horror nights w/ grandma in EVC???

[bellebud]

Myself, dh, dd12 and dsd10 are going to Universal in Oct for a long weekend trip, and attending a Horror Night. We want to bring my mom (she loves all things scary), but she had a hip replacement and can't walk far w/out her rollator thingie. When we did disney 2 years ago, she needed an ECV for the parks.

We'd love to take her w/ us, but if she can't really enjoy the Horror Night, she probably wouldn't come with us.

Would love some opinions from anyone who has been to a Horror Night.

Thanks!

 

[JessicaR]

HHN is a wheelchair accessible event. They do a great job accommodating people.

If you have never attended HHN you may want to look up some threads here. Some children and even some adults find it too extreme. We didn't start taking our sons till they were 13. The year before last we took a RIP tour and there were two kids that were in tears and left with their parents. Just a heads up.

 

[bellebud]

HHN is a wheelchair accessible event. They do a great job accommodating people.

If you have never attended HHN you may want to look up some threads here. Some children and even some adults find it too extreme. We didn't start taking our sons till they were 13. The year before last we took a RIP tour and there were two kids that were in tears and left with their parents. Just a heads up.

my dd12 and dh are the ones who love, love, love everything scary. I can take it or leave it, and ds10 will probably not want to venture into anything too scary. My mom would go off w/ dh and dd12 and go get scared, and ds10 and I will probably hang back and not get too scared.

Glad to hear they do a good job of accommodating people. She can walk through the scary houses, she just can't walk too far w/out something to lean on or sit.

She seemed pretty excited when I mentioned it. She's 70 and in great shape otherwise, and we enjoy taking her to do things with us.

 

[ChrisFL]

If she's ok with running, chainsaw wielding "maniacs" she should be fine.

 

[JessicaR]

my dd12 and dh are the ones who love, love, love everything scary. I can take it or leave it, and ds10 will probably not want to venture into anything too scary. My mom would go off w/ dh and dd12 and go get scared, and ds10 and I will probably hang back and not get too scared.

Glad to hear they do a good job of accommodating people. She can walk through the scary houses, she just can't walk too far w/out something to lean on or sit.

She seemed pretty excited when I mentioned it. She's 70 and in great shape otherwise, and we enjoy taking her to do things with us.

The whole park is scary. The event is dark, foggy, loud and frightening. Just wanted to mention that even if you stay out of the houses it's all scary. Also Mom may be better off going through the houses in her wheelchair. You may just have to see. Also, they discount 15% for the person in a wheelchair - at least they used to. May want to call and ask.

 

[macraven]

i didn't know that about the discount.
i used one for hhn i think it was 5 years back.
i probably got a better discount with the ap now that i think about it.

could not use the electric w/c due to the lines and in the houses, had to use the manuel one.

maybe that has changed and they do allow the electric wc in the houses.

for the op, they recommend 13 and over for the ages of guests for hhn.
mostly due to content

 

[bellebud]

If she's ok with running, chainsaw wielding "maniacs" she should be fine.

I honestly think my dd12 is going to love this. Of course she'll be holding onto her daddy.

The whole park is scary. The event is dark, foggy, loud and frightening. Just wanted to mention that even if you stay out of the houses it's all scary. Also Mom may be better off going through the houses in her wheelchair. You may just have to see. Also, they discount 15% for the person in a wheelchair - at least they used to. May want to call and ask.

I'm wondering if ds10 shouldn't even go in. Is there anywhere for myself and ds to just hang out? In a restaurant? Can he go on rides?

i didn't know that about the discount.
i used one for hhn i think it was 5 years back.
i probably got a better discount with the ap now that i think about it.

could not use the electric w/c due to the lines and in the houses, had to use the manuel one.

maybe that has changed and they do allow the electric wc in the houses.

for the op, they recommend 13 and over for the ages of guests for hhn.
mostly due to content

It's not an electric wheelchair (so not a manual one either), it's a scooter. She's never used a wheelchair... maybe my dh could push her in a manual one? I think she'd hate it, but if it's better for the event, I'll look into it.

