Official 2022 HHN 31 - Horror is Universal

[Duck143]

I'm sending my brother and his gf over for HHN for the night during our extended family trip to DW. I bought the tickets for them, but as a HHN newbie, I am wondering if there is an add on to skip the lines? This may be something they're interested in since they only have that one night.

 

[Skippyboo]

I'm sending my brother and his gf over for HHN for the night during our extended family trip to DW. I bought the tickets for them, but as a HHN newbie, I am wondering if there is an add on to skip the lines? This may be something they're interested in since they only have that one night.

The only thing that skips the line is Rip tour. Express pass cuts your wait time down but still have to wait. Prices for public RIP tour starts at $299 per person

 

[macraven]

private tours will get you ahead of lines or with little waits

 

[ClapYourHands]

I'm sending my brother and his gf over for HHN for the night during our extended family trip to DW. I bought the tickets for them, but as a HHN newbie, I am wondering if there is an add on to skip the lines? This may be something they're interested in since they only have that one night.

There is express pass, which allows you to stand in a shorter line once per house. It’s not really a full on skip, but it usually shortens the waits enough to get through all the houses in one night and still have time to enjoy the shows and scare zones.

There is the public RIP tour, which allows you to join a small group and skip the lines, and also includes dinner before (alcoholic drinks are extra).

There are private RIP tours, which are like the public tours but you put the groups together yourself and have more control over the itinerary. There is another HHN thread on here that lists Disboard members who are going to HHN and sometimes includes people looking for people to join their private RIP. So if there’s interest, you might look for your dates and see if there are openings.

All of the above options are more expensive than the HHN tickets themselves.

A more budget friendly alternative is to buy scream early tickets (also referred to as stay and scream) which allows for entrance at 3pm. Between 3 and park close (5pm), they are free to do the normal daytime attractions, until they go to a holding area where they wait while the TMs clear the park of daytime guests, and the houses get set up. Then these guests get a chance to start going through houses before the gates officially open. Usually this gives people a 1-2 house head start over people doing HHN only.

 

[namelessoracle]

The only thing that skips the line is Rip tour. Express pass cuts your wait time down but still have to wait. Prices for public RIP tour starts at $299 per person

It's really House dependent unfortunately.

Express has its own line and merges with the standby line. But the merge isnt consistent. There are some houses where you merged straight into the entrance, and others where you merged half way (or more!) of the regular line. Scarey last year went straight to the entrance (so did Icons), but wicked growth merged like a third of the way in. Beetlejuice merged at about the half way point.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

I'm sending my brother and his gf over for HHN for the night during our extended family trip to DW. I bought the tickets for them, but as a HHN newbie, I am wondering if there is an add on to skip the lines? This may be something they're interested in since they only have that one night.

As other said, you can't skip the line totally but with EP you can do everything in 1 night. It's a long and hard night without much rest but it is doable.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

Wife and I (age 60) would like to go to Halloween Horror Nights and know nothing about it. We have never been to Universal period always in the Disney bubble as DVC Members. We are not paying the $$$ again for the MNSSHP. We would not go in ANY of the houses. Are the house all that makes up HHN? Would it be worth us going?

How are you at scary period? My first year I did not do houses but I loved the scare zones. They are very well done and very entertaining. Universal puts a lot of detail and effort in to their event. They are the prime movie studio of horror for a reason. They put as much, or nearly as much, detail in to HHN as they do their movies. The actors are really in to their roles and make up effects. I enjoyed experiencing this in the scare zones. They are not like the houses because you are in control of the scares, if that makes sense. You can very easily escape if it's too much and even avoid them. The environment is very festive but not at all like Mickey.

The show is rather adult oriented too. It's sort of like cirque de soile with an edge. Loud music normally. Probably can find old videos if you look up past HHN

 

[tony67]

Beetlejuice merged at about the half way point.

Whichever house is in this location is always the worst as far as express pass - the rest are pretty close to the entrance IMO

Overall Id say EP saves a ton of time - and gives you the flexibility to enjoy the scare zones or enter after the initial rush.

Stay and scream is just too crazy now as well IMO - just packed and since they changed the setup at Finnegan's the stay and scream just isn't as much fun. I used to be able to get a seat at the bar around 3:30 - now the bar is really just take away - in and out as quick as possible - no way am I paying that much for a pint of Guinness in a plastic cup that I have to take outside.

As I have said before I really like EP because I can sit and have a relaxing drink at String Water (which opens at 5 last time I was there) or one of the city walk bars before the overpriced drinks at HHN. Margaritas and free chips and salsa at AntoJito's are a favorite before HHN. Also the giant pretzel and a great beer selection at NBC - and I can get a draft Chimay Tripel for the same price as a Lacto Cooler.

 

[Duck143]

Thank you all for the advice! These tips are amazing and will definitely help him plan his night.

 

[schumigirl]

Overall Id say EP saves a ton of time - and gives you the flexibility to enjoy the scare zones or enter after the initial rush.

Stay and scream is just too crazy now as well IMO - just packed and since they changed the setup at Finnegan's the stay and scream just isn't as much fun. I used to be able to get a seat at the bar around 3:30 - now the bar is really just take away - in and out as quick as possible - no way am I paying that much for a pint of Guinness in a plastic cup that I have to take outside.

