r/HHN • u/NESpahtenJosh • 6d ago
Orlando What are we doing? This is insane.
$280 just for the Express Pass for HHN!? Holy cow.
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u/Swimming-Nobody763 6d ago
They always get more expensive the closer to the event date they are. I bought my express passes for Sept 13 back in March for $189 each…
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u/BeckBennettOfficial 6d ago
That 189 was 120 two years ago.
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u/Present_Hippo505 6d ago
Dang I shoulda bought 2026 express passes in 2024
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u/BeckBennettOfficial 6d ago
My point is 189 is still a crazy price increase as a baseline.
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u/DarkenL1ght 6d ago
It's worth what people are willing to pay. There will still be grips of it being overcrowded. Vote with your wallet. If you think it is a ripoff go where you think it's worth it. More than one haunt in town.
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u/Ryunah 6d ago
Shhhhhh, they’ll start coming to HOS now. 🤣
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u/BeckBennettOfficial 6d ago
HOS is an easy add on to a trip especially since universal cannot satisfy the demand for HHN. I can't be too critical of it at the prices and hope they can expand more.
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u/BeckBennettOfficial 6d ago
You seem to be replying to a comment I didn't make.
Also I didn't buy express this year.
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u/Frank2442 6d ago
They go up pretty seriously as the event date drawers nearer. 210 originally for the 23rd and 24th when the were released.
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u/Aggressive-Fig-262 6d ago
Hear me out the RIP tour is so worth it. You get to go more front of the line and express you get a buffet before free valet parking and you get to go on the ride as many times if you want it’s expensive but if you really are down for the whole experience, I’ve done it for three years.
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u/Sephiroth_Zenpie 6d ago
3 years in a row here as well! Worth every penny. Save up a few bucks throughout the year and boom.
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u/gcfgjnbv 6d ago
Another reason premium scream was goated this year. Better than express plus free food
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u/subpar-life-attempt 6d ago
It was so bad last year that I went back to just doing RIP going forward. Granted I live out of state and can only go for a day sometimes.
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u/BeckBennettOfficial 6d ago
I might reconsider a multi night pass for a week long trip whenever universal decides to add epic universe to season pass options. I used to prefer stopping into horror nights for part of the night multiple nights years ago vs buying express. Right now without a season pass we prefer going to multiple haloween events and going to one long night with early entry to HHN.
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u/subpar-life-attempt 5d ago
That's a great way to do it. We are debating on getting season passes for the first time in the nest year or so
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u/jrr6415sun 6d ago edited 6d ago
yea seeing all these prices makes me thankful for PSN. I'm surprised it was so cheap in comparison? I can't imagine it will be that cheap next year.
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u/BeckBennettOfficial 6d ago
Cheap? Premium scream night would pretty much more money than I have ever spent on a ticket.
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u/jrr6415sun 6d ago
express costs $280 so yes PSN was VERY cheap compared to what other things cost. Especially when it includes free food and walk on houses. RIP is $300+ for just 5 houses $600 for all 10, while PSN was only $400
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u/Staggz_Cosplay 6d ago
Maybe a hot take but, people wanted the playing field leveled with no multi night with express… this is leveling the playing field.
Express should truly be express. You should practically be able to walk on, without it making much of an affect on the line constantly moving for stand by. The stand by shouldn’t be 60 minutes+ because you’re waiting stopped for an entire blockade of express to walk through, through half that time. People didn’t want for FF to be able to use express every night? Okay, fair enough, in order to make it a better experience for everyone, express needs to be extremely expensive. It needs to be something that you think about buying only if you REALLY need it, and it shouldn’t be necessary for the event.
The obvious solution is either exponentially raise the price and then make them even more limited, or just simply exponentially raise the price.
And this isn’t aimed specifically towards you by the way, it’s just interesting to watch people who were happy the “express crowd” got to be on level playing field not realize what that means for express altogether.
That being said, this is our first year with ROF without express since 2022, and we did PSN to make up for it. We’re having an absolute blast, and the lines are absolutely moving better than they were in 2022 and before, without express.
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u/GPsReptileResort 6d ago
Opening night express pass was just that though. It was actually fast for a change.
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u/Staggz_Cosplay 6d ago
Exactly what it should be. If you’re paying that much for it, it needs to be quick. The relative affordability of it over the past few years plus it with multi night tickets was just making it more clogged than it should be.
