Hello there my lovely readers! I did not fall off the face of the planet although some days I feel like I am trapped in the Twilight Zone. I had a list of tons of things to do on Tuesday…and none of them got done. XD Then we went out of town and when I came back to work it was World War 15. So….I apologize for the lack of posts and suchies. I am back now and must get tons of stuff done today to make up for last week. Wait didn’t I say that recently….
So why the lack of posts lately? Because the husband and I along with a few friends headed to Orlando to spend some money and have a great time. We stopped by some Outlet Stores, went to Halloween Horror Nights, and spent an entire day in Downtown Disney! All in 2 days! I am surprised the husband didn’t explode from the all the shopping! So…it is time for pictures and a trip report. Click for lots of pictures and a glimpse on how we spent our time.
Riding on the moving sidewalk.
I will do the Halloween Horror Nights stuff in this post as to not kill people with pictures. We had planned to get to the City Walk early but…yeah that I didn’t happen. After we took a ride around in the parking lot and got to the shops it was about 4:30. The first thing we saw was the newly built mini golf course. From above it looked really cute. Love the little aliens. It is a bit pricey though to play a game. The husband says that one day we will have to try it out.
I want to get a hole in one!....and a lot of holes in 5.
After looking at the golf course for a bit we went to a few shops. Our goal for the night besides having tons of fun was to buy the unicorn from Despicable Me. But the big Universal Studios store outside did not have it. Which I decided it was a good thing. Unlike Disney Universal Studios does a great job theming their shops to match the area said shop is in. Not just filling it up with the same stuff found all over. The shops outside had a bit of everything but not all that there was to be had.
Halloween Duffy has arrived...and gotten eaten 5 seconds into the trip.
After taking a few pictures outside we stood in line for security. Which was even stricter than last year. I had to lift my pants to my socks to show them I wasn’t packing…heat I guess. I guess it is better safe than sorry but I thought it was weird. Good thing we went over there early to get this out of the way. When the gates opened all the guests were directed to go to the right of the park. My friend wanted to buy a sweatshirt (because we totally were not at a shop just 5 minutes ago) so we went to the big store as you leave the park. That way we could walk straight. Bye little sheepies, we heading this way!!
Duffy trying to take pictures while it is light outside. Because taking pictures in houses is hard!
Houses:
Gothic- We went in this house first without our fast passes in hope we could go on it again later in the night. We didn’t quite make it that far and missed going in it for a second time. For a non tie-in house it was pretty good. I think there could have been a few more gargoyles as there was a bit of dead/empty space. But it did feel like you were in a church for most of it and the feel felt right. HMMM feelings. By the name I was expecting a bunch of emo looking kids so I was happy. Maybe there could have been a few more statues that just stood still and slowly turned to you instead of jumping out.
Still light outside but it got dark super fast.
Silent Hill- Again we didn’t use our fast passes the first time around so we could maybe go in the house again. The posted time was 15 minutes but it ended up being 25 minutes. Not too bad and we ended up going in the house again before we were kicked out of the park. I didn’t like the line set-up as we had to walk across some make shift grass over some parts. I think they were covering up chairs or something. I also thought the house was going to be based on the new movie but it wasn’t. Most of my party agreed this was one of the best houses if not their favorite. There was a creepy plushie rabbit inside the house that I didn’t remember from the movie but was effective in making things look gross. I think that Pyramid Head should have been in a better spot in the house but other than that it was scary and enjoyable.
That is its scared face.
Dead End- This was another non tie-end house. I think there was a lack of cohesion going on inside. It was a scary house but we never got a really good explanation on what was going on. Maybe I just wanted some back story while they were just going for BOOOS! It was almost like a general haunted house, something that people would think of in the back of their mind. Like yes this is what I think of when I think of Halloween. Maybe that was the point of the lack of cohesion then, that it was a the scary parts of our imagination that comes into play every October.
BRAIIIIINS!
The Walking Dead- The husband and I weren’t planning on going to Halloween Horror Nights this year as we went last year. But when I heard there was going to be a Walking Dead house I was like sign me up. Still wish that we got the Tram that the CA Universal Studios got but what can you do? I loved this house the most but I guess that is obvious. People who were unfamiliar with the show got to watch some scenes from The Walking Dead before entering said house…although maybe that was spoilery. I do think that if someone had not watched the show they would be confused on why we went from a hospital to department store. My husband who hasn’t seen season one asked that. But for fans of the show it was a real TV show experience, from seeing Teddy Bear Girl to the car telling Sophia to wait. I really enjoyed this house so yay for me! The Silent Hill and Walking Dead house had the longest wait times all night.
