Halloween Horror Nights 2023 (USH) - Tips, Tricks, & Planning

[Spookies n' Stuff]

My bet, VQ is intended for this year but not guaranteed, hence why there's no talk of it through official channels. Maybe the reason it popped up today is because its just about Employee Preview? Could be that they intend to test the system for employee preview and gauge effectiveness and response to it, maybe just for a couple mazes, and then decide whether it's ready for full use come opening weekend so we still have a chance to be free of it if it goes poorly.
Just a guess on my part, but it makes sense to me.

 

[Freak]

Wait when is EP night? Isn’t it tonight? Or tomorrow?

 

[saint.piss]

Wait when is EP night? Isn’t it tonight? Or tomorrow?

It's tonight.

 

[Eckert]

Hey all! I'll be there opening night, intending to do early entry on the Lower Lot. I was wondering if people try to avoid certain houses during the day due to light exposure, or do you just take the L and see them while it's still bright out? There's only one soundstage haunted house and it's Stranger Things, right?

 

[Jerroddragon]

Hey all! I'll be there opening night, intending to do early entry on the Lower Lot. I was wondering if people try to avoid certain houses during the day due to light exposure, or do you just take the L and see them while it's still bright out? There's only one soundstage haunted house and it's Stranger Things, right?

Stranger Things will have the longest line

But I don't think many will care about light with Last of Us....people that like the IP will go towards it night or day.

In years past the maze that is inside has longer waits (the weekend, stranger things etc) but the other mazes normally get 30+ min lines within mins of being open for EA, but this year is different so we will have to see

 

[Rideguy70]

But if you are "waiting" for two other mazes while (in theory) physically waiting for yet another attraction, wait times across the board will be inflated.

Virtual queues do not work nine times out of ten. I think the cautious optimism amongst some of you may stem from the fact that folks on this forum will understand how to best exploit Universal's flimsy system.

I mean, many mazes regularly get 3+ hour waits as it is without any VQ... it basically can't get much worse.

That said, if VQ did happen, the biggest concern I see (aside from the obvious logistical stuff that's already been mentioned) is that it would be entirely possible for a VQ to close off early in the night due to a long wait, and people could possibly not get access to a maze at all. At the same time, if that did happen, the number of guests complaining would be pretty vast. And unlike when this happens at the regular park, they probably can't easily give out a pass to return for another night.

So I don't know... I'm still pretty dubious. I could see them testing this on some of the slower nights in September just to see how it goes, and I could see it getting canned real quick if it didn't work out well.

 

[Jake S]

I mean, many mazes regularly get 3+ hour waits as it is without any VQ... it basically can't get much worse.

it depends on what you mean by "worse." virtual queue spots could be distributed within minutes of the event starting, leaving many guests with no way to see a particularly maze. as someone who is definitely not going to get in a three-hour long line, I hear you. but I don't know if that's how most people will see it that way.

 

[DTH]

Changing topic a bit, anyone know how NintendoLand entry is working for 2pm guests? Will they be allowed to enter the land at 2pm or is that 7pm-10pm the ONLY time slot they can go in?

I have friends in my group with the 2pm Express pass (Mario Kart isn't Express, correct?), so this just seems like a trap for those trying to experience the land during Horror Nights because the line WILL be 2-3 hours, which will certainly eat up for maze time.

If they can go in at 2pm, I think that's a fair trade. Wait 2-3 hours at 2pm, hit some rides at 5 or 6 while they wait for us to come in at 7pm, then move on from there. But if they get in at 2pm, hit all the rides except Mario at 7pm, they are then stuck in that land at minimum until 10pm, and the rest of us kinda have nothing to do without them until they are done.

 

[Spookies n' Stuff]

Changing topic a bit, anyone know how NintendoLand entry is working for 2pm guests? Will they be allowed to enter the land at 2pm or is that 7pm-10pm the ONLY time slot they can go in?

