HHN 26: Ticket, RIP Tours, and Pass Information

[Dermitder]

For the last few years I always booked the UTH tour on the phone. This year I booked it on the website.

When booking on the phone I received a mail from VIP services with further instructions when and where to meet etc. and this time I only received a mail from the UO online store with instructions to pick up the tickets at the Will Call Kiosk (there were no tickets the previous years for the tour).

I am just curios how that works or worked last year (where I think you could book the UTH tour on the website as well). Do I print "tickets" which basically contain what the mail usually contained or should I have received another mail from VIP services?

 

[IzzyB]

You never know! My girlfriend thought she would hate it, her and her family and friends and everybody said she wouldn't last fifteen minutes... she ended up buying a Frequent Fear pass. She's a huge fan now. Gets a kick out of the houses, LOVES making friends with all of the scareactors in the scare zones, loved the shows, everything.

HHN is a totally different thing than a horror film. Films for the most part take their time to build suspense, manipulating you over the course of an hour or two. As opposed to the slow burn of a movie, HHN is trying to get you within a span of minutes, repeatedly many times over several hours. It's a completely different dynamic, and some people can handle that dynamic easily who might not do great with horror films (and vice versa). Most of the houses and scare zones are trying to get you with misdirection, have a cool effect or set piece or something in one direction, then something jumping out at you from the other direction, so it can almost become like a game of trying to figure out what their tricks are.

I agree. I hate horror movies and refuse to watch them. But I LOVE HHN. It is just awesome and very different from watching movies. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I love decorating for it and scaring the kids on Halloween night. So HHN is right up my alley.

 

[rockingamer20]

Hey all, I have a quick question. I usually go the 2nd weekend and do the Passholder party and work my way to the front, but I'm hearing that stay and scream is a much better option. So which is better AP or S&S? And if so, what is the best strategy to hit up the houses?

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

Hey all, I have a quick question. I usually go the 2nd weekend and do the Passholder party and work my way to the front, but I'm hearing that stay and scream is a much better option. So which is better AP or S&S? And if so, what is the best strategy to hit up the houses?

Based on what everyone said last year the AP party was a nightmare and caused long lines at the houses saving you no time. Stay and Scream typically has 4 zones: Hello Kitty (formerly Lucy), Finnegan's, Diagon, and Springfield. These are most likely the houses those zones will empty out into:

Hello Kitty: AHS/Mega House
Finnegan's: TWD or Ghost Town/Requel
Diagon: Krampus/MIB Tent
Springfield: TCM

Last year Diagon went to Insidious with Springfield but now that there's a house closer to Diagon I think they'll have that one.

 

[Cameron]

For the last few years I always booked the UTH tour on the phone. This year I booked it on the website.

When booking on the phone I received a mail from VIP services with further instructions when and where to meet etc. and this time I only received a mail from the UO online store with instructions to pick up the tickets at the Will Call Kiosk (there were no tickets the previous years for the tour).

I am just curios how that works or worked last year (where I think you could book the UTH tour on the website as well). Do I print "tickets" which basically contain what the mail usually contained or should I have received another mail from VIP services?

You just print your ticket at the will call kiosk and then report to the guest services tour office. It's located just to the left of the guest services windows.

 

[SeventyOne]

I think we really need to know which houses are going where before we start game-planning touring plans for S&S and the like.

 

[Brian G.]

Also keep in mind, this is the Pass & Tour info thread - not house location speculation. I'm going to be cleaning up this thread.

 

[Freddyglove]

Here's an Express related question.

What's your general rule of thumb for when to use it? I intend to do stay and scream near Lucy (Kitty, whatever) until my luck runs out, and then maybe head over to the MIB area where the houses tend to be really busy, maybe use Express on the heavy hitters before they reach 2 hour lineups, then just take it as it comes based on wait times after that.

All that is to say - when you see a 2 hour standby for a popular house, do you think "Time to use Express", or "I should wait until that drops a bit so I don't wait 45 min in Express"?

 

[JoeCamel]

Here's an Express related question.

What's your general rule of thumb for when to use it? I intend to do stay and scream near Lucy (Kitty, whatever) until my luck runs out, and then maybe head over to the MIB area where the houses tend to be really busy, maybe use Express on the heavy hitters before they reach 2 hour lineups, then just take it as it comes based on wait times after that.

