RIP Tour back for 2017 - why you should consider this

[zombieman]

The RIP ticket disappeared from HHN for a few years.  In my opinion, it was THE BEST way to experience HHN, hands down.

 

The main perk you get is a FOTL pass that has no limits.  Want to visit your favorite house 20 times?  You can.  The value of this perk is incalculable, but we can try...

FOTL passes vs general admission on a very crowded Saturday night is $120 difference.  That's $120 just to be able to skip the lines ONE TIME per house.  That's about $15 per house.  OUCH!

But the RIP pass lets you skip those lines as many times as you want.  So if you went to each house three times, that's a $240 value right there over the FOTL pass.

 

Another perk is a very good buffet that includes two drinks (trust me - really good).  With theme park pricing, this is easily a $40 value

 

Valet parking perk is valued at $20 (difference between regular and valet), but if you have multiple people in your group the value per person goes way down.

 

 

In past years, the VIP ticket had a short tour that consisted of meeting at tine slot during the event and getting on the VIP tram for a 1 hour tour.  They did some special scare stuff just for that tour (no word if they are doing something like that this year).  This year it looks like it's a guided (walking) tour of the houses, which I'm sure will include some backstory.  If it was me, I'd consider just skipping the tour and going nuts with the unlimited FOTL lanyard, because the tour is going to include rides you would probably skip anyway.

 

The RIP tour costs about $200 more than a GA ticket or $100 more than the FOTL.

For the value of the perks, it's really a great deal.

For an even better experience, go on a super-crowded Sat night and laugh at people in the 3 hour lines as you breeze past them.

 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2017 by zombieman

[dereksdominance]

I'll just never be able to justify paying $300 for a few hours, when I literally paid $300 for three full days at Coachella. The buffet and drinks and tour sound like really nice additions but I honestly am fine without them. And with early entry a front of the line allows a double and even triple walkthrough of the mazes, and that's enough for me. I think it's definitely right for some people though!

[JonaMar]

Having worked the event last year, I personally don't think it's worth it. That's just my opinion. We gave out a stupid amount of Gate A admission to people who didn't have FOL passes. The sheer amount of return time passes is astounding (in the high tens of thousands FYI), and a lot of those were to people who didn't have the Orange disabled guest pass. So if I'd want to go through every maze multiple times, here's what I'd do: Show up early, go the the back lot mazes first, IGNORE The Shinning. It's going to open first, but FUUUUUCK that, go straight down Route 666 and into the back lot mazes. Hit AHS first, then jigsaw (or whatever maze will be where FVJ was last year) then go to AvE. Make your way back up the route, hit Insidious, then The Shinning. Finish with going upstairs. Lie and say you had you orange RT pass stolen or lost and ask for a new one, the Maze hosts for the Route have to write hundreds of RT passes in a very short time frame, they don't get paid enough, and they don't care. Ask them for one and use that to get more RT passes to all the other mazes (trust me, it works) and badabing-badaboom, you've now shortcut all the mazes. I have both seen this work and have done it myself in the past. The buffet, drinks, and hour tour on a VIP tram just isn't worth the extra money. Also, do all this on a thursday and you are guaranteed short lines. 

[dereksdominance]

2 hours ago, JonaMar said:

Having worked the event last year, I personally don't think it's worth it. That's just my opinion. We gave out a stupid amount of Gate A admission to people who didn't have FOL passes. The sheer amount of return time passes is astounding (in the high tens of thousands FYI), and a lot of those were to people who didn't have the Orange disabled guest pass. So if I'd want to go through every maze multiple times, here's what I'd do: Show up early, go the the back lot mazes first, IGNORE The Shinning. It's going to open first, but FUUUUUCK that, go straight down Route 666 and into the back lot mazes. Hit AHS first, then jigsaw (or whatever maze will be where FVJ was last year) then go to AvE. Make your way back up the route, hit Insidious, then The Shinning. Finish with going upstairs. Lie and say you had you orange RT pass stolen or lost and ask for a new one, the Maze hosts for the Route have to write hundreds of RT passes in a very short time frame, they don't get paid enough, and they don't care. Ask them for one and use that to get more RT passes to all the other mazes (trust me, it works) and badabing-badaboom, you've now shortcut all the mazes. I have both seen this work and have done it myself in the past. The buffet, drinks, and hour tour on a VIP tram just isn't worth the extra money. Also, do all this on a thursday and you are guaranteed short lines. 

