Official 2018 HHN-28 Thread

[mamapenguin]

Not overly impressed with food options this year.........

Pizza fries we bought ended up in trash........fries with a slurry on top........not a fan of sweet options.

Drinks are mediocre...........shame. Still bought a couple of drinks to get souvenir cups though.........

Do they have the skewer of fresh doughnuts (looked like a stack of doughnuts on a stick)? My Dad sent me a picture of that last year, and I have been thinking about them ever since.

 

[sconnell]

ONE week!!!

One week until I send my unsuspecting teens through the houses of Halloween Horror Nights for their first time ever! I cannot wait! This is the payback every parent dreams of! I can't wait to laugh at them as they scream! (In a completely controlled and relatively safe environment, of course! )

 

[nkereina]

What time do you all suggest lining up at the gates for HHN if it starts at 6:30? We will not be staying on-site or have day tickets. We will have EPs, so we don't care about being at the front of the pack but don't want to waste the first hour of HHN waiting to get in either.

Do they ever open the gates early or is it promptly at 6:30?

Is the queue for HHN clearly marked outside? Last time we were able to wait inside in a holding area.

Thanks!

 

[schumigirl]

What time do you all suggest lining up at the gates for HHN if it starts at 6:30? We will not be staying on-site or have day tickets. We will have EPs, so we don't care about being at the front of the pack but don't want to waste the first hour of HHN waiting to get in either.

Do they ever open the gates early or is it promptly at 6:30?

Is the queue for HHN clearly marked outside? Last time we were able to wait inside in a holding area.

Thanks!

They do sometimes open gates earlier.........someone posted 6.15pm one night.........we never go in when it’s just opening so have no clue really........

You won’t miss the lines........everyone there is going in for HHN.

 

[schumigirl]

Do they have the skewer of fresh doughnuts (looked like a stack of doughnuts on a stick)? My Dad sent me a picture of that last year, and I have been thinking about them ever since.

Sorry, haven’t noticed them, but haven’t looked either.......

Maybe some of the twitter feeds will have some info or pictures.........

 

[nkereina]

we never go in when it’s just opening so have no clue really

What time do you typically enter, and is there still a line to get in at that time? Do you find you have enough time to do everything? Last time we did HHN was part of a Universal trip so we could be in a holding area and didn't bother doing any rides. But this time, we are just doing HHN during a night of a WDW trip, and are hoping to do all the rides and houses throughout the night. We will have EPs.

 

[schumigirl]

What time do you typically enter, and is there still a line to get in at that time? Do you find you have enough time to do everything? Last time we did HHN was part of a Universal trip so we could be in a holding area and didn't bother doing any rides. But this time, we are just doing HHN during a night of a WDW trip, and are hoping to do all the rides and houses throughout the night. We will have EPs.

We go in somewhere between 7 and 8.30 but use the hotel guest entrance. Lines for main entrance can vary but haven’t seemed too bad at that time except for first few nights.

We don’t stay a full night ever, we do around 6 or 7 nights every trip so no need for us to every house in a night. We typically do around 4 houses, most scare zones and some people watching in around a few hours with EP. We don’t tend to do rides on those nights.

If you go in when it opens and stay till it’s done you should be able to do it all.........first Wednesday was so quiet.....but nights since have been busy.........

 

[ErinBoBerin]

Question I'm curious about just because I've never been to universal in the fall - what is the park like in the day during HHN? Can you see the exterior of the houses as you walk around? Are any rides down?

 

[yulilin3]

out of curiosity, has universal studios ever closed for capacity during hhn?
How about the parking garage?

 

[meryll83]

Looking for some advice...

We have an Express Pass but usually try and get round a few houses without it first...

We won’t be in the park already, entering just for HHN.

Any recommendations for which houses to aim for first?

 

[Texan]

Am I reading this right everyone? Last year, first time at HHN, we waited in the Finnegan's area and walked right into The Shining with no wait. Now that the Finnegan's area has enlarged you can go straight to Stranger Things and have up to an hour wait when you are in the park at the holding area?!? I did not want to use my EP until later on in the evening to go again to Stranger Things, but I don't want to wait an hour right off the bat. Ugh.

 

[soniam]

Do they have the skewer of fresh doughnuts (looked like a stack of doughnuts on a stick)? My Dad sent me a picture of that last year, and I have been thinking about them ever since.

They aren't on a skewer this year. They are on a plate with red frosting drizzled on top. They have powdered sugar and cinnamon. I don't know if they are cooking them fresh or not. I haven't been yet; I have just been following stuff very closely.

out of curiosity, has universal studios ever closed for capacity during hhn?
How about the parking garage?

I don't think it has closed. However, opening weekend, people were waiting in very long lines to get into the garage. I'll PM you about parking with the RIP tour.

Looking for some advice...

We have an Express Pass but usually try and get round a few houses without it first...

We won’t be in the park already, entering just for HHN.

Any recommendations for which houses to aim for first?

Honestly, it really depends upon the night. If you really want to see Stranger Things, and you get to HHN when it opens, then you might want to hit that first. I would check the wait times though on the app, because they will be a good estimate for the EP times. I have also heard that ST slows down in the last hour or so of the park. Otherwise, I would just look at the times and go see what you want.

Am I reading this right everyone? Last year, first time at HHN, we waited in the Finnegan's area and walked right into The Shining with no wait. Now that the Finnegan's area has enlarged you can go straight to Stranger Things and have up to an hour wait when you are in the park at the holding area?!? I did not want to use my EP until later on in the evening to go again to Stranger Things, but I don't want to wait an hour right off the bat. Ugh.