The houses can accommodate scooters? Like I said, she could get off the scooter to walk through the house. At home, she doesn't use a scooter, she uses the rollator thing (like 2 canes on wheels w/ a seat between them). Or she just walks, like if she goes to the supermarket, she walks w/ the shopping cart.

Just trying to figure out of it's worth us taking her along. We're in NY, so we're flying, and we're staying at HRH. She doesn't LOVE to travel, but she loves doing things w/ her grandchildren, and she and my dd always watch scary movies together (it's their *thing*), so I thought they'd both love the memory of being scared together at Universal.

We just lost dh's mom (lung cancer), so dh is like "let's just take her, no one's getting any younger".

Is it *that* fun/scary, to be worth flying to Florida for?

 

[macraven]

only a few select rides are open during hhn.
last year it was mib, simpsons, mummy, jaws and RRR coaster.

jaws died so that ride it out for this year.

i would think age 10 would be young for doing hhn.
with as many beer carts in the park those nights, crowds can get a party atmosphere about them.
scareactors don't back off with children in the park.

if your mom can walk thru the houses, that would be fine.
one of you can go back and get the scooter for her.

i really don't know if there is an issue using a scooter to go thru the houses.
you could call guest services at the parks and ask them so you know in advance.

 

[macraven]

you can pull up some videos about hhn on youtube.
that will give you an idea of what to expect.

 

[bellebud]

you can pull up some videos about hhn on youtube.
that will give you an idea of what to expect.

thank you for suggesting youtube... don't know why I never think of that on my own...

in looking at some videos, it definitely looks like fun, but it seems so crowded. I can't imagine driving a scooter through the crowds.

 

[ChrisFL]

jaws died so that ride it out for this year.

Crap, I just had an idea for a great haunted house....

Jaws: Ultimate Revenge...

Jaws becomes a mutant zombie that can walk on land and attack people!!

 

[muffyn]

thank you for suggesting youtube... don't know why I never think of that on my own...

in looking at some videos, it definitely looks like fun, but it seems so crowded. I can't imagine driving a scooter through the crowds.

i was on my ecv 3 times in 2010 doing HHN. crowds were ok,, never had a problem.

BUT you will have a problem with the lines into each building. they do not let you in with an ecv. you would have to transfer to a wheelchair for that. (& I don't know how you get one inside the park & also use an ECV)

I was able to walk for some parts, ok, ( just can't walk all night), BUT the houses back over between MIB & ET have an extremely long path. that pushed it for me. wish I had a wheel chair,, ( but there was one spot one year it went through barny, & you had to climb stairs,, I didn't notice if you could go another direction.

let me say....... get the passes which give you priority to get in line, that is so much easier for th eperson who uses a wheelchair etc.. shorter waits.

 

[SharkyGoddess]

Just adding a haunt freak's 2 pennies....

Two things to remember when deciding whether to go through on foot or not. 1) the mazes can be cramped and difficult to maneuver enough on foot, adding a chair not only puts the person at a visual disadvantage, but a mobility one as well and 2) people going through with you ARE going to be excited and will often push or try to get around slower moving guests.

 

[Metro West]

I'm wondering if ds10 shouldn't even go in. Is there anywhere for myself and ds to just hang out? In a restaurant? Can he go on rides?

You might want reconsider even taking him that night if you are having doubts. HHN is pretty expensive and if he's not going to be able to do the houses, it might a good idea to take him to IOA for the evening and save that money. You can hang out in a restaurant if you wanted but would he really like sitting there all night? As far as rides go, yes...he could do those but it's only a handful that's open during HHN so it may not be worth the expense. Maybe you guys could go to IOA until 7pm then play the mini-golf at CityWalk and do some shopping to help pass the time.

 

[tricky1]

My wife was in a wheelchair last year at HHN, no problems at all. like alot
of others she can walk but not for amount of walking & standing required at
an event this big. We did have express passes which is great.

