A look at Disney, Universal Orlando,SeaWorld Parks, and other Theme Parks and attractions sprinkled with vacation planing tips, photos, and reviews.
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Showing posts with label Universal Orlando. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Universal Orlando. Show all posts
Right now If you book a Hotel stay.... Not Package …. Just a Hotel stay at one of these On-Site Resorts: Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel® and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel you will get Universal Unlimited Express Pass for free. Notice I mentioned only Hotel Stay and not Package. I will will explain that a little more here in just a bit.
Unlimited Express pass What is it:
Universal Express Unlimited ride access to skip the regular lines at participating rides and attractions at Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure. That's a value of $129** per person, per day. Valid theme park admission required. Not valid at Universal's Volcano Bay.
*Requires theme park admission. Valid only at participating rides and attractions in Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure. Not valid at Universal's Volcano Bay. Excludes separately ticketed events. Park-to-Park admission required to board the Hogwarts™ Express. Benefit valid only for guests of Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel® and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, for the number of guests staying in the room for the length of hotel stay. Available during normal theme park operating hours only. Additional restrictions may apply and benefits are subject to change without notice.
**Based on average price of a 2-Park Universal Express Unlimited™ pass ranging between $84.99 and $189.99.
So that is the legal explanation based on official verbiage directly from Universal Orlando's Website.
My Verbiage is this. This unlimited Express pass has tremendous Value depending on the time of year you go to Universal. It is worth its Weight in Gold During peak travel times like spring break and Holiday Rush, but at times during the school year, its basically is a piece of paper that has some value depending on the ride or attraction.
The express will cut down your wait time drastically during peak travel periods allowing you more access to more rides than if you were to be just in the regular standby line. It is not a Cut to the front of the line pass, its pass to get you a reduced wait time in an express line. Say the line was 2 hours long. Express Pass will cut that wait down maybe to 30 minutes. That is a pretty significant reduction of time and well worth it. Downside of the express pass is that in most attractions, you miss the storyline build up for the ride, especially in rides like Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Escape from Gringotts, and Transformers to name a few. If you have been on the attractions a few times and wish to skip the experience to build up the ride with the pre-shows, no harm no foul, more rides for you.
Now during Non-peak Travel times, normally when school is in session, the express pass loses value as you can see the price range above in the description. Rule of thumb is this: The less express pass cost, the probability of needing It is much lower. Many Days (especially during the weekdays)in September- early December, January-Late February, and Later April to Mid-May many of the rides will be walk on or have minimal waits. So there may be need for Express pass for Rides like Escape from Gringotts or The Hulk Coaster. See it still has some value.
So how do you get this express pass and is there a "hack"?
It's pretty easy to get the express pass when you book a hotel stay or Universal Orlando Package and stay at one of the Beautiful resorts of Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel® and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. On your check in day, you will get your picture taken for each member of your party and issued the express pass that expires on the day at Park closing when you check out. So as long as you have a Valid Theme park ticket, you now have unlimited access for you entire length of stay. Pretty awesome!
Now for the hack that can be pretty frustrating to some.... Let me preface this that there are rumors out there that Universal is trying to shut down this hack, so it may not work for you if the do this.
People during peak travel period (Spring Break and holiday rush)will book 1 night stays at Loews Royal Pacific Resort and Hard Rock Hotel® in lowest room categories knowing that they will get 2 days of express passes for free, but they will not actually stay at the resort. They end up saving a TON of money on having to buy express passes. Not only do they get the Unlimited Express passes, the now also get the early park entry.
How much a deal is it? Let's say you have a Family of 5, Buying 2 days of Express passes at the Highest price range$189.99+tax that is going to be roughly $1899.99+ Tax. You have to buy theme park tickets also. A Standard 2 queen bed room, the least expensive room, Non Discounted at Loew's Royal Pacific for Adults on December 26th, 2021 runs roughly $784 for the night plus comes with for 2 days express pass and early entry into the parks for "free". That family of 5 just roughly saved $1115.90. Not a bad hack if you are trying to save money during the peak travel period times.
That family may not even stay in the hotel that night because they are staying at rental house, timeshare or maybe a lower end "cheaper" hotel in the area.
