Halloween Horror Nights 35 (UOR) - Speculation & Rumors

[TheCodeMan95]

Every year I consider RIP, but now after getting Unlimited Express for the first time last year.. I can't justify it lol

 

[HandsomePete]

But one thing I will say, is that I do think Universal has done an adequate job making the experience at HHN better than it used to be (IMO.) I started going when HHN was at IOA, and back then it really felt like (to me) the Wild West, beer tables like every 50 feet, including in the queues (I think I remember there being two or three in House of Vampire queue, and a lot of underage drinking), a lot less crowd control or visible security, and with fewer houses the crowds felt just the same as they do now.

I think opening a few houses early has the potential to help a lot. To me it seems like it’s less about selling that extra ticket and more about burning through the demand from the hardcore fans who will line up for two hours like we were seeing for Stay and Scream last year or how people congregate at the turnstiles before day operations end.

It will be interesting to see if the extended houses are the top-tier IPs or just operationally convenient (like all of the Sprung tents). Getting the hardcore fans through the houses that the GP is most interested in before the GP strolls in at 7:30p and heads straight for those houses should get the park through the initial wait time imbalance earlier in the night.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I agree with your first point.

On the 2nd point though, if you are opening 3 houses at 2PM, you don't need an 11th house for capacity reasons as a good chunk of guests will "move away" from those opened up houses and moving elsewhere, leaving those houses somewhat cleared up for the new guests coming in.

Using last year and some rough math, Terrifier last year was posting 60-90 minute posted waits at S&S, and would remain like that until opening. Giving the most popular houses 3 hours of S&S guests should theoretically reduce the queue by a significant margin by the time the event opens to non-S&S guests. A 30-min posted wait at the start of the event as those S&S guests move the newly opened houses is much better.

Doesn’t this assume that demand stays steady and doesn’t expand to fill the time - that guests would only do the house once or that guests who might have been put off by the long wait time won’t fill in any extra space created by the early opening? Or that you don’t get a large number of S&S guests entering early, doing the three open houses over and over again, and then at event opening moving to houses that might normally have had shorter lines early on and making those longer? Granted, this all might be a problem you’d have with more houses too - I’m having difficulty wrapping my head around the whole thing.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Every year I consider RIP, but now after getting Unlimited Express for the first time last year.. I can't justify it lol

As a local who can visit multiple nights, I never cared for RIP as you can easily do things throughout the 2 month event. Really no need for it. Save that money and use it on food or Unmasking.

If you can only visit 1 night, Premium Scare Night is your best option. I think it's sort of taken some of the awe of the RIP tour.

Edit to respond to @Casper Gutman
Ideally, the majority of HHN visitors are those that have a a day or two to experience the event, so they'll likely move from house to house versus repeat the same house. Sure, you'll have your superfans, but it's insignificant. If you can get S&S folks away from the S&S houses and into the others, it'll help spread crowds out once the event officially opens up.

There's no advantage to stay & scream if guests are queued up for 1-2 hours (some folks we're queueing up for 3 hours last year). It loses its appeal. Having houses "At Capacity" before the official gate opening time is not ideal.

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

This might be the year I splurge on unlimited express. Aside from the one night I got an after 10PM express, staying out until 2:30AM every single event night is finally starting to take a toll on me…

 

[Kichkinet85]

Looks like J+O is “balloon” and possibly the one code name that fits with a house. Balloon equals circus or balloon equals clown.

 

[Clive]

Looks like J+O is “balloon” and possibly the one code name that fits with a house. Balloon equals circus or balloon equals clown.

Great catch. Meta data strikes again.

 

[srbmarc]

So I was just able to call the VIP number and get my AP discount applied to my RIP Tour order. They basically just refunded the old ones and re-ordered.

Also, one interesting tidbit that the rep told me- the only change this year to the RIP Tour is the reception with appetizers/drinks is no longer gonna be before the tour begins and will instead be during. Seems like an odd change but I guess they figured since the groups usually stopped at La Bamba during the tour anyway, might as well just let them in once.

 

[Kichkinet85]

Thinking more about the 3 houses opening at 2, what that mean for the UTH tours? Since a house can't be open for guest and have a UTH (light on) tour. UTH tours start as late as noon. No way they can knock the 3 hoses out for all the tours that day. How they think they can do this?

 

[RedRightDan]

Doesn’t this assume that demand stays steady and doesn’t expand to fill the time - that guests would only do the house once or that guests who might have been put off by the long wait time won’t fill in any extra space created by the early opening? Or that you don’t get a large number of S&S guests entering early, doing the three open houses over and over again, and then at event opening moving to houses that might normally have had shorter lines early on and making those longer? Granted, this all might be a problem you’d have with more houses too - I’m having difficulty wrapping my head around the whole thing.