As for the scares in houses and the streets they did not hold back cause she was in a wheelchair(I think it attracted some of them,"captive prey").

We rented one last year from walker mobility, they deliver it the hotel and pick it
up. Lot cheaper than renting at the park and you take it back to hotel with you.

 

[bellebud]

You might want reconsider even taking him that night if you are having doubts. HHN is pretty expensive and if he's not going to be able to do the houses, it might a good idea to take him to IOA for the evening and save that money. You can hang out in a restaurant if you wanted but would he really like sitting there all night? As far as rides go, yes...he could do those but it's only a handful that's open during HHN so it may not be worth the expense. Maybe you guys could go to IOA until 7pm then play the mini-golf at CityWalk and do some shopping to help pass the time.

yea, that was the original idea. DD and dh were going to go alone to the Horror Night, and ds and I would go do something different.

Then our nephew/sil/bil were going to come along, and ds wanted to go to Horror Night because his cousin was going. So I got us all tickets.

Sil/bil/nephew aren't coming anymore, but I thought I'd give it a shot w/ ds and see how scary he thought it was, and he and I could just leave any time.

I wouldn't want to bring him in the haunted houses, but just walking along the outside paths and going on a few rides I thought would be ok. DH and dd will go off on their own and do whatever dd is brave enough to do. But I'll leave it up to ds what we do.

In thinking about my mom and her hip, I don't know about her going in the haunted houses at all... she would be able to walk through and would want to, but if she gets pushed and falls, that could be very bad for her. I totally understand people pushing from being excited, startled, etc. I'm sure I'd be one of the people doing that! It doesn't sound safe for her. Even looking at the youtube clips... it's pretty crowded, characters chasing guests a little - so people running a bit, etc. I can see where she could get hurt, by accident.

She just seemed so excited when I explained the horror nights to her. And my dd12 really, really wants her to go w/ us. What to do, what to do...

 

[Metro West]

I wouldn't want to bring him in the haunted houses, but just walking along the outside paths and going on a few rides I thought would be ok. DH and dd will go off on their own and do whatever dd is brave enough to do. But I'll leave it up to ds what we do.

In thinking about my mom and her hip, I don't know about her going in the haunted houses at all... she would be able to walk through and would want to, but if she gets pushed and falls, that could be very bad for her. I totally understand people pushing from being excited, startled, etc. I'm sure I'd be one of the people doing that! It doesn't sound safe for her. Even looking at the youtube clips... it's pretty crowded, characters chasing guests a little - so people running a bit, etc. I can see where she could get hurt, by accident.

Ah OK...since you've already purchased the tickets might as well try it and see. I wouldn't take a chance with your mother and the possibility of falling. Once in the houses, it's very dark and people often push or step on you w/o meaning to of course. She could sit outside and watch people and let me tell you...that can be a riot! I do that after I've been a few times...people watch. She will still have a good time.

 

[macraven]

op, depending on the night you go to hhn, many of the lines through the houses are congo line style walking.


many times i have had strangers behind me grab me out of being scared.
have had my clothes pulled from my body, have had some push me as the person behind me was wanted to cut thru the line and run out of the house.

also have had people in front of me step backwards when they have encountered a scare.


if you take your mom thru the houses, you might have to watch out for the other people around you in the house line.

all people react differently when they get a scare inside the houses.
it is dark inside them and those that bump into others can't help it sometimes.

what is the date you plan to do hhn?

 

[Victoria3]

ECV/scooters are not allowed in the houses. You can walk or transfer to a manual wheelchair. They provide wheelchairs.

 

[bellebud]

ECV/scooters are not allowed in the houses. You can walk or transfer to a manual wheelchair. They provide wheelchairs.

Anyone been through the houses in a manual wheelchair? Or help someone, see someone in one? It seems like a very tight fit from the youtube videos I've seen.

I know my dh wouldn't mind pushing my mom through the houses. He really wants her to come and enjoy the experience.