I have a question for those of you that did Stay and Scream last year in September when it was apparently a nightmare. I have always done Stay and Scream but I have read in so many places now that it is not worth it anymore because of the crowds and waiting in lines for hours. The group I am going with will have express passes for 2 days and we cannot decide between showing up right after opening and avoiding the big rush, or trying to endure Stay and Scream. I did not get to go last year so I can't tell if last year was that much worse than years prior.
It all depends what you want to get out of the Stay and Scream....
If you don't have express passes, and absolutely must do every house in the night, then it can be a bitch as the top tier houses have people lining up line hours before the park even closes and they're stuck in the sun for the entire time.
If you're like my group, with express and patience, we'll be sitting at Moe's or finishing up our meal at Finnegan's and when they open up the holding pens, we'll close our tabs and get started.
For express, it's worth doing just to not have to deal with the fustercluck at the front gate at opening and to get a couple top tier houses out of the way super early and not be stuck in the "swarm" going clockwise around the park.
If you don't have express, which doesn't sound like your case, then S&S is pure misery spending hours in direct sunlight on the concrete paths, with no real wind and not moving for 2+ hours just to be one of the first people into a key house.
For what it's worth, in the last week of September since the Pandemic it seems like MORE people are getting directly into the house lines and it's easier to get a Finnegan's table or a Moe's barstool if you just want to chill during the park turnover.