My Plan for IoA/USF/HHN...Thoughts?

[alexandurp]

Hello!
So, all it took was Universal announcing that they were doing a Silent Hill themed house to convince me to book a trip to Florida.
$2000 later, and it became a week long solo Disney trip with a day at Universal.
I chose to go to HHN on October 24th because of two reasons:
1) It's a Wednesday, and usually less crowded from what I read.
2) It's only $34.99 for the Stay and Scream.

My original plan was to spend the day at IoA, Hop over to Studios for the Behind the Screams Tour, then back to IoA for a bit more Potter before HHN starts.
Then I started reading about how you can stay in the park and get early access to some mazes if you're already in USF with the Stay and Scream and suddenly I can't think straight.

It will be an extra $30 for me to upgrade to a 1 day, 2 park pass- and the day currently looks like this:

8am- Mears Shuttle from Pop Century - Universal.
9am- Enter IoA and circle around from the left.
1pm- Leave IoA and check in for the Behind the Screams Tour
1:30pm-3:30pm- Behind the Screams Tour
4pm- Stay in Studios and try to hit up MIB/Despicable Me/ Other rides not operating during HHN.
5pm- Eat at Flanigans
5:45-6pm- Begin HHN

So I really just have to ask...am I crazy? I mean, I can use the single rider line as much as possible, especially when it comes to Forbidden Journey. I just really want Butterbeer. I've never done Popeye's or Dudley Do Rights, so they were on my list too. Jurassic Park is always a must for me, along with the Hulk.
Secondly, is the $30 to get in the studios early worth it? On a Wednesday night I'm hoping for minimal crowds, but this is my first HHN ever. I don't think I can truly understand what crowds are like there having never experienced them.

Any advice would be wonderful.
Thanks!

 

[macraven]

well, it will be a very long day for you!

do what you can in parry hotter ville and hit spiderman at ioa.

if you can get an early shuttle from the motherland, that would be to your advantage.

to be in line at the ioa gate around 8:40, will help you enter earlier into that park.

there will already be guests in parry hotter with the early entry for the onsite guests.

try to switch to the studios by noontime.
hit the rides before your UTH tour.

hit the rides again after the tour in the studios.

if you do plan to do the 2 water rides you listed, be prepared to be soaked.
you might want to bring a change of clothes with you.
rent a locker for that.


since this is your first hhn, concentrate on the houses and shows for the evening time. do the rides prior to the park closing.


if you are in line for a ride before 5:00, you will be allowed to stay in the line for the ride. once down with that, head to finnegans to wait for the release of starting the evening.
if you plan to eat at finnegans, you might have a tad of a wait to be seated.
quite a few do dinner during that wait time in the stay and scream area.


for me, i think the $30 is well spent to make your day ticket into a 2 park ticket.

you will have the advantage of starting hhn a good 30 minutes prior before the general public is let in.
you can cover the first 3 houses easily during that early time period.

you'll have a fun day.
rides during the daytime, UTH then HHN.

can't think of a better way to spend 15 hours..

 

[Metro West]

4pm- Stay in Studios and try to hit up MIB/Despicable Me/ Other rides not operating during HHN.
5pm- Eat at Flanigans
5:45-6pm- Begin HHN

Secondly, is the $30 to get in the studios early worth it? On a Wednesday night I'm hoping for minimal crowds, but this is my first HHN ever. I don't think I can truly understand what crowds are like there having never experienced them.

I wanted to comment on a few things you listed.

You're going to be visiting HHN during one of the two Hell Weeks this year so even though it's a Wednesday, do not expect minimal crowds. Wednesday night event nights were added because of the crowds during those two weeks in October. You will see lots of high school aged kids that night and the lines will be long.

I would get to Finnegan's (if you plan to eat there) no later than 4:45pm since that's about the only restaurant open past 5pm. Lots of people end up having dinner or just hanging out before HHN. If you wait until 5pm or a little after, you will have a wait to get seated, served and paid before the holding area is released. You don't want to be delayed in being released from the holding area since that would defeat the purpose of the holding area in the first place.

Do the rides during the day...not during HHN. I saw on Facebook where the following attractions will be open: Despicable Me, MIB, The Simpsons, Revenge of the Mummy and the Rockit. Do those during the day or if you have your heart set on doing them during HHN, you'll need to purchase an Express Pass do see everything.

 

[Maytrix]

To answer your question. Yes, you are crazy.

A week in Orlando and only 1 day at Universal??

You like faries and pixy dust that much?


The only real flaw I see is doing the water rides when you can't easily go back and change. If you do them early enough, you will dry out, but when I spend that much time at the park, I like to change at some point. We'll be there next week and we'll spend Friday at the parks and then go back to the hotel around 3 to freshen up and head back so were in the park before the change over for HHN.

I don't think I'd ever do HHN without staying onsite for this reason as well as the short walk back to the hotel after the night is over.