I could never lie and cheat the system but I am going on a Thursday this year and my best friend said lines never exceeded 30 minutes on a Thurs. last year, so I can easily redo all my favorite mazes. I'm really not trying to hate on RIP, I think some people would love to have a private tour and would remember that forever. But that's just not up to my speed. 

[JonaMar]

8 hours ago, dereksdominance said:

I could never lie and cheat the system but I am going on a Thursday this year and my best friend said lines never exceeded 30 minutes on a Thurs. last year, so I can easily redo all my favorite mazes. I'm really not trying to hate on RIP, I think some people would love to have a private tour and would remember that forever. But that's just not up to my speed. 

Totally respectable. Get there early on a thursday and follow the maze guide I gave you, it will have the shortest lines and you'll be able to do all the backlot and some of the lower lot before the event is in full swing. 

[Barbie06]

I've never done the VIP/RIP tour experience but am considering it this year for my birthday. Does the tour guide walk you to each maze? Or do they just take you on the tram? The website seems a little vague about this. 

[StraightEdge]

I'm trying to get two, hope they don't sell out in like 2 or 3 weeks for opening night which I really doubt, I think they'll sell out a few days before the first day

Edited August 7, 2017 by StraightEdge

[Hanniel]

Last year I chose to take the cheaper route and got General Admission to opening night (Sept. 15th 2016).  Using the advice that many swear by, I got in early, went to the backlot first, etc.  Well, it just so happened that last year saw record attendance and I ended up not being able to do every maze, or even go on a single ride. 

 

I ended up going again later that season and getting front of the line passes, which allowed me to experience everything I wanted.  After experiencing 3 1/2 hour lines, I will gladly pay extra for front of the line passes, especially since I can't go on Thursdays.

 

This year, I even got the RIP Tour for Opening Night, something I've never experienced before, and I am really hyped for it.  As the OP mentioned, I did the math and found the Unlimited FOL well worth it.  If I wasn't one to do the same mazes and even rides numerous times, I might have just done the single FOL.

[zombieman]

There is a ton of abuse of the orange cards.  Recently had to go to guest services and waited behind two BIG groups of people who were looking for "disability" passes because someone in their group claimed to get anxiety and panic attacks waiting in long lines.  Give me a damn break.  Where can I get a Snowflake pass?  But this is the world in which we live.

 

In years past, I would agree that going on a Thursday night or opening weekend would get you low wait times.  Not anymore.  Last year HHN Hollywood sold out almost every night.  Remember that it was not that long ago that the Frequent Fear pass was limited to a very few people who bought them far ahead of time.  Now they sell them all throughout October.  They are ensuring that the park will be at capacity every night.  When that happens, there is NO DIFFERENCE between a Saturday and a Thursday.  Capacity is capacity.  Last year I went closing weekend.  Remember, they didn't even promote this extension until well into October.  The lines were still well over an hour long for just about anything.

 

I'm at the age where I don't have the energy I had to be able to race from one thing to the other.  Going RIP is a guaranteed way to do everything you want as much as you want, without sprinting anywhere or constantly checking wait times.  

 

[Mother Firefly]

Can the people doing RIP this year please come back and let us know what the tour consists of after you do it? I'm planning on going later in October and I love to know what to expect as it gets closer! 

[dereksdominance]

On ‎8‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 1:18 PM, zombieman said:

There is a ton of abuse of the orange cards.  Recently had to go to guest services and waited behind two BIG groups of people who were looking for "disability" passes because someone in their group claimed to get anxiety and panic attacks waiting in long lines.  Give me a damn break.  Where can I get a Snowflake pass?  But this is the world in which we live.

 

In years past, I would agree that going on a Thursday night or opening weekend would get you low wait times.  Not anymore.  Last year HHN Hollywood sold out almost every night.  Remember that it was not that long ago that the Frequent Fear pass was limited to a very few people who bought them far ahead of time.  Now they sell them all throughout October.  They are ensuring that the park will be at capacity every night.  When that happens, there is NO DIFFERENCE between a Saturday and a Thursday.  Capacity is capacity.  Last year I went closing weekend.  Remember, they didn't even promote this extension until well into October.  The lines were still well over an hour long for just about anything.