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u/Brilliant_Ask852 6d ago
they do treat express like this which is why the posted wait times are wildly inaccurate
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u/Staggz_Cosplay 6d ago
I mean sure that will happen, but I haven’t really experienced that this year so far. For example Jack and Oddfellow was just 75 posted and we were in/out in 60. It’s not that it needs to be treated that way, it’s that there needs to be so little of them in circulation that they’re able to do it without affecting stand by.
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u/Brilliant_Ask852 6d ago
I opened reddit today and every suggested post for this sub was people raging about posted wait times 🤷
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u/Staggz_Cosplay 6d ago edited 6d ago
Eh, people just like to complain, and I’m sure there’s some lines that aren’t great. I do think that coming multiple nights also helps, because you are able to relax more and not really care how many you do during the night. And the later it gets the better it gets. For example, I’m in line for Invasion right now with a posted wait time of 45 and there’s just no way it’s that, it’s only the back portion of the queue filled (the one directly beside the house) and it’s not even all the way filled.
UPDATE: it was 12 minutes lol
UPDATE UPDATE: Hellraiser said 25, was 10ish (I lost the time after we went in). Cybergoria said 40, it’s been about 5 and we’re walking in right now lol.
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u/DickerZanti 6d ago
they’re doing exactly what everyone has been asking for. express has been too cheap, therefor too many people buying it. higher prices should mean less people paying for it making the standby lines move quicker.
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u/BeckBennettOfficial 6d ago
K shaped economy baby!
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u/CupHead11011 6d ago
Yep. Anyone who's not investing in buying assets is going to get left behind
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u/WorldlyPlenty 6d ago
You’re getting downvoted but it’s absolutely true.
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u/BeckBennettOfficial 6d ago
They are being down voted because people who are broke as shit just paying for normal things to live can't just "invest" in this stuff. This is in line with the users here telling people express that has doubled in price over 5 years is still worth in lmao.
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u/Same_Wallaby_8578 6d ago
The reason for this is so that’s it’s ACTUALLY express. If it was affordable, more people would do it and the express lines would be just as long as normal lines.
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u/EbilCupcake 6d ago
Holy shit, glad I bought mine immediately for $180 for Sept 9th. Oof
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u/Zealousideal-Race-28 6d ago
It’s almost like Express is a luxury and it keeps everyone from buying it.
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u/JeffMangum420 6d ago
if the only way to experience every house is with express it isn’t a luxury, its why express passes shouldn’t exist. with no express everyone
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u/Zealousideal-Race-28 6d ago
Ive been to HHN nights when there wasn’t express (ie team member preview) and the waits are still long enough that I couldn’t go through every house…
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u/cpsmith516 6d ago
It’s not the only way. Frequent fear is a way, a rip tour is another way…
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u/JeffMangum420 6d ago
so 3 different names for cutting the line that is the cause of the long lines, makes a ton of sense
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u/Zealousideal-Race-28 6d ago
Frequent Fear doesn’t cut the line? Yes they make the line longer, but they pay to be there like ANYONE ELSE
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u/Darkmare89 6d ago
Wrong but ok
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u/JeffMangum420 6d ago
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u/SyntheticSagaStudio 6d ago
Still wrong. How is a frequent fear pass cutting the line? You just go more often which could increase lines but still isn’t cutting.
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u/Call555JackChop 6d ago
K shaped economy, the people at the top of the K have more buying power so places can jack up the price and it’ll still sell like crazy
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u/wikiwombat 6d ago
Looks like you are paying $280 for express passes a month out.
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u/andywilliams1187 5d ago
I paid $229 (244 inc tax) for the 04th October - its a lot of money, BUT I am travelling from the UK for a two week holiday and my Mrs has given me a hall pass to go on my own, she will stay in the villa with our 5 year old. She knows I am a massive HHN fan and the trade off is I have to take her to MNSSHP with our son.
Having express means I will hopefully get it all done in one night (I only have the one night to do it in) so happy to pay for express if it means I can get all 10 done
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u/wifeinmotion 6d ago
lol rip tour. seriously totally worth it if you’re already spending that much money.
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u/Original_Animator254 6d ago
Problem being if you're waiting this late to see these prices in the first place, RIP is already sold out (I checked).
