Halloween Horror Nights Advice

[DisneyFanatic12]

Admission to one HHN event is included in our annual pass, so we feel somewhat obligated to do it just to say we did it, but we are really more MNSSHP people. We’ve had a pass with complementary admission offered for a couple years, but we’ve just never decided to go.

We plan to go to HHN this year, and I was wondering if there was a way to still “experience” it without being in the scare zones. Our plan was to take the “safe zones” and just look at it to say we saw it. Is that a viable option, or are there just not enough safe zones to get around the park without going into scare zones?

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Unless you have small children or otherwise stimulus sensitive individuals with you, I think you'll be fine with the scare zones. Particularly this year.

 

[Tom Morrow]

The scare zones have evolved into photo ops with the scareactors. You have a few attempting to jump scare you but it's usually pretty obvious.

Also, if you go to the event but avoid the scare zones (although sort of impossible) and don't do any of the houses, then there is no point in going except maybe seeing Nightmare Fuel.

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

The scare zones have evolved into photo ops with the scareactors. You have a few attempting to jump scare you but it's usually pretty obvious.

Also, if you go to the event but avoid the scare zones (although sort of impossible) and don't do any of the houses, then there is no point in going except maybe seeing Nightmare Fuel.

We’ll gauge it whenever we go, but since it’s complementary, we figured we would try it. I’ll try to convince the rest of my party into going through the scare zones (if they aren’t that scary), but we’ll see if that’s comfortable for them. Thanks for the input!

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

Unless you have small children or otherwise stimulus sensitive individuals with you, I think you'll be fine with the scare zones. Particularly this year.

Thanks so much for the reply! That certainly makes it sound better. We’ll see how everyone feels about it once we’re there, but if it isn’t scary we might be able to walk through the scare zones. Haunted Houses are definitely out of our league, but the scare zones should be right at the top of our comfort zones then.

I remember the “Death Eaters” at Hogsmeade were fine with everyone, though it pushed the comfort zone a little for one of us. Thanks again for the input!

 

[JoeCamel]

Thanks so much for the reply! That certainly makes it sound better. We’ll see how everyone feels about it once we’re there, but if it isn’t scary we might be able to walk through the scare zones. Haunted Houses are definitely out of our league, but the scare zones should be right at the top of our comfort zones then.

I remember the “Death Eaters” at Hogsmeade were fine with everyone, though it pushed the comfort zone a little for one of us. Thanks again for the input!

I don't know how it is now but it used to be if you stayed up on the sidewalks or at the fringes of the zone the scareactors would leave you alone

 

[maxairmike]

I don't know how it is now but it used to be if you stayed up on the sidewalks or at the fringes of the zone the scareactors would leave you alone

They don’t typically go for you if you’re on the sidewalks/on the edges, but if they happen to be off to the side randomly I see them get a scare in every so often. But yeah, if you want to observe and not be in the middle, walk/stay to the sides in the Hollywood and NY scare zones. It’s impossible to stay to the side heading to KidZone since that path is narrow, so keep that in mind. Also going to be harder to stay to the edge through San Fran as well.

 

[JT3000]

They don’t typically go for you if you’re on the sidewalks/on the edges, but if they happen to be off to the side randomly I see them get a scare in every so often. But yeah, if you want to observe and not be in the middle, walk/stay to the sides in the Hollywood and NY scare zones. It’s impossible to stay to the side heading to KidZone since that path is narrow, so keep that in mind. Also going to be harder to stay to the edge through San Fran as well.

Unless the lagoon path is blocked off (I didn't check) you can literally just walk around Jungle of Doom if you really need to, in which case Shipyard is the only unavoidable scarezone (the one at the entrance barely even qualifies.)

That said, I don't know why you'd wish to avoid literally everything that makes HHN... HHN. Unless you're just there for the food. I get being a scaredy cat, but HHN really isn't a "I'm just observing" sort of event (although it can become one if you're so obviously unbothered that the actors won't even target you. Conversely they can sense fear and are attracted to it like a moth to the flame.)

