Official 2024 Universal Studios HHN 33 Thread

[zavandor]

Thank you so much for this thread…and prior years as well! I have read through the 2023 thread in its entirety (and the start of this one) in attempt to try and speak intelligently about a topic I know little about

Quick backstory….we are a Disney Halloween family, have done MNSSHP or OBB annually for the last decade. We are WDW AP and DVC so go to the parks a lot. We’ve also done a handful of trips to USO. I have 2 teenagers now, and they would like to check out HHN during our annual fall trip.

We are currently booked at WDW for a long weekend in October (Thursday through Sunday) and plan to attend MNSSHP on Friday, which leaves Saturday open for HHN (I know it’s not the best option for pricing or crowds, but that’s what I’m working with!). After looking into EP and RIP, I’m leaning toward EP so we can go at our own pace, and we’ll likely want to sneak in a few rides and time in DA.

As well, I’m considering moving over to a USO hotel Sat - Sun to utilize the hotel entrance….but curious if we’d be ok without that if having EP? (I also like the idea of quick access to our room at the end of the night vs driving back to WDW!) It looks like stay and scream is only offered on stays of 2 nights or longer, so are there any other packages available for HHN, or would I just purchase everything ala carte?

Open to any other advice to get the most out of our night. Saturday will be a down day regardless of where we’re staying so we can hopefully hang till the end!

Thank you!

The resort entrance allows you to do one house with a short line and then that's it, by the time you get out maybe you can get another house with average wait, but many will already be over an hour. So it's a good headstart, but not a replacement for EP.

 

[keishashadow]

Thank you so much for this thread…and prior years as well! I have read through the 2023 thread in its entirety (and the start of this one) in attempt to try and speak intelligently about a topic I know little about

Well, that’s a first

Lololol JK

this is a community driven thread, lots of helpful hints here and most of the basics covered

As well, I’m considering moving over to a USO hotel Sat - Sun to utilize the hotel entrance….but curious if we’d be ok without that if having EP?

There’s a link to thrilldata nightly house wait times. Might want to pull up your weekend from last year to get an idea of crowds

Recommend buying stay & scream. Can get you positioned in scare zone at 4 or 5 for one of the top houses & avoids the long entrance lines

Fantastic - thanks so much for all of this!
And yes, we know this is a whole other level of Halloween! Honestly, I’m probably going to be the biggest chicken LOL My kids have no appreciation for the build up and anticipation of classic “thrillers” - they want the blood and gore and jump scares!!

lol the houses have definitely Been less gory since they brought in stranger thing crowd. Event is more homogenized now, jump scares abound.

However, the production value shows and the scare actors are top notch. The event, as a whole, is stellar

The resort entrance allows you to do one house with a short line and then that's it, by the time you get out maybe you can get another house with average wait, but many will already be over an hour. So it's a good headstart, but not a replacement for EP.

2 years ago ? were funneled directly into a house. Many liked that aspect. Not sure why they didn’t continue it

 

[Jeff90]

Glad to find this thread so thank you!

This will be our 1st HHN. Always wanted to take my partner for this is his thing. Both in our 50s. Looking forward to this and we are planning September 19th which is a weeknight. Doing a single night and adding the express. We are staying in Vero and planning on spending the day/evening then going back.

Planning on having an early dinner in City Walk. Wondering when they start letting folks in. 630p? Do we need to get the Stay and Scream enter along with the express? Or just stick with the express?

 

[keishashadow]

Looking forward to this and we are planning September 19th which is a weeknight. Doing a single night and adding the express.

Before last year, I’d say def pass on S&S. Your time period last year was very busy.

https://www.thrill-data.com/hhn/orlando/2023

The early entry would allow a ride or two & then hoping in a holding pen when u see the line forming

Enjoy ur first visit

 

[Cluelyss]

If offered, Stay & Scream would also let you do a ride ahead of time, if you so desire. Either way, not being in the crazy crush of people waiting at the gates is well worth it. Especially on a Sat in Oct.

