HHNH Planning & Insider Tips (The 2015 Edition)

[DTH316]

;l

loo

"Hey Boils & Ghouls. Here's some more details on this year's early arrival program. It's available to all guests between 5-6:15 PM each night

You will be wrist banded and allowed to stay in the park before HHN officially opens at 7. Check out a ride, grab some food....etc

We will make two mazes available for early arrival. Walking Dead and Insidious on the lower lot. Both of those mazes will open early at 6:30

On certain nights we will do an early show of Jabbawockeez as well...if we are, that will be announced at the main gate so listen for that"
 

1. After that, head out to the backlot via the tram for AVP and Crimson Peak, then head upstairs for the rest of HHN. That should work best

   41 retweets122 favorites

   Reply

    

   Retweet

    

   41

    

   Favorite

    

   122

    

   More
2.  

   Horror Nights ‏@HorrorNights  Sep 16

   So here's my advise. Do early arrival (between 5-6:15). Do Walking Dead & Insidious first, then hit This is the End at 7.

    

    

Looks like there's no need for AP First Stab. If anything, regular early entry sounds AMAZING. 

Edited September 17, 2015 by DTH316

[Hauntfan]

^ I'm a little confused... Help me DTH!! So unlike previous years, we get let in right at 5, and hang out in the daytime park until 6:15, able to walk around and do anything correct? I feel like I'm getting this way, way wrong. If you have the link to where you read this Id love to see it for myself. Might save me a giant panic attack tonight.

 

thanks a lot and you've already saved me by putting this up.... So thanks again ;)

It won't let me edit for some reason, but I just found the tweet. You don't know how you saved my night. I was going to get there at like 5:45. Thanks  again

[DTH316]

Glad I could have helped!!!

[Hauntfan]

Maybe I missed it, but is there an Attack word this year?

[ahhwhatHhn]

Fourtontick

[Sir2lazyThe2nd]

Fourtontick

What is that?

[Kurseddragon]

What is that?

A really big tick.

[ahhwhatHhn]

It was my failed attempt at a joke apologizes. I thought two ton tick was a attack word from 2013 but an attack word is needed I'm taking my daughters and nieces this year for there first time.

[Arsik_22]

Alright, so I just found out the finalized plan for early entry in our daily bulletin board here at work. Not sure if anyone else has found out about the information and shared it on here, but just in case anyone is going today - here you go! 

Early entry time : 5:00-6:30pm 

New: All early entry guests will be given a wristband upon entry which will be used to identify them as early entry guests. **No additional charge for early entry. 

Wristband Benefits: Access to enjoy lower lot attractions, The Simpsons Ride, Despicable Me, and select mazes prior to event opening time. 

Guests are encouraged to attend 6:15pm Jabbawockeez show, who will also be given a 1 time use Front of the Line pass for a maze of their choice. **FOL Incentive pass will be given on first come, first serve basis. 

So there you have it guys! A new system for early entry that I think is actually implemented well. I'd still recommend skipping the first showing of Jabbawockeez, even with the FOL incentive pass. Get there at 5:00pm if possible, enjoy some of the rides ahead of time, and then head to the lower lot at 6:15 to be the first to hit Insidious, TWD, and This is the End. Then head to the backlot, knock those two mazes out, and head upstairs while the rest of the general public is barely coming down the stairway. I hope this helps out! =] Have fun! 

[Hauntfan]

^Thanks for the info. 

[DTH316]

Wow, 6:15 is pretty early for a showing and seems like an incentive a lot of people will take, meaning Insidious and TWD will be pretty empty for us doing maze options instead!

Oh God, this sounds WAY better than being cattle for an hour and a half, inching closer to the escalators.

[deliciousoatmeal]

Wow, 6:15 is pretty early for a showing and seems like an incentive a lot of people will take, meaning Insidious and TWD will be pretty empty for us doing maze options instead!

Oh God, this sounds WAY better than being cattle for an hour and a half, inching closer to the escalators.

