HHN with VIP review (spoilers)

[Laurabearz]

Well I just got back... Boy oh boy I am sure glad we did the RIP tour. We got to do all the houses, Bill and Ted (right behind the fab five), hulk, and Mummy 4 times. BUT we missed the parade! Sooooooooo bummed about that!

The houses all kinda blended together after a while and I will have to review the back of my shirt and the map to sort it all out.

Bill and Ted was very funny. And the crowd seemed an even split between Bush and Kerry supporters! lol

I did try to keep track of the chain saws... right now I will say that there were chainsaws in the corn field, one other scarezone (I dont think there were any in the Midway of the bazzare), and at least one house at the exit. In each of the above there were several chainsaw people.

LOVED the flame thrower dude, and the flying bat guy. Those would be my pick for coolest jobs. Hardest job... the two dudes on the phone. Loved the Brides dress..... lovely. Vampire house... cool... Loved the chair in the corner of one room, the flying dude, and since we did that house twice, I was able to check out the books in the front entry, and they all were Blood related... very fitting, nice touch. The entry to the Vampire was the best of all the houses.... that huge gargoyle in the front was marvy. I want one!

Anyway, this was the first event like this my DH and I have attended and we both thought it was pretty good. We were so glad we did the RIP tour as the lines seemed insane. At the peak of things, the lines were well over an hour... and we angered some people in the mummy line as we went on it 2 times in a row (twice) One lady started yelling at the CM working the feed line when we went by the second time... "we have waited over an hour and all these people just walk on, twice? It's not fair, who are they, who do they think they are" One in our group said to her, we all paid a high price to get this privledge, but it didnt seem to calm them down. Ah well.... such is life.

I am very bummed we missed the parade. I had really wanted to see it, and we didnt. Plus our tour guide said the last parade was at 1130, so after the tour ended (at 11) some of us hung around for the parade only to find out the last parade was at 10 something. GRRRRRR Bad enough to have missed it, but we all could have done other things other than hanging out waiting for it....

All in all a good time..... two thumbs up.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I think I would like to do that tour next year. Or maybe just pay for the Frequent Fear Pass. Have to wait and see then.
We were not too concerned about rides last night since we have PAPs.

The parade was very good. We saw it twice. Once at the very start and once near the end.
They threw beads and coins, just like they do for the mardi gras parade.
Too bad you missed it. But sounds like you had a great time!

 

[GODreigns]

Thanks for the report!!!

 

[Motherfletcher]

Since we took the first RIP Tour opening night I was wondering if they changed much. You must have been on a non-peak night because ours lasted until 12. Did they give you anything? Lanyard with VIP? That seemed like it was missing from the first night.
How was your tour guide? Informative? Worth recommending to others? Did the guide do what the group requested? Must have if you did the Mummy 4 times! Were they still wearing scrubs?
Did you stop to eat? That is when we got to see the parade.
How many houses were you able to visit twice?
Did you go to the first Bill and Ted Show of the night? We really liked the seats and the show.

 

[Laurabearz]

The lanyard was lame... in fact I left them... just a plain black shoestring sizes lanyard with a red glow stick on the end... if you bought Express passes that day the lanyard was neat... said HHN and was black and orange.

We had lots of bar/bathroom breaks.... I asked for a food break and bought a hot dog.

We did two houses twice.... Vamyr and another..... like I said, they all started to blend! LOL

First showing of Bill and Ted....

Yes, it was a non peak night... Thursday, but I gotta say the place was PACKED. I commented on how crowded it was, and our guide (Jennette) said this was slow. It wasnt slow... it was packed.

We didnt mention we wanted to see the parade early, and when I asked towards the end, since I thought it was included in the tour, Jennette said it wasnt included but the last parade was at 1130 and we could catch that... she was wrong. I am still a bit miffed at that.

But like I said, we had a great time. I got scared off my feet TWICE! (yes my rear end hit the ground two times.... hangin head) I also have a wicked bruise on my arm from jumping back. Thank goodness my husband was there... I kept bounceing off him! I am an easy mark I guess!

 

[lovetheparks]

I have to ask (and please don't take offense it's not meant that way at all )what is the added value of the RIP tour vs. having express passes? We just went this past Friday and never waited more than 10 minutes to enter into the houses. We could have planned a better route but that was just timing issues. Just curious for next year.....