I have friends with the 2pm Express pass (Mario Kart isn't Express, correct?), so this just seems like a trap for those trying to experience the land during Horror Nights because the line WILL be 2-3 hours, which will certainly eat up for maze time.

I would be very surprised if it didn't include nintendo access @ 2 pm itself, I imagine a lot of people will be getting it *just* for that and will wanna spend 2-7 pm just at nintendo because theyre coming from orlando or just only have one night in the area. I don't think it's been stated via any official channels but i would fully expect that with a 2pm ticket you can enter nintendoland, since it's included in the park's general daytime admission. I think it just means that 2pm ticket holders exclusively have the ability to enter nintendo between the hours of 7 and 10 pm, and normal horror nights guests or season pass holders dont.

 

[DTH]

I would be very surprised if it didn't include nintendo access @ 2 pm itself, I imagine a lot of people will be getting it *just* for that and will wanna spend 2-7 pm just at nintendo because theyre coming from orlando or just only have one night in the area. I don't think it's been stated via any official channels but i would fully expect that with a 2pm ticket you can enter nintendoland, since it's included in the park's general daytime admission. I think it just means that 2pm ticket holders exclusively have the ability to enter nintendo between the hours of 7 and 10 pm, and normal horror nights guests or season pass holders dont.

This is my hope, but the wording on the website is so fishy.

 

[chris.g]

Oh man the amount of confusion for just this forum alone, I can’t wait for what the GP have in store for USH lol.

 

[Spookies n' Stuff]

This is my hope, but the wording on the website is so fishy.

It absolutely is sketchy, but I double checked the terms and conditions and i didn't see any kind of clause saying "2pm General Admission does not include daytime admission to Super Nintendo World" or anything like that, so without some kind of disclaimer like that I can't see a scenario where they can reasonably stop you from entering without a line of angry people stretching all the way to toothsome.

 

[saint.piss]

Heads up: Early Access went back on sale for opening night. Bought mine already!

 

[Freak]

Heads up: Early Access went back on sale for opening night. Bought mine already!

Thank you! I got mine secured!

 

[Viator]

That’ll be in use on Thursday. Mondo and I spoke with a mummy TM that said TLOU will in fact use 2/3 of the mummy’s queue and mummy will be open as well

From Theme Park Wizard on the Employee Preview thread: TLOU will be implementing Virtual Queue beginning on Thursday.

 

[Freak]

From Theme Park Wizard on the Employee Preview thread: TLOU will be implementing Virtual Queue beginning on Thursday.

So…it’s true then.

Good luck everyone!

 

[Jerroddragon]

From Theme Park Wizard on the Employee Preview thread: TLOU will be implementing Virtual Queue beginning on Thursday.

Did he say anything about it starting during EA or at 7 PM when the event starts?

 

[Viator]

Did he say anything about it starting during EA or at 7 PM when the event starts?

When Ethan and I talked privately, it seems they are opting for a Pets system of when it reaches capacity for queue space.

Speaking with others, the road that the queue for Mummy Overflow was on a fire road, so it might be possible a reason stems further in that they just don’t have the means to have that road be used for queue anymore. And as a result, have to figure out a creative solution to deal with queue.

 

[Jerroddragon]

When Ethan and I talked privately, it seems they are opting for a Pets system of when it reaches capacity for queue space.

Speaking with others, the road that the queue for Mummy Overflow was on a fire road, so it might be possible a reason stems further in that they just don’t have the means to have that road be used for queue anymore. And as a result, have to figure out a creative solution to deal with queue.

That makes sense

So hopefully EA access people wont have to deal with it at all.

 

[Freak]

When Ethan and I talked privately, it seems they are opting for a Pets system of when it reaches capacity for queue space.

Speaking with others, the road that the queue for Mummy Overflow was on a fire road, so it might be possible a reason stems further in that they just don’t have the means to have that road be used for queue anymore. And as a result, have to figure out a creative solution to deal with queue.

So it sounds like it’s an issue of resolving overfly but also wanting to improve guest experience. I can accept it.