 

I'm at the age where I don't have the energy I had to be able to race from one thing to the other.  Going RIP is a guaranteed way to do everything you want as much as you want, without sprinting anywhere or constantly checking wait times.  

 

I can't remember which Thursday my friends went but they told me it really was empty, and not believing them I looked at the wait times website and the longest line was The Exorcist at around 45 minutes. Maybe they just got lucky? I'll see for myself I guess, but with multiple trips and one with FOL I'll definitely revisit all my favorite mazes this season. 

 

As far as the abuse of orange cards goes, I'm so angry. I had social anxiety as a teen and HHN is the last place I would have wanted to go to for fun. Don't mean to bring up Knotts but they had a little booth where you could win a FOL card for any one maze, and that was perfect for us when the park hit max capacity and we just could not get ourselves to wait in a two hour line. Wish Universal would consider something similar. 

[zombiemilkshake]

My family and I travel from out of state to attend HHN so we're really happy that VIP is back. We've done general admission and FoL too, but with VIP there are no worries and it makes our trip worth it. Last year we did FoL on a Thursday and with early entry and proper planning we were able to keep busy almost the entire night, but there were some mazes we didn't get to go in more than once. The last time VIP was offered there was the guided tour, but my group bailed since it was just our dining group walking through mazes together. The year prior they had the extra Insidious experience which was a lot of fun, but I don't think they are doing anything like that this year. Unfortunately this year our schedule would only work out to go on one of the most expensive nights, but at least we won't have to rush or worry about missing out and if there is an Insidious maze I can tiptoe through the tulips to my heart's content.

[FattYeli17]

On 8/7/2017 at 1:18 PM, zombieman said:

There is a ton of abuse of the orange cards.  Recently had to go to guest services and waited behind two BIG groups of people who were looking for "disability" passes because someone in their group claimed to get anxiety and panic attacks waiting in long lines.  Give me a damn break.  Where can I get a Snowflake pass?  But this is the world in which we live.

 

In years past, I would agree that going on a Thursday night or opening weekend would get you low wait times.  Not anymore.  Last year HHN Hollywood sold out almost every night.  Remember that it was not that long ago that the Frequent Fear pass was limited to a very few people who bought them far ahead of time.  Now they sell them all throughout October.  They are ensuring that the park will be at capacity every night.  When that happens, there is NO DIFFERENCE between a Saturday and a Thursday.  Capacity is capacity.  Last year I went closing weekend.  Remember, they didn't even promote this extension until well into October.  The lines were still well over an hour long for just about anything.

 

I'm at the age where I don't have the energy I had to be able to race from one thing to the other.  Going RIP is a guaranteed way to do everything you want as much as you want, without sprinting anywhere or constantly checking wait times.  

 

With all due respect, I am curious.

with UNIVERSAL constantly rising the prices with general admission, and FOL, 

don't you think more people would be abusing the orange cards as a way to take advantage of the system?

I'm not saying it's right, but I'm surprised more people don't do this, seeing as the ticket prices keep sky rocketing each year.

 

I myself will be doing both G.A. and VIP, as I've never experienced it before.

I'm sure there are some people that actually DO need the orange pass, but I don't know.

People will abuse it as always I'm sure. Catch 22, I guess?

[zombieman]

9 minutes ago, FattYeli17 said:

With all due respect, I am curious.

with UNIVERSAL constantly rising the prices with general admission, and FOL, 

don't you think more people would be abusing the orange cards as a way to take advantage of the system?

I'm not saying it's right, but I'm surprised more people don't do this, seeing as the ticket prices keep sky rocketing each year.

 

I myself will be doing both G.A. and VIP, as I've never experienced it before.

I'm sure there are some people that actually DO need the orange pass, but I don't know.

People will abuse it as always I'm sure. Catch 22, I guess?

 

Gate prices may be a contributing factor in system abuse in that some may feel prices are so high they will do whatever it takes to get their money's worth.  But I don't think its a huge factor.  

I think that people tend to push the limits as far as they can, and when Universal is handing out thousands of orange cards a night, they are feeding the abuse.

I almost never see a couple getting orange cards because one of them has a medical condition.  90%+ seem to be groups of 6-12 that are all getting orange cards because of one person.

Disney suffers from this in a big way, too.  That's just plain abuse, and people who abuse the system are doing a disservice to everyone, but the parks can get tough if they want to. 

