Is HHN Express pass worth purchasing?

[saralexander97]

Good Evening,
I’m reaching out to the disboards because let’s be real…you guys are the experts!

My daughter will be going to Universal October 28th - 31st, staying at Portfonio Bay, so we will have express passes during the day. We are going to Universal 29th & 30th, I also purchased HHN tickets for both nights. I see it’s open till 2am, it’s it worth adding the extra cost of $129.99/person/night?? Or will we be just fine with the base ticket?

Thank you,
Sara

 

[greeneyedchick]

If you are going for 2 nights, you should be okay without express. You can't see all of the haunted houses in 1 night without express. I would recommend getting there an hour before HHN opens. Know which houses you want to do and have a strategy. If it's crazy the first night and you don't get to see as much as you hoped, then get the express pass for the next night. Friday night will be more crowded.

 

[djmeredith]

If your goal is just to be able to do everything, you should be fine if going for 2 nights. However, I didn't want to stand in hour (or more) long lines, so it was well worth the cost to me. We did 2 nights but EP only one night. We did a couple of houses with short wait lines the first night. Then on the second night I was so thankful every time we walked past the loooong standby line. If you have the disposable income to afford it, you might want to get it for one night.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I certainly wouldn't do EP both nights. Maybe one or the other. But that's me.

However, @FoxC63 is looking for folks to join her private HHN RIP tour one of your nights, which if you can swing it is really really awesome. Includes actual front of the line access to all the houses (multiple times if desired), reserved awesome show seating, snacks (dinner?), non-boozy beverages, separate private entrance, etc. The only to do HHN with literally no lines, no waiting, much less walking (because you can cut through non-public areas). https://www.disboards.com/threads/u...october-30-2022-four-spots-available.3895314/

 

[macraven]

If my dates would have matched up with FoxC63
I would be pounding on her door to join her tour group

 

[AJA]

Yes it is worth it for at least one night, especially if your dates are on a Friday/Saturday.

 

[namelessoracle]

You can get everything done in 2 nights, especially if you leverage Stay and Scream. The real question is are you okay with being on your feet ambling along in a line for 45+ minutes multiple times late at night? This is a classic time vs money question, about what you value your time at and what you can afford.

Express would be good for 1 night to knock all the houses out, then night 2 do repeats plus shows. But express pass is enough money to get a shirt and hit up quite a food stands too.....

 

[AJA]

You can get everything done in 2 nights, The real question is are you okay with being on your feet ambling along in a line for 45+ minutes multiple times late at night? This is a classic time vs money question, about what you value your time at and what you can afford.

This

Are you a college athlete, you don’t need express if you have 2 nights.
Are you the parent of said college student (looking in the mirror here) you need to consider your physical endurance having an exhausting night and tour again the next day, your budget, etc.

For me, its worth giving up a few souvenirs and treats to have express on one night but I have a bad knee.

 

[ClapYourHands]

What is your budget, what are your limitations, and what are your goals?

If you don’t want to stand in any lines, and you have a big budget, buy EP. It’s definitely more efficient and pleasant to have EP, but they are more expensive than the HHN tickets themselves.

If you want to do everything and are okay with a few lines, just get there early or stay late, and you’ll be great without EP.

Especially if you do the stay and scream, you should be able to get through 1-2 houses before the gates even open to the public, and hoof it to another short line house or two. Then enjoy the shows, the rides, the food, and the scare zones before the lines drop precipitously in the last hour or two.

Also consider what you are doing during the day. If you are planning to do any kind of major park touring, get EP because you’re not going to make it to the end of the night. If you have mobility or endurance issues, EP will make a big difference in terms of time spent standing. If you’re able to take a nice break during the day to rest up, you’ll be okay without EP.

Finally, what are your goals? Do you want to do all the houses multiple times? EP is a good idea. Do you want to see each house once and enjoy the party atmosphere? Without EP, you can easily do 5 houses per night, and still probably go back for a second run at your favorites.

We were there this weekend. No EP and no stay and scream. We got through all the houses and shows, and our favorites multiple times (4 times through Dead Man’s pier, 3 times through Halloween, and twice through most of the others). We were doing only HHN, though, and we don’t have any physical limitations (except my feet were killing me by the end of Sunday).

 

[oshun]

It is definitely worth it. Lines are crazy long and have heard guests say they were only able to do 3-4 houses on a weekend evening. We did all 10 houses, saw the show, and had extra time with express. Was absolutely worth it to us. Not to say I wasn't exhausted....lol