Thoughts/Opinions re: HHN

[Ckmommy72]

So, my DH and I and my BFF and her DH are meeting in Orlando next month for a Food and Wine long weekend. We fly in on the 17th and out on the 21st. We have everything pretty much planned out re: WDW. However, it occurred to me that it might be fun to try to go to HHN as well. We've always had the kids so we've done MNSSHP...this time we're all adults.

Our flight gets in to MCO at 7:00pm on the 17th. That's really the only night we could fit it in. We wouldn't get to US until at the absolutely earliest until 8:00, probably more like 8:30-9:00. We have a rental car, and our friends get in earlier and will have picked it up already. HHN goes until 2:00am that night.

None of us have ever been to US, and my BFF really wants to see WWoHP...which I understand is open during HHN. So I guess my question is, would it be a waste for us to buy HHN tix for at the absolute most, 5.5 hours? How insane will HHN be on a Thursday 2 weeks before halloween?

Also, how likely is that night to sell out? If we wait until that day and see how we feel after travelling all day before deciding that we want to be up until 3:00am by the time we get to our hotel, will we be out of luck?

Thanks in advance for your help - I'm a WDW veteran with absolutely zero US knowledge.

 

[macraven]

Thursday October 17 will have crowds but nothing like the weekend crowds

I’d hit the potter section first as they close before the park does at 2:00 am

Last year potter started closing up before the park for hhn did

I have done hhn and an stayed until closing time
Seemed like the dates I did that, crowds were clearing out around midnight and after

 

[Ckmommy72]

Thursday October 17 will have crowds but nothing like the weekend crowds

I’d hit the potter section first as they close before the park does at 2:00 am

Last year potter started closing up before the park for hhn did

I have done hhn and an stayed until closing time
Seemed like the dates I did that, crowds were clearing out around midnight and after

Thanks very much - especially for the info re: WWoHP closing earlier then the HHN stuff!

 

[imprint]

So, my DH and I and my BFF and her DH are meeting in Orlando next month for a Food and Wine long weekend. We fly in on the 17th and out on the 21st. We have everything pretty much planned out re: WDW. However, it occurred to me that it might be fun to try to go to HHN as well. We've always had the kids so we've done MNSSHP...this time we're all adults.

Our flight gets in to MCO at 7:00pm on the 17th. That's really the only night we could fit it in. We wouldn't get to US until at the absolutely earliest until 8:00, probably more like 8:30-9:00. We have a rental car, and our friends get in earlier and will have picked it up already. HHN goes until 2:00am that night.

None of us have ever been to US, and my BFF really wants to see WWoHP...which I understand is open during HHN. So I guess my question is, would it be a waste for us to buy HHN tix for at the absolute most, 5.5 hours? How insane will HHN be on a Thursday 2 weeks before halloween?

Also, how likely is that night to sell out? If we wait until that day and see how we feel after travelling all day before deciding that we want to be up until 3:00am by the time we get to our hotel, will we be out of luck?

Thanks in advance for your help - I'm a WDW veteran with absolutely zero US knowledge.

Also, note that half of WWoHP is in the Studios (Diagon Alley) and half is in Islands of Adventure (Hogsmeade & Hogwarts). Only Diagon Alley will be open during HHN. It is awesome at night, though. It's usually less crowded than during the day too. Gringott's ride, of course, is running.

I don't think you mentioned if WWoHP was the only interest, or if you'd be interested in the HHN event too. If so, then get Express Passes as well, so you'll have the best chance of going through all houses even starting that late.

 

[nkereina]

I personally wouldn't think it's worthwhile. But if you decide to go for it, I'd highly recommend purchasing express passes. With your late arrival, its the only way you'd be able to maximize your time.

I would make sure everyone in the group is ok with doing maybe only a couple of houses and a couple of rides with the time you have. I think you'd have time to browse Diagon Alley and walk through the scare zones. But its expensive for what you'd be able to get done.

We do HHN almost every year and we always line up an hour before the park is expected to open (6:30 this year). We do all the houses once with express pass, we walk through all the scare zones, we ride about 75% of the open rides, and we stop for a snack. We usually leave around 12:30-1am. So as you can see, it takes us almost the whole night to do only some of the stuff. Also, we've found that even with express passes, we've still waited 30+ minutes for some of the headliner houses.