Official 2019 HHN-29 Thread

[keishashadow]

You calling me out, Janet???? lol

Who, me? lol

 

[imprint]

Do you think it'd be worth purchasing a 1 day 1 park ticket just so we can do Stay and Scream? As mentioned in previous post, going with 2 others, myself and 1 other are AP holders, so we'd be good there, but the other isn't. We're going on opening night and buying express passes.

If it was me, for only one daytime ticket, yeah I'd say the benefit of starting early far outweighs the detriment of having to wait outside to get inside. If I was one of the two with an AP, I'd even ask the other AP holder if they would be willing to chip-in 1/3 the cost or even 1/2 the cost of the single day ticket for the friend. I know I would chip-in in a heartbeat. Being able to (almost assuredly) go through Stranger Things and Ghostbusters before the outside mob gets inside... Then since you all have EPs, you can have a much nicer stroll through HHN. Yeah, it would be worth it to me.

Also, if you do stay and scream, I recommend applying or reapplying sunscreen, because you're most likely going to be spending some non-trivial amount of time in the sun before they release you to tha horrah. Just something I remembered recently.

Edited to add: If you do go the Stay and Scream route, you can take advantage of the ability to get there sort-of early and ride a few rides. Or enjoy some food and/or beverages. I would caution you about doing a full day in the parks before HHN, though. Many are able to do it, and we have done it many times, but I'll tell you, my feet are a mess when the night is over. HHN is a lot of walking, even with EPs. I mean a lot of walking. When they increased to 10 houses, that meant several houses had to extend their entrance lines as well as their exit lines. Of course, if you have the opportunity to rest the next morning, and want to go full-out day and night, then you certainly can do it.

Have fun!

 

[osufeth24]

If it was me, for only one daytime ticket, yeah I'd say the benefit of starting early far outweighs the detriment of having to wait outside to get inside. If I was one of the two with an AP, I'd even ask the other AP holder if they would be willing to chip-in 1/3 the cost or even 1/2 the cost of the single day ticket for the friend. I know I would chip-in in a heartbeat. Being able to (almost assuredly) go through Stranger Things and Ghostbusters before the outside mob gets inside... Then since you all have EPs, you can have a much nicer stroll through HHN. Yeah, it would be worth it to me.

Also, if you do stay and scream, I recommend applying or reapplying sunscreen, because you're most likely going to be spending some non-trivial amount of time in the sun before they release you to tha horrah. Just something I remembered recently.

Edited to add: If you do go the Stay and Scream route, you can take advantage of the ability to get there sort-of early and ride a few rides. Or enjoy some food and/or beverages. I would caution you about doing a full day in the parks before HHN, though. Many are able to do it, and we have done it many times, but I'll tell you, my feet are a mess when the night is over. HHN is a lot of walking, even with EPs. I mean a lot of walking. When they increased to 10 houses, that meant several houses had to extend their entrance lines as well as their exit lines. Of course, if you have the opportunity to rest the next morning, and want to go full-out day and night, then you certainly can do it.

Have fun!

thanks. Yea, we def wouldn't do a full day, we've all been to Universal a ton of times. We're doing Disney the day before to check out Galaxy's Edge, and going lining up at 5am, so no way we'll have energy for another full day lol. I was thinking if we got there around 3 or so , that should be good enough to do a ride or two we enjoy.

 

[MoeJ]

DD15 and I were planning on PBH for Sept. 18-20, with RoF+EP. She had a conflict, so I cancelled. :-/ Probably just as well to not have her out of school for 3 days so early in the school year anyway.

I was talking to DBF about how I was kind of disappointed and he said he'd go with me, so yay! He did HHN back in 2017 and was kind of "meh" so I didn't think he'd want to go.

We're planning on Thursday, Sept 12... take Thursday and Friday off, drive up Thursday morning (3 hour drive from SE Fla.), check in to SF and mooch around the resort until the room is ready. Get into the room and rest and change for the evening (single night tix with EP).

If you buy the tickets online, can you get the HHN & EP tix at the hotel, or would we have to go to the parks for that?

 

[imprint]

DD15 and I were planning on PBH for Sept. 18-20, with RoF+EP. She had a conflict, so I cancelled. :-/ Probably just as well to not have her out of school for 3 days so early in the school year anyway.

I was talking to DBF about how I was kind of disappointed and he said he'd go with me, so yay! He did HHN back in 2017 and was kind of "meh" so I didn't think he'd want to go.

We're planning on Thursday, Sept 12... take Thursday and Friday off, drive up Thursday morning (3 hour drive from SE Fla.), check in to SF and mooch around the resort until the room is ready. Get into the room and rest and change for the evening (single night tix with EP).

If you buy the tickets online, can you get the HHN & EP tix at the hotel, or would we have to go to the parks for that?

