Halloween Horror Nights 28 General Discussion

[Parkscope Joe]

Thanks for the info. We are aiming for Wednesday, 10/8. We're intending to do stay and scream, and until last night expected we were supposed to be in hello kitty.

Why would you suggest being at the gate versus being at finnegans for stay and scream? I thought stay and scream was always supposed to be better than front gate?

Sorry, let me rephrase: be at the gate at Stay and Scream, not the front gate.

Do you mean 10/10, because that's the Wednesday. You'll be fine. Show up around 3:30pm so you don't get stuck in a line to get into Stay and Scream, go furthest towards the Music Plaza Stage you can while in the zone, then head to ST first.

Do keep coming back here to see if operations changes and Hello Kitty becomes preferred again.

 

[IHateJumpScares]

Thanks! Yes, I meant 10/10. Wednesday. Thanks for your clarification on "gate." And I am obsessively coming back so I don't think I will miss any relevant posts!

 

[sjago13]

Just picked up the "Frequent Fear" freestyle cup and what a great value. For 30 bucks it is good though 11/5.

 

[Ava64]

Just to clarify: what time should I be at Finnegans for Stranger Things during S&S? Is there a line for S&S before the park closes at 5?
Will be visiting on a Friday, if that helps.

 

[Nick]

Sounds like they cast the wrong performers in Cast B of Stranger Things. I know of some die hard scareactors who would have loved to scare all night like that - myself included.

Edit: Also realized, ST cast not extending is even more ridiculous when you think about peak night closes. They’re guaranteed to be working until 3 AM because of extensions on those nights.

I think part of the problem is that they didn't cast die hards who love the event, but many newbies because they needed them for height purposes.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Just to clarify: 3:30 is the time to be at Finnegans for Stranger Things during S&S? Is there a line for S&S at 3:30 or does the line form when the park closes at 5?
Will be visiting on a Friday, if that helps.

Stay and Scream is just an area to hold guests while the event is set up. There's no official line until guests enter the line for a house.

 

[Nick]

That's how they schedule, and how they always have scheduled. And the longest extension I've ever seen was about thirty minutes. And casting typically drops to 60% after close.

A two hour wait at close is unheard of. And, the bigger issue is A Cast would have already signed out for the evening. That would put the extending B Cast on set for 2.5 hours non-stop. That's unhealthy. If I was a manager I wouldn't ask my cast to do that. If I was a cast member and asked to do that, I'd laugh and go home.

EDIT - Remember, most scareactors have day jobs. A lot of those work on weekends. There's a massive difference between getting off work at 1 or at 3 when you have to wake up in the morning.

Yeah, you simply can't ask the same actors to be out there for such a long period of time. In that time they would usually get TWO(!) full 45 minute breaks to drink water, have some protein and gear up for the next set.

What I'm hearing is Kitty releases later and is for Halloween. Get there early so you can be at the gate waiting to go and be one of the first in ST. Those who went last night correct me.

When are you going, tonight?

Yeah, waiting at the gate is better than doing Finn's S&S if you really want to do ST. The concert yard was already full by the time I saw the Finn's S&S group get over there.

 

[JoeCamel]

Just to clarify: what time should I be at Finnegans for Stranger Things during S&S? Is there a line for S&S before the park closes at 5?
Will be visiting on a Friday, if that helps.

Stay and Scream is just an area to hold guests while the event is set up. There's no official line until guests enter the line for a house.

What Joe said, get inside the barricades and get your wristband then you can get a drink if you want but most head out once the park shuts down and wait outside to be at the front part of the line when you are released. Last night was such a cluster ops will try something different to get it dispersed. Stay tuned, lots of info comes out after the first two weekends about how things will be run.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

What Joe said, get inside the barricades and get your wristband then you can get a drink if you want but most head out once the park shuts down and wait outside to be at the front part of the line when you are released. Last night was such a cluster ops will try something different to get it dispersed. Stay tuned, lots of info comes out after the first two weekends about how things will be run.

Last night also had every blogger and fan in Florida there, each year opening night has become bigger and bigger. I do not expect this to be the norm at all.

 

[JoeCamel]

Last night also had every blogger and fan in Florida there, each year opening night has become bigger and bigger. I do not expect this to be the norm at all.

I hope not, glad I am here for 10 nights, i would hate to be a one nighter without express

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I hope not, glad I am here for 10 nights, i would hate to be a one nighter without express

Last night was not acceptable but it was abnormal. I hope in the future UOR limits opening night more.

 

[biomegaceu]

Does anyone know what time they cut off Stranger things last night? I went through around 1:20am I believe. The line for stranger things was crazy all night. When I was exciting the house the line was still mostly full.

 

[Nick]

So did we know that they don’t to free parking after 8PM anymore?

 

[TDBLMT]

So did we know that they don’t to free parking after 8PM anymore?

Isn’t it $6?

 

[Nick]

Isn’t it $6?

Someone I know was charged the full $22

 

[Parkscope Joe]

So did we know that they don’t to free parking after 8PM anymore?

After 10 now.

 

[SeventyOne]

Around 10ish they moved back the trick r treat Marge point and doubled the width of the exit which helped.

It was bad earlier. single file, so you moved at the pace of the slowest person to leave the house in the past 25 minutes.

[More general post]

Besides Stranger Things, noticed other ops issues. Poltergeist opened late after Stay & Scream, well after 6, and when it did, zero audio cues, just music. With a TM friend who told me they were there Wednesday, not sure if they ever returned, but bad show.

Express was handled horribly. They were clearly keeping to a quota--say, 30 Express, 10 standby--but they would do that even when no one at Express had their pass out or there was some other sort of delay. Should merge better, instead of sticking to arbitrary rules.

Stay & Scream in Finns was a nightmare. As @Joe says, opening night is a "thing" now, UOR needs to recognize and staff for that. Or make it less open.

Even with Express, saw 5 houses before my feet and patience ran out. I now I'm immune to hype, but I'll warn you, the gushing praise I've seen so far will not age well. So far reminded most of 2012, with the soundtrack from Vamp 85 playing the role of "Gothic."

 

[Nick]

After 10 now.

Thanks. Sucks, but probably needed.

 

[TDBLMT]

the gushing praise I've seen so far will not age well.

2002 was my first year. First year doing opening night last night. Potential is there but overall just very “meh.”

It was a nightmare.

Energy / Intensity seemed to be super, super low.

Chucky scare-zone lacks the big theatrically / intensity of scarezones previously on Hollywood boulevard.

Killer Klownz is nothing but a photo-op / people on their phones.

Vamp 85 actors would rather interact w each other than scare guests.

 

[Nick]

Killer Klownz is definitely nothing but a photo op and there’s nothing truly scary about Vamp or even Chucky. Chucky goes for the jokes more than scares.