Halloween Horror Nights 32 (UOR) - News & Info

[Tbad556]

Hate playing the comparison game, but Knott's has 10 houses, 5 scare zones, and 4 shows... what's Universal's excuse? HHN is god knows how much more busier (and expensive) and yet Knott's has the higher number of attractions?

It's been discussed ad-nauseum, but venues is a starting reason. The park doesn't just have endless show space. There have been discussions into how Bourne's venue may not be a usable location and HMU is used every single year for a variety of other things.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

The big difference here is Knott's repeats 70-80% of their mazes year to year, so they can devote a little more of their budget to entertainment. With that said, I agree Universal needs more shows if only to improve the quality of life of the event, even if it won't resolve the capacity and crowding concerns. The trouble is I fear Universal would increase the capacity cap with the introduction of new experiences instead of leaving it where it is, defeating the purpose.

Most nights are not selling out... so it's not like the number of people on a nightly basis will increase since the theoretical capacity limit isn't being met anyway.

It's been discussed ad-nauseum, but venues is a starting reason. The park doesn't just have endless show space. There have been discussions into how Bourne's venue may not be a usable location and HMU is used every single year for a variety of other things.

USH shows that you could utilize a daytime stunt stage show for HHN at night... Universal has the resources, just a matter of interest. HMU is a rather easy production to reset for an HHN production, it's really only used for the occasional media/RIP hangout spot during the event that could be moved elsewhere.

 

[Tbad556]

USH shows that you could utilize a daytime stunt stage show for HHN at night... Universal has the resources, just a matter of interest. HMU is a rather easy production to reset for an HHN production, it's really only used for the occasional media/RIP hangout spot during the event that could be moved elsewhere.

It's easy to say that, but we have literally no idea if there are differences in state laws/regulations over safety, props, etc. We also have no idea how the acting union for that cast works, how the building is set up, etc. Just because one venue 1000+ miles away can be cross-utilized doesn't mean we can simply assume that all stunt show venues can fit the same glove. California is very equipped for acting in a way that we are not.

And easier said then done frankly.

 

[Bort]

Adding capacity (additional shows, 11th house, etc) is like adding an extra lane to the highway. It doesn’t really solve the problem, and actually encourages more crowds (or repeat visits for what were formerly one-night visitors).

 

[ReelJustice]

What if I told you many of the prominent local podcasters, bloggers, etc, haven’t seen Nightmare Fuel? They go nightly and just clog up express.

 

[jseal777]

What if I told you many of the prominent local podcasters, bloggers, etc, haven’t seen Nightmare Fuel? They go nightly and just clog up express.

YUP

ETA: I am agreeing with the point, but I personally love Nightmare fuel and make a point to see it.

 

[Clive]

What if I told you many of the prominent local podcasters, bloggers, etc, haven’t seen Nightmare Fuel? They go nightly and just clog up express.

The biggest ops failure is not responding to this reality. They've kept the merge ratios the same (if they aren't completely random), regardless of the length of the express queue. It's nuts this hasn't been fixed this far into the event.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I somewhat agree that yes, there are way too many people at HHN... but shows give people an opportunity to do something outside of waiting in lines all night, specifically locals with multi-night passes whose threshold for waiting is much lower than a single-night guest. I can guarantee it'll reduce the demand for some of the houses/shows if there's another show or two at the event and take people off the streets. Just running something at Bourne & Horror Makeup is an additional 1,000+ people off the street at any given time. That's about an hour plus of guests being removed from the houses.

Hate playing the comparison game, but Knott's has 10 houses, 5 scare zones, and 4 shows... what's Universal's excuse? HHN is god knows how much more busier (and expensive) and yet Knott's has the higher number of attractions?

Most nights are not selling out... so it's not like the number of people on a nightly basis will increase since the theoretical capacity limit isn't being met anyway.


USH shows that you could utilize a daytime stunt stage show for HHN at night... Universal has the resources, just a matter of interest. HMU is a rather easy production to reset for an HHN production, it's really only used for the occasional media/RIP hangout spot during the event that could be moved elsewhere.

This might sound controversial and might even sound stupid from me ( I understand if it does)

But what brings the giant crowds to hhn? Famous popular IPs ( movies and shows) I feel like Stranger things is part of the reason for the crazy crowds. The Weeknd brought big crowds, ( walking Dead line was huge, AHS etc)

Technically... One way of reducing giant crowds would be for universal to slow down on the giant IPs, maybe do houses on lesser known movies.
I'm not saying to do 10 original houses obviously, but for example, Ghostbusters and killer klowns and trick r treat didn't bring the giant crowds of stranger things.
Would crowds this year be as big if we didn't have stranger things?
I know this sounds dumb because the entire point of universal is " ride the movies", And marketing literally needs these ips to promote the event

But, every time we get a huge popular show or movie, it feels like crowds increase so much. Universal was already running out of big movies to use as it is, popular big franchises, and then, maybe the solution to crowds it's just not relying on them as much anymore

 

[Brian G.]

