academy of Villains? If so, this is the tour we did.

All tours meet at LaBamba
You will meet your tour guide and the others in your group for the tour

I’ve seen public tours with 12 in their group
Their tour will be 3-4 hours long

Private tours have allowed up to 12 some years and could have a surcharge for those over ten in the group
Those tours end when the park closes

Won’t know that info until UO releases all the info for this year’s event

Agame, if your tour cost was under $200 pp, it would have been a public tour

 

[agame2323]

All tours meet at LaBamba
You will meet your tour guide and the others in your group for the tour

I’ve seen public tours with 12 in their group
Their tour will be 3-4 hours long

Private tours have allowed up to 12 some years and could have a surcharge for those over ten in the group
Those tours end when the park closes

Won’t know that info until UO releases all the info for this year’s event

Agame, if your tour cost was under $200 pp, it would have been a public tour

Nah... I guess we did the private tour. I KNOW I paid over $200

 

[SnowWitch]

Ok new to HHN and I’m unfamiliar with the abbreviations being used. What are the common ones and what do they mean?

 

[schumigirl]

RoF........Rush of Fear........EP.....with an Express Pass

FFP..........Frequent Fear Pass

RIP Tour........Rest In Peace Tour........


Any others you’re not sure of? Just ask and someone will let you know what it is........

 

[SnowWitch]

What does the express pass get you? Cost? Is it needed?

Are rides open during this event?

 

[schumigirl]

I wouldn’t go without EP ever for HHN.

Whether it’s needed is whether or not you like standing in lines.......some shorter than others but lines get longer every year.

Cost varies depending on night.

Have a look at the HHN website.......all info is in there about rides and as soon as other info is available it’ll be on there and Keisha keeps this thread up to date.

 

[keishashadow]

That should work

Exchange personal info by pm
or emails
One person books for all for the tour

A great idea! There is a certain level of trust involved between all parties, especially when talking the big $ for private tour

Several people in last year’s thread posed dates looking for people to join them on private tours they booked too.

 

[Linkura]

Since I am going solo, I would be cool with someone else booking me into their group and Paypaling them the money. Once pricing and other details are announced we should get something going. If it doesn't work out, sounds like the drunk group was an isolated experience, so that makes me feel a little better.

 

[macraven]

Nah... I guess we did the private tour. I KNOW I paid over $200

Private tour prices are different for week days to weekends.
And some dates.

Last year Columbus day weekend my private tour was about $2582.xx plus park hhn ticket with ap discount

It started at 6:30 and ended at 2:00 am
Looking at the notes I had and pulling up last years cost sheet, public tours went for $266 which included tax that Friday night.
They could last for 4 hours but you would see all the houses and zones.
Most tour groups included Bill and Ted Adventure show.

Not sure where you did your meet up for the guide and rest of your party, but we all were told in a letter to meet at Cafe La Bamba

Free water, soda and some snacks for all public and private tours.

 

[patster734]

Okay HHN experts. My kiddos are 28, 26, 13 and one month shy of 12. All are huge fans of Stranger Things!!! So everybody is super excited including the 11 yr old. The material on the website says not suggested for those under 13. Thoughts on the almost 12 yr old Stranger Things fan???? Be kind , looking for advice from those that have been. We have never been to one.

I suspect that the age suggestion by Universal is to discourage parents from dropping their kids off for HHNs unsupervised. Because your 11 year old will be with you and your family, they will probably be fine. Has your 11 year old gone to local haunted houses for previous Halloween? If they have, they will be fine at HNNs.

After reading this thread (and last years) Im having some strong feelings of FOMO...

I do not watch horror movies (cant sleep after) - and I'd not ashamed to say Im afraid of the dark. So Im pretty sure HHN is not for me. But.......

On the other hand, HHN is not for everyone. Although I have attended several HHNs over the years, my wife has never attended. She doesn’t like horror movies, and isn’t a fan of Halloween. So while I’m attending HHNs, she will find something else to do.

Nah... I guess we did the private tour. I KNOW I paid over $200

You would know! A private tour requires someone to be a point of contact to Universal for booking a tour for a group of 6 to 10 (maybe more). Then the group would decide on their priorities, with the point of contact notifying Universal of those priorities. That tour will only consist of people in the initial group, and will not contain individuals that book with Universal. There is one rate ($2600+) for the private tour regardless of how many are in the group.

Public tours is where Universal books everyone else that sign ups without a private tour group. That rate ($250+) is per person instead of per tour. If I do the RIP tour on Sept. 14, it will be on a Public tour, because I will be by myself.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

So it kind of seems like express pass is a cheaper alternative to a tour.

I don't have details in front of me, but the public vip tour only gets you to the front of the line for each house once, right?

I believe the express pass works the same way (once each house), though you have to wait in the express line.

 

[macraven]

When you book a private or public tour. You have a tour guide

They lead you to the houses and through the houses
No wait lines

The wait for the group to enter the house can be a minute to four minutes

The TM at the entrance will hold the regular line so your tour guide can lead you into the house
Houses have two other wait lines
Standby and express lines

 

[Linkura]

So it kind of seems like express pass is a cheaper alternative to a tour.

