Last Friday night my kids and I went to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, Orlando. This Halloween street party has been put on by Universal Studios for 21 years and I've never been, in part because the kids were always too young. My son, now 14, really wanted to go, and my daughter, 12, was adventurous enough to go at a young age. So, off we went and what a night it was. It was a scream! (I know, corny, but it seemed right).
Universal closes to regular ticket holders at 6:00 pm and opens about 6:30 for Halloween Horror Night ticket holders. The park was dark except for street lamps and the atmosphere was intoxicating. We saw all kinds of creeps walking the streets, zombies, witches, bloody corpses, and Michael Myers types running around chasing people with chainsaws like the one in the picture above with Ryan. There were eight haunted houses with various themes from ghostly graveyards, shipwrecks, haunted houses, a Spanish fort, and a WWI trench with a battle scene going on around you. My favorite was called "Nevermore" which was an Edgar Allan Poe themed house. He was one of my favorite authors so it was most intriguing for me. I think the kids liked "The Thing", a frozen setting based on the upcoming movie from Universal. It was freezing in there but it made it that much more authentic.
If you got there early the crowd was light since there are a lot more adults that go on a late night but there were plenty of kids there, some younger than my daughter. We went on all the rides starting with the Rip Rocket Roller coaster, a fast-moving express that starts with a trip to the top and about a 100 foot fall all the while listening to rock music that you get to chose. We went on the Jaws ride as well. Good in the day, superb at night! Also visit the mummy ride. Short wait times - excellent ride.
 |
| Finnegan's Restaurant & Bar |
 |
| Finnegan's Pub |
Pubs. Finnegan's is a good one right in the heart of Universal. It has typical pub fare - sandwiches, appetizers, and hot dinners. The food is good, the service excellent, and the pub is a clean, comfortable place with nice design and a cozy air about it. If you like Cheers or Beef O'Brady's, this is the place to hang out and have a good glass of stout.
The park closes at 2:00am and the rides and shows go on til then (except for Rip Rocket - it closes at 1:00) so a lot of the party goers start off at Universal City Walk and make it to the Halloween Horror Nights later, say, about 11:00pm. This makes it a great place to go when it opens, especially if you have kids because the lines are light and you don't have to mix with the heavy drinkers who eventually make it inside.
Along that line I noticed a heavy but discreet police presence along with active Universal Security Officers. With all the beer and shots being consumed on the streets and in the bars I saw very few disturbances. Police escorted a few guys to the parking lot and they were seen speaking with a couple of guys but otherwise it was a very well-behaved crowd. This is good for parents who might be a little concerned with bringing their kids in contact with a grown up crowd for the first time. They did a good job of maintaining a festive atmosphere.
The attractions were a maze of lines and ropes but it was very well organized. I was impressed with the detail of attention paid to the place and one can see a lot of great planning went into preparing for the visitors. There is only one more night of it so get your ticket and get over there! I'm going to post another blog about it tomorrow so please check back. Thanks.
