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…