This might sound controversial and might even sound stupid from me ( I understand if it does)

But what brings the giant crowds to hhn? Famous popular IPs ( movies and shows) I feel like Stranger things is part of the reason for the crazy crowds. The Weeknd brought big crowds, ( walking Dead line was huge, AHS etc)

Technically... One way of reducing giant crowds would be for universal to slow down on the giant IPs, maybe do houses on lesser known movies.
I'm not saying to do 10 original houses obviously, but for example, Ghostbusters and killer klowns and trick r treat didn't bring the giant crowds of stranger things.
Would crowds this year be as big if we didn't have stranger things?
I know this sounds dumb because the entire point of universal is " ride the movies", And marketing literally needs these ips to promote the event

But, every time we get a huge popular show or movie, it feels like crowds increase so much. Universal was already running out of big movies to use as it is, popular big franchises, and then, maybe the solution to crowds it's just not relying on them as much anymore

oh cmon now.

What if I told you many of the prominent local podcasters, bloggers, etc, haven’t seen Nightmare Fuel? They go nightly and just clog up express.

Take away the Express and they’ll just hang out in the streets.

Adding capacity (additional shows, 11th house, etc) is like adding an extra lane to the highway. It doesn’t really solve the problem, and actually encourages more crowds (or repeat visits for what were formerly one-night visitors).

This. Adding shows doesn’t solve the crowd issue unless they also fix the core issues.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

I hate to say it, because I hate park reservations... but if they don't make other drastic changes to the multi-night tickets, I think they're going to need a park reservation mechanism. Otherwise, you gotta either sell way fewer of them, double the price, or remove the express element. No solution is going to keep everyone happy.

Haha, I would love this just because I always stuck up for the reservation system at Disney (or at least, I did when it seemed like it was actually limiting crowds). In reality, I dont know if Universal has the tech infrastructure to support something like this even though it would help.

My idea for a middle ground: single-digit multi-day tickets. Buy one day for $120, two for $200, three for $240, etc…up to maybe 7 days. Then one single Annual Pass option for at least double what an FFP goes for now. Express add-ons wouldn’t be an option, but they’d be discounted based on the number of days your ticket is valid for.

I guess some people would be mad, but how many FFPs are spending 8 hours in the park each time they go? If your allotment of days was limited, your time spent in the park would theoretically be longer and most people would probably net out to a similar amount of time spent at the event per season when all was said and done.

 

[Brian G.]

Haha, I would love this just because I always stuck up for the reservation system at Disney (or at least, I did when it seemed like it was actually limiting crowds). In reality, I dont know if Universal has the tech infrastructure to support something like this even though it would help.

My idea for a middle ground: single-digit multi-day tickets. Buy one day for $120, two for $200, three for $240, etc…up to maybe 7 days. Then one single Annual Pass option for at least double what an FFP goes for now. Express add-ons wouldn’t be an option, but they’d be discounted based on the number of days your ticket is valid for.

I guess some people would be mad, but how many FFPs are spending 8 hours in the park each time they go? If your allotment of days was limited, your time spent in the park would theoretically be longer and most people would probably net out to a similar amount of time spent at the event per season when all was said and done.

You’re idea is similar to what I think is a fair solution.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Adding capacity (additional shows, 11th house, etc) is like adding an extra lane to the highway. It doesn’t really solve the problem, and actually encourages more crowds (or repeat visits for what were formerly one-night visitors).

I don't disagree with the idea that an additional show might draw more crowds, but it helps spread out guests even further. Disneyland has proven that you can continue to add enough attractions to the park and still provide quality entertainment to the masses. They had (until recently) 3 nighttime spectaculars, god knows how many rides, and a continuous timeline of capacity improvements.

I just want Universal to innovate with the event before chasing the simple solution by just increasing prices.

Haha, I would love this just because I always stuck up for the reservation system at Disney (or at least, I did when it seemed like it was actually limiting crowds). In reality, I dont know if Universal has the tech infrastructure to support something like this even though it would help.

My idea for a middle ground: single-digit multi-day tickets. Buy one day for $120, two for $200, three for $240, etc…up to maybe 7 days. Then one single Annual Pass option for at least double what an FFP goes for now. Express add-ons wouldn’t be an option, but they’d be discounted based on the number of days your ticket is valid for.

I guess some people would be mad, but how many FFPs are spending 8 hours in the park each time they go? If your allotment of days was limited, your time spent in the park would theoretically be longer and most people would probably net out to a similar amount of time spent at the event per season when all was said and done.

I think you get rid of all except for Ultimate Fear - and sell packaged 2/3 day tickets. Encourage them to go "all-in" or take the "value" route of selecting your days. No multi-night express.

What if I told you many of the prominent local podcasters, bloggers, etc, haven’t seen Nightmare Fuel? They go nightly and just clog up express.

