Its back! Another horror filled weekend where I go to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal and Howl-O-Scream at Sea World. This year I put a day in between these events because your girl is getting old, and I can't do them back-to-back anymore. With that in mind I bring you some tips and tricks for getting the most out of these events.
Find your tribe - who you go with is one of the most important pieces to this puzzle. For four years I've been going to Horror Nights with my once boss, longtime friend Eric and I gotta tell you - he is the perfect partner in fear! For Howl-O-Scream this year Eric tagged in again, along with our friends Connie and Katie and for the first time ever Tamy! What a blast that was. I think we've decided this is out new group for Howl-O-Scream.
Pick your ticket wisely - Howl-O-Scream is pretty affordable and because it's a smaller event it's manageable without the need of an express pass. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Universal - it's just a big event packed full of houses, entertainment, food, and scare zones. In order to see as much as possible in one night we spring for the express pass. This is an undertaking - we were absolutely exhausted by the end of the night and sore (again old and let's not forget chubby) definitely keep that in mind, it's a lot of walking, it's a lot of getting the timing right and likely you will miss something. We are definitely discussing getting a multi-night ticket next year to really make sure we see everything and don't kill ourselves doing it.
Have a game plan - If you are in fact doing a single visit make sure you have a game plan. Know what you absolutely can't miss, have some idea of an order, check the internet for event maps and possible showtimes this will help get your game plan in order. Without a plan we would not have managed to get ten houses done in one night at Horror Nights for four years in a row!
Make time for food - not only does this give you a great time to sit but these events have some super fun and delicious foods to try that are just for this event, so you don't want to miss out. This definitely goes for some fun cocktails too. Also make sure you stay hydrated, it's still super-hot here in Orlando and you want to make sure you don't pass out!
Get there early - If you arrive early while the sun is still up you can get the lay of the land and also some incredible scare actor photos. Obviously if you have a multi-day pass you don't have to get there early every single time you attend, but I definitely recommend it once.
Hang out in the Scare Zones - Often my favorite part of these events you get to really get up close to the scares, watch other people get scared, get amazing photos and just have a blast!
This year we had best time both nights and I'm already looking forward to next year where multiple visits are definitely on the table! This year was one of the best times I've had and I've had some pretty great times! Interested in my full ranking of houses and scare zones? Just let me know in the comments below!