I don't have details in front of me, but the public vip tour only gets you to the front of the line for each house once, right?

I believe the express pass works the same way (once each house), though you have to wait in the express line.

You are right, RIP tour is front of line, once per house.

EP, not sure if it's once per house, BUT the line can still be long. From what I've heard, you can sometimes expect to wait 1/2 the time in line as a regular line. So if a house has a 2 hour wait, you're waiting an hour still.

 

[schumigirl]

EP, not sure if it's once per house, BUT the line can still be long. From what I've heard, you can sometimes expect to wait 1/2 the time in line as a regular line. So if a house has a 2 hour wait, you're waiting an hour still.

Not our experience.

We had regular lines of 90 minutes last year and some houses we walked on with no line.......other times maybe 10 -15 minutes.....

Not sure what nights you went you waited an hour for EP lines but we were there first 3 weeks of the event.

Yes it is once per house with EP for HHN.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

While waiting in the regular house line and staring at the express pass line (nothing better to do), that line really did fluctuate. Too bad you aren't able to see express line before you get in it. Sometimes it backed up, but a half hour before it was practically walk on.

 

[schumigirl]

While waiting in the regular house line and staring at the express pass line (nothing better to do), that line really did fluctuate. Too bad you aren't able to see express line before you get in it. Sometimes it backed up, but a half hour before it was practically walk on.

yep, some houses are more popular than others........you can see that by the regular line.

We saw The Shining line at 100 minutes one night and thought we`ll be here for ages.......walked straight on which was fabulous......and got some abuse from some guys who had certainly indulged in one or two too many drinks......lol.....doesn't bother us in the slightest.

But, over the amount of nights we go, we averaged 10-15 minutes each house.......usually less last year.

 

[Linkura]

Not our experience.

We had regular lines of 90 minutes last year and some houses we walked on with no line.......other times maybe 10 -15 minutes.....

Not sure what nights you went you waited an hour for EP lines but we were there first 3 weeks of the event.

Yes it is once per house with EP for HHN.

That is good to know. That isn't my experience, just what I read. The hour waits were probably on busy nights.

 

[macraven]

Over the past years, there have been some houses that did have long waits using the ep.

I can remember the year that Walking Dead house was enlarged from previous year.
(The regular line had about a 2 hour wait and the ep was a good 45 minute wait on a weekend night.)

But for me, EP well worth it as the house was a good one for me.


I always tell newbies to try to take in Unmask the Horror day tour.
You do 3 houses in the morning tour and 3 different houses in the afternoon tour.

It is a paid tour you book in advance or day of.

The houses are led by a tour guide and lights will be on in the houses.
You can see all the details up close and some allowed you to take pictures in them.

The tour guide will explain the props in the house and how it relates to the theme.
Great detail you will only find when doing the house tour.
You will hear about the theme of the house and how it all connects with the props inside.


In the evening/night, you will likely miss all the details in the houses.
Houses are dark and dimly lit

You go through the houses congo style and keep the same pace as the ones in front of you.
A person will easily miss the details inside the houses unless you know where to look for them.


I know the money adds up for all these extras for going to HHN, but for me, totally worth it.

I do both day tours so I can get in depth info on the houses and theme, do a private tour and a public tour each year.
Also go solo for other nights for hhn.


I"m just one of those homies that are completely and totally addicted to HHN.


I always buy the pass FF with the express.
I consider it like having full car insurance.
Don't necessarily need total protection but if i need it, I have it
So, buy the ticket pass that includes EP

(don't need the ep for tours as they have priority for entering houses with a tour guide)



A lot depends on the date and day of the week you do HHN

The crowds grow during the season.
Columbus Day weekend usually has high crowds

Going in the first week of the event can be less crowds but this can always change
HHN is gaining in popularity and hard to say the size of the crowds in the park in advance until it opens and we see reports on twitter, dis, facebook.

 

[pattyw]

I always tell newbies to try to take in Unmask the Horror day tour.
You do 3 houses in the morning tour and 3 different houses in the afternoon tour.

I want to do this tour this year! Would be nice to see the details with the lights on (and my eyes open!) Do the guides do the same houses each tour or do they ask for any input as to to choices?

 

[macraven]

Each year there are a set of houses that will be on the day tour.
It is about 3 hours for day or afternoon tours.


If you chose to do both tours, you can book it and they discount it as long as you do the tours on the same day.
(break in time between morning and afternoon tours)

Last year Robo did the tours with me and it was so fun to share our thoughts after we did it.

When we did the private tour in the evening, we knew where to look to see certain and particular items.
We shared this info with others in the tour group right before entering the houses.

I believe we were the only two in our evening tour group that did the day tours.

I started the day tours the first year and do them every year.

In the beginning years, pictures could be taken in the day tour houses.
Now, not necessarily the case.

I hit HHN two times before I do the day tour and and always do them prior to private night tours.

As far as I know, Robo will join me for the Unmask the Horror tour again this year.

Anyone that wants to join it with us, will be welcomed!
Just have to set up a date in advance to be in the same group.