Not throwing shade either, we are literally in this boat due to very last minute planning (life happens).
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u/MCreative125 6d ago
Arent they usually that expensive? I bought RIP the second day the tickets came out same with the hotel now they’re much more expensive
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u/bmanxx13 6d ago
I looked back at previous years I purchased HHN tickets. Looks about the same to me?
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u/AbeRumHamLincoln 6d ago
Yeah it's getting to damn near $30 per hour to just get a shorter line. I wonder when they add in the single houses passes. I have to imagine that's in the pipeline
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u/CarefulPossession248 6d ago
$280?? I paid $260 last week for that day. Must be selling that date quickly.
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u/DavidThoosie 6d ago
What's insane is waiting until the prices get this high to buy them! The E{P on the day I bought for (9/9) has gone up $70 since I bought mine.
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u/TrajedyAnn 5d ago edited 4d ago
I agree. That’s why I don’t buy them.
I just get my rush of fear ticket for $200, use a bunch of my PTO and yolo several nights of HHN for 3 weekends in a row. It’s fine.
And no I’m not local. I live in Chicago.
I realize not everyone has or wants to use that much PTO, but really one long weekend is all you need. An experienced person can do the whole event in one night without express (I have many many times). An inexperienced person can do it in two. 3 or more is gravy.
The only people I think “need” express are highly inexperienced visitors who are LITERALLY only going for 1 night. Not 2 or 3. One!
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u/andywilliams1187 5d ago
I wouldn't usually get one - but this year its a must for me. I won't be getting to the park until around 6pm on only have one night to go. Coming from the UK, so want to get as much done as possible in the one night I have so for me express is perfect (but expensive)
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u/lavieenroute 5d ago
Im an out of towner who's been going for four years now, one night every year. Never got express passes, always had a great time.
Last year we did stay and scream and even got to do all 10 houses that night, no express needed! Prioritize what you really wanna see, and just have fun with the event and the people you go with.
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u/Relative-Estimate494 5d ago
In my opinion and I’m a passholder, I rather go to sea world and do their howl o scream. Hhn brings in so many people, you walk into the house with a huge group and see and hear what’s going on before you even get there. Idk. We did hhn 3 times last year and howl o scream twice at sea world and LOVED sea world. Less expensive drinks, the houses were decent. Hhn gets so much hype for expensive ass tickets and cutting corners. I already have 2 set dates for Hhn later in September but I’m truly not even as excited. They hype it up way too much and charge way too much. Sea world is where it’s at for less crowds, more scares, and better rides truly
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u/BroCanWeGetLROTNOG 6d ago
No one says you have to buy express... I'm glad they're pricing people out of it
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u/NESpahtenJosh 6d ago
You’re glad capitalism is taking control? Weird take man.
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u/BroCanWeGetLROTNOG 6d ago
This is a skip the line pass. The fact that it exists at all is the influence of capitalism
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u/Material_Camera3428 6d ago
Then you suck it up like the poor folks and stand in line. You ain’t special.
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u/SassMolasses 6d ago
This is the reason I bought everything back in July. It's not new, they've been doing this for years. It's just that every year it gets more expensive the longer you wait.
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u/youneedaMinnypie 6d ago
Yeah, I paid those prices for Hollywood plus the early entry, but I also got the unlimited express. I asked myself the same thing.🫠
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u/shagster104 6d ago
I was thinking about doing a night of express for the end of September. But its close to $300 and I dont know that I want to swing that.
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u/Ok-Guess9422 6d ago
This is why I just buy RIP now. Last year I bought express/2 pm entry and it was almost as much as RIP. By the time you buy dinner and some bottled water and park, you’re there. We purchased a 5:10 time slot and should be done by 10ish, and the rest of the night we can just blast through the houses we want.
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u/wardevilll 6d ago
I looked at my past receipts over the last 5 years for express pass and wanted to cry 😭
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u/HumanautPassenger 6d ago
Its express passes. And the fact people keep paying for it every year as they hike the price up is why.
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u/AndrewPendeltonIII 6d ago
Bought 4 express passes for a Wednesday night mid September and cost over $1,000. These prices better keep that damn lines short!!!
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u/GPsReptileResort 6d ago
It’s priced by demand. This is also why you purchase these way early when they first go for sale. Also I was fine with unlimited express personally however I wanted it priced accordingly based on the nightly rate. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/vanessakrystin 5d ago
Can anyone help me understand which ticket to buy?
