Halloween Horror Nights 34 (UOR) - Speculation & Rumors

[TheCodeMan95]

I’ve said this multiple times before, but it’s not just locals who get the FFP with Express to go 30 times. My group of three spends thousands of dollars each on hotel rooms, airfare, food, and merchandise to come to the event for 5 nights (8 total nights with non HHN days). It’s just cheaper to buy the FFP. If they do away with it, and have no other alternative, we may very well stop coming and not spend said thousands. As I’ve said before, I’d personally 1) love a 4 or 5 night package with Express; and 2) have no problem registering for the 5 nights we know we’d be going.

I'm fully on board with a package that includes express - or like has been mentioned, just switching to a general "by night" system.

2-night, 3-night, etc - just like daytime tickets.

 

[HHNIcon]

In a marketing sense, yes, but just like last year, I think we're getting a mishmash of "icons" again.

So Sinister and Surreal 2.0 where they're loosely tied to the event?

 

[Ringwraith]

So Sinister and Surreal 2.0 where they're loosely tied to the event?

That *and* the punk skeleton guy and whatever the hell that awesome creature in the underbelly of Universal was last year. People thought that would be the icon, but it just showed that the departments don't talk or are not on the same page for the event.

 

[SeventyOne]

Yeah I'm on board with canning Express for multi night tickets. I get it's fun, but it's been an absolute steal for locals for a long time.

It's great if you're able to do it, but there's no reason anyone needs to go to HHN 30 times in one season with an Express pass.

(I say this as someone who has several friends who live in Orlando and do this every year)

I say the same thing as someone who has gone 20ish nights a year with Express the past decade or so. (Well, considerably fewer last year, but the point is made.) Anyone who disagrees needs to go watch "Shapeland" on the Defunctland YT channel. This will make the event all around better.

In all likelihood, that's a corporate park buyout or other private event not involving HHN. That's why HHN is rescheduled for Tuesday that week.

In all the years of buy-outs, never scheduled a "make-up day" in advance. Only make-up days have been for storm closings.

...

Unrelated to above, but coming back here after two weeks of hell at work, in that time I heard a rumor from a plugged-in friend: no Stay n Scream this year? Has anyone else brought that up or heard anything? Combined with the no multinight Express rumor, it would suggest a total reimagining of the event.

 

[Legacy]

Unrelated to above, but coming back here after two weeks of hell at work, in that time I heard a rumor from a plugged-in friend: no Stay n Scream this year? Has anyone else brought that up or heard anything? Combined with the no multinight Express rumor, it would suggest a total reimagining of the event.

The only rumor I’ve heard is no FFP w/Express. I’ve heard that from a couple of people. I have heard some people speculating ROF would drop it as well, but again, I have not heard that.

I suspect the rumor is starting to spin out to eliminating other things (like Stay and Scream). There is no specific reason for me to believe it’s to that extent yet.

 

[Tereglith]

I suspect the rumor is starting to spin out to eliminating other things (like Stay and Scream). There is no specific reason for me to believe it’s to that extent yet.

I could see them eliminating Scream Early and just saying "tough luck, buy a day ticket" - it was almost to that point last year with the $55 pricing on SE. But eliminating Stay & Scream seems like it would be an ops and guest satisfaction nightmare since it would directly reduce the number of people through headliner houses by 10-15% each day.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Express is a luxury, so it's fine for a single night since you're paying $200 (and I'm sure Universal is happy with that profit). Plus, Universal can prepare and manage accordingly.

When you make it a part of the FFP, that value for Universal drops dramatically. Even with the limited sale and price increase last year, you can still get an FFP Plus with Express for $21/visit (If you have visited all 40 nights). Even if you go half the number of nights, that's $42/visit. There's also the guessing game part of expected capacities.

It's why I've been thumping this possibility the last few years, because it always seemed on the horizon.

FFP w/ Express for many years was the offering for hotel guests to extend their stays onsite and not jump to Disney to a "must have" add on for fans coming from all over the world (and locals). It does feel like a victim of its own success and Universal would rather take the hit for cutting FFP w/ Express than the bad press for the high prices of such a pass.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

I say the same thing as someone who has gone 20ish nights a year with Express the past decade or so. (Well, considerably fewer last year, but the point is made.) Anyone who disagrees needs to go watch "Shapeland" on the Defunctland YT channel. This will make the event all around better.



In all the years of buy-outs, never scheduled a "make-up day" in advance. Only make-up days have been for storm closings.

...

Unrelated to above, but coming back here after two weeks of hell at work, in that time I heard a rumor from a plugged-in friend: no Stay n Scream this year? Has anyone else brought that up or heard anything? Combined with the no multinight Express rumor, it would suggest a total reimagining of the event.

