Howl-O-Scream Review

[Tony M]

BGT (I have a hard time saying BGA) Howl-O-Scream Review
Went to the Passholder Preview Friday Night (and again Tonight)
It is still a fun event. One noticeable difference between Howl-O-Scream and HHN is the size of the Theme Parks that they are held in. It is both a negative and a positive. Busch Gardens is much larger than Universal and that gives you the ability to hold a larger crowd without being crowded. But, the crowd is sometimes the fun part of these events. Seeing people get spooked is part of the atmosphere. It is harder to do at Busch because the Haunts are so far apart. However, I'll take the space and sparse appearing crowds. Advantage:Howl-O-Scream. (However, I won't be going to HHN this year and thus won’t have a recent comparison)
The Houses are great. The intensity rating advisory(Skulls) by Busch is pretty accurate.
The 3rd Dementia (3 Skulls): You walk through "Akbar's Adventure" vacant spaces with 3-d glasses on. Fun little house with some surprises. 3-d effects seemed better this year, but it could be me. Good start to the night to gauge the abilities of the guest to handle the houses.
Freaked! (4skulls, but I'd give it about 3-1/2): I loved the theme of a circus side show gone freaky. Good effects but half is out in the open and makes it less scary. The spinning vortex tunnel (ala Poseidon's Fury but not with water) is an effect worth the trip in itself. It also has multiple paths and by chosing a different turn you will experience a different trip each time, but also miss some of the scares due to your path choice. Psycho Clowns are a good spook in their own right, too. Wish there were a few more.
Deathly Departed (4 Skulls): Fun Haunt that is similar every year but this year enough was tweeked to keep it interesting.
Trapped In The Walls (5 Skulls): The new house built in the new building by Cheetah Chase. A good idea with some good scares but in my opinion just missed at reaching it’s full potential. If they re-do this house next year it will probably be great. Or maybe later this season. It is a new house so maybe they just need a few nights to tweek it. Still fun.
The Hunted (4 Skulls): Lots of activity in this house. Should probably be 5 skulls in the rating. Better than last year.
After Hours (5 Skulls): Probably the best house at Howl-O-Scream. They go a little overboard on the banging scare but the idea of a haunted night club is a good draw. They could probably change a few things, but overall it was great.
Didn’t see any shows last night, but rode Kumba, Montu and Sheikra in the DARK! These rides are really different at night and surprisingly Kumba was my favorite night rollercoaster ride.

 

[Slacking]

Nice review Tony!

Glad you liked After Hours (my home for the month of October).

 

[Amity 3]

we're doing the Fright Feast tonight to get in early and hit a couple of houses. can't wait to check out Trapped in the Walls.

 

[Slacking]

After Hours 7-7:30 or 8-8:30, I recommend those times. And no, it's not a COP out.

 

[Amity 3]

see ya between 7-7:30. and I'm sure we'll be back later for a second trip.

 

[Amity 3]

good houses this year, poor logistics, scare zones and customer service. HOS took a few steps backward this year. BG didn't have this one planned out at all.

 

[F-L-A]

Speaking of poor logistics, what's this thread doing here?

 

[DOOM1001]

I love HHN and Howl-O-Scream and totally agree with the original poster about the size of the parks issue, sure a smaller park means a very crowded park but I think I prefer the smaller Universal parks.This is however a very small issue as far as what the better Halloween event is and it's clear that the money Universal has to come up year after year with new themes, haunted houses and new things like last year's preview movies of the themed house you were waiting in line for is what puts Universal's Horror Nights WAY above Busch's Howl-O-Scream.Howl- O-Scream is a very well done professional event and there are some changes to the event yearly, but not big ones, a lot of the event is recycled from one year to the next, that being said it doesn't mean it's not worth it to go I would put some of Howl-O-Screams houses on par and some even better than Horror Nights, so I will always go to both events, but always look forward to Horror Nights more!!!

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

I'll be there next Saturday. I've never been so I'm excited and have no idea what to expect.

How was the Fright Feast? I'll be doing it next week.

 

[yaytezIOA]

Went to HOS last night and left at 8....with my sister in an ambulance. She had an anxiety attack and passed out. The crew at BGA was outstanding and helped alot. No ones fault, just a condition we didnt know about.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

Went to HOS last night and left at 8....with my sister in an ambulance. She had an anxiety attack and passed out. The crew at BGA was outstanding and helped alot. No ones fault, just a condition we didnt know about.

Hey, I hope she's doing okay..

 

[ines248]

Okay my first time doing the fright feast.

Saturday morning: Called to add another person to my fright feast appointment time.