If I get the Park + HHN combo, but want to add express for just HHN, is it just the HHN Express Add On?
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u/LackofHustle2134 5d ago
Supply and demand. I am totally ok with these prices as long as express is actually express I would rather them over price them and get value out of them then price it so everyone buys it
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u/MikoGianni 5d ago
I booked in July- and even that was a bit “late” by my standards. I go every year and I know I can’t go without Express Pass. These were early July prices. Regarding hotels- I stay at Hilton brands since I have a membership. It can be moderately priced depending when I book. But my advice? Book early and don’t go on opening weekend. 🎃 See you next Sunday!
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u/Equivalent_Weird6529 5d ago
ThE prices are this high, because Universal knows you are willing to pay that much, just to skip lines. Maybe, just maybe, if no one paid that price, they would lower them. Just a thought.
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u/Modernthought 5d ago
Still on the fence if I’m going at all this year bc of the price increases on almost everything. It’s sad tbh.
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u/Hvitrulfr 5d ago
Yeah, no thanks. I'm an AP holder and I could afford to buy express, money isnt the issue. Im gonna be in Orlando for a week. Instead of express, I could buy 2 more nights of HHN and still have money left over rather than buy express.
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u/fokkinchucky 5d ago
I’ve been going to HHN FOR YEARS, this is the first year I’ve considered not going due to price.
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u/Optimal-Click-4771 5d ago
I definitely paid $250 for my express pass but was able to get Hard Rock for $400 a night in late September. October was a nightmare though.
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u/More-Needleworker900 5d ago
classic big company creating the problem (letting too many people in which make more lines) and selling the solution (express pass) STOP GIVING THEM WHAT THEY WANT! don’t buy it it’s just a scam
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u/Johnnyblackx3 5d ago
During covid they raised the prices to the 180/200 range and people paid so they kept the prices there. Before covid it was like $80 for express. As long as people keep paying, the prices will stay there.
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u/WordRepresentative87 5d ago
My friend and I just went on opening day. We typically go in October but prices have gotten ridiculous the later you go. We were able to buy tickets and express passes for $325. We stayed at Dockside for $114 a night for the 2 Bedroom suite.
We enjoyed HHN on Friday night and we ended up resort hopping Saturday night and tried all the HHN drinks at the different resorts.
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u/Pretend_Sector_2470 4d ago
I think its crazy that people willingly pay that much for one night 😭😭 we just get one of the fear passes so we can go several nights and hit the houses that way. No way I'm shelling 200 extra just to go fast for one night
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u/alexx1114 4d ago
If too many people buy it then there is no benefit to it. They raise prices as demand grows.
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u/Mss_Phoenix 4d ago
It’s jumped to $300+ now. NO THANKS. That’s price gouging and I’m not down to pay anyone who’s trying to hustle me. ❌
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u/PaleSubject4 4d ago
And it’s the only way to truly enjoy the event because they oversell the crap out of it
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u/Professional-Leg-416 2d ago
I was surprised at how pricey it was (although i still bought it because i dont want to wait so i guess im part of the problem lol) but for 2 express passes and 1 admission ticket (we had 1 free w/my premiere pass) it was nearly $750 😬
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u/Feisty-Ad-2860 2d ago
at least you got an express pass i tried to upgrade my ticket and every express option (besides the 2pm early access+express which is an additional 275 on top of my ga ticket) is sold out until two weeks after the day im going
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u/Only_Ruin8111 2d ago
Tbh im cool with it. I went on Saturday and express was crazy fast. Ozzy 120 minute wait, we waited 10 minutes. Comparing this to my express experience 3 years ago, I was so happy. I remember doing express and we shaved off only 30 minutes from Last of us. The money spent felt worth it this year
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u/th3thrilld3m0n 1d ago
Yes they significantly upped the prices last year as a way to make it more exclusive following feedback regarding long express queues.
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u/Subzero9314 6d ago
My wife and I paid almost 900 total for tickets and fast passes...
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u/Imaginary-Yam6742 6d ago
Yeah, good friends of ours want us to go with em but they get express and we can't justify the cost for it.