Could Universal close down this hack?
Yes because in the verbiage of their express pass benefit they have this clause. Additional restrictions may apply and benefits are subject to change without notice.
How could they close it down?
Add a length of stay clause during peak travel times in order to get the express pass.
Could Universal Be losing money on the hack, yes and no. With the express pass they are selling "air" to reduce your wait. While this may have value to you, I am going to let you in on a little secret..... The express pass benefits Universal more than it does you.... The more time you spend waiting in line, less time you are are buying food and souvenirs.
One thing I try to cover with all my Clients before they arrive in Central Florida is the weather they may encounter. July 3rd and 4th brought some typical weather situations for the Wet Summer Season in Central Florida... Daily Severe Thunderstorms. The skies darkened and was filled with lightning. Tourist and Locals stood in front of Cinderella's Castle Hub and snapped photos of the castle being struck by lightning. While it may have gained some their 15 minutes of fame on the internet, it sure wasn't the brightest move. That picture or even staying in that spot to get the "best" view for fireworks sure isn't worth your life.
Florida is the Lightning Strike Capitol of the United States. While the
number fluctuate every year, the numbers are the usually the highest in
Florida for people struck by lighting. On our 2011 trip in August, we
were across the street at SeaWorld when 8 people were injured at Discovery Cove by a Lightning strike. These people were "lucky" they weren't killed, but less than a month later at Adventure Island in Tampa, an employee evacuating a slide was killed by a lightning strike. Lightning is not something to mess with, so take cover when lightning is in the area.
Here are some really good tips about what to do during the storms that hit the parks and this applies to all parks. 1) Don't stand out in the open! Get indoors!!!!
2) Don't Rush for the exit.
3) Head into a shop and let the storm pass
4) Go to an indoor ride that has an indoor queue
5)Check out an indoor show
6) Don't wait at an entrance to be first in line for a ride to reopen.
7) Don't get on a boat
8) Don't take shelter under a tree
9) Get out of and away from pools
10) Don't hang out on your balcony
You are not Doc Brown trying to send Marty McFly Back to the Future. You aren't going to save the day with that awesome picture. When you get hit by lighting, your vacations is over, you won't get to see that amazing fireworks display or selfie with Mickey. Be Smart and stay alive!
For Halloween Horror Nights 22 and Halloween Horror Nights 23, Universal experimented with new scare environments for those the events. Halloween Horror Nights 22 introduced NO scare zones and no place was safe; meaning that the scare zone of the past were gone and actors wandered the park. So if you were at restaurant eating, in store shopping, putting things in a locker, etc. the scareactors could wander by and scare the living daylights out of you. I personally thought this was great...... many other guest said it was too intense.(Halloween Horror Nights are Intense that is the whole point)
Halloween Horror Nights 23 brought about a Single theme for Scare Zones. They were all based on Iconic Scenes from Seasons 1 through 3 of The Walking Dead and Scareactors, in this case, zombies could wander from zone to zone beacause they fit the theme. There were also other scareactor tribes that wandered freely adding to the story line. This was decent but again other guest said it was too much and/or too boring.
So here comes Halloween Horror Nights 24 with the return of separate Scares Zones. The Purge: Anarchy, Bayou of Blood, Syfy's FaceOff, and MASKerade: Unsticthed. The Purge by far was the star of these Scare Zones but was in limited operation while we were there because of the weather. FaceOff was just a waste of space and time. Bayou of Blood had a lot of potential but then again weather kept us from seeing it in all of it glory.
Here is a small sample of what Scare Zones are like at Halloween Horror Nights. This is From Halloween Horror Nights 24 on September 19th, 2014 opening night. Some of the effects like Flames and the Scarectors were not able to get on the bus to do their shows on the intended stage because of the rain. The Bayou of Blood had the scareactors pulled out because of the rain.
Next years Halloween Horror Nights will be celebrating 25 years of scaring people! We hope to be able to be there to see what they have to offer as the event is already being planned and planning starting even before this year's event kicked off.