Saturday evening: Got at BG at 5:20 p.m. and went to will call to pick up my extra meal ticket one person. The lady at willcall gave me something that looked like a receipt, but not a receipt, or in other words a worthless paper,so she did not give me the fright feast meal ticket and she sent me to guest relations. On the phone they told me pick up Ur fright feast ticket at willcall and now I was at the guest relation line. Made a long line at guest relation, and I was not happy about it! They (guest relation) just gave me a page with all the 3 meal ticket prices purchase on that paper, so I asked where is Meal (fright feast) ticket #4? The lady said, ooh U have reservation for 4? And I showed my printed confirmation paper for 3 people that I printed at home, and I told her I will not be making 2 LINES just to pick up the same thing I already have in my hand, and WITH a bar code? She looked at me and asked under whose name the reservation was, I told her same name and last name. She found it and she gave me another worthless piece of paper that showed my name and the price I paid for it, 21.95,one person, but no bar code. So I went to the entrance at 6:05, and ohh boy my family was the last one in line. They opened the gate about 6:15 p.m. We showed the frightfeast for 3 reservation paper with barcode and they let my party of 4 in. No question asked! They were only looking thru them and looking for barcoded papers. I SHOULD have not waited in line TWICE for a worthless piece of paper, because today Sunday, the papers that will call gave me and the paper that guest relation gave me are still in my pocket!

Worthless pices of papers that just put me in the last position at the entrance.

At the restaurant: We were last, U already know this. The food looks delicious.(It was good) The show started, but we where still in line getting our food. We could not find any table. We found one all the way back close to the restrooms. Hey that happens when U are late. Finished some of the food grabbed dessert, and headed out the door with my desert ( a big delicious cupcake with orange frosting ) I was ready to fight them ( Busch gardens people) if they stop me from taking my dessert out, but they just ignore me. Then I was happy. The huge dessert filled me up for the day.

We went thru the first house next to the "don’t fed the turtle" sign. Sorry, I only know the houses by location, not by name.The park was not open yet, so there was no line. Even though it was still daytime, that house was scary. Then we walked to the skyline house at 7:30pm. There was a huge line. We went to the 3D house, and this guy says that we were VIP because we had bracelets and he sends us thru the back entrance. That was fast! We decided to try that again back at the skyline house, but no way, they said we had green bracelets that are not VIP. Okay we waited in regular line. At least by now we were able to be back on schedule. I felt like now we are even busch gardens! We then waited! Only 30 minutes for the house located inside the skyline. Then we went to the rides and then to the other houses. At the end of the night (1:00am), we were able to go thru all 6 houses. I can not believe it, but we did it all 6 of them!

U think the fright feast is the reason why we did all 6 houses in one night? If it is,I may buy it again, but no way I will be in willcall or guest relation waiting for worthless pieces of papers. They really need to fix that! "Pick up your meal ticket at willcall" is a big joke, and not real. I`ll go with printed papers with barcodes to the fright feast in the future, or I don’t go at all.

So this was my first time experience with the fright feast, I can not wait on Friday the 13th for HHN!!!

 

[Slacking]

What did you think of the skyway house?

And you also mention the huge skyway line at 7:30.....

Amity.... was that part of your logistics complaint? That they weren't letting ANYONE through into After Hours. I think I overhead something about that, and find it rather ridiculous.

 

[yaytezIOA]

I can not wait on Friday the 13th for HHN!!!

Get ready for an exercise in frowning. Long lines, teenagers that have been there all week because of hell week.
What did you think of the houses, we know what you thought of the lines for Fright Feast, but what about the houses.
And yes my sis was fine, thanks for asking nerdboy. Just a scary moment.

 

[ines248]

What did you think of the skyway house?

And you also mention the huge skyway line at 7:30.....

Amity.... was that part of your logistics complaint? That they weren't letting ANYONE through into After Hours. I think I overhead something about that, and find it rather ridiculous.

The skyway house was noisy, like always, I took a pic of the person dancing at the entrance, I though I have seen this before? Sorry but the house sponsored by Verizon was way better than the skyline house. It (sponsored by verizon)also had more actors in it.

Which one is After Hours? Remember I only know houses by location.

Complain? What? That I went thru 2 lines to get a paper that made no sense to me or to the people at the entrance to BG is not ridiculous for me, but it is for them, because it is they the ones that can not use a PRINTER at their facility to print a meal ticket with a barcode?

U want me to scan and send U the paper that guest services gave me? U are going to laugh!!!!! Just a paper with my name,info, and then says attendess adullt 1 @ 21.85 each. The people at the entrance ignore it and gave it back to me without even READING it! Why? Do U know?I want to know.

So much time wasted getting that paper.

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

The skyway house was noisy, like always, I took a pic of the person dancing at the entrance, I though I have seen this before? Sorry but the house sponsored by Verizon was way better than the skyline house. It (sponsored by verizon)also had more actors in it.

Which one is After Hours? Remember I only know houses by location.

