Official 2024 Universal Studios HHN 33 Thread

[keishashadow]

Dining Info Part 2

 

[keishashadow]

Dining Info Part 3

 

[keishashadow]

Merchandise Part 1

https://shop.universalorlando.com/shop/shop-by-brands/halloween-horror-nights?#facet:&productBeginIndex:0&facetLimit:&orderBy:&pageView:grid&minPrice:&maxPrice:&pageSize:&

 

[keishashadow]

Merchandise Part 2

 

[LilyWDW]

Thank you for starting the new thread! I am super excited to be going for the first time in September!

 

[keishashadow]

Thank you for starting the new thread! I am super excited to be going for the first time in September!

it’s truly a one of a kind event. Hope you have a wonderful first trip!

IMO one of the few things at Universal that does scream for a plan of attack, unless you have multiple nights to indulge

Feel free to ask questions in this thread & skim thru last year’s sticky for basic info.

If you dig in Trip reports forum there are several posters who do a great job giving an overview. So many nice ones, schumigirl and Robo56 come to mind for attention to detail and extensive pictures

There really is a great bunch of folks here who are more than happy to share their love & knowledge of the event.

 

[BikeFan]

IMO one of the few things at Universal that does scream for a plan of attack, unless you have multiple nights to indulge

Also want to thank you for starting this thread. Any good rookie guides? I've been to Universal a bunch of times but never HHN and hopefully this is the year I can make it down. We definitely want to do all the houses and was thinking of springing for Express Pass, even though we plan on a lower-traffic night (hopefully) in September. With so many houses and other stuff, EP seems pretty necessary, but then I see people mentioning RIP tours. Which is better for seeing all there is to experience?

 

[CarouselofColor]

Also want to thank you for starting this thread. Any good rookie guides? I've been to Universal a bunch of times but never HHN and hopefully this is the year I can make it down. We definitely want to do all the houses and was thinking of springing for Express Pass, even though we plan on a lower-traffic night (hopefully) in September. With so many houses and other stuff, EP seems pretty necessary, but then I see people mentioning RIP tours. Which is better for seeing all there is to experience?

Lower traffic nights aren't really a thing anymore, unless you end up there on a super rainy night. There's just super busy, and SUPER busy haha. If you can swing Express, I strongly recommend it- it's the only way outside of a tour to essentially guarantee seeing everything in one night, and makes the event sooo much smoother and enjoyable.

Express and RIP are very different ways to experience, and both are extremely fun! With Express, you can dictate your own night and see things at your pace. With RIP, if you're doing non-private, you will have a chance to see every house and (generally) whatever the big show is that year- you won't get to dictate the order or flow at all, but you'll skip the Express queues entirely. If you do go RIP, I recommend an earlier tour time, because your tour lanyard gives you Express access for the rides (not the houses) so you can jump in whatever rides you want after the tour is over.

I've done both (and I used to be an RIP guide a lifetime ago!) and while you really can't go wrong with either, I personally would probably choose Express over a tour- I like having the freedom to run the night however you want, and not potentially get paired up with strangers. Plus its cheaper, so more money for booze ahaha. I'm sure plenty of people would disagree with me though- really as long as you're not just planning on doing neither and waiting in the regular lines, you'll have an amazing time.

 

[ClapYourHands]

I’m just here for the updates. Thoughts on buying single night tix now? If I buy two nights, and then there IS a RoF offering, could I combine and upgrade or can I only upgrade a single night to a multinight pass? Usually we do 3-4 nights, no express. 2023 saw a big jump in prices to where I really needed the longer trip for RoF to make sense. Not sure if we’ve been priced out or not. I can afford it, but not sure it’s still worth it. In 2023, the production values were really high, but the scare zones were weak, and I have zero interest in nightmare fuel part 4. The crowds were insane - we managed with good strategy, but it was still unpleasant at times.

 

[soniam]

I’m just here for the updates. Thoughts on buying single night tix now? If I buy two nights, and then there IS a RoF offering, could I combine and upgrade or can I only upgrade a single night to a multinight pass? Usually we do 3-4 nights, no express. 2023 saw a big jump in prices to where I really needed the longer trip for RoF to make sense. Not sure if we’ve been priced out or not. I can afford it, but not sure it’s still worth it. In 2023, the production values were really high, but the scare zones were weak, and I have zero interest in nightmare fuel part 4. The crowds were insane - we managed with good strategy, but it was still unpleasant at times.

I have not found 2 nights to be enough to make up for the cheapest multi night ticket.

 

[shh]

Cringing at the thought of prices this year, given the bump last year. Fingers crossed the increases aren't too terrible. (Man - I miss those BOGO single ticket offers pre-Covid. Two nights was the perfect trip for us.)