Last year we stayed at Sapphire Falls for our HHN trip. I was able to get our HHN FF+EP tickets at the hotel Kiosk (it's actually a staffed desk in the main hotel lobby). Just be sure to have the credit card you used to purchase the tickets with you when you go to pick up the tickets.

 

[Flyg1rl]

Just watched one of the TimTracker videos. Feeling less nervous, and much more excited!

 

[contemporarymom]

Not new to Uni but total newbie to HHN and can't wait. My DH and I are going to be there 9/25-9/29 and aren't sure the right way to go ticket and extra wise. We are not fans of waiting in lines. Stay at PBH so we always have express. I have a premiere pass so we only need a ticket for DH. Do we go with just the express passes or do we go with a RIP Tour? Should we sign up for a regular one or is there a place on this board that I go to see if there's availability to join in for a VIP Tour? We're very excited but very confused. Looking for all you HHN experts to help us out. Thanks in advance!

 

[macraven]

I have not seen any planned tours for your dates yet
My private tour is October 4 and have openings
But as the time gets closer, there will be threads of private tours seeking peeps to join

I booked a public tour for 9/29 as
1. It’s cheaper than private
2. Crowd predictions of increased crowds
3. It’s a great way to see everything for hhn in 4 hours and have time left over after it to explore hhn until it closes

 

[contemporarymom]

I have not seen any planned tours for your dates yet
My private tour is October 4 and have openings
But as the time gets closer, there will be threads of private tours seeking peeps to join

I booked a public tour for 9/29 as
1. It’s cheaper than private
2. Crowd predictions of increased crowds
3. It’s a great way to see everything for hhn in 4 hours and have time left over after it to explore hhn until it closes

Thank you so much for the speedy response. With the regualr RIP Tour do we see all the houses or are there only certain one s chosen? I couldn't find that info on the website. I seem to remember reading that a certain tour only went to maybe, six houses? Then again I could just be nuts.

 

[jessicag13]

Thank you so much for the speedy response. With the regualr RIP Tour do we see all the houses or are there only certain one s chosen? I couldn't find that info on the website. I seem to remember reading that a certain tour only went to maybe, six houses? Then again I could just be nuts.

the public RIP tour hits up each house once.
the private RIP tour can go to whichever houses you want, however many times you want, in the allotted time (i believe)
the 6-house tour you saw may have been about the daytime tour where you see the houses with the lights on- there's a 6-house option and a 3-house option for that one.

 

[nkereina]

@contemporarymom I can't speak to the tours, but DH and I always purchase EPs for HHN. We think they're definitely worth the money, and we are usually satisfied with the wait times. We always stay at one of the deluxe resorts so we're used to regular EPs as well.

Last year, we went during Halloween week and did find that the more popular houses had about a 30-40 minute wait in the EP line during the height of the evening (9pm-ish). This was the first time we encountered this in the EP line, but it was also the first time we went during Halloween week. With you going in September, and if you can go on a week night, I doubt you'd encounter these kind of waits.

Also, we try to be inside the park before it closes so we can wait in the holding area. Once HHN opens, the holding area gets a jump start on the lines. We will usually do standby for the first 1-2 houses we choose while the waits are minimal so that we have the EP entitlement to use later on to go through a second time when the lines are long. I'd also advise to do the most popular houses earlier on to avoid the longer waits throughout the night.

 

[contemporarymom]

the public RIP tour hits up each house once.
the private RIP tour can go to whichever houses you want, however many times you want, in the allotted time (i believe)
the 6-house tour you saw may have been about the daytime tour where you see the houses with the lights on- there's a 6-house option and a 3-house option for that one.

@contemporarymom I can't speak to the tours, but DH and I always purchase EPs for HHN. We think they're definitely worth the money, and we are usually satisfied with the wait times. We always stay at one of the deluxe resorts so we're used to regular EPs as well.

Last year, we went during Halloween week and did find that the more popular houses had about a 30-40 minute wait in the EP line during the height of the evening (9pm-ish). This was the first time we encountered this in the EP line, but it was also the first time we went during Halloween week. With you going in September, and if you can go on a week night, I doubt you'd encounter these kind of waits.

Also, we try to be inside the park before it closes so we can wait in the holding area. Once HHN opens, the holding area gets a jump start on the lines. We will usually do standby for the first 1-2 houses we choose while the waits are minimal so that we have the EP entitlement to use later on to go through a second time when the lines are long. I'd also advise to do the most popular houses earlier on to avoid the longer waits throughout the night.

Thank you both so much. I've been lurking the Uni section of the board for years with occasional posts but you all are so super helpful. Can't thank you all enough. I think going by what you two and macraven posted a RIP Tour would probably be the best for us. Thanks again to all for all the help!