So in short, I think today's generation of park goers think they are entitled to anything they want and they will whine until they get it.   And parks are reluctant to get tough because they are scared of bad reviews and lawsuits.

[FattYeli17]

6 minutes ago, zombieman said:

 

Gate prices may be a contributing factor in system abuse in that some may feel prices are so high they will do whatever it takes to get their money's worth.  But I don't think its a huge factor.  

I think that people tend to push the limits as far as they can, and when Universal is handing out thousands of orange cards a night, they are feeding the abuse.

I almost never see a couple getting orange cards because one of them has a medical condition.  90%+ seem to be groups of 6-12 that are all getting orange cards because of one person.

Disney suffers from this in a big way, too.  That's just plain abuse, and people who abuse the system are doing a disservice to everyone, but the parks can get tough if they want to. 

So in short, I think today's generation of park goers think they are entitled to anything they want and they will whine until they get it.   And parks are reluctant to get tough because they are scared of bad reviews and lawsuits.

Very true.

Isn't it also against the law for them to QUESTION a guests "medical excuse"?

I can understand proper proof being needed for the pass, but then like you said, people threatening for lawsuits as usual.

If that JLCT idiot can go as far enough as to get our beloved Bill And Ted show dead for good, then obviously

"the customer will always be right" no matter what.

Then again, as I said, with all due respect, can you really blame some people for not wanting to pay for FOL.

It's a contradiction, I know, but the cycle continues.

[instamatic]

On ‎8‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 1:36 PM, Mother Firefly said:

Can the people doing RIP this year please come back and let us know what the tour consists of after you do it? I'm planning on going later in October and I love to know what to expect as it gets closer! 

Will do! My family is doing it the first Saturday so I'll post a review or something.

 

RIP is pricey, but in the past it became the route our family has sworn by. Yes, you can save money and see everything if you map out your evening and stick to it. But we just put a little away throughout the year and save up, and it's so worth it for us to have unlimited FOTL and not have to stress about making it to every maze at least once. I really like the way it seems to be laid out this year too. Our check in time is during early entry and it says to expect 4 hours for your tour and meal. So in theory our group thing will end by 9:20 PM leaving almost 5 hours of unlimited FOTL madness! Super stoked for it!

Edited August 14, 2017 by instamatic

[zombieman]

One tiny update on RIP.  I tweeted Murdy and asked if the tour was to include some exclusive tram portion as in prior years. He said no.

Further, according to the website, when you purchase RIP, you will be given a timeslot (let's pretend it's 8PM).

 

This means you can enter the park at opening and you will be given a RIP lanyard. You can use it to go on anything you like as many times as you like up to 8PM.  At 8PM you would head to the VIP lounge and have your great dinner.  Following that, you would take a walking tour as part of a group.  I presume your guide would take you to all houses and give you some sort of backstory for each one.  This would go on for 4 HOURS, at which time you are free to do whatever you want again.

 

Now, you will always have the option of having your dinner and skipping the guided tour.  I mean, you paid for the unlimited FOTL perk.  Might as well use it till you can't walk anymore.

Makes even more sense if there won't be any exclusive VIP perks (of course, I'd double check with the guide before splitting).  Universal certainly won't care if you are  going with the group or not.  At least, this is what I would do.  Just know that once you decide to forego the tour, you can't change your mind.

 

 

You may be wondering what I'm referring to by the exclusive RIP tram...

Well, I have taken the RIP twice before.  Once was the first year of Walking Dead and the other was first year of Insidious.   Each time there was a meet-up time just as I described.   Met at the VIP lounge for dinner (and I should mention that the year of TWD, I found myself standing in the buffet line with cast members from TWD.  Carol, Carl, Lizzie, and others).  That was really cool.  I had to do a few double-takes because they look so different in real life.  After dinner we had a guided tour that lasted only one hour.  They walked us to a private tram (only one car) and we went directly to the backlot.  

 

On the year of TWD, we exited the tram in Amity and the guide told us ghost stories of Universal.  Amity was completely unlit, and it was creepy walking along there.  There was some special effect lighting and sound at certain times to make the experience quite fun.  They also had a scareactor or two.  We got back in the tram and they took us to the Western Streets (also pitch black).  We were each given a flashlight and permission to roam around - even inside a building or two (the ones that were not just facades).  Having been set up by Amity to expect "things to happen", everyone was on edge.  In actuality, nothing happened at all in the Western streets, but some people believed they saw or heard things.  You might think that was a letdown, but I think it was cool that we supplied our own events that (may or may not have) happened.

