Last minute HHN Questions

[JungleCruiser]

So I am thinking we are going to Universal Studios on Thursday the 29th and staying all day and then going to HHN. It will be just my son and I. What tickets should I get and will I be able to purchase at the gate? Also...any good ideas for an action plan? My son is 15 and loves ALL of the scary movies. I, on the otherhand, might need some adult diapers.

 

[Metro West]

So I am thinking we are going to Universal Studios on Thursday the 29th and staying all day and then going to HHN. It will be just my son and I. What tickets should I get and will I be able to purchase at the gate? Also...any good ideas for an action plan? My son is 15 and loves ALL of the scary movies. I, on the otherhand, might need some adult diapers.

If you already have your daytime admission tickets, you can purchase the Stay & Scream upgrade at the gate which is the cheapest way to go. The HHN tickets will cost you $29.99 per person plus tax of course in additional to your day tickets and will allow you to stay in the park after closing to get a jump on the lines. You can get 3-4 houses done before the bulk of the crowd is admitted so it's definately a time saver.

 

[JungleCruiser]

I have not purchased our daytime tickets and I am assuming I will be able to do this at the gate. What time should I get there to make sure I get the full day of tickets? Will this sell out on a Thursday?

 

[Purseval]

As long as you are there before 5pm to get your park ticket you can get the HHN ticket inside. The park itself officially opens at 9am but usually opens a couple of rides earlier. You're talking one heckuva long day since HHN closes midnight at the earliest and is was open until 2am last thursday. Assuming you don't live in City Walk you also have to drive back and forth from somewhere. You do have about an hour in the waiting area for S&S if you don't mind napping in some doorway. You really should think about how you will feel after 16 hours on your feet.

 

[TheMorgans]

We are also planning on doing HHN on the 29th also. Our plan is to arrive at the park later in the day - sometime afternoon maybe - then hang out for S&S. We have the 7 day ticket and this will be our first day at US/IOA. How crowded will the parks be for this plan?

P.S. The girls (both 14) are sooooo excited to go to HHN, I on the other hand may need to borrow one of your diapers. I am a huge chicken when it comes to scarrrrry-horror things so I will not be going into any of the houses!!

 

[Metro West]

We are also planning on doing HHN on the 29th also. Our plan is to arrive at the park later in the day - sometime afternoon maybe - then hang out for S&S. We have the 7 day ticket and this will be our first day at US/IOA. How crowded will the parks be for this plan?

The Studios will be crowded in the afternoon but nothing you couldn't handle. Once the park closes, you will need to head to the S & S holding area by Finnegan's and hang out there.

 

[Ariel07]

OK, glad to know there are others that are new to the HHN. I am going this Wednesday and am pretty confused about our game plan. Also a bit leary about going - I am a bit of a chicken. Mickey's not-so-scary-Halloween is probably more my speed, but I have to join others that are going to Universal. BUT from some of the posts that I have read, well I am hoping that it won't be too, too scary!

Now I happen to have a complimentary tix for both parks that I plan on using for the day to get in - not sure what time...thinking early afternoon. But then I plan on purchasing ahead of time the FL Resident tix for the HHN and the Express Pass - good plan so far? Then what happens - time wise? According to a phone rep, she was telling me that Universal closes at 5PM, but IOA closes at 7PM and HHN starts at 7PM. However, my sister-in-law thought we were allowed in somewhere early because of the Express passes. Very confused! Is it even worth using up my day tix or just go to the evening event.

Any help would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

 

[inkkognito]

The Express Passes aren't what allow you to get in early to HHN. You can do it if you have a day ticket to the park and a ticket for HHN, regardless of whether or not you have Express. How it works is this:

Make sure you are inside Universal at 5 p.m. (don't bother to do the stay-in Islands...it's a pain in the butt). You can go into one of two holding areas (Kid Zone, where you can do Silver Screams and Chucky first or Finnegan's area, where you can do Wolfman and Drac first). They will check your HHN tickets in the holding pen. You will be released between 5:45 and 5:55 (usually), so you get a jump on the front gate people. They usually start letting them in shortly after 6, despite opening time being listed as 6:30, but it takes them some time to get to the back area of the park.

DO NOT use your Express Pass until the lines start getting long. That way, if you liked the houses you did early on, you can redo them later with Express. I always laugh my butt off at the people who do Stay and Scream and then use their Express when there is literally no line for the first two houses. Worse yet, half the time they get in slower than standby because they have to stop for a pass check and then a pass scanning.

 

[Ariel07]

Thanks so much...obviously you have done this before!

So it sounds like I should go ahead and use my Universal/IOA day tix just so I get in early. I guess I want to get at least a few hours with it and go on some rides, so I don't feel like I am totally wasting it, know what I mean? My other option is just heading into the park then around 5PM or 6PM, if I only have the HHN tix right and save my day two-park tix?

Express Pass - so you can only use this once on each house/attraction? I think that's pretty funny if that is the case, considering what they charge for this pass - a lot of $$!!

 

[Melisa1]

I will be there on the 29th as well!

 

[Metro West]

So it sounds like I should go ahead and use my Universal/IOA day tix just so I get in early. I guess I want to get at least a few hours with it and go on some rides, so I don't feel like I am totally wasting it, know what I mean? My other option is just heading into the park then around 5PM or 6PM, if I only have the HHN tix right and save my day two-park tix?

Express Pass - so you can only use this once on each house/attraction? I think that's pretty funny if that is the case, considering what they charge for this pass - a lot of $$!!

The only way you will enter the Studios before 5pm is with your daytime park admission. You can not enter after 5pm or before 6:30pm when the outside gates for HHN open. If you don't want to use your day tickets to get in early, you will need to get into the outside line around 5pm so you aren't waiting all night.