 

[macraven]

Last year UO sold a 3 house and/or 6 house hhn tour for the evening
It was sold in the park on the night of

It’s cheap and something to consider

The houses you do were determined by the tour guide
This set up was popular and you could cover the assigned guided house tour within a few hours

This is a different tour than the unmasking the horror day tour of the houses
The day house tour is either a 3 house or a 6 house with all the lights on inside

 

[jessicag13]

i will say, last year was my first HHN experience, and i was going solo for only one night, and i booked the public RIP tour just so i wouldn't have to go through everything alone. the whole night was amazing and i don't think my expectations for HHN in general were low, but the RIP experience just blew everything out of the park for me. i made sure to schedule 2 nights this year, and booked the public RIP tour again. it's definitely a splurge on top of the regular HHN ticket, but to be able to see every house and get an awesome tour guide, is totally worth it in my opinion.

 

[keishashadow]

My thoughts on joining a private RIP tour vs a public one

Private tours: are longer & far more comprehensive. Typically, they are individually tailored to the owner’s preference, including the pacing of the evening. In addition to the guides being enthusiastic & obviously taking pride in their work, it is a tippable position. They will be totally focused upon your wants & needs.

Individuals often purchase a Private tour for themselves & friends/family, then open up spots to others to help defray the cost. In any event, the owner of the tour is in charge & the tour guide reports directly to them.

Note that in addition to receiving a much longer tour (with the options of multiple walks throughs of your favorite houses), the cost can actually be less than some public night tours.

Public tours: get you thru everything at least once. Based upon my experience, the ‘majority’ tends to rule on these tours as to pacing. Size is up to 12 guests. Ex: if you are with a party hearty group, may find yourself spending more time stopping in the lounges that being out & about. it's all in the luck of the draw as to the composition of your fellow guests the assigned tour guide, including their expertise/experience.

 

[contemporarymom]

Last year UO sold a 3 house and/or 6 house hhn tour for the evening
It was sold in the park on the night of

It’s cheap and something to consider

The houses you do were determined by the tour guide
This set up was popular and you could cover the assigned guided house tour within a few hours

This is a different tour than the unmasking the horror day tour of the houses
The day house tour is either a 3 house or a 6 house with all the lights on inside

i will say, last year was my first HHN experience, and i was going solo for only one night, and i booked the public RIP tour just so i wouldn't have to go through everything alone. the whole night was amazing and i don't think my expectations for HHN in general were low, but the RIP experience just blew everything out of the park for me. i made sure to schedule 2 nights this year, and booked the public RIP tour again. it's definitely a splurge on top of the regular HHN ticket, but to be able to see every house and get an awesome tour guide, is totally worth it in my opinion.

My thoughts on joining a private RIP tour vs a public one

Private tours: are longer & far more comprehensive. Typically, they are individually tailored to the owner’s preference, including the pacing of the evening. In addition to the guides being enthusiastic & obviously taking pride in their work, it is a tippable position. They will be totally focused upon your wants & needs.

Individuals often purchase a Private tour for themselves & friends/family, then open up spots to others to help defray the cost. In any event, the owner of the tour is in charge & the tour guide reports directly to them.

Note that in addition to receiving a much longer tour (with the options of multiple walks throughs of your favorite houses), the cost can actually be less than some public night tours.

Public tours: get you thru everything at least once. Based upon my experience, the ‘majority’ tends to rule on these tours as to pacing. Size is up to 12 guests. Ex: if you are with a party hearty group, may find yourself spending more time stopping in the lounges that being out & about. it's all in the luck of the draw as to the composition of your fellow guests the assigned tour guide, including their expertise/experience.

This is all great info and I really appreciate it. I'll show it all to DH this weekend and we'll go from there. We're really looking forward to HHN.

 

[glamdring269]

I have not seen any planned tours for your dates yet
My private tour is October 4 and have openings
But as the time gets closer, there will be threads of private tours seeking peeps to join

This is the reason I still haven't booked a public RIP. Holding out hope that someone will do a Private for the dates I will be there (unfortunately a week after yours, 10/10 & 10/11). My only concern is waiting too long and the public selling out.

 

[soniam]

This is the reason I still haven't booked a public RIP. Holding out hope that someone will do a Private for the dates I will be there (unfortunately a week after yours, 10/10 & 10/11). My only concern is waiting too long and the public selling out.

It looks like the public tours have a 48 hour cancellation. I could be wrong, so you would want to verify. However, if that's true, you could just book a public and cancel if a private shows up that you can join. That way you won't miss out on a tour.

 

[contemporarymom]

It looks like the public tours have a 48 hour cancellation. I could be wrong, so you would want to verify. However, if that's true, you could just book a public and cancel if a private shows up that you can join. That way you won't miss out on a tour.

After taking everyone's suggestions into account we booked a public RIP tour for 9/26. The 48 hour cancellation policy sealed the deal for us. We figured as you stated if someone books a private on our date that we can join in, we'll do that. Just didn't want to take the chance of getting shut out.

 

[osufeth24]

Have I read correctly there's a special entrance for onsite hotel guests for HHN if we're not doing stay & scream?