Should have went in The Walking Dead house twice instead of this hot mess.
Penn and Telller New(KD) Vegas- This was the worst house of the night. Possibly the worst house I have ever been in. And I am not just saying that because I hate 3D things. I know that played a part in why I hated the house though. But the 3D house last year was more enjoyable than this hot mess. While there were very recognizable things throughout the house…it wasn’t scary. Nothing really mattered. At one point we were in a room with Christmas lights with people wearing said Christmas lights. This wasn’t scary as I was too busy focusing on not crashing into a wall I couldn’t see. At one point the ground shakes due to guest interaction but at that point I wanted to lay down and wait for the spinning to stop. The best part of the house was the photo op outside but due to staffers barker at you to move along you may or may not get to take those pictures. Oh and the scariest thing about the house was the pathway leaving said house. Everyone was complaining about the house when suddenly creatures on the ledge lunged at you. Scared out of my little mind folks!
A nightmare would be only getting one plushie a trip! XD
Alice Cooper Welcome to my Nightmare- Most members of my party agree that this was a second weakest house of the night. But I would still rate it a C while Penn and Teller get a Z-. There was barely any Alice Cooper in the house which is weird. Of course I am not sure why he gets a house at all. A Michael Jackson Thriller house would be more entertaining instead of putting a random rocker in his own nightmare. Also at times the music was…odd. I know it is HIS music but it didn’t fit with the scared out of my mind mood. Overall it was okay but while the Dead End house lacked cohesion this one lacked…well cohesion, theme, and purpose.
That looks pretty horrible too!
House of Horrors- I think the idea of this house was a good one but it needed a little more something. But I found it enjoyable. Classic horror monsters are a big part of Halloween so this house is pretty necessary despite the long walkway getting to said house. X___X How long does it take them to put up the ropes?! Anyway I think this house is a house that everyone can enjoy since it has so many tie-ins. Like oh you don’t like the Walking Dead or Silent Hill? Well surely there will be at least one monster in this house that you like right? Also going in ANYTHING after Penn and Teller seems amazing.
Without the fog things seem less scary.
Not Scare Zones- XD Last year there were 6 scare zones that spanned across the park on walkways one had to take. Now I think these scare zones were done away with this year due to construction going on. People needed to be able to see while working through the night and all the smoke the scare zones create might have made that impossible.
Had to snap and go as we only had 30 minutes left.
So instead there were roaming bands of…well lots of things. But a lot of the costumes were able to blend in with regular guests thus when scares happened it was scary. Those scares weren’t as numerous as years before and I think that is what people had a problem with. There was no hiding but just people not paying attention getting scared.
I like pictures weee!
My group was a bit disappointed with the lack of scare zones but I like the photo ops that took place instead. I am a picture girl after all. And had smoke been all over the place the pictures wouldn’t have turned out. Some of the pictures opportunities were hit and mess as they changed out the people pretty often. But we got quite a few of them so I am happy.
IT'S SO FLUFFY is getting attacked. And look I think this is the second picture of me I have posted on this blog. XD
Something that randomly happened but totally made our night was the interaction we got from cast members and customers alike. My friend and I bought the unicorn plushie from Despicable Me store and proceeded to carry them around all night. Because we can. We took lots of pictures of them doing things but at times when we went to get OUR pictures taken with the scary monsters….they would take the plushies and pose with them themselves. Like shake them and pet them and torture them! XO This entertained a lot of people who would scream ITS SO FLUFFY at various times of the night. And in a few houses instead of lunging at us we had cast members scream ITS SO FLUFFY in our faces. It was hilarious as everyone could buy these plushies themselves but no one seemed to realize this. We were the entertainment yay!
Rides:
So much to see inside!
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem- XD As we were celebrating my birthday apparently I got to call the shots. Because I am special. So I decided we were going to start off our scary night with a ride on the cutest thing in the park. Because I said so! And I liked it so much I decided we would ride it twice. We probably could have made it on the Gothic house one more time had we not ridden twice but…I makes the rules apparently.