 

[keishashadow]

Tix available in app under extras

 

[Skippyboo]

Interesting that they are doing the 3 house Unmasking tour a couple of weeks before the event opens. Maybe this is a replacement for that tasting event that they tried last year.

 

[ClapYourHands]

I have not found 2 nights to be enough to make up for the cheapest multi night ticket.

Not worth it now (although just 2 or 3 years ago it was). The last two years we have taken a late flight down on Thursday or Friday, which allows us to get into the event around midnight and knock out a bunch of houses as the crowds thin. I wouldn’t pay full price for a whole night, but when RoF is just a bit more than 2 nights, it’s worth it to go for partial nights. Last year we did RoF with midnight arrival on Thursday, stay and scream to close on Friday and Saturday, and stay and scream until about 8 on Sunday. So two full and two partial nights.

This year I don’t have any Jewish holidays conveniently extending September weekends, so I don’t see how to avoid paying the upcharge for a Saturday.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Tickets available on Orlando Informer as well.

 

[CarouselofColor]

Oooooooooh, my friend just sent me this, OBSESSED with the neon!!!!

 

[pigletto]

Yay! Thanks for this helpful thread !

I was visiting my sister in Tampa last year and she and my brother wanted to go. So with zero preplanning or research they picked a Saturday in October and we just showed up. I knew without a doubt it was going to be crazy busy and we would get next to nothing done. However I had never been before and was happy to just go with the flow to spend time with my siblings. I didn’t think it was my type of thing anyway.

Well long story short, we got stuck in traffic, missed our Scream Early time and were behind the crowds. We only did three houses all night and it was so busy, but we made the best of it and still managed to have a lot of fun.

This year I will be at Disney with my adult kids and their significant others over Columbus Day week. We’re all going to go and do it right.. research, plan, and have a blast. So this thread will be super helpful. I didn’t think HHN was “my thing” but it turns out I like being scared senseless .

We are buying tickets for Wednesday ,October 16th. I’m really torn on the Express Passes. I think it would make our night awesome. But wow .. the cost. We’re Canadian so add almost 30% to those prices .
I’d love to hear what other people think. Should we get them? Or just go with a good touring plan and see what we see? I don’t need to see every single house but I also would like to see as much as I can. Tough decisions.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

We are buying tickets for Wednesday ,October 16th. I’m really torn on the Express Passes.

Are you willing to get there early and have a solid plan, willingness to adjust as necessary, deal with significant lines, and possibly stay through to the end? No EP can work, and you can still potentially do all the houses - you will be very tired. If thing are going well, try to have a solid sit down dinner/snack break (or show break) sometime during the busiest times of 8-10pm, then come back with a little more umph to finish the night strong. It's much more pleasant to hit a house at 12:15am with a 15min wait than to wait an hour for that same house at 8:30pm. By 1:30am there should be houses with no line at all (even, no conga line for the less popular houses way at the end of the night). So if taking an hour break means you can hang until 2am instead of calling it a night at 12:30am, that's a much better use of your time.

Is this your only Universal time (ie, do you want to also try to do rides)? Do you want to spend significant time at the show and/or scare zones? You will likely need EP to do everything - you will be tired, but less so even though you will accomplish more.

You'll end up at least walking through the scare zones either way, and lines for food will be fairly long either way.

 

[LilyWDW]

it’s truly a one of a kind event. Hope you have a wonderful first trip!

IMO one of the few things at Universal that does scream for a plan of attack, unless you have multiple nights to indulge

Feel free to ask questions in this thread & skim thru last year’s sticky for basic info.

If you dig in Trip reports forum there are several posters who do a great job giving an overview. So many nice ones, schumigirl and Robo56 come to mind for attention to detail and extensive pictures

There really is a great bunch of folks here who are more than happy to share their love & knowledge of the event.

We will be going September 15th and only have the one night. We are purchasing Express 100% because it IS our only night. Luckily our focus are the houses and scare zones, though we would like to see the Death Eaters and hopefully ride The Mummy. We have no interest in the shows or other rides and food is just as we can/if we can (except hopefully butterbeer).

I followed last years thread once I had a good idea we were going this year, but I will go into some of those trip reports you mentioned!

This is a challenge for me because I am normally a chicken, but I LOVE the horror genre! So I will be the one screaming for sure!

 

[tony67]

Interesting that they are doing the 3 house Unmasking tour a couple of weeks before the event opens. Maybe this is a replacement for that tasting event that they tried last year.

Personally Id recommend against doing the tour before you do a night of HHN.

I like to do at least 1 night of HHN before the unmasking tour - too many spoilers IMO.




BTW: Lots of rumors (and easter eggs last year) for Creature From the Black Lagoon being a house this year.
I'm sure many saw it on line already but there is a bigger display of Creature stuff in the 5 and Dime and there is a chain around the wrist with the number 33 as well as a barrel with the number 24 on it. Creature was also featured in the Tribute store last HHN.