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Is Halloween Horror Nights 35 Express Pass Worth the Price? We Put It to the Test
Halloween Horror Nights Express Pass is definitely not cheap, but after putting it to the test during a hosted media event at Universal Orlando Resort this past Wednesday, we walked away convinced it can be worth every penny for the right guest. Express was provided as part of our admission for the evening, giving us the perfect opportunity to see just how much time it could save during a busy night at HHN 35.
Related: We Finally Met HamiKuma at Halloween Horror Nights 35
The numbers tell the story. H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular! was posted at 45 minutes and took us 9 minutes with Express. Sinners was posted at 90 and took just 6 minutes. Hellraiser was posted at 45 and took 6 minutes, while INVASION: Alien Abduction was posted at 45 and took 12. Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control had a 75-minute posted wait and took us only 5 minutes. MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals was posted at 60 and took 10, while Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness had the longest posted wait of our night at 95 minutes and took 20 minutes with Express.
Stranger Things 5 was posted at 40 and took 11 minutes, Evil Dead Burn was posted at 50 and took 6, and Cybergoria was posted at 45 minutes with a 5-minute Express wait. Our Express timings were measured from the moment we entered the queue until reaching the point where Express and standby merged just before the houses.
Add all of those posted standby times together and you get a whopping 590 minutes, or 9 hours and 50 minutes. Our Express waits totaled just 90 minutes. Of course, posted wait times fluctuate throughout the night and don’t necessarily equal exactly how long a standby guest will wait, but that difference is still pretty hard to ignore. And this wasn’t a sleepy Wednesday night either. HHN was busy. Express gave us enough breathing room to stop for food and drinks, enjoy the scare zones, and avoid turning the entire evening into a frantic sprint from house to house.
We started hitting houses at 7:45 PM, completed four houses, took a break to wander through the scare zones and grab some drinks, then tackled the remaining six houses. By midnight, we had officially completed all 10 haunted houses, with plenty of time spent actually enjoying the event instead of staring at the back of somebody’s head in a queue.
So, is HHN Express worth it? If you are attending several nights, have plenty of time, and don’t mind waiting, the price may be harder to justify. But if you only have one night to experience HHN 35, want to knock out all 10 houses, or simply hate spending your night standing in lines, we think it is absolutely worth considering. Pricing varies by date, and the calendar we checked shows remaining September dates ranging from $260 to $300, October reaching as high as $320, and November 1 priced at $300.
There is no Unlimited Express option for HHN, so each participating house or attraction can only be used once with Express. It can also be used at participating rides operating during the event, including Revenge of the Mummy, MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack, and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. Express does not apply to Nightmare Fuel or Welcome to Hawkins.
If HHN 35 is calling your name and you want help putting together a Universal Orlando getaway, be sure to reach out to our partners at Get Away Today to help plan your trip.
