Halloween Horror Nights?

[DW mouser]

Does anyone know the dates yet? We are thinking of getting a trip planned for the first part of Oct. and would like to know so we can cover this. Thanks!!

 

[robvia]

Not hard to figure out. Go to the park calendar here
http://themeparks.universalstudios...._park_hours.html&year=2005&month=10&year=2005
On the days that IOA closes at 5pm, that's a HHN night.

Sep 30, Oct 1
Oct 7-9
Oct 13-16
Oct 20-23
Oct 27-31

 

[bjakmom]

Thanks, robvia - why does IOA close at 5 and USF not until 6? We're hoping to go on the 9th - well, I'm sending all the big kids over, I'll graciously volunteer to stay back at the hotel and watch the little ones - not that I'm a chicken or anything!

That site also led me to this awesome site from 2004 - it has virtual maps, etc:
http://themeparks.universalstudios.com/orlando/hhn/2004/index.html

 

[DW mouser]

Thanks Robvia! Good site. It got me in the mood!!!

 

[F-L-A]

We won't know the official dates for a long time. We aren't even completely sure what park(s) it'll be in. You can be assured it'll be every Fri, Sat & Sun though. (even though I don't recommend going those days, they're gauranteed)

 

[DW mouser]

Hope we find out for sure so we can get our trip planned!! It makes it hard to plan on being there when you don't know for sure. I agree. Fri, Sat and Sun are good days to not go!!!

 

[robvia]

Friday nights would be the worst. People get off work, and go party. On Saturday night, they're hung over from the previous night and just hang out. If you visit restaurants in your local area, you'll notice they are packed on a Friday night, and on Saturday night, it's better.

As to why they close IOA an hour early, they just do, and that's the way it was last year. So the best idea is to head over to the USF side, ride the Mummy just before closing, then go to the Stay and Scream area, where the first two houses will be available. You can walk thru them in minutes, then you end up waiting for them to finish clearing out the USF side.

 

[F-L-A]

Keep in mind this year could be vastly different from last. The stay & scream area is just one of many things that could be changed.

 

[WDWDennis]

I'm really hoping to get there this year. I bet last year was great having it in both parks. That was the first year I've missed in the last 7!! Although its not as scary as in years past, I still enjoy it every time!

Thanks for the dates and links!!

 

[DW mouser]

I was only there once, in 2001. Do you consider that a scary time? Why is it less scary now?

 

[robvia]

It's become more of an entertainment event.

Still scarey, but more fun.

People go there to have a good time. They are using more sound stages, and the presentation is amazing. It's almost like watching a movie.

 

[lovetheparks]

Friday nights would be the worst. People get off work, and go party. On Saturday night, they're hung over from the previous night and just hang out. If you visit restaurants in your local area, you'll notice they are packed on a Friday night, and on Saturday night, it's better.

I agree with ya on the restaurants but I have to say, every Sat night I've been to HHN has been consierably more crowded than the Friday and of course every year it gets worse (crowd wise- HHN is always fun! )

 

[NMJ]

DH and I went to HHN this past year and had a great time. Word to the wise, we went on a Wednesday and it was packed! If you are planning on going into any of the haunted houses (not too scary, but fun and festive nonetheless-no complaints here) or on any of the rides, invest in the express passes. They were invaluable that night, because even if you are staying on-site, the room keys do you no good for the special events.

 

[steven1105]

Looks like its not starting until the 8th and we fly home on the 7th. Just my luck,it looks so good.

steve

 

[DW mouser]

So even though you are staying on site, you still have to buy an express pass besides your regular pass to HHN? That is, if you want to get into anything. Do the express passes let you in front for all the stuff? I wonder if they sell only a certain amount of them?

 

[lovetheparks]

Yes, HHN is a whole separate monster. Separate ticket and separate Express Pass. They do only sell a small amount so if you know your dates early, it's best to get them. They are, like the tickets, date specific. They are well worth the money though, a wait of 10-15 minutes (sometimes shorter/longer) vs. 60-120 minutes (sometimes shorter/longer)

No way I would ever do HHN without Express.

 

[tricky1]

wow its just march and the talk about hhn 15 is picking up, it goes to show how great an event this is I've been the last 2 years and looking foward to this year. I actually stumbled upon it oct 2003 , didnt know about it
and never heard of it,we was visting uso & ioa seen the advertising and such at the parks and said well why not try it , great....great....great it is a must do now! although the crowds can be very large, I still enjoyed the fun & mayhem lol, only 7 months left

 

[F-L-A]

Looks like its not starting until the 8th and we fly home on the 7th. Just my luck,it looks so good.

steve

Huh? They wouldn't wait until the 8th to start the event. Where did you read that?

 

[robvia]

I think they'll have it Sept 30th and October 1st as the park closes at 5pm.

You can do HHN without express if you are in the Stay and Scream area. That lets you do two houses before the event even starts. I did wait an hour for the last house, as I spent some time in the scare areas filming them and taking pictures. If you want to walk slowly and take your time, the express book will help. If you go commando style, you can get thru most of the houses, then go back to the scare zones and laugh at the people getting spooked.

 

[4greatboys]

So even though you are staying on site, you still have to buy an express pass besides your regular pass to HHN? That is, if you want to get into anything. Do the express passes let you in front for all the stuff? I wonder if they sell only a certain amount of them?

FOTL does not apply to HHN but they you can buy an express pass booklet and then you just go right to the front like FOTL. We bought those passes when we went to HHN back in 2003. Actually we went on the very first night and it wasnt crowed at all. The longest line we saw was 20 minutes but we used our passes to skip those lines, even the short ones, lol. But on a more crowded time they would really come in handy. I dont think there is a restriction on the number of booklets they sell.