HHN 27 House Route/Strategy

[Frank Drackman]

The worst part about the weather this weekend has been the forecast. The actual weather has turned out really nice. I do think it kept people away since it was a 90% chance of rain at times. It was really a best case scenario, bad weather forecast keeps everyone away, then it turns out to be really nice and not very crowded.

thanks! I am 200 miles south and we have had a lot of the same (bad forecast) but when it does rain, it has been multiple inches at a time. I am glad to hear the night turned at well (I think I got an alert w/ my app still set to Orlando from my trip).

I do think a couple of things are at work here. To UNI's credit, I think the houses are all rather strong this year and that is causing the crowds to be better mixed throughout the houses. But, consumers in the US are being cautious and a ton of Floridians are still dealing with hurricane 'stuff' or just burnt out from what they've dealt with.

I had mentioned in week 2 that it felt 'slower' over my four nights, but others called some of those days more crowded. I think that is more of many good houses as I was sort of looking to see if there was a way to flow outside of the norm, to duck under crowds...but that is always tough in week 2 as the passholders are in the back houses on FRI/SAT of that week and s&s up front...I only wanted to do house after the sun was gone.

 

[LJGonz]

I'm going this weekend the 14 with a group of 5-6 that most have never gone to this event. I don't know how busy it's going to be but we don't have fast pass so I have a very important question. What houses, scarzones, and rides do we do in an exact order that we will be able to do everything or almost everything? Please give me like an exact route on what to do one a thing after the other.

 

[DannyPowers]

I'm going this weekend the 14 with a group of 5-6 that most have never gone to this event. I don't know how busy it's going to be but we don't have fast pass so I have a very important question. What houses, scarzones, and rides do we do in an exact order that we will be able to do everything or almost everything? Please give me like an exact route on what to do one a thing after the other.

We just got back from doing three nights last week. This is all assuming you don't have Stay and Scream (park tickets during the day). Here's what will probably work pretty well...

-Arrive to the gates by 4:30-5:00 so you can be up front
-Plan to stay late
-Head to the Shining first (maybe AHS, but that house tends to have lower wait times)
-After Shining, do Dead Waters, then right into Fallen
-Head to the back and do Scarecrow into Hive (SC will probably be your longest or second longest wait of the night)
-Hit Blumhouse
-Walk up to Ash or Saw if the wait isn't too crazy (that will be the other longest wait of the night)
-Hit up Saw and AHS

You'll of course have to work in some breaks, but if houses are your #1 concern, keep the rides for last. You can probably work some shows in (at least Aov) when the wait times get really nasty.

Good luck, have fun.

 

[LJGonz]

We just got back from doing three nights last week. This is all assuming you don't have Stay and Scream (park tickets during the day). Here's what will probably work pretty well...

-Arrive to the gates by 4:30-5:00 so you can be up front
-Plan to stay late
-Head to the Shining first (maybe AHS, but that house tends to have lower wait times)
-After Shining, do Dead Waters, then right into Fallen
-Head to the back and do Scarecrow into Hive (SC will probably be your longest or second longest wait of the night)
-Hit Blumhouse
-Walk up to Ash or Saw if the wait isn't too crazy (that will be the other longest wait of the night)
-Hit up Saw and AHS

You'll of course have to work in some breaks, but if houses are your #1 concern, keep the rides for last. You can probably work some shows in (at least Aov) when the wait times get really nasty.

Good luck, have fun.

Thank you

 

[Suprachica79]

I read on orlando informer the finnegan's is releasing to both AHS and The Shining houses and that the HK area is just an overflow for finnegans when it gets too packed for stay and scream...is that true? I had planned to stay in HK for S&S to get let out into AHS but if finnegan's is doing the same, I'm wondering if that'd be better. Thanks!

 

[dxwwf3]

I read on orlando informer the finnegan's is releasing to both AHS and The Shining houses and that the HK area is just an overflow for finnegans when it gets too packed for stay and scream...is that true? I had planned to stay in HK for S&S to get let out into AHS but if finnegan's is doing the same, I'm wondering if that'd be better. Thanks!

I went Wed, Thurs, and Friday and I can definitely say that Fin’s is the only place to go if you want AHS or The Shining. You could get pretty close to the front of the line as long as you were close to the entrance of Fin’s before 4:45. Around 5 they release to a different holding area along the side of the Fin’s building facing the extrended Transformers queue.

HK is no longer a viable S&S option. It’s basically Fin’s or Springfield now.

 

[Brian G.]

I read on orlando informer the finnegan's is releasing to both AHS and The Shining houses and that the HK area is just an overflow for finnegans when it gets too packed for stay and scream...is that true? I had planned to stay in HK for S&S to get let out into AHS but if finnegan's is doing the same, I'm wondering if that'd be better. Thanks!

