Official 2016 HHN-26 Thread

[macraven]

If you don't have the app for house waits, use the changing signs in the park to see house waits wherever you are in the park

They have a few of the neon signs in different sections of the parks

 

[xStitch]

We took HE back to Universal last year and we cut it close as they were shutting it down. They gave you a wrist band that indicated you had a P2P and if I remember correctly you could stay in the HP area until 6 and then take HE back to IoA but seeing as we were going to a holding area we had to book it out as they almost didn't want to let us out. I believe HP is only open until 10, it definitely closed earlier than HHN but we got on Gringotts with barely any wait.

Express Pass is definitely helpful but since I'm unsure if we're gonna need it, I'm hoping they'll be selling them marked down towards the end of the night just in case we feel like we need it. But definitely do a holding area, look at a map and find an area you wanna be in, we did Springfield last year and did the Walking Dead and two others within the first 20-30 minutes as we were towards the back of the park so everyone coming in the main entrance is hitting the front of the park first. The year before we did the Finnegans area and hit up two or three as well pretty quickly at the front of the park.

This will be our fourth time doing HHN and I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing

 

[BrittyRo]

I just don't understand how if there are only 9 houses, how you might not make it to all of them (if you don't have the express pass)? How long do these lines get exactly? If the HHN hours are 6-2am (that gives you 8 hours to do 9 houses) do the houses really reach hour long waits??

 

[macraven]

I just don't understand how if there are only 9 houses, how you might not make it to all of them (if you don't have the express pass)? How long do these lines get exactly? If the HHN hours are 6-2am (that gives you 8 hours to do 9 houses) do the houses really reach hour long waits??

last year even though i had the ep, i stood in line with a couple of friends for the walking dead house in the regular line.

our wait was 90 minutes.

later in the evening the wait time for that house was 120 minutes.

there are some houses that are fantastic and everyone is trying to see them.



the hhn hours are 6:30 pm to 1:00 pm during the weekdays.

weekend times hhn closes at 2:00 am

 

[BrittyRo]

last year even though i had the ep, i stood in line with a couple of friends for the walking dead house in the regular line.

our wait was 90 minutes.

later in the evening the wait time for that house was 120 minutes.

there are some houses that are fantastic and everyone is trying to see them.

That's the ONE that we MUST SEE. I guess we should do it first. Does it have a different feel going in the houses with it light out? Does it ruin the experience?!

 

[macraven]

lights are out on all the houses when you go thru them.

you have some type of lighting but not like walking into a room with the lights on...

 

[BrittyRo]

lights are out on all the houses when you go thru them.

you have some type of lighting but not like walking into a room with the lights on...

I meant daylight outside. Does walking out of the dark creepy house into the daylight kill the "immersion"

 

[schumigirl]

I meant daylight outside. Does walking out of the dark creepy house into the daylight kill the "immersion"

I do think atmosphere is better the darker it is.......especially in the scare zones.

Doesn't really ruin the houses themselves though.....we are usually laughing so hard we don't notice it's still light..........

And yes, the lines for houses without EP can get really long!

Even on so called quiet nights we saw queues that were horrendous. We wouldn't be without EP and we can go 10 nights on our trip this year.......we buy the Rush of Fear with EP every year........

 

[BrittyRo]

I do think atmosphere is better the darker it is.......especially in the scare zones.

Doesn't really ruin the houses themselves though.....we are usually laughing so hard we don't notice it's still light..........

And yes, the lines for houses without EP can get really long!

Even on so called quiet nights we saw queues that were horrendous. We wouldn't be without EP and we can go 10 nights on our trip this year.......we buy the Rush of Fear with EP every year........

Oh man I could barely convince DF to pay for the HHN add on. Trying to pitch an EXTRA 70$ on top of that is gonna be rough. Thanks for the info!