Be aware that prices will go up (and have started going up on some dates) so if your dates are firm, grab the EP & tickets sooner than later.

I’m not seeing the option to add stay and scream to my tickets currently….is it normally released later or does this mean it’s not being offered this year? And if it were to be offered later, can I add it to my existing ticket purchase or would I need to purchase everything together?? Thanks!

 

[soniam]

I’m not seeing the option to add stay and scream to my tickets currently….is it normally released later or does this mean it’s not being offered this year? And if it were to be offered later, can I add it to my existing ticket purchase or would I need to purchase everything together?? Thanks!

Hasn’t been released yet. It’s a separate purchase. It’s released later, like summer.

 

[Cluelyss]

Hasn’t been released yet. It’s a separate purchase. It’s released later, like summer.

Thank you! So I can purchase after the fact for my date if I want to get my tix/EP now??

 

[soniam]

Thank you! So I can purchase after the fact for my date if I want to get my tix/EP now??

Yes

 

[keishashadow]

See post #11 for 2nd version of spec map & some guesses


Feel free to chime in here with your own theories

 

[GhostHost24]

Thank you! So I can purchase after the fact for my date if I want to get my tix/EP now??

Also note that when they are released, the ticket is called Scream Early, so look for that. Stay and Scream is the areas you go to when park closes and waiting for HHN to start

 

[lisam70]

Do you think we are getting a Psycho house ??

 

[tony67]

View attachment 855844
Do you think we are getting a Psycho house ??

Pretty sure they always have that in the 5 and dime.

Would like a Psycho house, but I doubt it

 

[keishashadow]

View attachment 855844
Do you think we are getting a Psycho house ??

In my wildest dreams

 

[StuartMcK]

We’re first time HHN visitors & have booked for August 31st (the day before we fly back to the U.K.)

When we booked our passes there were no RIP tours showing as available so we went with Express Passes instead.

Since then some RIP slots have opened up & I’m tempted to call Universal to see if we can exchange our EPs for RIP (obviously paying the upcharge). Not sure if we can even do this?

In your opinion is an RIP tour with the extra $$$ given that we’d like to fit in as much as possible & are on a time crunch (flying back the next day).

 

[keishashadow]

Since then some RIP slots have opened up & I’m tempted to call Universal to see if we can exchange our EPs for RIP (obviously paying the upcharge). Not sure if we can even do this?

Generally, if you purchase tix directly thru Universal it’s an easy process to upgrade tickets.

I’m seeing you are located in the UK, unsure if that’s a difference.

 

[StuartMcK]

Generally, if you purchase tix directly thru Universal it’s an easy process to upgrade tickets.

I’m seeing you are located in the UK, unsure if that’s a difference.

I bought directly from Universal rather than going via a local agency.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Give them a call, they should be willing to work with you on this (since you want to spend more money on an upgrade, not simply get a refund). I've found they do try to help you out if possible.

You also get dinner and non-alcoholic beverages, and literal front-of-the-line access, and the ability to cut directly between houses through backstage areas. You save a whole bunch of walking and time going between houses. Where they have 2 adjacent houses that are each a solid walk away from the park itself, with the RIP tour you will walk back, go directly from the exit of one to the entrance of the other, and then walk back to the park. With EP, you walk one queue, then upon exiting you go all the way back to the park, walk over to the other queue, walk all the way back, and then out a second time. So RIP cuts the walking and time for those two houses in half, even before any EP wait. That is the Friday of a holiday weekend, so it might be crowded - with RIP, it literally doesn't matter how crowded it is because standby and EP lines don't matter to you - you walk straight up to the entrance to each house. Plus the guide will give you a little background info and some things to keep an eye out for in each house.

 

[Jessem1133]

Already booked our September week, really hoping the dates line up with the free AP HHN ticket...