Halloween Horror Nights 23 Speculation

[Splatter]

I am thinking it would be unlikey so I am not expecting it to happen. It also would not have to be this year. The purge is not the most difficult concept to turn into a house or scare zone and I would much prefer it to another paranormal or twisted fairytale one.(although as long as a haunt is well executed it does not matter) Who said they did not plan on it ahead of time? It is not like they could not of finalized a potential for it as a theme for a house last year. No houses are that heavy into construction yet. We would be surprised at what can change last minute.

Just saying, this is the biggest horror film Universal has had in a long time.

 

[Drew]

I agree that some house specific videos are better, but I enjoyed the music videos, which is better than the nothing we get on some houses, and it's good to get away from the frequent deluges that I seem to experience all too often at HHN. Especially every opening night I've attended, it's like a curse... It just pours.

Maybe what you're saying is what the majority felt, and the reason that didn't come back. Who knows? If they did bring it back, they could improve upon those specific things, but I have a feeling we won't have that again this year.

BTW, talking about queues and deluges... They need to improve their drainage system behind MiB, too. When it rained, I had water up to my ankles there.

Seriously... any form of entertainment is better than none based off last year.

Agreed about the drainage.. opening night was a complete and utter nightmare. We did Alice Cooper first and water seriously went all the way up my ankle into my sneakers. Completely destroyed them. Penn & Teller had issues too but nowhere near as bad as I saw at Cooper.

 

[Splatter]

Speaking of drainage. During Rockit construction the soundstage used for the queue had MAJOR issues leading in and out of the elphant doors and bleeding in. It was chaotic.

 

[SeventyOne]

I have no idea what nights you went but I always felt HHN 2008 was a ghost town. 2008 and 2009 you could tell the event was hit hardest by the recession and I remember MANY nights just walking right into houses. I know it got busy a few nights and there were long waits to be had but I just don't think I was there for them and I know I went 6 or 7 nights.

Weren't the indoor queues earlier than that? It all blends in my old age, to be honest. I vaguely remember 2009 not being as crowded, I'd probably throw 2010 in as well, but that was always the earlier part of the month--by Hell Week, things always seemed to get a little crazy (2012 being the exception, bad from opening night). Part of the problem with the indoor queue was it was three separate houses, which just added to the mass of bodies.

BTW, talking about queues and deluges... They need to improve their drainage system behind MiB, too. When it rained, I had water up to my ankles there.

Agreed.

 

[TylerDurden]

Has anyone considered the possibility that there won't be four soundstage houses, and these queue lines are a non-issue? I don't see Universal (or any theme park company, so this isn't a dig at anyone) going out of there way to increase crowd management. Especially when you'll make the same amount of money either way.

In fact, if I was the guy in charge of HHN, I'd leave it at seven and bring back Walking Dead. You get tons of crowds drawn to the IP again, and the longer lines mean people want to come back so they can check out everything. And I'd bring back scarezones and a new show to bring in people who hated it last year.

Luckily, I'm not running HHN But something still tells me we won't have to worry about four soundstage houses.

 

[JungleSkip]

Has anyone considered the possibility that there won't be four soundstage houses, and these queue lines are a non-issue? I don't see Universal (or any theme park company, so this isn't a dig at anyone) going out of there way to increase crowd management. Especially when you'll make the same amount of money either way.

In fact, if I was the guy in charge of HHN, I'd leave it at seven and bring back Walking Dead. You get tons of crowds drawn to the IP again, and the longer lines mean people want to come back so they can check out everything. And I'd bring back scarezones and a new show to bring in people who hated it last year.

Luckily, I'm not running HHN But something still tells me we won't have to worry about four soundstage houses.

They literally need 8 houses. They know how bad last year was with crowding. I'll be amazed if they do it again.

 

[Drew]

They literally need 8 houses. They know how bad last year was with crowding. I'll be amazed if they do it again.