 

[Motherfletcher]

My son and I RIPed because we had never done it. The year before we did the express and made it through all the houses without any trouble. Although I can remember waits or queues in excess of 10 minutes.
This year we had an excellent guide in Deanna. We were able to do all of the houses and 4 of them twice. The seats for B&T were the best. We did Mummy, Hulk and Spiderman. We were able to see the parade. What I got from it was a great deal of behind the scenes info. I'm intrigued by the queuing theory so I asked questions and she answered them. Could we have done it with express? Probably minus the rides. I'm glad we did the Tour but probably won't do it again soon.
Frankenstein startled me in Horror of Wax but I never lost my feet!

 

[lovetheparks]

Thanks for the info Motherfletcher. I was just looking to see if it'd be worth spending the extra $$ for being that we've been so many times.

I know the waits get longer for express we just lucked out big time for a Friday night. One time Castle Vampyre looked very long (since you have to go with the regular line a little before you merge) so we went on and came back later so avoided that wait.

 

[kazzie]

Laura,

We did the RIP tour on Thursday too (was it Thursday 21st?).

It was our fourth one and we had the excellent incomparable Chris who we'd requested once again.

The tour itself was brilliant as always as were the houses,mazes and Bill & ted BUT I was disappointed with the atmosphere outside in the parks.No foam,no smoke very very few scareactors around the streets.Did anyone else feel this?

Funny like you on my first HHN my legs actuallly gave way twice and I 'collapsed' on the floor ,laughing so much my family trying to hual me up

So if you found it very scary maybe I've just become too accustomed to it?

 

[bjakmom]

How much does the RIP tour cost - is it in addition to the regular ticket price? How does it compare in price to the express pass? How many people are in each tour group - sounds like the guide stays with you all night?

I'm bringing a group of teens/twenties next year, but I will be staying back at HRH to watch the little ones for them - not that I'm too scared to go or anything !!!!!

 

[Laurabearz]

Originally posted by bjakmom
How much does the RIP tour cost - is it in addition to the regular ticket price? How does it compare in price to the express pass? How many people are in each tour group - sounds like the guide stays with you all night?

I'm bringing a group of teens/twenties next year, but I will be staying back at HRH to watch the little ones for them - not that I'm too scared to go or anything !!!!!

The cost is high... in addition to the regular HHN ticket the RIP tour costs $120 for off peak and 10-30 bucks more for peak nights (Fridays and Satrdays) Express passes ran around 30 bucks. Groups were limited to 12 this year and yes the guide is with you from 7-11 or 12 depending on the night.

HTH

 

[bjakmom]

Thanks, Laura - that is steep ! Is that 120.- per person in addition to the regular ticket- never mind, stupid question - it certainly isn't 120.- per group of 12 !! I'll either start saving now or help them spring for the express passes.

 

[Laurabearz]

Honestly I think Express passes could work nicely for your group... all young ones... LOL

What week are you thinking about going? The closer to Halloween and weekends are the most crowded... but early on and during the week, things are that bad....

 

[bjakmom]

I'm leaning towards ending the first week in October at WDW with 3 nights at HRH (or RPR if I can convince the kids . . . not!) over Columbus Day weekend. I read a few reports on the Sunday night HHN that weekend and it didn't sound too bad yet. My gang could be (I never know who I'll end up with this far in advance) 16, 16, 25, 26, 27, 29 - not all mine - that includes all the signif others. I just remember that FOTL made MLK weekend a delight, even though standby lines were pretty long - I'm trying to avoid WDW on holiday weekends as long as there's FOTL! Thanks for the help !

 

[Motherfletcher]

With that many people you can do the exclusive tour. With APH we received a 10% discount from the rates below:


· Non-private R.VI.P. Tour 4-hour Starting @$100+tax per person. Pricing subject to change according to the event night.
· Exclusive R.V.I.P. Tour – Private 5-hour Starting@$1400+tax per group of up to 12 people. Pricing subject to change according to the event night.
**Please Note: Tour prices do not include admission**




Availability is limited so call VIP Tour Reservations at 407-363-8295 or e-mail viptours@universalorlando.com to reserve your spot! Admission tickets available at www.universalorlando.com