Each year Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) grows bigger and pulls in more fans then before. If this will be your first year attending an HHN event, then here are some guidelines to make sure you get the most out of the event as possible.
1. Get to the Park Early
HHN is an incredibly popular event and gets more crowded the closer date is to Halloween. So, get to the event at 6:00 p.m. and enjoy as much as possible before the rest of the crowd gets there around 8:00 p.m. When the park is packed with people wait times in the normal queue lines can get up to two hours for the popular Intellectual Property (IP) houses. So, the sooner you get in line, the quicker you can experience the house. Not to mention, that all the waiting adds up and takes away from the other things you can do at the event like: watch the Academy of Villains dance show, checkout the scarezones throughout the park, and enjoy the food and beverages at the concession stands.
2. Upgrade your ticket
Halloween Horror Nights has become such a popular event that is nearly impossible to view all the haunted houses any night with just the standard admission ticket, so you will have to purchase some form of an upgrade if you want to see everything. Most people purchase a multi night ticket and bare the normal queue lines to knockout three or four houses per night. Some people purchase an express pass which puts you ahead of the normal line once per house. The wait times using the express usually max out at an hour. The nice thing about the express pass is that it also allows you to jump the line once on all the rides as well. Then there is the top dog of the update, which is known as the R.I.P Tour. The R.I.P Tour gives you a guided tour of each of the houses and puts you ahead of all lines. The most you wait for any house during the R.I.P Tour is ten minutes, so this upgrade is a godsend on those crazy busy nights where it is nearly impossible to traverse the streets of Universal. Although, the R.I.P. Tour is a little more expensive it does provide you with a buffet meal, quick access to the bars, VIP access to one show, VIP parking, VIP access to one ride and express pass for all rides once. If you are worried about spending extra money, I recommend going during the first three weeks of the event when prices are cheaper. The savings of going early makes the R.I.P Tour a potential choice of anyone.
3. Be respectful of the scareactors
Like it or not social media is ingrained into our society and everyone wants to show off what they are doing at all times. Please remember that just because you want to put a selfie of you and the actor in the scary costume on the social media does not mean the scareactor has to oblige you. The scareactors are there for one reason and that is to scary you. That being said, Universal has done a great job over the last couple of years to allow everyone to have a chance to take selfies in the scarezones. Photos are not allowed in any of the haunted houses to protect everyone’s safety. Also, flash photography is prohibited at all times. Taking photos with your flash on or in any house will result in you being asked to leave the park immediately.
4. Try not to over do it
Halloween Horror Nights is an event that allows you the opportunity to unwind and enjoy some adult beverages. Have fun enjoy your time at the park and make some new memories with your friends, but please do not act like you are at a college frat party. If you get wasted and cause a sense then you will be asked to leave the park or possibly even worse. Nobody likes being around an obnoxious drunk and it ruins the event for everyone involved. Please keep in the mind that the brave men and women of the Orlando Police department provide security for this event, and are willing to haul away anyone who is acting out to jail for disorderly conduct. So, keep your drinking at a level you can control and help keep the event enjoyable for everyone.
5. Show no fear
This is a mature event and some very graphical scenes will be presented to you. If you are the type that closes their eyes during a horror movie then this event is properly not for you. For example, my sister-in-law has had panic attacks after walking through a couple of HHN houses. Universal’s creative team does an incredible job designing these houses. Walking through a Horror Nights house feels like being in the movie. It is ok to get caught off guard once in awhile, but if you are walking in the streets with you head down avoiding eye contract with the scareactors then you will have a long night ahead of you. I have seen scareactors prey on scared young college aged kids plenty of times. Trying to avoid the actors only makes them want to play with you even more. It is quite common place for scareactors to follow scared people around in the dark streets messing them until the person runs away in fear.
What are your rules? Should we add anything to these?