Make sure you use my services to help plan your Halloween Horror Nights Getaway! My expertise will help you get the most enjoyment and value from your Universal Orlando and Halloween Horror Nights getaway!
www.firehousefamilyvacations.com
The Hogwart's Express is truly a great experience. Your experience is enhanced by the level of Detail that Universal put into Kings Cross Station and Platform 9 3/4. From the Saxophone player as you enter the station to actually crossing into Platform 9 3/4, you will feel as if you are really on your way to Hogwarts! The hogsmeade station offers a great photo op with the Express in the background but the station itself is just so so. You will need a Park to Park ticket to experience this attraction and you will enjoy riding it back and forth as the to watch both shows to and from London!
Watch the detail with our spoiler free video
11) I do not add cost to your vacations. My planning services areFREE! That's right FREE!
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10) I make it easy to get a hold of me! You can always reach me viaEmail, phone, text message, or Facebook message. Sometimes I even Skype or Google Hang out with people. I try my hardest to get back with people within 24 hours! My promise to you is, if I say that I will get you something by a certain time, I will get it to you on time, or sooner!
9) I’m constantly monitoring for discounts that would apply to your Vacation. I put in a great deal of time researching promotions to see if you are really getting a discount or if it is just some marketing ploy to try to get you to book. That's right sometimes that big flashy promo is really no deal or savings. If you already have booked with me and a promotion with savings comes out that you qualify for, I will apply it to your Vacation. Once I get it applied to your Vacation, I will send you an email telling you how much money you’ve saved.(Please remember sometimes if you book a vacation, there can be restrictions that make changes unavailable or the new promotions may have restrictions you may not qualify for the promotion or discount. I will do my best to let you know if that would be the case when you book your vacation.)
8) I’ll provide you with detailed assistance that you deserve and again that assistance is FREE!That includes everything from booking, monitoring for discounts, determining the best time year for you to travel, parks hours and refurbishments, to helping you determine which theme parks to visit on which days. I can also provide touring plans to maximize your time enjoying attractions, rides and shows, helping minimize your time standing in line.
7) I have experience traveling with kids, large groups, adults only trips, and alone at various different times of the year. I also have been to theme parks with peak crowd levels that cause closures due to capacity and in the "off season" lighter crowds. Let me put that experience to work for you!
6) Advanced Dining Reservations(ADRs) at Disney can be confusing and time consuming. We can discuss what you are looking for in meals and make a plan. Then you can sleep in and I will get up early when you hit your 180 day mark and Advanced Dining Reservations become available to make those reservations for you. Once they are complete, I will send you an email with the list of dining experiences that have been booked for you. If at any time you wish to make changes up, until your arrival, I can assist in making any changes that you prefer along the way based on availability.
5) If you are considering a Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, or Busch Gardens vacation; there’s so much to do between the resort hotels and the theme parks than anyone could possibly experience all in one vacation. I have a vast first hand experience with all the theme parks in Central Florida and other theme parks across the country and will help you weigh your options and prioritize your choices so that your vacation fits your needs and wants.
4) I love Disney, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and all of Central Florida.I will always provide a honest, and direct opinion of particular resorts, attractions, restaurants, and add on experiences. If I think something is a waste of your money or time, I will let you know.
3) There are always "urban legends" about what Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, or the cruise lines offer. I will give you the facts and research any questions you may have to get you the right answer. Not only do I have an expansive knowledge of the the theme parks and resorts, I also have vast network of resources to assist me that many other agencies don't have!
2) There are many Vacation options that can be confusing or even missed, with that, I understand that vacation budgets can be tight. I also understand that sometimes you might be in the beginning stages of making a vacation budget. I can work with you to see what you want out of a vacation so that budget can be established and/or try to stay with in your established budget. If it is a spontaneous trip, large group/family reunion, or a trip that is years in the making, I will work with you to help you find what is right for you!
1) Unlike many agencies, I don't look at you as a client or commission check. I view you and treat you as a friend or family. I enjoy hearing about your vacation, experiences, and want you to enjoy your vacation!
The Current Hogwarts Express...Stay tuned something wickedly new is coming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I see many other agencies posting or bragging about the number of Clients they are booking and when they are going on Facebook or their personal websites, Why don't you?