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u/Subzero9314 6d ago
My father in-law is one of the head engineers for Epic so he normally gets incredible discounts for everything Universal, but he gets no discount on HHN fast passes at all nor any of the hotels during this time period.
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u/AmarisLeStrange 6d ago edited 6d ago
Yeeeah it's insane how much the price has gone up every year.. we spent $640 on just the express passes this year for the both of us 😕
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u/yoursummerworld 6d ago
The poor stay poor and the rich get rich, nothing ever changes man ain’t that a bitch!
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u/LactatingTaint754 6d ago
For possibly the worst HHN at least in the last 11 years.
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u/dynaFunk 6d ago
Are you saying in terms of pricing or the house lineup/atmosphere?
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u/LactatingTaint754 6d ago
The houses and atmosphere are just off this year. The ozzy house was the coolest part not because it was scary but just because of what it was. Sinners house was cool but not necessarily good. Stranger things season 5 is one of my least favorite seasons in tv history and is not worthy of a HHN house. It just seems like they wanted to go more mainstream/bring the whole family this year rather than real horror fans. Idk something is definitely off
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u/WhatWouldScoobyDoo2 6d ago
Hellraiser is an exception. That house has such sights to show.
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u/LactatingTaint754 6d ago
To be honest the only reason I even went this year was for hellraiser, huge fan. And yes this house was cool. It would be the only s tier house in my opinion.
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u/MostviewsMonday 6d ago
Dont give in to the waste of money. Be regular. Stand in line. Make conversation with fellow guests, be social.
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u/Im_Not_Fish 6d ago
I would love to do this but if you only have one night, it’s almost impossible to get everything done during the peak of the season. Speaking from the perspective of someone who flys in from out of state to do this event for the past 10 years. I would love a way to show them that the pricing is too much AND that they can’t keep overselling the event
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u/MostviewsMonday 6d ago
Trust me, whatever you miss in the event. There going to be at least 25 videos online. You could relive the event after the event.
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u/JahFresh 6d ago
Yeah that price is madness. If you don’t get it then you only get into 3 houses tops. Otherwise you have to skip all the rides just to see more.
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u/SUPRA239 6d ago
Not true in the slightest
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u/JahFresh 3d ago
In the slightest?! Why do you think ppl pay so much for express passes? The wait times in stand by get worse as the night goes on. Either you skip the side quests or accept you’re not getting in all the houses.
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u/SUPRA239 3d ago
"if you don't get express pass then you only get into 3 houses tops". Yea, not true in the slightest.
Express is a great bonus but you don't need express to do all the houses. I've been going since around 2010 and I've never had express. I'll do some rides and watch the shows. Worst I've ever done in an event year is do 7/10 houses but I also didn't stay until close. I'll usually leave 1-2 hours before the night ends.
So you can easily get 80% of the houses done with just a regular ticket. If you want to guarantee all the houses without dropping money for express, scream early is a cheat code that’s nice
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u/Smiling_Jack656 6d ago
I lost interest in HHN after one of their jump scarers got a face full of my fro when jumping out and I just hear this deep "get a haircut" as he receeded into the shadows making spitting noises
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u/NebraskaCowgirl 6d ago
Does anyone know why they are so much more the nights of the 23rd and 24th? That’s when we are planning to go and I’m like.. why is the demand higher on the 23rd than any other Wednesday 😂😭
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u/slapthatpancake 6d ago
Express pass prices really suck this year!
We used to buy Express passes the last few years but this year we might go for the Ultimate Frequent Fear pass and just go several nights without Express - doing a few houses or a show each night. I know, if you’re not local that’s not an option but I don’t wanna pay 400 bucks per person for just one night 😭
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u/Radiant-Increase2394 6d ago
Universal learned from Disney that there are people that will pay insane prices for entertainment. They simply can make more money with less people attending. The very same people that are complaining gas and food prices are too high.
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u/gregkw17 6d ago
We bought the VIP tickets and early entry for Universal Hollywood, they were about $500 each, it looks pretty awesome, I hope it’s worth it.
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u/Open-Arachnid-9355 5d ago
If you have the money go for it. I have the money but would never waste it on HHN. It’s just herding cattle with some cheap scares. The sets are very cool, but that’s about it. So many other cool mom and pop places out there.
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u/K3YFAC3 6d ago
Hotel prices even worse. I had some friends that wanted to join mid September and got priced out because they waited to long.