A month or two ago when I was at the park it was jam-packed around the Simpsons area at closing time. That gave me enough HHN flashbacks for the year. I think I like this new early entry system.

[DTH316]

Whoever goes, whenever you get back or early tomorrow morning, please inform us more about the Early Entry system and how it all went down, smoothly or terrible! Will be very informative for the rest of us on what to make sure we do or avoid.

I have a feeling people will start lining up for Insidious and TWD right at 5 or at least hang by those areas until people let them in. I'm hoping not though because that'll really defeat the purpose of having smaller lines for the first 30 minutes.

[DTH316]

Jabbawockeez performances times are:

6:15 | 7:30 | 8:30 | 10:15 | 11:15 | 12:30 AM | 1:30 AM

Gotta hand it to these guys, seven half hour shows is ALOT of performances to do in one night, especially for multiple days in a row. 

[TNN]

Good Evening Everyone,

This is information about Early Entry.  It fits here, but can also apply to the Event Discussion and Ideas for Fixing Early Entry pages.

Early Entry is a great idea, is better than the past, and was a mess opening night.  This is to be expected when dealing with something new an no one having any idea what is happening, lack of communication.  The list goes on...  Despite the confusion it all worked out and everyone got inside without being trampled.

The second night was better and a total change from the previous day.  If that continues then no one here should have a problem because you all know how it works.  The public will still be confused and will need guidence.  Had to help a few people walking inside because they were lost lemmings.

Both Friday and Saturday people started to lineup for security around 3:30 - 4:00.  The gates and metal detectors were setup by 4:00 on Saturday.  You could get into the gate queue and wait until 5:00 to go through security.  Once through security you move to the right for Early Entry or to the gates for the Scaremony.

When you make it to the Early Entry point you present your ticket and it gets scanned or you move on to the next point.  Those of you with Front of The Line will get your badges here.  Tell the person checking your ticket that it is FOL so you get your badge.  They don't always notice, check, or care...  Keep hold of your FOL tickets, because there are issues this year with the badge breaking or falling apart.  People wearing them have lost them in mazes and walk out not knowing they've lost it.  Guest Relations mentioned this has been an issue and will replace your pass should it be lost.

The second point is where you get your wristband and maps.  From here you either move into the park or decide if you want to see the Jabbbaaaawwwwwaaaakeeeeeez show.  If you see the 6:15 show you get a one time FOL pass for a maze of your choice.

Now you are free to roam the park.  You can go everywhere, check out the props, enjoy some rides, eat food, or queue up for the mazes on the lower lot, take a nap...  They state that lower lot attractions close at 5:30.  They did not say the time upper lot attractions would close.  When you transition to the lower lot and while in the maze queues you were asked to show your wristband.  They did travel the entire queue line and checked each person while people were waiting for the opening.  Also, there is a bit of a walk to the tram that goes to the Backlot.  That and there are stairs involved.  Unsure how ADA access works to get to this tram drop off area.  Did see another area by The Walking Dead, but several ADA guests still took the normal tram entry area.

 

Experience from Friday & Saturday:

Went to The Walking Dead first on Friday and there was large number of people already in line.  The group was estimated to be at least 30 minutes from my position.  That did not include the FOL guests that were let in before the general entry queue.  Finished the Walking Dead and went to Insidious.  The queue was posted at 45 minutes, however actual time was approximately 20 minutes.  Moved to This is The End and the posted time was 15 minutes, with a wait of about 10 minutes.  Moved to the lower lot and the times for Crimson Peak and Alien vs Predator were not updated accurately.  Both mazes were around the 45 minute wait.  This is based on memory and may not be completely accurate.  After this point everyt queue started to fill and times were beyond 60 or 90 minutes and to be expected.  At the end of the night Crimson Peak and AVP had little or no wait time.  Posted times were 15 minutes for each, but the crowd in line for both looked smaller unless they were pulsing at this point.  