All that is to say - when you see a 2 hour standby for a popular house, do you think "Time to use Express", or "I should wait until that drops a bit so I don't wait 45 min in Express"?

I hit what I can for S&S then hang in the scarezones or take a "break" until the initial rush is over. Then I see what the situation is, if the standby is an hour I hit it with express and do that house. If I use up all the express I know that later in the evening the lines will be much shorter so I can revisit any I want to do again. I fill in with the shows and you can spend hours catching all the finer points of scarezones

I think with as many nights as you will be there you can pretty much do what you want to. Just follow Chuck if you have any doubt, the man is a touring machine.

At least that is my plan

 

[kingcooger]

If this is in the wrong thread, please move it.

Since we now know that Tomb of the Ancients has gotten a lot of love and attention from A&D my question becomes, what houses do people think are going to be on the lights on tour?

The last few years we have gotten one original each tour with two IPs. This year all three originals sound like they should be on the tour, so which one gets cut (assuming the same system is in play)? I have to imagine the GP will want Chance, A&D will want to show off Tomb of the Ancients, and old school fans will want to see the rumored Ghost Town house. Does anyone have any insight?

 

[Freddyglove]

I hit what I can for S&S then hang in the scarezones or take a "break" until the initial rush is over. Then I see what the situation is, if the standby is an hour I hit it with express and do that house. If I use up all the express I know that later in the evening the lines will be much shorter so I can revisit any I want to do again. I fill in with the shows and you can spend hours catching all the finer points of scarezones

I think with as many nights as you will be there you can pretty much do what you want to. Just follow Chuck if you have any doubt, the man is a touring machine.

At least that is my plan

Excellent advice my friend. You're always there when I need you!

 

[bob albert]

Question about the Passholder party? Were the stay and scream people last year able to go to the same houses or did pass holders have exclusive access but too large a crowd? Also does the exclusive bill and ted have any value? I thought the first shows were usually easy enough to get into.

 

[s8film40]

Question about the Passholder party? Were the stay and scream people last year able to go to the same houses or did pass holders have exclusive access but too large a crowd? Also does the exclusive bill and ted have any value? I thought the first shows were usually easy enough to get into.

The AP event is the S&S. I think if you don't have the reservation for the AP event you have to go to one of the other S&S locations. The wristband gets you in the express side for the B&T show.

 

[Frank Drackman]

Question about the Passholder party? Were the stay and scream people last year able to go to the same houses or did pass holders have exclusive access but too large a crowd? Also does the exclusive bill and ted have any value? I thought the first shows were usually easy enough to get into.

The AP event is the S&S. I think if you don't have the reservation for the AP event you have to go to one of the other S&S locations. The wristband gets you in the express side for the B&T show.

I'm pretty sure you need the AP wristband to be in the area where the three AP preview houses are those 1st two FRI/SAT nights. I think all other nights S&S uses one or two of those houses. I know in years past, I left the area and needed to show my wristband to get back in (wanted too see how the Sound Stage houses lines looked). What I noticed was that even though the front gates opened a bit before the start of the event, they still kept people out of the AP area until the official start time of the event (plus I think the AP event starts earlier than S&S).

I have no clue how they will do this this year since there is now a house by MiB as the stop point was over by the London water front on one side and by Kid Zone on the other...but maybe the new tent house by MiB opens later.

Anyway, that is what I recall from years past, but things can change.

Oh, also last year when we did Scareactors dinning we were able to get an AP wristband there and they were willing to escort us over to that area, but we decided to just stay were we were since we were getting FvJ that night and figured that was better than being at the back of the line for the AP houses.

Oh and take seriously suggestions of wearing sunglasses as I never do and I can never see anything in the houses during the AP event...I always end up walking the wrong way or up getting lost with no clue as to which way I am supposed to walk.

 

[snayberry]

Thinking of doing a tour this year. Is it fun and worth it?

 

[foodstampsFTW]

Which tour

 

[snayberry]

Which tour

Oops, I meant Unmasking The Horror tour.

 

[MrRoamer]

Oops, I meant Unmasking The Horror tour.

Definitely. I can't recommend unmasking enough.

 

[foodstampsFTW]

If you can drop the money, definitely do it

 

[kingcooger]

Thinking of doing a tour this year. Is it fun and worth it?

Having done the tour many times, I have to say it is a must see experience. They provide so much insight on the houses, effects that did not work, and how A&D approached each house.