 

[macraven]

It is dusk when the event starts in October when I go and not bright out side

I have not gone in mid September for Hhn

 

[LadyP]

When I check the crowd calendars for Oct 22- 26, it shows green. How can that be with HHN? We are going for a conference so the dates are firm. Thank you@

 

[macraven]

I did see a few dates in that time period a few weeks ago with onsite hotel rooms at a lower rate for a few dates in your time period

Not all dates but a few

Wait until your dates get closer and check crowd levels again

Things can change once September start

 

[schumigirl]

Yes, sun doesn't set till around 7.30ish mid September......so we do a few houses when it's still light, but when it goes dark it's almost instantaneous.......

 

[ElenaJane]

Even though we will have EPs, I think we will stay in a holding area anyway this time around. Does Finnegan's allow reservations on HHN nights? I was trying to make one, but it looks like you can only make a reservation 2 weeks in advance? Was Diagon Alley a holding area last year? That would be a really fun place to be "stuck"!

 

[macraven]

I was at DA last year for one of the nights holding areas prior to Hhn opening

 

[keishashadow]

I just don't understand how if there are only 9 houses, how you might not make it to all of them (if you don't have the express pass)? How long do these lines get exactly? If the HHN hours are 6-2am (that gives you 8 hours to do 9 houses) do the houses really reach hour long waits??

Would skip a house to do Bill & Ted

Reviews will come out quickly as to which houses are popular with majority of folks.

Pick & choose wisely and hope DH enjoys HHN enough to come back next time and do it up big.

That said, I have yet to buy EP but do visit at least twice and hang with smart people who know which houses to hit up first.

 

[Raeven]

Even though we will have EPs, I think we will stay in a holding area anyway this time around. Does Finnegan's allow reservations on HHN nights? I was trying to make one, but it looks like you can only make a reservation 2 weeks in advance? Was Diagon Alley a holding area last year? That would be a really fun place to be "stuck"!

Last year they didn't allow them during the holding time. I think they ended reservations at 3:30. Some people said they got them but when I called they said they don't on HHN nights. Also Universal's dining system only goes about a month ahead at most places. As far as I know the night we went DA wasn't a holding area, but it looks like it might've been some nights.

 

[xStitch]

If Walking Dead is the same as the last two out of three years, it'd be in the back, so the Springfield holding area would work. Only 2015 was it near the front of the park, if I remember correctly. I liked the way it was set up so that you basically go from one to another, granted you have to walk all the way back and then down the next line but most people are doing that anyways so the wait isn't that bad at all. And from the second you usually come out right by the entrance for the third, it works out beautifully if it's houses you want to see.

The first year we were there, we got in line for American Werewolf and it said 30 minutes, we waited almost an hour, this was towards the end of the night. Evil Dead had 5 minutes, which we should have done but my feet were covered in blisters but even at 12:30 or whatever time it was, Cabin in the Woods was still 120 minutes so we missed out on it. It was one I really wanted to do but oh well. So yeah, some the line will be huge all night and you may or may not see it and others, towards the end of the night it could be little to no line.

Even when it's 5:30/6 and it's still light out, I find once you're inside the house, it's so dark you don't even realize it's light out until you exit and go "oh jeez it's so bright".

 

[ElenaJane]

Last year they didn't allow them during the holding time. I think they ended reservations at 3:30. Some people said they got them but when I called they said they don't on HHN nights. Also Universal's dining system only goes about a month ahead at most places. As far as I know the night we went DA wasn't a holding area, but it looks like it might've been some nights.

Thanks! I think I will try and make a reservation online if they allow it. My back-up will be to hope that DA is a holding area and my back-up back-up will be the Springfield area!

 

[schumigirl]

There was a big mess up by Finnegans where people had booked tables during HHN, they then decided to cancel that policy but they didn't contact those with bookings already made.

They honoured most I think as folks on here had this issue too.........many had to call and clarify if they still had a reservation or not.........it wasn`t nice for folks. All they wanted was to be told what was happening. But they did say they wouldn`t be accepting them for that time period during HHN.

Who knows this year though.......haven't heard anyone trying yet.........?????