 

On the Insidious year, they took us out to Amity again, and this time they put on a "Spirit Seeker" show.  It was really fun, and tried to tie into the movie.  It culminated in a pretty cool projection mapping show on one of the Amity facades.  You can find this on Youtube.

 

While I wouldn't have paid extra to see either of these, it was nice that they included these as unadvertised bonuses.  

Unfortunately, not this year (unless something changes), but at least RIP is back.

 

 

 

[Hanniel]

Is there a Lounge for RIP Tour guests?  Or is it just a buffet restaurant? 

Also, can you go back to the buffet anytime throughout the night? 

For that matter, can you choose to eat at anytime throughout the night, or does it have to be before the guided tour? 

 

I would like to eat more later in the evening, and lightly eat periodically throughout the night rather than stuff myself once, hehe.

[HorrorNightsFan13]

7 hours ago, Hanniel said:

Is there a Lounge for RIP Tour guests?  Or is it just a buffet restaurant? 

Also, can you go back to the buffet anytime throughout the night? 

For that matter, can you choose to eat at anytime throughout the night, or does it have to be before the guided tour? 

 

I would like to eat more later in the evening, and lightly eat periodically throughout the night rather than stuff myself once, hehe.

If it is still the same as it was in years past, there is a lounge where the buffet is as well. 

You can go back anytime throughout the night. 

They give a certain "meal time" which in years past means you can't go into the lounge before that time but after that you can go in anytime

 

All these answers are if RIP is still exactly the same as VIP. Things may have changed in the few years of its absence 

[StraightEdge]

What would you guys do? Watch opening ceremony or do early entry?

 

Also, I still don't know what to do with the tour. I think I'm going to skip the tour and just go in and out of all the attractions hundreds of times, lol. Or should I do the guided tour?

 

I want to be able to experience the mazes and rides a good multiple times and also be able to record each attraction on my iPhone 7, lol

[Barbie06]

8 hours ago, Hanniel said:

Is there a Lounge for RIP Tour guests?  Or is it just a buffet restaurant? 

Also, can you go back to the buffet anytime throughout the night? 

For that matter, can you choose to eat at anytime throughout the night, or does it have to be before the guided tour? 

 

I would like to eat more later in the evening, and lightly eat periodically throughout the night rather than stuff myself once, hehe.

Hi there! Sorry to contradict others but I have called Universal Studios and spoken with a manager to confirm some things about RIP tour. NO- you cannot go back to the buffet during the night. They give you about 45-50 minutes in the beginning of your time slot to eat. After that you are taken on a walking tour of each attraction; this includes the Jabbawockeez show. After that the tour is over.

 

 

19 minutes ago, StraightEdge said:

What would you guys do? Watch opening ceremony or do early entry?

 

Also, I still don't know what to do with the tour. I think I'm going to skip the tour and just go in and out of all the attractions hundreds of times, lol. Or should I do the guided tour?

 

I want to be able to experience the mazes and rides a good multiple times and also be able to record each attraction on my iPhone 7, lol

I was really on the fence about RIP and decided to do FOL day/night combo. I am skipping opening ceremony and doing early entry. This way I can go through a few mazes early without using my FOL pass (just going through regular line) and then come back and use the pass later. There are only so many hours in a night, and the fact that the terror tram is a longer attraction I doubt anyone could really see each attraction more than 2 or 3 times- even an RIP. 

[HorrorNightsFan13]

2 hours ago, StraightEdge said:

What would you guys do? Watch opening ceremony or do early entry?

 

Also, I still don't know what to do with the tour. I think I'm going to skip the tour and just go in and out of all the attractions hundreds of times, lol. Or should I do the guided tour?

 

I want to be able to experience the mazes and rides a good multiple times and also be able to record each attraction on my iPhone 7, lol

Besides just getting to do the mazes more times, there's not really a huge perk to doing early entry with RIP. Early Entry is a tool to get mazes out of the way before long wait times happen. Personally, I love the opening scaramony, it sets the mood off right for my night. And in the many times I did VIP and the opening scaramony I was able to do every maze multiple times and enjoy the opener