A: I respect the privacy of the people I book vacations for. I believe it is up to the person traveling to post if they are going on vacation and whom they have booked through. I also do this for the safety of those that are on Vacations. Unfortunately there are opportunists out there that do scour Facebook to find vacant homes to break into and posting that someone is on vacation could give them that information. I will only post what my clients give me permission to post and then I will not identify them by full name.
Q: Other agencies have a testimonial page, why don't you.
A: I am in the process of constructing a testimonial page to add to my website and will not post fake testimonials to try to entice people to book with me or use my services. Until I do get this page added to my website, I would be more than willing to contact my previous clients to see if they would give me a recommendation to you.
Q: Other agencies post deals and promotions before you do, why is that?
A: Posting a promotion before it is officially announced can is just asking for trouble. The people that are posting may not have the information correct and/or be completely wrong about the promotion that is coming out. Many Agencies lose their partnerships for jumping the gun on posting before an official announcement.
Q: Why did you get into the business and why do you specialize in what you do?
A: A couple of years back, I booked through a large national company that will stay unnamed and was given extremely poor service. I walked in and told them what I wanted. They gladly took my money and gave me wrong information. They had no experience with the dining plan and the agent was confused when I asked if they could help with dining reservations. They got on the phone to see if they could do that and their answer was that they think they could, but it would cost extra. The agent was also telling my girls about attractions they could experience at Disney that were actually part of Universal. This left a bad taste in my mouth. So after several discussions with my wife, we decided it was time to open up shop and to give it some personal character based on my profession of being a firefighter. I specialize in Central Florida and the Theme Parks because they have something for everyone. I love traveling there and some day hope to live there. I knew I could help people plan their vacations and have been successful at doing so.
Q: Why don't you post more cruise deals on your Facebook page or web page?
A: There are so many promotions that run with cruise lines and many times the promotions have very small windows for booking or a lot of restrictions to them.
Q: I emailed you but never heard back from you?
A: Sometimes my Emails end up in spam folders based on your email providers settings. Please make sure you add Matt@Firehousefamilyvacations.com to your safe list so it doesn't end up there. Make sure you check your spam folder at least 24 hours after you contact me to make sure the email has not end up there. If you prefer to be contacted by means other than email, please let me know.
Before I get into the meat of this post, let me debunk some myths, urban legends, and rumors. First off I don't earn commission from the airlines! SouthWest Airlines may not be the cheapest or best option for your travel. This is just my experience with SouthWest Airlines.Occasionally a supplier, not the airline, will offer a percentage to every agent that uses them to try and get the agent to book everything through them. Sometimes it works out great for you as a client, other times not so much and in reality that commission maybe coming from an inflated airline ticket passed on to you. That is why I look at all the options that are available to you and make suggestions on airfare to you based on that; trying to save you money. I will be honest with you, many times cutting out flying and choosing to drive(if possible) will save you the most on any vacation.
Let's face it, flying isn't as easy as it used to be. There are fewer flights and so many hidden cost out there that at times airfare(especially during peak travel times) can actually cost more than rest of your vacation and that cheap advertised airfare is way too good to be true. I know that there are many options out there for choosing an airline and some of the airlines are region specific or seasonal in operation which can be frustrating. I have had the pleasure and displeasure of flying on the major airlines and some of the discounters airlines that are out there. In the current air travel market, I will have to say SouthWest Airlines WOWED me for our Spring Break Trip to Orlando! This is no frills flying at it's best! Just because it is no frills doesn't mean that is not quality!
So here is the scoop. We booked a Spring Break Trip to Orlando a little over 6 months prior to the trip happening. At that time the major airlines had their flight schedule and pricing available but I was not satisfied with how high the airfare was. So we dabbled with driving to Florida and I continued to watch airfare. At our 6 month mark, SouthWest Airlines released their air schedule and pricing. It was high but significantly lower than the other major airlines(yes SouthWest is a major airline now). So I began to play the waiting game to see if prices dropped and or increased. During that time I watched flights sell out and began to kick myself for not grabbing the flights. So I decided to make the jump and book the flights because the other major airlines were raising prices. SouthWest was raising their prices also but not as much as the other major airlines and flights their flights were becoming scarce. At one point Airfare on a major airline out of Kalamazoo was at over $800 per person round trip. We paid nowhere close to that with SouthWest and best of all there were NO BAGGAGE FEES for the first two bags! At the time I booked I was offered Early Bird Check In for a nominal fee per Flight. I choose not to get it, but at later date choose to purchase it still for a nominal fee.($12.50 per person) Keep Reading for more information about this.
