Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
(Part 2)
I got to the front gate of USF just before 5:00pm. I managed to find a spot in the shade near the gate itself to wait until park opening. I was towards the front of the line, but it was still a long, hot wait before we could get inside. The one cool thing was seeing all the monsters rush to the turnstiles just before opening and hearing the crowd cheer.
Like the rest of the mob I went straight to Stranger Things. In hindsight, that was a mistake. the Scareactor Diners (which I thought I had booked...ugh), were already filling up the queue which meant the line was already an hour long when I got there. It did peak at 2 almost immediately, but had I known it was going to let down later in the night I would have done something else first. However, since it was the only maze I REALLY wanted to see, I was impatient to see it.
But it was awesome. They did a fantastic job recreating the sets and finding look alikes for all the characters (something I did not expect). It was so busy inside I could see many of the scares coming, but the Demogorgon still got me at times.
I had dinner at the Monster Cafe anyway, which reopened around 7:30pm. This is my favourite place to eat in the park.
Next I went to Diagon Alley for the first time. Was jarring going from the tone of HHN to Harry Potter, but the place still looks great. So great in fact, it kind of makes the rest of USF look bad in comparison. Gringotts queue was fantastic, but the ride was just OK. Didn't help that everyone in line talked through both preshows so I couldn't hear anything.
Next was Mummy and Transformers (which was oddly closing at 11:00pm, 3 hours before the rest of the event). Mummy is still the best ride in the park IMO. Transformers gave me a bit of motion sickness, that I did not remember last time.
Of the three scare zones I saw, Vamp 85 was the best if for no other reason than the music. Fun to see people dancing and screaming at the same time. Chainsaw guys were on the path to London and they were more annoying than anything else IMO. Sticking to the sidewalk did help to avoid them.
And then...I left. It was 10:00pm by this time and the park was so hot and busy I was done. I did not do any other rides or mazes or see the AoV show. In hindsight, it was not the best idea to go on the last night of Rush of Fear, or go without Express. Starting out on the wrong foot didn't help either and I found the crowds to be more obnoxious than the usual Universal mix (dumb teens and middle aged men acting like dumb teens). If I had to do it again, I would have started with Poltergeist and Scary Tales than did the rides and then ST.
It was my first time and I made rookie mistakes. Would I go again? Depends upon what themes they do and what nights I can go.
I got to the front gate of USF just before 5:00pm. I managed to find a spot in the shade near the gate itself to wait until park opening. I was towards the front of the line, but it was still a long, hot wait before we could get inside. The one cool thing was seeing all the monsters rush to the turnstiles just before opening and hearing the crowd cheer.
Like the rest of the mob I went straight to Stranger Things. In hindsight, that was a mistake. the Scareactor Diners (which I thought I had booked...ugh), were already filling up the queue which meant the line was already an hour long when I got there. It did peak at 2 almost immediately, but had I known it was going to let down later in the night I would have done something else first. However, since it was the only maze I REALLY wanted to see, I was impatient to see it.
But it was awesome. They did a fantastic job recreating the sets and finding look alikes for all the characters (something I did not expect). It was so busy inside I could see many of the scares coming, but the Demogorgon still got me at times.
I had dinner at the Monster Cafe anyway, which reopened around 7:30pm. This is my favourite place to eat in the park.
Next I went to Diagon Alley for the first time. Was jarring going from the tone of HHN to Harry Potter, but the place still looks great. So great in fact, it kind of makes the rest of USF look bad in comparison. Gringotts queue was fantastic, but the ride was just OK. Didn't help that everyone in line talked through both preshows so I couldn't hear anything.
Next was Mummy and Transformers (which was oddly closing at 11:00pm, 3 hours before the rest of the event). Mummy is still the best ride in the park IMO. Transformers gave me a bit of motion sickness, that I did not remember last time.
Of the three scare zones I saw, Vamp 85 was the best if for no other reason than the music. Fun to see people dancing and screaming at the same time. Chainsaw guys were on the path to London and they were more annoying than anything else IMO. Sticking to the sidewalk did help to avoid them.
And then...I left. It was 10:00pm by this time and the park was so hot and busy I was done. I did not do any other rides or mazes or see the AoV show. In hindsight, it was not the best idea to go on the last night of Rush of Fear, or go without Express. Starting out on the wrong foot didn't help either and I found the crowds to be more obnoxious than the usual Universal mix (dumb teens and middle aged men acting like dumb teens). If I had to do it again, I would have started with Poltergeist and Scary Tales than did the rides and then ST.
It was my first time and I made rookie mistakes. Would I go again? Depends upon what themes they do and what nights I can go.