So many glasses so many failures. XD
This was on the best rides I had ever been on…mainly because of the pre shows! There were less people in the park so obviously we weren’t in line that long. The first time we got “in” in 5 minutes. But the outside of the line has TV monitors with different Minion questions going on. Once you wait inside there is much to see in Gru’s house time goes by fast. Almost too fast! We have to take pictures of it all. Coloring on the wall, crazy fish, and even a Minion door. Can you snap it all before it is your turn in line?
Second pre show explained more of the minion process.
The first pre show is so cute. It talks about how the 3D glasses were chosen and that Gru needs more Minions for his upcoming project. Also we get some ground rules told to us but in a humorous manner. The second pre show takes you into a room where Gru explains that he will turn us into Minion because humans do not work well. The girls appear and they are trying to celebrate the anniversary of when Gru adopted them. Gru is trying to pretend he doesn’t notice but he has planned something too. I think both the preshows together are longer than the actual “ride” but that is what makes it fun! Like you get so much more time in this universe that just getting on the ride and moving on.
Can I live in the store and be surrounded by its so fluffies?!
The ride itself is a simulator and is 3D. BOO! But it was a very cute ride, a lot better than the Jimmy Neutron ride. You as a Minion go through the weirdest training course ever but then things go wrong and you have to save the day. After all presents are more important than girls. As after going through the scariest factory/secret base ever Gru takes you to a carnival he made for the girls to celebrate their adoption day. The party continues as you exist the ride where you can dance with the minions. The shop is also themed with the party atmosphere. The store could have been a little big but if it is small because of the ride and queue I am okay with it.
I am just going to take pictures instead how about that?
The Mummy- Tenchi rode this ride last year..and decided it was so much fun that she would never ride it again. I am not a fan of roller coasters even if some people named the husband says this is not really a roller coaster. I SEE THEN! I think the going backwards part is what really gets me. So yes I didn’t ride it. I took pictures instead. I should have walked through the queue with the camera instead though. The people who did ride the ride said it felt much jerker than last time though.
Don't shoot Duffy!
Men in Black Alien Attack- I love shooting type rides even I don’t score a lot of points. XD We didn’t have to wait that long and since cameras are not allowed on the ride..no pictures of the cute queue. I do like that the lockers are free while you ride though. Our car was mean and focused on blasting the other car. I think I did better than usual but this ride is fun no matter how many points you make…even if the husband always rides. Every theme park should have a shooting ride!
The husband was slacking on pictures! I will steal the camera next time!
The Simpsons Ride- This year they had some themed carnival games in front of the ride. Usually I hate these kind of carnival games as they take away from the theming of the surrounding area. But it actually FITS here. It is not just slapped on the walkway trying to make money. The games go with the surrounding area and actually makes the outside queue area look better. Not a lot of people were playing the games but maybe that was just because it was an event day. I wouldn’t want these to be taken out. Oh and the ride XD The actual waiting area is sorta boring until you get inside. But then there are screens like it Despicable Me that keeps the guest entertained. Almost like you don’t want to leave the room to the ride because you want to see what happens next. The simulator feels pretty real to me which further cements my desire to never ride a roller coaster. XD The husband does not like the ride though. Guess he rather ride a real coaster.
Duffy wasn't tall enough to ride it anyway.
No one in our party rode the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. I had no problem holding the stuff for the people who did want to ride it but I think our group wanted to focus on the holiday stuff and rides that Tenchi can ride. That and the fast pass said we couldn’t use it on that ride. I do think the ride looks…intense and people appeared to be having fun. It snakes through a lot of the park so watch out as it travels close to you in line!
Wait we are leaving already? NOOOO!
I think that is about it for my trip report. Was it a fun read? We had a fun time so hopefully it was a fun read. Avoid the special icees being offered as they weren’t worth it. Stick to the classic stand near the Men in Black ride. And while the fast passes are pretty pricey they helped us get in every single house and on the rides we wanted to get on. We went on a Wednesday night and it didn’t feel that crowded. I suppose we could have gotten in all the houses without the fast passes but we wouldn’t have gone on any rides or taken many pictures. So use that knowledge if you are planning a trip to HHN this year or next year. Thanks for reading! Now it is time to get to all the other stuff I feel behind on yay!!!