From the moment we arrived at the counter to drop off our luggage until we stepped off the plane, we were greeted warmly and treated extremely pleasantly until we left the gate at our Destinations. When checking our bags we were informed our plane was running about 15 minutes late because of fog, but there was a chance that it would make that time back up.(it did!) We are a tall family, my wife is 6'2, and we were impressed with the leg room on the planes! There is no first class area separating the cabin of the plane this open cabin design allows more space between seats freeing up more leg room.
Seating is based on 3 groups of A, B, C. You are assigned a boarding group and number based on the Fare you purchase , Early Bird Check-In purchase, or at the time you Check-In following the 24 hour mark to your flight(check-in online as soon as possible when it becomes available, don't have a computer? Use the SouthWest Airlines App on your Smart Phone!) There are no TV monitors in the seats or in the cabin for you to watch. There is the ability to purchase Wi-Fi for your mobile devices to keep you entertained, or just bring a book or take a snooze for your flight. On our flights we were offered nuts, pretzels, and a non-alcoholic beverage that was complimentary but if you felt the need, you could purchase alcoholic beverages and other snacks. That right there in nutshell is No Frills Flying!
If you were to look online at the airfares that Southwest offers you might get confused. The lowest fare generally available is the Wanna Get Away but has the most restrictions etc. So here is a brief summary of the fares you can expect when booking a SouthWest fare.
Business Select
This fare gets you in the first portion of the "A" boarding group.
If your in there mileage club called the Rapid Rewards Club(always join the mileage clubs of any airline you fly on) you earn extra Rapid Rewards points
You will receive one premium beverage of your choice
These fares are refundable and changeable and may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines for the originally ticketed passenger only.
Lower fares may be available.
Anytime
The fares are refundable and changeable and may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines for the originally ticketed passenger only.
Lower fares may be available.
Wanna Get Away Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines for the originally ticketed passenger only.
Standby travel requires an upgrade to the Anytime fare.
Pretty straight forward when it comes to fares. We chose the Wanna Get Away Fare.
Things to consider when flying SouthWest.
Just because they may have a cheaper fare doesn't mean they are not a reliable, quality airline. They are great value and the employees genuinely seem happy to be working there and to serve you. (trust me some of the discounters airlines out there are scary)
They may not be the cheapest for your region. Shop around before you buy.
If you have kids and they are sitting in a seat, they will be the same fare as an adult sitting in a seat. If you have a child that qualifies to sit in your lap, they need to be sitting in your lap. This is strictly enforced on full flights.
Join the Rapid Rewards Club and Ding! newsletter, they will give a heads up on sales. SouthWest has some nice sales on airfare occasionally.
Consider purchasing an Early Bird Check-In option. Really consider this option especially if your not going to be near a computer 24 hours before your flight or you want a better chance of sitting with family members. Special note here Everyone on your flight has the option to buy the Early Bird Check-In, so in theory everyone could have bought Early Bird Check-In for your flight.
B and C boarding positions can make finding a seat a pain the rear on full flights but if you made it on the plane there is a seat for you. You may not like it though.
This is No Frills flying. If you need to be entertained, bring something to entertain yourself but follow all FAA regulations and listen to your flight attendants about electronic devices..
Nuts, Pretzels, or a non-alcoholic beverage not gonna be enough for you? After you make it past security, pick up something from a restaurant near your gate or gift shop and bring it on the plane with you.(this may or may not be available to do on your flight, check with the gate attendant first!)
If you hear the ticket agent asking for volunteers to get bumped from the flight,and if you have the flexibility to do so, find out what they are offering it may be extremely worth it.
Would I recommend SouthWest Airlines? Absolutely! My experience with them will make them my go to airline for my personal travel!