I think that was opening weekend. Are you entering the park before it closes? A lot of people have been getting there early, like before 4pm on really busy days, and everyone wants to hit Stranger Things. Also, they are kind of lining people up weird in the Finnegan's waiting area. Some people eating inside have gotten put back at the end of the pack. Also, people are reporting that the posted wait times are inflated. So, 1 hour at opening, may really only be 20 minutes. The 1 hour+ waits at opening that i have hearing of are coming from people who did not do Stay & Scream. I would do S&S. Go to Finnegan's early on your day, like before 4pm, and see what the crowd looks like. You might even be able to talk with a Team Member to see how they are going to line people up. It might mean that you have to stand outside in the sun though. It really depends upon how busy the day you are going will be. Good luck.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I'm here now so if anyone has any questions I can try to find them out. Our first HHN will be tomorrow. Tonight we plan on going into IOA while HHN goes on. Hope it will be very empty.

Question I'm curious about just because I've never been to universal in the fall - what is the park like in the day during HHN? Can you see the exterior of the houses as you walk around? Are any rides down?

Most of the houses are out of the way, so no, you can't see most of the entrances during the day. You will see all the bigger props for the scare zones, those will be left up.

 

[yulilin3]

I've always already been at universal during the day for hhn, yesterday was the first time going at opening time, yeah traffic is insane, had to drop someone off and go back and pick my dd from work and go back at 9pm and it was so much better.
It was crazy busy but did 2 houses and the wait times are slightly inflated. Trick r treat said 60 minutes, real time was 40. Scary tales said 60 was actually 20. Btw scary tales is so far my favorite house
Tried the waffle sundae, delicious.
Can't wait for Friday

 

[soniam]

I'm here now so if anyone has any questions I can try to find them out. Our first HHN will be tomorrow. Tonight we plan on going into IOA while HHN goes on. Hope it will be very empty.

I've always already been at universal during the day for hhn, yesterday was the first time going at opening time, yeah traffic is insane, had to drop someone off and go back and pick my dd from work and go back at 9pm and it was so much better.
It was crazy busy but did 2 houses and the wait times are slightly inflated. Trick r treat said 60 minutes, real time was 40. Scary tales said 60 was actually 20. Btw scary tales is so far my favorite house
Tried the waffle sundae, delicious.
Can't wait for Friday

Can't wait to be with both of you on Friday! Gotta do laundry and pack this weekend.

 

[Texan]

Soniam - thank you - yes, we have park to park day passes, mainly for HP at IOA and last year youngest son missed King Kong; then we will head to US, eat late lunch, do a couple of rides and head to Finnegans; I think baking in the sun with a beer in our hands may be worth it; those EP are so costly we only used them until we had to last year. Are the inflated times from the app or from the house itself? Really kicked ourselves for not doing The Shining twice last year, it was awesome but we did all 9 houses and were too tired. Would love to try for ST twice this year. Thank you again.

 

[soniam]

Soniam - thank you - yes, we have park to park day passes, mainly for HP at IOA and last year youngest son missed King Kong; then we will head to US, eat late lunch, do a couple of rides and head to Finnegans; I think baking in the sun with a beer in our hands may be worth it; those EP are so costly we only used them until we had to last year. Are the inflated times from the app or from the house itself? Really kicked ourselves for not doing The Shining twice last year, it was awesome but we did all 9 houses and were too tired. Would love to try for ST twice this year. Thank you again.

The wait time reported outside the house is the same as on the app, so both. You may luck out, especially if you are doing a week night instead of a weekend.

 

[shh]

Some people eating inside have gotten put back at the end of the pack.

Thanks soniam for all your info. So glad you mentioned the above - I'm going to keep tabs on this over the next few weeks to see if it is the standard process.

I like Finnegan's, but don't think I'd want to spend $75 + on dinner and a couple rounds of drinks if it may actually penalize us, vs just milling around outside with a slice and a beer. AC and a sit down meal is nice, but the main goal is S&S - otherwise I'd do dinner at CityWalk. (We're going late Oct, so hopefully a wee bit less humid and hot.)

 

[soniam]

Thanks soniam for all your info. So glad you mentioned the above - I'm going to keep tabs on this over the next few weeks to see if it is the standard process.

I like Finnegan's, but don't think I'd want to spend $75 + on dinner and a couple rounds of drinks if it may actually penalize us, vs just milling around outside with a slice and a beer. AC and a sit down meal is nice, but the main goal is S&S - otherwise I'd do dinner at CityWalk. (We're going late Oct, so hopefully a wee bit less humid and hot.)

I've seen some of these comments on FB. I don't know if I have read anything like that about Finnegan's here on the boards. I gave up on the idea of eating there too. My son would probably one eat a burger anyway. There is supposedly a drink cart, with made to order alcoholic drinks, in that holding area. They might not be as strong as Finnegan's though. You can also get drinks to go from Finnegan's.

 

[Diasmom]

Kind of a dumb question but I want to make sure I buy the right ticket. My husband and son will be going to HHN on the 24th and 25th and I was looking to buy the frequent fear pass. Will they potentially be turned away if either night is sold out? If so, maybe they are better off with two single night tickets. Does anyone have a recommended tour plan for the haunted houses? Thanks for any suggestions!