Not a fan of them, but they are a very small % of the overall guest attendance. Nightmare Fuel is filling to capacity for each showtime - shows that there's demand for quality entertainment.

I just find it odd how HHN in 2007 had 8 houses and 4 stage shows... now we have 10 houses and 1 stage show. Feels like capacity pretty much balanced out over time while attendance has quadrupled.

 

[Max Kreamer]

If universal thinks hhn is too crowded at universal studios, they could add capacity by spreading the event to Islands and charging separate admission to get into each. Something like 6 houses at studios and a show, and 5 houses at islands and use sinbad and toon lagoon stages for shows

 

[saint.piss]

If universal thinks hhn is too crowded at universal studios, they could add capacity by spreading the event to Islands and charging separate admission to get into each.

Such an original idea, totally haven't heard that one before!

 

[Brian G.]

I don't disagree with the idea that an additional show might draw more crowds, but it helps spread out guests even further. Disneyland has proven that you can continue to add enough attractions to the park and still provide quality entertainment to the masses. They had (until recently) 3 nighttime spectaculars, god knows how many rides, and a continuous timeline of capacity improvements.

I just want Universal to innovate with the event before chasing the simple solution by just increasing prices.


I think you get rid of all except for Ultimate Fear - and sell packaged 2/3 day tickets. Encourage them to go "all-in" or take the "value" route of selecting your days. No multi-night express.


Not a fan of them, but they are a very small % of the overall guest attendance. Nightmare Fuel is filling to capacity for each showtime - shows that there's demand for quality entertainment.

I just find it odd how HHN in 2007 had 8 houses and 4 stage shows... now we have 10 houses and 1 stage show. Feels like capacity pretty much balanced out over time while attendance has quadrupled.

We cannot compare 2007 to 2023. Like at all.

Such an original idea, totally haven't heard that one before!

No need to be rude about it.

 

[Imperius]

If universal thinks hhn is too crowded at universal studios, they could add capacity by spreading the event to Islands and charging separate admission to get into each. Something like 6 houses at studios and a show, and 5 houses at islands and use sinbad and toon lagoon stages for shows

HHN at IOA isn’t happening again. It doesn’t really have the infrastructure for it along with places being barren on themeing due to rights.

 

[saint.piss]

No need to be rude about it.

I wasn't being rude just honest???

 

[Lucky Planet]

oh cmon now.


Take away the Express and they’ll just hang out in the streets.


This. Adding shows doesn’t solve the crowd issue unless they also fix the core issues.

I know my idea is unrealistic. But I was thinking
What if you either charged extra to see Stranger things
Or you prohibit frequent fear passes to see the main IP houses,. ( make stranger things a premium house
Universal always talked about a big premium house, the way howl o scream did it. An upcharge house. Imagine if the walking Dead or the last of us had a bigger budget and was exclusive)

I'm coming at this with the thinking that not all houses get the same level of lines.
Originals will never reach the long lines that IP houses do. Tent houses never reach that high.
Some houses will always have lower waits

Not all houses are visited equally, but what if stranger things and the last of us were only for single day tickets or something?
I'm only thinking that the biggest complaints every year are always the headliner houses.
But what if you like them to single day tickets. ( yeah all guests would have to get scanned at entrance. Or like a special entrance or something.
Universal had thought about a premium house if I remember

I don't disagree with the idea that an additional show might draw more crowds, but it helps spread out guests even further. Disneyland has proven that you can continue to add enough attractions to the park and still provide quality entertainment to the masses. They had (until recently) 3 nighttime spectaculars, god knows how many rides, and a continuous timeline of capacity improvements.

I just want Universal to innovate with the event before chasing the simple solution by just increasing prices.


I think you get rid of all except for Ultimate Fear - and sell packaged 2/3 day tickets. Encourage them to go "all-in" or take the "value" route of selecting your days. No multi-night express.


Not a fan of them, but they are a very small % of the overall guest attendance. Nightmare Fuel is filling to capacity for each showtime - shows that there's demand for quality entertainment.

I just find it odd how HHN in 2007 had 8 houses and 4 stage shows... now we have 10 houses and 1 stage show. Feels like capacity pretty much balanced out over time while attendance has quadrupled.

They could always just sell a 13-15 day frequent fear pass, instead of 30 days. And Instead of raising prices or removing frequent fear completely,
What if they allowed you to enter 13 to 15 days per month. No express. You have to pick what days you go in advance.
Or like I said days earlier. Only allow frequent fear passes entry at 10 pm. Prohibit early entrance. Prohibit stay and scream.

 

[Imperius]

Yeah prohibiting certain ticket holders from houses is a bad idea. FFP holders spend far more during their multiple visits than a single day person does.

 

[saint.piss]

Honestly I don't think there's really a solution to any of this that will work. This is just how it is now... unfortunately