How do you rate the Universal Halloween event?

[mergatroid]

We're going to Orlando for 3 weeks in mid October and wondered if this was worth the $ :shrug:

 

[CoasterKing]

If you like being really scared, it is well worth it, with a few caveats. 1) It is primarily attended by teens and the younger crowd, so standing in long lines can get rather uncomfortable as they like to bounce around and horseplay around meaning you will get bumped into regularly. They usually aren't very apologetic and tend to laugh and do it even more. 2) Speaking of long lines, the haunted houses lines will get very long (ie 2 hours or more) depending on which night you go. It is pretty tough to do all the haunted attractions in one night. As a matter of fact, everything is usually crowded.

Now, if you don't mind paying extra for an "express pass" for the haunted attractions, then you can get through much quicker and see all of them. So it really boils down to whether or not you mind rowdy crowds and long lines. If this does not bother you, then go for it. I really do recommend the "express pass", unless you are going for more than one night. For one night though, you will enjoy yourself much more with the "express pass." In my opinion, it is well worth it. And once again, these attractions are very scary and well done. Do not bring the kiddies!!

Hope this helps. CoasterKing :king:

 

[mergatroid]

If you like being really scared, it is well worth it, with a few caveats. 1) It is primarily attended by teens and the younger crowd, so standing in long lines can get rather uncomfortable as they like to bounce around and horseplay around meaning you will get bumped into regularly. They usually aren't very apologetic and tend to laugh and do it even more. 2) Speaking of long lines, the haunted houses lines will get very long (ie 2 hours or more) depending on which night you go. It is pretty tough to do all the haunted attractions in one night. As a matter of fact, everything is usually crowded.

Now, if you don't mind paying extra for an "express pass" for the haunted attractions, then you can get through much quicker and see all of them. So it really boils down to whether or not you mind rowdy crowds and long lines. If this does not bother you, then go for it. I really do recommend the "express pass", unless you are going for more than one night. For one night though, you will enjoy yourself much more with the "express pass." In my opinion, it is well worth it. And once again, these attractions are very scary and well done. Do not bring the kiddies!!

Hope this helps. CoasterKing :king:

Thanks for the advice, I'll search youtube to try to get an idea what's in the haunted attractions :wave:

 

[SleepingMonk]

It's the biggest and the best in the business.

Get the Express Passes, even on the slow nights it's worth the extra cost.

 

[timeman]

Last year was the first year I went and I enjoyed it. A friend of mine has been going for the last few years. This year looks interesting as it is the 21st year and it is centered around Lady Luck. It looks like there will be at least a few really good haunted houses. You also don't want to miss the Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure.

My friend told me the best way to see everything in one night is to do the RIP tour and he was right as that was what I did last year. The RIP tour costs $150 per person, but it is worth it. The tour lasts 4 hours and you are able to see all the Houses with no waits whatsoever and reserved seating for the Bill & Ted show. You also get to ride a couple of rides in between going to the houses.

If you get an Express Pass it will run you different amounts depending on the night you go and you will still have to wait in a line even though that line will be much shorter than the normal line. The rates for the Express Pass in October run anywhere between $70 - $90 depending on the day you go. The RIP Tour guide takes you a back way to get to the Houses and you don't have to wait in any lines.

You can go to their official Halloween Horror Nights website and find out about every house and what tours are offered. Here is the site. Halloween Horror Nights

 

[mergatroid]

Thanks for the advice and help guys, it's more expensive than I thought but looks good :drevil:

:wave:

 

[thelookingglass]

The presentation and the houses themselves may be the best there is, but even so, I still have always felt the event to be a bit overrated. If you want to see all the houses in one night, you need an express pass, which in addition to the ticket to the event itself, ends up being very expensive. Otherwise, the lines for the houses are generally extremely long and get annoying because everyone is loud, drunk, and obnoxious. The crowds are not typical theme park crowds... lets just say they need tons of extra security for the people that go.

Then the houses, its hard to actually get scared or startled by anything in them because they send you through as basically a single file line, so there's always someone in front and behind you at all times, so you always know whats coming if you're paying attention. And for safety and security reasons, they have to have attendants in the houses like every 10 feet, which every time you see one kills the illusion.

For the positives, though, the set pieces in the houses and scare zones and the costumes and make-up are the best you'll ever see for a Halloween event.

 

[Alektronic]

The presentation and the houses themselves may be the best there is, but even so, I still have always felt the event to be a bit overrated. If you want to see all the houses in one night, you need an express pass, which in addition to the ticket to the event itself, ends up being very expensive. Otherwise, the lines for the houses are generally extremely long and get annoying because everyone is loud, drunk, and obnoxious. The crowds are not typical theme park crowds... lets just say they need tons of extra security for the people that go.

So which one was you? or were you all three?

 

[Slipknot]

The crowds are not typical theme park crowds... lets just say they need tons of extra security for the people that go.

Um, no. They need extra security for the idiots who want to cause problems and think they are cool doing so. That's a very small handful of people that go to the event.