Complain? What? That I went thru 2 lines to get a paper that made no sense to me or to the people at the entrance to BG is not ridiculous for me, but it is for them, because it is they the ones that can not use a PRINTER at their facility to print a meal ticket with a barcode?

U want me to scan and send U the paper that guest services gave me? U are going to laugh!!!!! Just a paper with my name,info, and then says attendess adullt 1 @ 21.85 each. The people at the entrance ignore it and gave it back to me without even READING it! Why? Do U know?I want to know.

So much time wasted getting that paper.

Did you only have to get that because you didn't print out your own tickets? Because I bought my Fright Feast ticket online and have a print-out.. I just don't know if I have to get in line at Guest Relations for that little paper too..

 

[ines248]

Get ready for an exercise in frowning. Long lines, teenagers that have been there all week because of hell week.
What did you think of the houses, we know what you thought of the lines for Fright Feast, but what about the houses.
And yes my sis was fine, thanks for asking nerdboy. Just a scary moment.

I will and plenty of time to rest before next event!

The house sponsored by verizon was very well done, one of my favorites.The path was very small and long. The house had a lot of actors in it.

The house next to the skyline is like always the noisy one. But I though I was there before.Some things were familiar.

The house next to the turtle was scary even during the daytime I wished I could go again and see the difference during the nighttime to then compare it with the other houses.

The house where the bumping carts are is , had very nice and scary church in it. But after I saw the church I was no longer scared. Don`t ask why but I just walked like I was not scared anymore.I don`t understand what happened between me and the house after I crossed the church scene. Then I saw two people that worked for busch gardens there with mini flashlights looking for something, and I totally want it to be me the one who scare the actors in that house. What they were looking for?

The rest were short path and good.

 

[ines248]

Did you only have to get that because you didn't print out your own tickets? Because I bought my Fright Feast ticket online and have a print-out.. I just don't know if I have to get in line at Guest Relations for that little paper too..

I brung my printed fright feast tickets for 3 people, but SAt morning I bought a ticket for one more person and I was instructed to pick up at willcall, and then willcall sent me to guest services/relation.

Also, the lady at willcall saw my HOS ticket, and she also told me that I was not going to get in at the entrance because I did not bring page 2 of 2. That was another thing, I sent my hubby home to get page 2 for all HOS tickets to find out that page 2 was not necessary. Can U check into that, too!!!That was not necessary neither.Lucky me I live 15 minutes from BG.

 

[Slacking]

Verizon house- Trapped in the Walls (I didn't think it was as populated as you thought)

Bumper car House - Deathly Departed. Flashlgiht people were probably Techs fixing something that had to be fixed or searching for somehting that needed to be found. They're only in there with their lights on if something HAS to be done.

Turtle house- The Hunted

Skyway house- After Hours. Did you go to HOS last year? AH, along with the dancer is in it's 2nd year at HOS, may be why it was familiar. Not sure why you felt there weren't a lot of people in the house, as there is a fairly large cast. Maybe you just had a bad walkthrough, those things happen.

About Friday the 13th, usually Fridays aren't that bad (Saturdays being the absolute worst), but with no school that day, the worst has to be prepared for.

Now, slightly off-topic, but I've been crabby all day today. I sprained my ankle last night while working HOS, and just hope I'll be ok to scare on Thursday. I'll be fairly upset if I can't.

 

[Amity 3]

there was nothing on our fright feast voucher to go to the Nairobi gate for early access, we had to figure that out on our own. unfortunately, there were a couple of hundred others doing the same thing. there were no signs or anyone helping out the matter.

we had to approach someone at the gates if we were in the right place. no one told half of the people queue'd up they didn't have a fright feast pass and were wasting their time and ours trying to enter two hours early. BG's approach was to allow them in, but not let into the houses until 7:30... bad move.

we were told the gates would open at 5:30, they didn't open until 5:55. we were told to check to the desert grill by 5:45, we didn't get there until 6:15 because of the backlog.

at morracco, we were challenged to have our fright feast voucher and AP's, even though we were already let into the park with them. we then were let into the desert grill around 6:25. the CTL/ALT/Deceased show started at 6:30, and we had just gotten into the buffet line.

unlike BG's normally good food offerings, the fright feast was crap, we paid $117.00 for crap... the food was horrible. the chicken tenders were the best thing offered.

our half hour preview got us into two houses, trapped and hunted. we were at after hours at 7:40 and had a half hour wait because of the crowds that were let in ahead of schedule.

by 10:30, the lines to get a beer reached nearly a half hour. deathly departed was an hour and a half wait. we tried to spend time hanging out in the scare zones to have a little fun. a girl in zombie junction broke character and walked over to us and told us to move along and stop holding up the line. I never knew there was a line in a scare zone.

with the exception of 3rd dementia, which is long overdue of being retired, the houses were great. everything around them needs to be gutted. we already sent the letter to BG's passholder address. it was really bad this year.