Went to Insidious the on Saturday.  The stairway was no open, but several people were already in queue waiting to wait for the maze.  At 5:30 the line streched past Jurrasic Park entry and was close to the middle of the lower lot central area.  Estimated group in front of my position at 15 to 20 minutes.  The staircase was opened and people queued upstairs and soon filled that area.  Eventually they opened all the queue areas and people waited outside the maze area until it opened.  The scareactors did tease the crowd for a bit prior to opening.  Entered Insidious at approximately 6:45.  Once leaving the maze the posted time was 45 minutes and that appeared to be accurate, though it could have been longer.  There were many people in the queue at this point.  Moved to the Backlot and looked at the posted time for the Walking Dead.  Posted time was 105 minutes.  You cannot see the full queue from entry area, but that appeared to be accurate.  The tram wait time was always short and approximately 5 minutes.  Crimson Peak and AVP did not have any posted wait times, but they could be estimated at 5 minutes.  Was able to experience Crimson Peak and AVP multiple times before the flood of guests from regular entry even made it to the Backlot.  Was able to complete both mazes at least twice before the first group was in the queue.  You may be able to get through more than that if you run from queue to queue.  Then was able to go into Crimson Peak one more time before the lines instantly increased to 30 minutes.  Transitioned to the lower lot for Insidious which had a posted wait time of 70 minutes.  The actual wait was about 60 minutes.  At this point everything else was 60+ minutes.  There was an issue with the Terror Tram on Saturday and I do not have answers.  Hopefully someone working the Terror Tram can explain or provide additional information.  Arrived at the TT with two tram loads of guests.  The entire path from start to finish was filled with guests.  It was one conga line like in anyone of the mazes.  There were many points where you were stopped and not moving.  Exiting the TT and waiting for the trams to get back to the park was also a long wait.  This was not an issue on Friday and hopefully this was some traffic issue.  When waiting in the TT exit area move to the right.  They funnel guests to the right and you wrap back around to the tram pickup area.  The TT was still in one piece during this fiasco so Freak must have been refuling his Purge Flame Cannon...

 

Recap:

This is The End and The Walking Dead had some of the longest wait times of both nights.  Halloween had a drop in wait time around 11:00 both nights.  This could be due to people transitioning, showtimes, or just a random occurance.  Halloween averaged around 60 - 90 minutes.  At the end of the night Saturday the  wait was 60 minutes.  Around 2:00 there appeared to be at least 20 minutes worth of guests in line.  Times for Insidious averaged around 70 - 90 minutes.  The last tram to the Backlot leaves at 1:45.  Crimson Peak and AVP had approximately 15 - 20 minute wait times posted towards the end of the night.  End of the night is around 1:00 for my calculations.

Overall was able to complete each maze twice on both days.  This was only accomplished with FOL tickets for the second run of most mazes.  The exception being Crimson Peak and AVP on Saturday during the empty queues before the main gate guests arrival.

There was time on both days to stop for food, sit, and enjoy scarezones.  There was time to see the Jabbawokeez show, though did not join it.

 

Stores:

For anyone that wants to know the Universal Store & Harry Potter store were still open at 2:35.  All the mazes queues were closed to new guests and Scarezones were empty.  Most food and beverage carts, stands, or buildings were closed at this point as well.

 

Hopefully this obnoxiously large post has some useful information for everyone.  Message me with any questions before my brain is purged...

Enjoy the fog...

Edited September 22, 2015 by TNN
Updating Info

[DTH316]

Great post and very helpful to those who are still yet to go. So did you not get to do TWD on Saturday? And did you ever have time to see the Jabbawockeez show? 
Based on your two experiences, what would you say is the best game plan of attack?

[ZetaParadox]

So, I'm going on a Thursday and I just wanted to see this years game plan and being able to visit all mazes at least once. If there's any revisions I should make, please do. My current schedule consists of getting there at 5 or before, for Early Entry and not going on any rides just so we can be in line already, due to the lines being long before the park has even opened yet, which I heard, then from there, running to every maze. I would love your guys' output and feedback and help!