Howl-o-Scream might be more your speed, OP. They literally sell an item that tells the actors not to scare you.

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

Unless the lagoon path is blocked off (I didn't check) you can literally just walk around Jungle of Doom if you really need to, in which case Shipyard is the only unavoidable scarezone (the one at the entrance barely even qualifies.)

That said, I don't know why you'd wish to avoid literally everything that makes HHN... HHN. Unless you're just there for the food. I get being a scaredy cat, but HHN really isn't a "I'm just observing" sort of event (although it can become one if you're so obviously unbothered that the actors won't even target you. Conversely they can sense fear and are attracted to it like a moth to the flame.)

Howl-o-Scream might be more your speed, OP. They literally sell an item that tells the actors not to scare you.

If I was paying to go, I would definitely choose MNSSHP. However, HHN is included in my pass so I feel liked I should go once to say I “saw” it. We live near Windermere, so it doesn’t take time out of a vacation or anything either.

Personally, I’d be fine with going through the scare zones (certainly not the haunted houses though). The rest of my party? That’s another story…

I feel like I should do it once since it is pretty much free to do, but I agree that it probably isn’t a great fit for me or the rest of my party. Howl-o-Scream could be fun, though, and we’ve never been to Sea World. We might get an annual pass one of these days for Sea World. Thanks for the advice!

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

Unless the lagoon path is blocked off (I didn't check) you can literally just walk around Jungle of Doom if you really need to, in which case Shipyard is the only unavoidable scarezone (the one at the entrance barely even qualifies.)

That’s great advice!

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

They don’t typically go for you if you’re on the sidewalks/on the edges, but if they happen to be off to the side randomly I see them get a scare in every so often. But yeah, if you want to observe and not be in the middle, walk/stay to the sides in the Hollywood and NY scare zones. It’s impossible to stay to the side heading to KidZone since that path is narrow, so keep that in mind. Also going to be harder to stay to the edge through San Fran as well.

Thanks, that sounds like a great idea!

 

[JoeCamel]

If I was paying to go, I would definitely choose MNSSHP. However, HHN is included in my pass so I feel liked I should go once to say I “saw” it. We live near Windermere, so it doesn’t take time out of a vacation or anything either.

Personally, I’d be fine with going through the scare zones (certainly not the haunted houses though). The rest of my party? That’s another story…

I feel like I should do it once since it is pretty much free to do, but I agree that it probably isn’t a great fit for me or the rest of my party. Howl-o-Scream could be fun, though, and we’ve never been to Sea World. We might get an annual pass one of these days for Sea World. Thanks for the advice!

Do it. It will be fine
They can't really kill you it is bad for business

 

[Rob562]

They don’t typically go for you if you’re on the sidewalks/on the edges, but if they happen to be off to the side randomly I see them get a scare in every so often. But yeah, if you want to observe and not be in the middle, walk/stay to the sides in the Hollywood and NY scare zones. It’s impossible to stay to the side heading to KidZone since that path is narrow, so keep that in mind. Also going to be harder to stay to the edge through San Fran as well.

They're usually also looking for people who are distracted/not paying attention to go after. Like people on their phones, or a gaggle of teens preoccupied by everyone talking to each other. If you keep a non-challant look about yourself, and keep yourself aware of where the scareactors are without making it look like you're desperately avoiding them, they'll avoid you and go for the easier "prey".

I won't be going until the final week of the event, so I can't help you on how scary the zones or houses are, but look for walkthroughs on YouTube. They let some vloggers go through with cameras opening weekend. You won't see everything, but it can help judge whether a house might be tame enough for you.

Oh, and go see the Nightmare Fuel stage show. It's amazing, and there's nothing that will jump out at you in the audience, just perhaps some theatrical pyro and flame effects on the stage that might catch you off guard. Arrive 30+ minutes before the show for a good seat.

-Rob

 

[some other guy]

They can't really kill you

*sigh*
declining by degrees.

 

[rd805]

It's such a great night -- definitely recommend it!