It's true. The size of the area wasn't helping and they are trying to curb the rush to AHS and Saw.

 

[dxwwf3]

After doing HK every night last year for AHS, I must say that I like the set up at Fin’s this year better. As long as you weren’t planning on arriving late that is. I usually try to be there around 4 PM each day and would be one of the first in line to scan in.

 

[Suprachica79]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm still trying to perfect my touring plan for the houses, I've seen so many different suggested routes that it's sort of hard for an over-planner like myself to decide how to work through them with minimal waits. Even though I'm going on one of the slowest nights of the year, I'm still always worried I'm going to meet irritating wait times that damper the experience.

 

[dxwwf3]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm still trying to perfect my touring plan for the houses, I've seen so many different suggested routes that it's sort of hard for an over-planner like myself to decide how to work through them with minimal waits. Even though I'm going on one of the slowest nights of the year, I'm still always worried I'm going to meet irritating wait times that damper the experience.

I always did AHS, Shining, Dead Waters, The Fallen and then worked my way to the back, except for on Friday when I was able to get the first three houses in at around 6:10 and decided to head back and do Hive before Scarecrow opened at 6:30. That worked out so well for me.

You can definitely make a case for doing AHS, Shining, Dead Waters and then head back to Scarecrow if you don’t mind hitting Fallen later in the night.

 

[Suprachica79]

I always did AHS, Shining, Dead Waters, The Fallen and then worked my way to the back, except for on Friday when I was able to get the first three houses in at around 6:10 and decided to head back and do Hive before Scarecrow opened at 6:30. That worked out so well for me.

You can definitely make a case for doing AHS, Shining, Dead Waters and then head back to Scarecrow if you don’t mind hitting Fallen later in the night.

Yea, I tend to follow OI's touring plan but they have you starting with AHS and dead waters, and doing Shining at the very end, and I'm just not sure that's the best plan. I have been leaning toward what you just said; knock out AHS, Shining, and Dead waters and make a B line for scarecrow as that house seems to get some crazy wait times, and then see where to go from there, probably blumhouse and hive and then come back toward the front.

 

[Frank Drackman]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm still trying to perfect my touring plan for the houses, I've seen so many different suggested routes that it's sort of hard for an over-planner like myself to decide how to work through them with minimal waits. Even though I'm going on one of the slowest nights of the year, I'm still always worried I'm going to meet irritating wait times that damper the experience.

I would just warn that you need to be a little flexible, you never know when a house may run into a ‘delay’ so you might need to pivot from too strict of a plan.

To me, whatever house is closest to the gates should always grow in wait time early...sometimes, it might make your wait more efficient if you get in say 15 to 20 minutes after gates opening verse going there first if you get in within the first five minutes.

I guess I am just trying to say there are reasons folks will offer different routes as there are a lot of factors at play.

 

[JMalez]

With the exception of Ash almost always having a low wait, the wait times this year have been extremely random. Some nights, Dead Waters is at 15 minutes with everything else at 45 to an hour. Other nights, Dead Waters is at 75 with The Fallen right next to it at 20. The waits are pretty evenly distributed this year and this is the first year (in my five) that I have relied solely on wait time jumping rather than a strict route or strategy.

If really committed, and you are actively checking the wait boards, you shouldn't have a problem getting everything done.

 

[Suprachica79]

I would just warn that you need to be a little flexible, you never know when a house may run into a ‘delay’ so you might need to pivot from too strict of a plan.

To me, whatever house is closest to the gates should always grow in wait time early...sometimes, it might make your wait more efficient if you get in say 15 to 20 minutes after gates opening verse going there first if you get in within the first five minutes.

I guess I am just trying to say there are reasons folks will offer different routes as there are a lot of factors at play.

Oh absolutely, I like to go in with a game plan but it can go out the window depending upon what wait times and crowd flow are looking like.

With the exception of Ash almost always having a low wait, the wait times this year have been extremely random. Some nights, Dead Waters is at 15 minutes with everything else at 45 to an hour. Other nights, Dead Waters is at 75 with The Fallen right next to it at 20. The waits are pretty evenly distributed this year and this is the first year (in my five) that I have relied solely on wait time jumping rather than a strict route or strategy.

If really committed, and you are actively checking the wait boards, you shouldn't have a problem getting everything done.

I have been using the app to gauge wait times throughout the event, although I know how inaccurate the app can be, it's my only tool from afar. It seems like on any given night, just about any house can have great or ridiculous wait times so I know how fluid this can be. I make a plan, but I'm pretty bad when it comes to hopping around due to wait times, so that might end up being the strategy anyways lol