I think my current plan is this:

TWD, Insidious, TITE, Crimson peak, AvP, (maybe tt) Halloween.

Does that sound good, or should I go with...

Plan B:

TWD, TITE, Crimson Peak, AvP , Insidious, (maybe tt if I have time), Halloween.

Edited September 22, 2015 by ZetaParadox

[DTH316]

So, I'm going on a Thursday and I just wanted to see this years game plan and being able to visit all mazes at least once. If there's any revisions I should make, please do. My current schedule consists of getting there at 5 or before, for Early Entry and not going on any rides just so we can be in line already, due to the lines being long before the park has even opened yet, which I heard, then from there, running to every maze. I would love your guys' output and feedback and help!

I think my current plan is this:

TWD, Insidious, TITE, Crimson peak, AvP, (maybe tt) Halloween.

Does that sound good, or should I go with...

Plan B:

TWD, TITE, Crimson Peak, AvP , Insidious, (maybe tt if I have time), Halloween.

You'll have plenty of time on a Thursday for either plan. I wouldn't recommend saving Halloween last though. Try to get that some time in the middle of your night before TT closes. From 7 - 9 and 11:30 - 1:30, that maze has a 100 minute wait time (which will prob translate to 70 mins on a Thursday).

[ZetaParadox]

By the way does anybody know the Horror Nights Wait Time website?

[DTH316]

hhnwaittimes.com

[TNN]

Great post and very helpful to those who are still yet to go. So did you not get to do TWD on Saturday? And did you ever have time to see the Jabbawockeez show? 
Based on your two experiences, what would you say is the best game plan of attack?

Thank you DTH

 

Updated the original post and will include the answers here as well.

Was able to experience the mazes twice on each day, the exception being This Is The End on Saturday (only once with FOL).  This was accomplished with Early Entry and FOL.
The Walking Dead should be first based on the wait times experienced at this point.  Hopefully this changes during the event.  That may only happen if the number of Early Entry guests are limited.  You could see the endless number of guests coming down the Starway for Early Entry while in the Insidious queue.

There were two opportunities to see the Jabbaawockeez show on both nights.  Some how it was bypassed each time...not sure how that happened...

Plan of attack is go to The Walking Dead first unless something else changes.  Finish the lower lot and move down to the Backlot as soon as possible.  If you are okay with skipping a maze or only seeing it once then bypass This Is The End.  Skip it all together or use your FOL access on it when you come back from the Backlot.  (The maze is not terrible, but most people here want more of an experience and this can be sacrificed for that.  This is just a personal opinion.)  At this point move to the Terror Tram or Halloween as options.  Though the waits are going to be long everywhere so use your best judgement or the opposite of those around you...

[Freak]

From what it sounds like the back lot is not that crowded this year. Is that the case for those who went on opening weekend?

[DTH316]

From what it sounds like the back lot is not that crowded this year. Is that the case for those who went on opening weekend?

It's pretty tolerable for the beginning and the end. I'd say 40 min waits between 7:30 - 9, 12 - 2. While from 9 -12, it's maybe 60-80 at the most, which isn't that bad in comparison to the other mazes all 80 - 150.

[Freak]

It's pretty tolerable for the beginning and the end. I'd say 40 min waits between 7:30 - 9, 12 - 2. While from 9 -12, it's maybe 60-80 at the most, which isn't that bad in comparison to the other mazes all 80 - 150.

Interesting. I guess a promotional film and a repeat aren't too terribly popular. I'm pretty surprised.

Thanks for the response! You are like the wise man on the mountain for HHN wait times! I want to see the opening scaremony as I always do Friday, so I guess I'll hi the lower lot first this year.

[hhnfanforever]

Hey guys I'm going next Friday with a friend who has fairly severe anxiety (he can't be 'trapped' in a crowd for too long or else he may have an attack), do you know if they offer Disabled passes for people without physical disabilities?  Where to go to get them? Do you have to register for it or anything like that?  Thank you