Express Plus passes are good for each house and attraction that's open once. You also get priority seating for the first Bill & Ted show...if you want to do that.

 

[Ariel07]

Thanks so much...you have been a HUGE help!!

 

[AshleyinFL]

Okay- my scenario:

We have our Preferred Annual Pass, plus HHN tix for Halloween, and HHN express passes for Halloween.


How do they get away with charging MORE for the Express pass than the TICKET?? INSANE!! I imagine NO but will still ask: Can you use this $75 express pass during the day?? That would really help me feel a little better.
It looks like you still have to buy the DAY Express Pass for $19.99?! Sure, add another $40 to my $290 bill. Geesh! I'm doing all of this so I can pee my pants! Lovely!! hee hee I love this kind of scare torture minus the hole in my wallet.

If we are in IOA at 6pm, can we still get in early to HHN on the other side? I mean If we are in IOA (which closes at 7pm) what time can we get into the other side for HHN? I ask because we will need to check into our hotel on Saturday, so we will be going to the Parks during the day, then checking in and taking care of our dogs, then returning to the park for HHN....but to try to still get ahead of the game can we, as passholders, go to some sort of holding area?

How long do they HOLD YOU?
Would we have time to go on rides in IOA between 5 and 6pm and still get into HHN a lil Early?

I'm a lil sick right now....must get better by Saturday!! eek

 

[macraven]

Okay- my scenario:

We have our Preferred Annual Pass, plus HHN tix for Halloween, and HHN express passes for Halloween.


How do they get away with charging MORE for the Express pass than the TICKET??

it works for me as i stand in line less time due to those prices.
i buy the epp and live with the cost. INSANE!! I imagine NO but will still ask: Can you use this $75 express pass during the day?
No, the epp you buy during the day is for that day only. the epp you buy for hhn is for the hhn hours only. That would really help me feel a little better.

It looks like you still have to buy the DAY Express Pass for $19.99?! if it is that cheap, you don't need it. it's an indicator of a low crowd day in the park so don't buy it.
Sure, add another $40 to my $290 bill. Geesh! I'm doing all of this so I can pee my pants! Lovely!! hee hee I love this kind of scare torture minus the hole in my wallet.

don't buy the epp for hhn if you feel it is too much money.
read some of the threads about hhn and stay and scream and follow what has been done.
Purseval gave an example statement on how he and his group did the hhn without spending the extra money and still saw a lot.

If we are in IOA at 6pm, can we still get in early to HHN on the other side? I mean If we are in IOA (which closes at 7pm) what time can we get into the other side for HHN? I ask because we will need to check into our hotel on Saturday, so we will be going to the Parks during the day, then checking in and taking care of our dogs, then returning to the park for HHN....but to try to still get ahead of the game can we, as passholders, go to some sort of holding area?
ap holders don't have a separate holding area prior to hhn.
if you are at ioa, waiting to enter the studios for hhn, it is around 6ish you are let in from that section. i should say it was when i was there a couple of weeks ago. do ask the TM's as things might have changed since then.

How long do they HOLD YOU?
Would we have time to go on rides in IOA between 5 and 6pm and still get into HHN a lil Early?

I'm a lil sick right now....must get better by Saturday!! eek

are you talking about the stay and scream holding area?
if you are, you check in there around 5ish and held until security clears the park. that could be anytime between 5:30 to close to 6:00.

go and have a good time.

if you take advantage of the stay and scream holding area, you will cover a lot without the need of the epp.

 

[inkkognito]

Stay & Scream seems to be letting out around 5:45 to 5:50 this year.

 

[AshleyinFL]

We have the EP for HHN , not for the day. We are using our AP to get in for the day, and will try to get in early to HHN -- that's what we are wondering? Can we just go to the S&S holding area with our APs?

We do Plan on following the maps/tips from here

 

[Purseval]

We have the EP for HHN , not for the day. We are using our AP to get in for the day, and will try to get in early to HHN -- that's what we are wondering? Can we just go to the S&S holding area with our APs?

You need a HHN ticket to get into the holding area, your AP will only get you into the park. Once you are inside the park you can buy the HHN for about $30. They will scan the HHN ticket at the entrance to the holding area.

 

[AshleyinFL]

I know - on Tuesday we bought HHN Tix and HHN EP for the grand total of $291 for Halloween. We have AP to get in during the day, so we are just trying to decide what time to go to the Holding AreA. We are going to the park so we didn't know if we should try to be on the US side at closing, or in IOA and then go to the Holding Area at 5:30?

Making our map tonight- going to review the boards

 

[Metro West]

I know - on Tuesday we bought HHN Tix and HHN EP for the grand total of $291 for Halloween. We have AP to get in during the day, so we are just trying to decide what time to go to the Holding AreA. We are going to the park so we didn't know if we should try to be on the US side at closing, or in IOA and then go to the Holding Area at 5:30?

Making our map tonight- going to review the boards

You need to be in the Studios before closing at 5pm. I would go to IoA in the morning and then head over to the Studios in the afternoon. Once the park is closed, head over to the S & S holding area shortly after 5pm. They will scan your HHN ticket and you're all set.

 

[inkkognito]

We did the IOA holding area the other day (not by choice...got a late start so USF was closed when we arrived), and stay & scream in Universal is MUCH better. At IOA, you go through the metal detectors and then wait in a big area. People formed a line, but the TMs said, "You don't have to. Just fill in all the space." I was more than happy to go to the front where there was plenty of room, and good thing I did as there are only two people scanning tickets once they let you out. We were at the head of the pack, but the general public was still coming in already at the Studio when we got there. It was a head start, but not nearly as good as S&S at Uni. They sell cold drinks in the holding area, which was nice since it was beastly hot.