 

[BigThunderMatt]

Halloween Horror Nights, unlike MNSSHP, is fresh and original every year. However, they cater to very different crowds.

If you like scary stuff though, it is by far the best Halloween event I've ever been to.

 

[Rowdy]

It's the biggest and the best in the business.

Granted, it's like saying the same thing for horror movies.

If you're not scared easily, it may not be as fun for you.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

The last time we were at Universal was early October 2009. We had a chance to stay at the park but didn't. My wife isn't into the haunted parks much. However, I have heard that it's the best performance in the world compared to anything else.

They have one up here at Canada's Wonderland every year. I like how they keep select rollercoasters open so that you can combine the Halloween events with rides. Not sure if this matters with Universal, but we went on a Friday night and it was much less packed than a Saturday

 

[Crockett]

If you want to shell out that much $$$ to mentally scar your children, then sure, it's worth it. But definitely not a family-friendly environment to say the least.

There's enough gore & blood you can hear about for free just on the nightly news.

 

[JT3000]

I enjoy HHN. I've been going 10 years straight, so it must be doing something right.

If you want to shell out that much $$$ to mentally scar your children, then sure, it's worth it. But definitely not a family-friendly environment to say the least.

They didn't say anything about children, but the fact that Halloween HORROR Nights isn't a kid-friendly event almost seems too obvious to point out.

There's enough gore & blood you can hear about for free just on the nightly news.

Good thing HHN isn't all about blood & gore. It's about the immersive experience & atmosphere, and the adrenaline rush that comes from getting scared. The nightly news is more likely to put me to sleep.

 

[bayoubelle]

Last year was the first year I went and I enjoyed it. A friend of mine has been going for the last few years. This year looks interesting as it is the 21st year and it is centered around Lady Luck. It looks like there will be at least a few really good haunted houses. You also don't want to miss the Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure.

My friend told me the best way to see everything in one night is to do the RIP tour and he was right as that was what I did last year. The RIP tour costs $150 per person, but it is worth it. The tour lasts 4 hours and you are able to see all the Houses with no waits whatsoever and reserved seating for the Bill & Ted show. You also get to ride a couple of rides in between going to the houses.

If you get an Express Pass it will run you different amounts depending on the night you go and you will still have to wait in a line even though that line will be much shorter than the normal line. The rates for the Express Pass in October run anywhere between $70 - $90 depending on the day you go. The RIP Tour guide takes you a back way to get to the Houses and you don't have to wait in any lines.

You can go to their official Halloween Horror Nights website and find out about every house and what tours are offered. Here is the site. Halloween Horror Nights

Thanks so much for the RIP Tour information. My 17 yo and her friend want to go to HHN on our trip in a few weeks. This is perfect. Does the $150 include admission? Is there a discount for AP holders?

 

[Slipknot]

Is there a discount for AP holders?

Annual Passholder ticket info

 

[NowInc]

I've attended HHN almost every year and can say its...unique. Heres how to break it down if you want to go::

Are you going to the parks during the day at all? I would say if you are then HHN will be more enjoyable for you. Why? because the lines at HHN are insane. If you don't care about doing rides and are simply focusing on haunted houses and shows..then its way better. Trust me.

Are you bringing kids? If so..then HHN is prob a bad idea. Its more geared towards a 16+ crowd. Lots of alchohol and graphic violence type stuff...

How are you about personal space? I ask because you will get bumped into a LOT. Uni has staff set up in "scare zones" and although THEY cant touch you...a lot of times people get scared and just blindly run. I've seen it happen a lot..and of course there are accidental collisions.

Do you have lots of patience? If not..then avoid HHN. These nights are usually packed with people (and more often than not un-ruley unsupervised teenagers and inebriated adults), and it can quickly eat away at your stress levels. Long lines are to be expected everywhere (especially for the haunted houses), everything is overpriced (its a theme park..duh!), and of course..it runs late at night, and not everyone isn't cranky past their bedtime

That aside..its fun to do at least once. Its a high budget scare-fest. But just keep in mind that this isn't a Disney holloween event, and is really aimed towards being SCARY and not just fun.

 

[mergatroid]

Wow, thanks to all for the advice. No kids just my wife and I, however the boisterous teens might annoy my wife to be honest. We'll have a think.

Thanks :wave:

 

[AswaySuller]

I've done one HHN and I thought it was soooo worth it.
It lived entirely up to the hype so much so I am willing to rearrange a two week vacation from England to do it again.

The house were fantastic and the general atmosphere in the street was amazing.... you pretty much aren't safe from a scare anywhere...

It is a different crowd to the daytime and it does get really busy.... I'll definitely buy express tickets next time.

 

[Slipknot]

Wow, thanks to all for the advice. No kids just my wife and I, however the boisterous teens might annoy my wife to be honest. We'll have a think.

Thanks :wave:

Go for a weekday then. Fewer kids in the park who have school the next day.