I'm sure Transformers will eat up crowds. Less construction, more space. If there are set scarezones it also kills the lines for the houses a bit. It's not crazy to say there will be 7, but I think there will ultimately be 8 houses.

 

[floridakid]

Has anyone considered the possibility that there won't be four soundstage houses, and these queue lines are a non-issue? I don't see Universal (or any theme park company, so this isn't a dig at anyone) going out of there way to increase crowd management. Especially when you'll make the same amount of money either way.

In fact, if I was the guy in charge of HHN, I'd leave it at seven and bring back Walking Dead. You get tons of crowds drawn to the IP again, and the longer lines mean people want to come back so they can check out everything. And I'd bring back scarezones and a new show to bring in people who hated it last year.

Luckily, I'm not running HHN But something still tells me we won't have to worry about four soundstage houses.

Who doesn't want to have four SS houses? Maybe I'm misunderstanding you but when you say, "we don't have to worry," you make it seem like we're all hoping for 3 SS houses or less - like they're not wanted. The more the better! I think we want to worry about having four SS houses.

 

[Nick]

Who doesn't want to have four SS houses? Maybe I'm misunderstanding you but when you say, "we don't have to worry," you make it seem like we're all hoping for 3 SS houses or less - like they're not wanted. The more the better! I think we want to worry about having four SS houses.

Exactly! They are always the highest quality houses.

 

[tiredoldspook]

8 won't slow the lines down nor will transformers. Expect insane waits as always.

 

[floridakid]

8 won't slow the lines down nor will transformers. Expect insane waits as always.

Always do! But most would rather have insane waits for 8 houses than insane waits for 7 houses. Any way you look at it, 8 houses is almost always a win-win situation.

 

[Nitro_230]

They literally need 8 houses. They know how bad last year was with crowding. I'll be amazed if they do it again.

They really don't. I keep hearing last year was so bad, but it wasn't any worse then other years. In years past it's been so crowded they've had to open up Seuss and Marvel, last year didn't hit that point, hasn't for several years. On top of that there will be a major new attraction open, which will take people off the streets.

 

[JungleSkip]

I keep hearing last year was so bad, but it wasn't any worse then other years.

I went the same Holiday weekend the past 2 years and last year was far, far more crowded.

 

[Eric]

They really don't. I keep hearing last year was so bad, but it wasn't any worse then other years. In years past it's been so crowded they've had to open up Seuss and Marvel, last year didn't hit that point, hasn't for several years. On top of that there will be a major new attraction open, which will take people off the streets.

Last year was unacceptable though. You shouldn't have to buy Express to experience just half the event.

Previous years may have been just as bad, but does that makes it okay? Adding one attraction, isn't going to affect the wait times for the houses that much. Each year should be an improvement.

 

[Nitro_230]

I went the same Holiday weekend the past 2 years and last year was far, far more crowded.

I've been there most nights of the run for the past several years peak and non-peak (sometimes working, sometimes not). I'm not judging one weekend, I'm judging the whole run. There were some rain issues that made some of the early days light, and in turn the later weekends heavier. But by no means were the crowds on any one day last year anywhere near the worst the park has seen (regardless of the number of houses), or really thought of as any cause for concern.

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Last year was unacceptable though. You shouldn't have to buy Express to experience just half the event.

Previous years may have been just as bad, but does that makes it okay? Adding one attraction, isn't going to affect the wait times for the houses that much. Each year should be an improvement.

Having to buy express just to experience the event..... you just described peak days for the last 10 years. And if there is an 8th house, the park will be crowded and the wait times will be long (the proof is when there were 8 houses). I'm not sure what you mean by each year should be an improvement, but it seems to imply adding a house is that improvement. So what then? 9 houses, 10?

No one likes the real answer, and that is come earlier or later in the season. Otherwise the best answer to control the crowed is raise the peak night tickets to $115, or lower what you consider the park capacity and close the park.

 

[RDJ]

I would attribute the tighter walk ways from construction a big reason to the busier feel of last year.