Defunctland's best video! Never thought a 2 hour long video about theme park lines would be interesting.

I couldn't see them eliminating Stay and Scream. Maybe the Scream Early tickets. But could you imagine if EVERYONE had to exit the park and line up for HHN? It'd be a nightmare lol

 

[Jake S]

I couldn't see them eliminating Stay and Scream. Maybe the Scream Early tickets. But could you imagine if EVERYONE had to exit the park and line up for HHN? It'd be a nightmare lol

they could always use wristbands and do a mix in like they do at the disney after hour events (and like they do in hollywood!)

 

[Wesker69]

I couldn't see them eliminating Stay and Scream. Maybe the Scream Early tickets. But could you imagine if EVERYONE had to exit the park and line up for HHN? It'd be a nightmare lol

Funny you say this, but for years this is how HHN Hollywood was operated. Technically, they still don't actually have a designated "Stay & Scream" area like Finnegan's or Springfield.

They'd have early entry, which let in around 5-530pm. You'd get a wristband to gain access to the early entry houses before the masses rolled in & were let loose at 7pm.

But yea, for a long while, even with an AP, you had to exit the park, go through security AGAIN, & wait at the gate to be let in. It was very annoying when having an AP & FFP was literally the same as a day/night combo ticket. Thankfully after all the complaints in 2016, they corrected this issue & had a kiosk for someone to scan your ticket so you could stay in the park.

Now post apocalypse, they charge for early entry. So you either pay or wait in the "Pit of Despair" that is the main entry until they release the masses.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

they could always use wristbands and do a mix in like they do at the disney after hour events (and like they do in hollywood!)

A change in process not an elemination of it.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

they could always use wristbands and do a mix in like they do at the disney after hour events (and like they do in hollywood!)

I'd be completely on board with a system like this! Scan your ticket at 3:30/4PM, then walk around and do whatever for an hour or 2.

 

[Jake S]

A change in process not an elemination of it.

exactly that. i think it would be a huge improvement over the current system.

 

[Clive]

Stay and scream was pretty miserable last year, from a guest perspective. I can't speak for employees, but it seems like it sucked for them, too.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

exactly that. i think it would be a huge improvement over the current system.

I imagine it's easier to check for wristbands at restaurants, rides, and barracades than staffing those huge pens.

 

[HHNIcon]

 

[Chumpieboy]

That's not at all true. Universal has accommodated many companies/organizations and even private individuals who have bought out the park or sections of the park for their events. Those are the days you'll usually see the park close early with little notice.

After all, if a company wants to entertain employees to mark a milestone company event, Universal makes a lot more sense for a fun event than the OCCC.

I meant more that the conventions that are large enough to fill out the huge OCCC for their conventions are the same large organizations that will buy out a Universal or Disney park as an end-of-convention party. Smaller groups won’t have the money or attendance to do that.

I’ve been to a few Microsoft conferences at OCCC over the years that ended up with a buyout at USF or IOA. Last week SAP ended their SAPphire conference with a buyout of EPCOT.

There are no such large conventions happening near that blacked out night according to the OCCC’s calendar.

I’m pinning my hope on that being the upcharge night.

 

[Chumpieboy]

I imagine it's easier to check for wristbands at restaurants, rides, and barracades than staffing those huge pens.

Other than clearing the park of non-HHN guests, don’t the OPs folks also need to move set pieces, stock food kiosks, and do normal pre-open setup? Seems like that would be complicated unnecessarily if folks were allowed to wander around until the houses open. It would defeat the ops benefits from keeping guests in the S&S areas in the first place.

 

[Tobias]

they could always use wristbands and do a mix in like they do at the disney after hour events (and like they do in hollywood!)

I imagine it's easier to check for wristbands at restaurants, rides, and barracades than staffing those huge pens.

Honestly, I do like the wristband approach a lot. From the way it's handled, it's pretty easy doing a gradual squeeze of checkpoints to push those without a wristband out to the exit. Super easy for staff, too.

But there is one thing I'd be curious how they would handle, and that is the usual wheeling in the larger props/sets for the scare zones for New York and Hollywood and whatever else they have to move in.

 

[Chumpieboy]

Honestly, I do like the wristband approach a lot. From the way it's handled, it's pretty easy doing a gradual squeeze of checkpoints to push those without a wristband out to the exit. Super easy for staff, too.

But there is one thing I'd be curious how they would handle, and that is the usual wheeling in the larger props/sets for the scare zones for New York and Hollywood and whatever else they have to move in.

Jinx!