You still have until November 3rd to experience Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando and tickets are still available for all nights of the event! The DIS Unlimited team has collectively visited several nights and have come up with a list our best tips for this year’s event.
Stay and Scream OR Stay Late
Stay and Scream allows day guests to stay in the park or get in early to Halloween Horror Nights. As long as you are in Universal Studios by 5 p.m., you have the ability to be among the first guests in the houses. In fact, you get as many as 4 – 5 houses done before the event officially begins at 6:30 p.m. This is obviously a huge perk but it sometimes very crowded and very hot. Even if you don’t get much accomplished, this is a great time to ease into the event and grab a drink or a snack if you prefer.
The flip side is, midnight – 2 a.m. is also a great time for low waits. You could go through nearly all the houses in this two hour time frame depending on crowds. Also the heat and rain is typically better this time of night.
I’ve personally stayed for all of Halloween Horror Nights 5 p.m. until 2 a.m. but it was brutal. This is a long night of lots of standing in line and walking so plan accordingly. I can be done but you’ll want to be well-rested, drink plenty of water, and take a break when the lines start to get long.
Be Smart with Your Stay and Scream Time
Stay and Scream really only gives you an hour of getting into the houses early so you have to be strategic. One of our best tips is to choose the New York Stay and Scream area so that you can grab a drink or snack until guests start moving through the houses. If you immediately hop in a line, you’re only going to be standing in the sun until the houses actually open. But if you wait for the line to start moving, you’ll cut down your wait time.
After your first house, keep going to the next closest one with the shortest wait. Eventually you’ll see the crowds starting to make their way to the back of the park and wait times will go up pretty quickly.
If the Lines are Low, Keep Going to the Next House
If there’s a low wait (30 minutes or less) don’t waste time with pictures, Scare Zones, snacks, etc. Keep going to the next house. Wait times will increase and you don’t want to be indecisive and miss your window on getting more done. Inevitably, the event will have long waits around 9 – 11 p.m. so use that time to slow down and enjoy things other than the houses.
Don’t Feel Like You Have to Buy the Express Pass
Our team is divided on whether or not the Express Pass for Halloween Horror Nights is worth the price tag of an extra $200. We think it’s worth it if you’re only visiting once and want to visit all the houses without waiting in line longer than 20 minutes. If you maximize your time early or late in the evening, you can visit every house. Or better yet, use the extra $200 to purchase a second ticket to visit twice. If you get to the event and the lines and crowds are too much, you can also purchase half-off Express starting at 11 pm.
Buy the “Blinky Cup”
Even if you’re only going to Horror Nights once, or maybe only plan on two drinks, it’s worth getting. The cost of the souvenir cup is $4 more than getting a 12 ounce drink alone and your 16 ounce refills are the price of a 12 ounce drink. Our tip here is to also use your cup to get water refills from any of the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines throughout the park. Staying hydrated in the heat and long lines is super important and this allows you to bring one less thing into the park with you.
Save the Tribute Store for During the Day
We love a good Tribute Store and limited-time merchandise but you can also visit the Tribute Store as a regular day guest and even find most of the merchandise at Universal City Walk. There is so much to do at Horror Night’s and unless you’re looking for ways to stay indoors or get away from the scares, save that time for houses.
Save the Rides for During the Day
You might be tempted by low wait times but if you’re paying for a Horror Nights ticket, stick to event exclusive activities. Attractions like Escape from Gringotts can still have a surprisingly long wait and that really eats into your 8 hours of the event.
Even if You’re Scared, Keep Your Eyes Open
If you’re scared, you’ll likely be tempted to close your eyes in at least one of the houses, but don’t do it! Once you’ve been through two houses, you get into a rhythm of where and how the scares are going to happen. This is a super power if you’re scared and it’ll help with the dread of anticipation.
Use the Universal App for Wait Times
Wait times are often inflated on the signs outside the houses so the app is your best bet for a more accurate wait time. In the app, you can also set reminder alerts for when wait times reach a set time. Just keep in mind that wait times can quickly change so do your feet a favor and try to stick to one area of the park at a time.
Go More than Once
Even with the best strategy, there’s truly no way to see and experience all of Horror Nights in one night. Especially if you are wanting to do all the houses but still experience other things like Scare Zones or Nightmare Fuel. Try to schedule two nights at Halloween Horror Nights if you can.
If you plan on visiting more than twice, you should go ahead and purchase a Frequent Fear Pass since it’ll save you money and allow you to go multiple times. These passes start at just $239.99 or you can purchase a Rush of Fear Pass to visit only during the month of September for just $179.99.
Our last tip is to watch our full video review of this year’s Halloween Horror Nights with even more tips and our list of best and worst! Be sure to also let us know in the comments which tips and tricks we might have missed. Happy Halloween!