 

[TylerDurden]

Who doesn't want to have four SS houses? Maybe I'm misunderstanding you but when you say, "we don't have to worry," you make it seem like we're all hoping for 3 SS houses or less - like they're not wanted. The more the better! I think we want to worry about having four SS houses.

No, no, I for sure would love as many SS houses as possible. My wording was wrong--it's not about 'worrying' about the houses, it's about this discussion for the queue lines. In my post, I was implying we wouldn't have to express any concern for where the lines would be. Hopefully that makes sense.

The HHN fan in me would want to see 20 houses and scarezones everywhere you turn. But the businessman in me puts myself in UO's shoes and sees how maybe going out of the way to bring eight houses is unnecessary. Just playing devil's advocate :thumbs:

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They really don't. I keep hearing last year was so bad, but it wasn't any worse then other years. In years past it's been so crowded they've had to open up Seuss and Marvel, last year didn't hit that point, hasn't for several years. On top of that there will be a major new attraction open, which will take people off the streets.

Not to mention the increase in the sale of FFP's and all the other new pass type options that allow you to come more than once didn't help at all. HHN is a popular event, that's all there is to it. Every year I have the same strategy (go early in the year, early in the day) and I get my full value. Last year was no exception.

 

[Eric]

Having to buy express just to experience the event..... you just described peak days for the last 10 years. And if there is an 8th house, the park will be crowded and the wait times will be long (the proof is when there were 8 houses). I'm not sure what you mean by each year should be an improvement, but it seems to imply adding a house is that improvement. So what then? 9 houses, 10?

No one likes the real answer, and that is come earlier or later in the season. Otherwise the best answer to control the crowed is raise the peak night tickets to $115, or lower what you consider the park capacity and close the park.

I'm just curious...do you find the way Universal operates HHN acceptable (in relation to wait times)? Is it okay for guests to pay almost $90 to experience maybe 3 houses on a peak day? Granted, guests should understand what they're getting into, but I heard countless complaints regarding the ridiculous wait times. It doesn't really matter if it's been going for 1 year or 10 -- it's clearly a problem with overcrowding.

Every year should be an improvement - as in, if the crowds were unbearable (last year or the past 10 years) than do something different. Queue improvements could go a long way. I'm not saying a house needs to be added every year. That's kind of ridiculous . I do think however, that something different needs to happen to increase guest satisfaction.

 

[Nitro_230]

I'm just curious...do you find the way Universal operates HHN acceptable (in relation to wait times)? Is it okay for guests to pay almost $90 to experience maybe 3 houses on a peak day? Granted, guests should understand what they're getting into, but I heard countless complaints regarding the ridiculous wait times. It doesn't really matter if it's been going for 1 year or 10 -- it's clearly a problem with overcrowding.

Every year should be an improvement - as in, if the crowds were unbearable (last year or the past 10 years) than do something different. Queue improvements could go a long way. I'm not saying a house needs to be added every year. That's kind of ridiculous . I do think however, that something different needs to happen to increase guest satisfaction.

They already sacrifice show quality to keep a constantly moving line running through the houses.

It's an issue of everyone seems to want to come at the same time. So the real solution would be to shut the park down (and allow money to walk away, the same money that pays for them to design, build and staff these houses) or price HHN peak nights in a way that they can reduce number of people but not loose money (Charge twice as much and hope half the people still show up).

The park is only so big, there are only so many options. I go on peak nights, but I don't go into any of the houses (unless I can work my way into the express line). I don't go into them because the lines are insane, and by that point I've already been through them all on the first and second weekends.

 

[Nitro_230]

Actually let me put it a different way. How do you feel about Disney parks on 4th of July, spring break and the week between Christmas and New Years?

Every year during those periods they have closures. The parks are slammed, but year after year it goes the same way. It's because that's when people choose to come. It's a well known fact. In fact at HHN you can tell that simply by looking at the ticket pricing. They try to use the pricing to drive you to the slower days.