Another trip to Universal Orlando and Halloween Horror Nights… because apparently I have made an entire personality out of theme parks.
There are a lot of ways to spend a vacation. Maybe you like to go somewhere relaxing, like sitting on a beach, sleeping in, enjoying leisurely meals, and doing absolutely nothing.
Or you could be like me and travel to Florida once a quarter, where the humidity is a personal attack, where you walk a million miles a day, spend an embarrassing amount of money on things you do not need, and pay to have the living daylights scared out of you by people who have made a career out of hiding in the dark.
Which one would you pick?
It’s officially that time of year again: my annual excuses to make Universal Orlando and HHN my personality for a few short days. There are few things I love more than getting to experience the parks, and HHN is one of those events that reminds me why I keep coming back.
But here’s the thing about theme parks: I never experience them as just theme parks.
Yeah, I’m there for the rides, the atmosphere, the snacks, the merch, and the general joy of being somewhere that quiets my mind a little bit. But I’m also there as a marketer. I notice the details. I pay attention to the storytelling, the environments, the way the experience makes you feel part of something bigger.
And I think Halloween Horror Nights is a playground for that sort of thing.
There’s the anticipation leading up to the event, the excitement of finally seeing everything come together, and the strange little community that forms around being just the right amount of obsessed with something. There’s the difference between seeing a familiar horror property on a screen and walking directly into its world.
So naturally (obviously), I had to go back. Here’s a little (or long) look at my latest Universal adventure, my time at HHN with my family, and a few thoughts from someone who probably thinks about theme parks a completely normal amount.
The trip started off when we landed at MCO on Thursday afternoon. My sister Julia booked us a car service to help us collect our bags and take us straight to the hotel.
5-star service ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
We were staying at Loews Royal Pacific Resort - one of my favorite Premier-tiered hotels at Universal Orlando Resort. Highly recommend this one if you want unlimited express passes to the OG parks and close proximity to the parks. But we can chat about that in another post.
Naturally, we were all pretty hungry when we got there and RPR was running a fun HHN layover at Jake’s All American Bar, so we headed down to check that out. Food and drinks are good, but nothing to write home about.
After we all got unpacked, we headed to our dinner reservation at COWFISH. A burger-sushi fusion joint I hadn’t been to in years. It was good, but it’s not one of my staples (I recommend Antojito’s, Toothsome, and Margaritaville to anyone who will listen). My dad did get soy sauce spilled all over him, though, so that was the highlight of that meal.
Then we headed over to Dead Coconut Club, where it felt like we tried almost every drink on the menu and lost track of time before heading to get some Voodoo Donuts for the morning. Julia ate all of hers before bed… 🍩
Friday morning, we headed bright and early to Epic Universe where we had the best day ever at the newest theme park. I’ve been here a handful of times, and every time I walk through the Chronos, it’s like it’s my first time. It’s truly magical, and I truly recommend everyone find time to visit.
Stay tuned for a full rundown of our day at Epic and all of my recs in that park
Saturday was another day in the parks, exploring Studios and Islands. The weather was PERFECT. It wasn’t too hot or sunny, and it sprinkled a little throughout the day, making the temperature amazinggggg for Florida. I’m pretty sure it felt more like fall there than it did here in KC. We were really looking forward to the potential to get to wear sweatshirts at HHN on Sunday.
Remember how last time I went to Universal, I was trying all the different popcorn flavors? 🍿 I got the last two flavors under my belt this trip: Bacon Cheddar and Garlic Parmesan.
Bacon Cheddar is located right across the bridge to your right in Marvel Superhero Island, and the Garlic Parmesan is at the popcorn stand right outside the CaroSuessel. Both were delicious, but Garlic Parmesan was the clear winner. Maple Bourbon Habanero… still ranked the lowest on my list. Sorry…
And then the day finally came… our turn to go to Halloween Horror Nights.
We took advantage of the new scream early rules, starting houses around 2 pm. This was the best change I’ve seen Universal implement in years. I sincerely hope that scream early starts this early every year after this!
We got somewhere between three and five houses done before the official event even started at 6:30. And this gave us plenty of time to enjoy the shows, the scare zones, and the food all night. We really were able to maximize our time there in the best way possible. Truly the best way to go about it when you only have one day to do HHN every season.
And more importantly… this extra time gave us time to rest in between houses and truly discuss and digest how we felt about each of them.
And here are my awards for BEST OF HHN 35 (because I know you were all waiting for that):
BEST SCARE ZONE: Downtown Clowntown. There really was no other option here, the other ones just weren’t as well thought out as this one was!
BEST HHN FOOD: Smash Tacos
Honorable Mentions: Death by Cheesestick, Jack & Odd Dog, Burnt Sando, and the BBQ Egg Rolls
BEST HHN DRINK: Slide Guitar Smash
Honorable Mentions: Black Rain and Cenobite’s Kiss
BEST SHOW: Stranger Things: Return to Hawkins (saw it more than once and cried because I have a strange attachment to this show)
BEST HOUSE: Hellraiser. Hands down. No competition. The scariest. The best.
Now I will say, the other houses were great too, but they had nothing on Hellraiser. I’m excited to see who takes House of the Year later this week.
I know you can’t take my recommendations because this season is pretty much over, but I would love to hear everyone else’s thoughts on this years events in the comments!
Every time I leave Universal, I have the same problem: I start looking forward to the next trip almost immediately (good thing I’ll be back in less than a month for another Orlando Informer Meetup).
You’d think all the walking, the sweating, the screaming, the sunburns, and the inevitable post-vacay realization that I’ve somehow accumulated more things to pack and store would be enough to convince me to take a break. Yet, here we are, never gonna happen.
That’s part of what makes these experiences so special to me. They’re not about the individual rides, the houses, the attractions… they’re about stepping into another world for a little while. It’s about the tiny details I didn’t notice on my last 100 trips. And it’s about being around other people who are just as excited to be there as I am.Until next time… I’ll be here reliving the trip through my camera roll, counting down the days until my next trip.
See you in the parks 🎢
This post was originally published to my Substack, Proof of Magic.