As I have said before I really like EP because I can sit and have a relaxing drink at String Water (which opens at 5 last time I was there) or one of the city walk bars before the overpriced drinks at HHN. Margaritas and free chips and salsa at AntoJito's are a favorite before HHN. Also the giant pretzel and a great beer selection at NBC - and I can get a draft Chimay Tripel for the same price as a Lacto Cooler.

That`s exactly what we plan to do.

We haven`t been in the Stay and Scream holding areas for several years (even before covid) it`s too long a night hanging around for us now. We prefer to either have a drink somewhere and then go in after the mass opening crowds, go through the hotel guest entrance and then enjoy the EP, wouldn`t do the event without EP.

Last time we were at HHN we never once managed to get a drink in Finnegans during a HHN as it was completely mobbed with the line out of the door to get a drink....we didn`t bother.

I don`t like Mexican food but liking the sound of Margaritas in there......

 

[Mrs.AMC]

Curious on how you'd go if it were you
2 nights of EP vs 1 night with RIP?
We'll be going 2 weeknights, back to back most likely. It's really the only way we can due to the window of dates we have available to travel. At most we'll have 1 day between our nights.
DH said 2 nights of EP. I'm undecided on which way to go. Thoughts? Any pros/cons I may not be thinking of
The #1 pro to RIP that I'm thinking about is reserved seating at the shows. I'm drawing a blank, any EP entrance/access for shows?
I've done EP, so I'm familiar with how they work in regards to lines vs how RIP works for lines. I'm ok with the EP version here.
Not sure what else RIP gives you. Some lounge? Did I read that right? Or was that part of something else?

 

[Monykalyn]

Curious on how you'd go if it were you
2 nights of EP vs 1 night with RIP?
We'll be going 2 weeknights, back to back most likely. It's really the only way we can due to the window of dates we have available to travel. At most we'll have 1 day between our nights.
DH said 2 nights of EP. I'm undecided on which way to go. Thoughts? Any pros/cons I may not be thinking of
The #1 pro to RIP that I'm thinking about is reserved seating at the shows. I'm drawing a blank, any EP entrance/access for shows?
I've done EP, so I'm familiar with how they work in regards to lines vs how RIP works for lines. I'm ok with the EP version here.
Not sure what else RIP gives you. Some lounge? Did I read that right? Or was that part of something else?

RiP gives you the food at the beginning, much quicker access points (you bypass all the lines to front of houses, don't have to go out to front of queue again-last year we did Hill house twice in a row with private RiP) The tour does save quite a bit of walking overall (we cut backstage in some areas to get directly to front of house).
It'd be a tough choice for me-but last year did RiP and had ROF with EP for 6 or 7 nights. This year going for 9 HHN nights with RoF with EP-because of longer stay not doing an RiP tour. As you can see I prefer more nights over direct front of line.

 

[Monykalyn]

HHN accounts on Twitter are posting about more details on food booths, merch, and the entrance portals to houses are up!

 

[Monykalyn]

And Mummy is in "technical rehearsals" so fingers crossed it opens in next day or so!!

 

[Mrs.AMC]

And Mummy is in "technical rehearsals" so fingers crossed it opens in next day or so!!

I sure hope so. I really missed it on our last couple of trips

 

[macraven]

read it is open now

 

[Magicbeans]

I think Mummy will open the same day as HHN starts.

 

[keishashadow]

Curious on how you'd go if it were you
2 nights of EP vs 1 night with RIP?
We'll be going 2 weeknights, back to back most likely. It's really the only way we can due to the window of dates we have available to travel. At most we'll have 1 day between our nights.

Wednesday & Thursday have lower crowds.

Sunday can be quite busy, could be a rush of hospitality workers, who often have mondays off work

I’d do Wednesday, preferably staying & screaming in a holding zone. Then, do the public RIP on Thursday (earlier the better, to allow play time afterwards on your own)

RIP more expensive on Fridays.


RIP

 

[keishashadow]

Love the pic of the chefs

https://blog.discoveruniversal.com/...top-foods-to-try-at-universal-orlando-resort/

 

[namelessoracle]

Whichever house is in this location is always the worst as far as express pass - the rest are pretty close to the entrance IMO

Overall Id say EP saves a ton of time - and gives you the flexibility to enjoy the scare zones or enter after the initial rush.

Stay and scream is just too crazy now as well IMO - just packed and since they changed the setup at Finnegan's the stay and scream just isn't as much fun. I used to be able to get a seat at the bar around 3:30 - now the bar is really just take away - in and out as quick as possible - no way am I paying that much for a pint of Guinness in a plastic cup that I have to take outside.

As I have said before I really like EP because I can sit and have a relaxing drink at String Water (which opens at 5 last time I was there) or one of the city walk bars before the overpriced drinks at HHN. Margaritas and free chips and salsa at AntoJito's are a favorite before HHN. Also the giant pretzel and a great beer selection at NBC - and I can get a draft Chimay Tripel for the same price as a Lacto Cooler.

Good to keep in mind!

My partner was pretty salty when we down the express line for Beetlejuice, the person running the line stopped the express, and the group who entered standby at the same time we got into express was right behind us because of how far back the merge was. For that house if the line is less than 40 minutes, I am pretty sure express gives you virtually no benefit.