In a previous post I detailed what is included when you book a Carnival Cruise. Today, here is a look at what you get when you book a Royal Caribbean Cruise!
You get excellent value for your money in a Royal Caribbean cruise vacation which will include:
•Royal Caribbean
International representatives at most domestic and overseas arrival airports on
standard departure dates
•All meals onboard
(excluding some specialty restaurants)
•Complimentary room
service from 5am - Midnight
•All onboard
activities and entertainment, including rock climbing wall, ice skating*,
Flowrider®**, theatrical productions, and much more
•Fitness Centers
(some fitness classes and spa treatments will have additional fees)
•Adventure
Ocean®Activities Program
•Adventure
Ocean®Dining
*Currently available on Voyager and Freedom Class ships
**Currently available on Voyager and Freedom Class ships
What's NOT included in the price?
Additional costs include:
•Flight upgrades,
custom air arrangements, and transfers
•Shore excursions
•Gratuities
•Alcoholic
beverages and soft drinks
•Shopping and items
of a personal nature
Have you sailed with Royal Caribbean before? Tell us what your favorite ship is and favorite Itinerary! Coming soon, what you get on a Disney Cruise!
Halloween is upon us and that means there is no better time to share with you our adventure and tips from Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights. Universal Orlando Halloween Horror nightsis by far the best Halloween Party and Haunt in this country. Yes not only can you get scared, startled, shocked, and get a good laugh; it is definitely a party/nightclub atmosphere. This year at Halloween Horror Nights(HHN), Universal went a couple of different directions and moved away from some of the "safe" tried and proven elements they have had for the last 21 years. One of the biggest changes was that there was no Iconic Figure or theme for this year's event. Last Year's Icon was Lady Luck.I believe this was a good call by Universal because it didn't over shadow some of the bigger Icons that came with the Haunted Houses this year. So let's get down to it and tell you about the good, mediocre, and the fantastic of this event. Make sure you read all way to the end to find out some tips that will help you if you should decide to go to HHN in the future.
The Stage Shows:
It's time for Bill &Ted's Election Adventure
Astaple of HHN has been The Bill and Ted's Stage show. Each year the theme changes giving Bill and Ted chances takes jabs at Pop Culture for the past year. This year was no exception and this year controversy arose over the show and caused a change in the show half way through its HHN run. The show, which was in the old west stunt show/Fear Factor Live show arena, started out with a bunch of YouTube clips of people getting themselves Darwin Awards for doing stupid things.It keep the crowd groaning in sympathetic pains and laughing at the misfortunes of the not so bright.Showtime started out with a nice, seductive dance montage celebrating the end of the world and the Mayan Calendar. ( I had to explain it to the guy next to me that the dancer were Mayans, he was still too drunk to get it.) After some nice blindingly but fun pyrotechnics, we are then introduced to the stars of the show Bill and Ted. This year's show had Bill and Ted competing against each other and trying to earn peoples votes to become Class President. Que the jabs at Pop Culture. This year's show took jabs at everything from Katnis (from the Hunger Games) who kept "Volunteering" throughout the show, to Honey Boo Boo child(the actress did great job spoofing her), Mad Men, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Killer, The Avengers( the high school years), and in my opinion the best jab all being aimed at the Snow White characters that emerged from this year movies and TV Shows. All of the Snow Whites that we have known and come to love recently were fair game.They jabbed at Kristin Stewart from the Huntsmen noting that all her facial expression and acting were the same for every character she has ever played. Of course they also took a jab at Disney's Snow White with the Classic line" My name is Snow White, I live with seven men and my safe word is EPCOT."
As I did mention there was controversy with this year's Bill and Ted's show and it came in the form of an Epic Rap Battle betweenThe President and Mitt & Ann Romney. I really didn't pay much attention to this part of the show because it was the weakest, most uninteresting part of the show. The controversy goes that some people saw the skit too Pro-Obama and degrading towards Mitt Romney and the Mormon religion. To me it was just poorly paced and not funny.
The show's final dance number was great and so were the pyrotechnics. If find yourself at HHN, do not miss this show. Be forewarned this show is not for children and don't count on taking Pictures or Video of the show, they are very strict about allowing photography of any type during the show.