This is my concern as well.

Let’s say (for argument’s sake) that the houses opening are the two at FNAF and Terrifier level of demand this year.

They open and 2. People line up to get in at 1 or 1:30 (because people are going to people). They open with a 60-90min wait each.

The lines continue to fill with others arriving for S&S because they’re the only two choices.

The queues continue to refill with new arrivals and uber fans insisting that they need to get their “run counts up”. The waits never drop below 60-90 and then the event opens to the GP.

I can absolutely foresee those lines never really dropping from 2 until 11.

This is an interesting idea, but it may also ultimately make those houses insufferable to wait for without express or getting there waaaay too early.

Oh dip. Is this how they make “Premium Houses” without officially making Premium Houses?

 

[Legacy]

Thinking more about the 3 houses opening at 2, what that mean for the UTH tours? Since a house can't be open for guest and have a UTH (light on) tour.

The houses they open are not houses on the afternoon tour.

 

[Kichkinet85]

The houses they open are not houses on the afternoon tour.

Only way they can do this but with the UTH tours starting as late as noon and multiplier tours going on how can they be done for all the tours before 2? Multiplier groups in the same house?

 

[Tobias]

Thinking more about the 3 houses opening at 2, what that mean for the UTH tours? Since a house can't be open for guest and have a UTH (light on) tour. UTH tours start as late as noon. No way they can knock the 3 hoses out for all the tours that day. How they think they can do this?

The houses they open are not houses on the afternoon tour.

Bingo, those houses just won't be available during the afternoon tours. As usual in the fine print on the tickets, the houses you're able to see are subject to change and so forth. So if you're doing any of the tours, it's better to aim for the morning ones.

Also, it's possible for a couple groups to be in the same house. In the 6-house tour I did last year there were a couple in at least Jason Universe and Fallout.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

The queues continue to refill with new arrivals and uber fans insisting that they need to get their “run counts up”. The waits never drop below 60-90 and then the event opens to the GP.

Couldn't this just apply to prior Stay & Scream set-ups too? We didn't really see it impacting wait times in the past, I don't think super fans marathoning houses for four hours would do it either IMHO.

My bigger worry is the abuse these houses will be taking after being operational for 12 hours a day. I hope the teams can keep repairs up.

 

[Chumpieboy]

Select houses opening at 2p is also kinda huge. Assuming a couple of the big IP houses will open that early, an extra 3ish hours of operating time will hopefully really help with the wait times.

That’s like a 12+hour workday on stage plus pre- and post- event makeup etc. I know the scareactors are not in the house during the whole night but that’s still a hugely long night.

 

[RedRightDan]

Couldn't this just apply to prior Stay & Scream set-ups too? We didn't really see it impacting wait times in the past, I don't think super fans marathoning houses for four hours would do it either IMHO.

My bigger worry is the abuse these houses will be taking after being operational for 12 hours a day. I hope the teams can keep repairs up.

It was always the queues that opened up early in the past. All of the houses opened within 30mins or so of each other during traditional S&S. This is starting part of the event almost two hours earlier for all intents and purposes.

But you also have a good point about more wear and tear, with even less time to make repairs too.

 

[tdmarshmallow]

I would not be surprised if the early open houses change each night, at least at the beginning, until they figure out which houses work best...

On a different FB group they are speculating that the lines will open at 2, but the houses won't open till later, but I think that is a bit of malarky....

 

[georgemoe]

Couldn't this just apply to prior Stay & Scream set-ups too? We didn't really see it impacting wait times in the past, I don't think super fans marathoning houses for four hours would do it either IMHO.

My bigger worry is the abuse these houses will be taking after being operational for 12 hours a day. I hope the teams can keep repairs up.

Great point!

 

[kingcooger]

The houses they open are not houses on the afternoon tour.

Bingo, those houses just won't be available during the afternoon tours. As usual in the fine print on the tickets, the houses you're able to see are subject to change and so forth. So if you're doing any of the tours, it's better to aim for the morning ones.

Also, it's possible for a couple groups to be in the same house. In the 6-house tour I did last year there were a couple in at least Jason Universe and Fallout.

I am curious what this could mean for the tour operations as in the past few years if you booked a 6 house and 3 house tour, you got to see 9 houses.

This, to me, seems to mean that if that were to still remain true, they would have to make it so the 6 house tour would have to have those three early open houses (or at least two of them) in the morning only.

 

[Legacy]

I am curious what this could mean for the tour operations as in the past few years if you booked a 6 house and 3 house tour, you got to see 9 houses.

This, to me, seems to mean that if that were to still remain true, they would have to make it so the 6 house tour would have to have those three early open houses (or at least two of them) in the morning only.

I think that’s all they do. The first two houses of the six house are Scream Early houses. The third Scream Early house simply isn’t on the tour.