This year's new addition to the stage show line up was 20Penny Circus. Not much info was given out about this show before HHN or even on the park maps that were given out. I truly didn't know what to expect. We caught a glimpse of the show while waiting in line for The Walking Dead House on the big screen. From what we saw, we decided it wasn't worth going to see. Itwas basically an extreme side show attraction with comedy that most of the audience wasn't laughing at . We saw someone eating glass, putting a nail up their nose and couple of other not interesting magic tricks taken to the extreme.
mmm Peanut Butter
The Haunted Houses:
The amount of detail that Universal put into these haunts or haunted houses was amazing.Most of the houses were either built in former Soundstages or in storage areas. Some of the house were movie production quality and one just seemed like it was a last minute addition. (It may have been a last minute addition because of the construction happening that will TRANSFORM part of the studios.)I will list the houses in the order from Mediocre to the Best.(in my opinion)
7) Welcome to Silent Hill
I have never played the game and have never seen the Silent Hill movies , so this house left me confused. To me it seemed like someone was on a bad acid drip and tried to re-create their trippy nightmare. This house did nothing for me. No Scares and since I didn't play the games or see the movies, their attention to details were lost on me. I have no clue what the pink rabbit or pyramid headed stilt walker were suppose to be. Never got startled or scared in this house, very few screams from anyone were coming from this house.I give this one4 out of 10.
6)Universal's House of Horrors
This house was based on classic horror movies and monsters with characters like the Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Frankenstein to name a few. There was really interesting lighting in this house to make you feel like you were in a Black and White movie. That is about all that worked for this house. There weren't many scares here. The make-up on some of the Characters was top notch and some of the props were outstanding. There was an awkward section where you had to duck low to get under something(this was the only haunted house to do this) and made no sense. There was no gore factor in this house at all and had the shortest line. I would rate this house a 5 out of 10, but still better than any other haunted house I have been in outside of Universal.
5) Dead End
This house hadlot of detail but really no story to go with it. This was a full blown house built in a soundstage.I am not sure how long this took to build but I think house had everything but working plumbing when it came to the time and detail they put in this. The only drawback to this house was since there was a continuous line of people going through, it didn't allow the actors in the house an opportunity to reset and actually scare people.( Yes, there were people that got freaked out, just not me because I saw it coming.) There really wasn't any gore factor in this house and it seemed like a classic haunted house done very well. I would give this house a 6 out of 10
4) Alice Cooper's Welcome to my Nightmare
This was an interesting house as it was themed to the music and imagery of Alice Cooper's music. It was like walking through a 3D demented music video and it was great how the music changed from room to room. The gore factor was kicked up a notch in here and was a house youcould go through more than a few times and have different experiences each time. This house had areas that allowed the actors time to re-hide or blend into the scenery to get the scare factor up and surprise people. Having seen Alice Cooper themed haunted house before at Six Flags FrieghtFests, this house by far made Six Flags houses look like child's play.I give this house a 7 out of 10 for gore, scares, and detail.
3) AMC's The Walking Dead, Dead Inside
This is the Haunted House I was most looking forward to. If you are a fan of the show this is a haunt you would want to go through over and over again to pick out the details from the Iconic Scenes they chose from Seasons 1&2.You start out in the hospital and see the boarded door letting you know that there are dead inside. You then begin to snake your way though the hospital encountering Walkers.Then you transition(poorly) from the hospital to the Department store in Atlanta. From there you come to the RV and appear to be on the farm and enter the Barn.There are a lot of walkers in the barn, even the well-walker from Season 2. After surviving the Walkers in the Barn you exit into Walkers in the Highway Scene from season 2 and see a message for Sophia.(Sadly I don't think Sophia will ever get the message).The only drawback to this maze was the transitions from scene to scene, which is understandable . This had a decent gore factor to it and the Walkers were great. I Give this maze a 8.5 out of 10. Well done Universal!
2) Penn& Teller's Newkd Las Vegas
This house was a mixture of Illusions, laughter, and gore. It was nearly perfect and in 3D. This house should be rated R at the bare minimum. Las Vegas has been Nuked and Penn&Teller do a wonderful job of spoofing what Vegas would look like after it has been mutated by radiation. As you enter near the Iconic Welcome to Las Vegas sign you encounter a vomiting animatronic and it only gets more interesting from there. There is everything from a mutated buffet, three breasted lady, and a great Christmas light type room that words can't describe, especially with people in the room that reach for you that blend in because they are covered with lights. There are some things that didn't work well in this house and that is because of the constant line of people being pushed through. One such thing was the mutated buffet because you had the opportunity on the back side to press buttons to add special surprise to people at the buffet, but the inability to stop didn't allow it work. One thing that I missed was that on Select nights Penn& Teller were actually part of the House and took the time to meet fans. Nice touch! I give this house a solid 9 out of 10.
1) Gothic
Gothic was by far my favorite house. It had surprise elements, no gore, and stunning scenes. In this house, Gargoyles came to life and even at times flying down at or over people.The scenes had a lot of great detail and you were actually made to feel as if you were climbing to the roof a gothic style church. If you are afraid of heights the final scene would be sure to get you because it was of looking down on a city from high above. It was extremely convincing and detailed, while you were mesmerized by the final scene, occasionally a surprise would catch you off guard and make you scream. I give this house a 9.5 out of 10.
The atmosphere:
Universal this year went away from the safe Scare Zone where Creatures of the night would conjugate and scare the living daylights out of people that dare walk through. Instead this year they made it clear that ENTIRE studios was going to be the Scare Zone. Some of the fans of HHN didn't like this, I on the other hand loved it and enjoyed the freedom that the creatures had. I witnessed them chase people into the Locker areas, scare people while they were eating dinner, follow people into gift shops, and show up in unexpected places.For me this really worked well!To add to the ambience there of course was plenty of Fog, special lighting, Flame throwers(yes Flame throwers),and mood music.There was also plenty of opportunity for those who wished to get drunk to partake in their beverage of choice, and boy did some people seize that chance. To add to the experience this year as well, Universal took advantage of using the Cinema Spectacular show in the lagoon to pay tribute to Classic Horror Movies and Monsters. This was really a cool idea and nice added piece of entertainment.
The pictures that I and many others have taken really don't do this event justice. Adam TheWoo on other was able to capture this video that does a pretty good job of capturing the entire experience. Check it out.
This is an event that I am going to try to make a tradition to come to and have learned a lot from my experience here. I have many tips but will limit them here to 10 very important ones.
1) Plan now for HHN 23 in 2013, save your pennies to get here!
2) This event is not kid friendly. I saw many parents( and drunk parents) that had brought their young children (maybe around 5 years of age) and the kids were traumatized. Also there is a big Night Club Atmosphere here. In the end, it is up to you if you think your kids can handle this and if they can't if you can afford the years of therapy they will need after this.
3) If you want to drink, stay on site, don't overindulge, and bring plenty of money cause the drinks are expensive. Again know when to stay when, Stay on Site so you don't drive drunk or at least bring a Designated Driver. BE RESPONSIBLE
4) Buy the Express Pass and buy it in advance! This year really had no "slow" nights and line were quickly over 90 Minutes long. While in past years the express pass got you front of the line access, this year it was only guaranteed to cut your wait in half. If you want to see all the Haunted Houses in one night, you will need the express pass.
5) Be patient, you are going to have to wait in line.
6) Show up to the stage shows at least A half hour before show time, even if you have an express pass.If you can, sit the back row, these are the only seats that have a "back rest".
7) Take your time on the streets of Universal Studios and look for all the detail that has been put into the event.
8) Contact a Travel agent like myself to plan your trip, the ticket options and packages can be confusing. A Travel Agent like myself will help you find the best deal for you and make your trip nearly stress free.
9) Bring your wallet, HHN can be expensive but is worth every penny.
10) I can't emphasize these two enough, This is not an event for children and if you drink be responsible!
Enjoy some of our other pictures and thanks for reading .Click on the pictures for larger Images! Tell us about your adventures at HHN!
Adam The Woo doing his thing!
Holding area before we were unleashed into the night!
WALKERS!
These Walkers look hungry!
Poor Sophia
This was only part of the line, it was 120 minutes at this point
