Episode Transcript
[00:00:06] Speaker A: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Mouse.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Ears podcast, where we talk about all things travel, but mostly Disney, brought to.
[00:00:15] Speaker A: You by fairytale journeys travel.
[00:00:20] Speaker B: So we talked about the rods overlay, or lack thereof. I could be wrong in that if you talk to my wife, Kelsey, I am wrong about some things. I mean, I'm not perfect, but I think we mentioned you did stay at Cabana Bay, and there is they. They did have some theming. You talked about it earlier, but what. What kind of theming did they have or have have had in the past? Previously?
[00:00:56] Speaker A: Yeah. So their bar in the lobby is always themed around Jack o lanterns, and they did continue that this year. They've got some amazing displays that they put up with just all kinds of very creepy, spooky jack O'lanterns behind the bar. And this year, they added some additions. One of the standout features of Cabana Bay's lobby is they have live palm trees growing right in the middle of the lobby. They're incredibly tall. They're at least three stories, if not taller. This year, they added some additional vining elements connecting between those trees and the sides of the lobby with more Jack o lanterns hanging from them. So they kind of just kind of expanded that, that same theming that they've had. And if you guys are familiar with little booze, Lil boo. Excuse me, I was a little too enunciated there. This little pumpkin guy on my shoulder, he has been assembled for HHN for quite a long time. He was hidden in Cabana Bay in one of the locations, and I believe they moved him around a little bit as the days went on. We did not actually find him, but our tour guide did tell us that he was there and that we should be on the lookout, so.
[00:02:13] Speaker B: Oh.
So if you, everyone, if you're going to Halloween horror nights and staying at Cabana Bay, look out for Lil Boo.
And then real quickly, we're not going to talk about too much. But you did also mention going while the hurricane was going on. How did universal kind of handle that check in? Because I think you sent me a picture of that long line, but how did that go?
[00:02:43] Speaker A: Yeah, talk about, you know, a quick shift in plans, right? So when John and I arrived at Cabana Bay, we actually ended up checking in a whole day early. Our plans were originally for doing our rip tour last Wednesday and the behind the screams and express pass on Thursday. But knowing that the, at the time, at least, the hurricane was supposed to hit sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, we opted to add an extra day onto Cabana Bay. So I think on Sunday or Monday, I jumped on Universal's website, tried to find out if I could book a room for an extra night and was actually able to get it. So when we went there on Tuesday, I really wasn't sure how things were going to go, because I think I did book it on Monday. It had been less than 24 hours since I had booked it, and I wasn't sure how they would react or what would happen. And when we walked in, the line was so incredibly long. I guarantee you it would have been at least 2 hours for us to get through it. Just so many people were trying to get in. We even found there were a lot of locals that come to the universal and Disney hotels just because they know that it's going to be a little safer. We talked to a guy at the bar that night. He said he only lived 6 miles away, but he's like, I know my house is going to flood, but this hotel won't. So I brought my mom, like, oh, okay, well, cool.
But one of the things that they introduced this year that was really cool is universal added an online check in for all of their resorts. And I very quickly, at the advice of Brooks and our running Ohana friends, scoured through my email to try and see if I had anything that had this. And it turns out I did have an email. Even though it had been less than 24 hours, they did send me one. I had to just go to this site, fill out some information, and there was a much shorter line that I was able to jump over in and do all of my check in.
They were very accommodating. They did not have an issue with me having two separate reservations. They combined them, made sure that we wouldn't have to change rooms or anything. The whole process was pretty seamless and great. So I was, I was very impressed by it, by what they were able to do to make sure that we could get in quickly and safely.
[00:04:58] Speaker C: And you felt safe, correct?
[00:05:00] Speaker A: I did, yeah. So there you go. You know what? They didn't have a chucky room. Maybe they had a hurricane room out there. Ah, yeah. No, I will tell you this, it was like I never felt in danger. I never felt like we needed to leave or come up with, you know, any kind of doomsday plans. They did have a little paper that had like, their evacuation plans and where to meet and everything. We went by their, their, in, uh, their in hotel, like, restaurant area, saw that they had tons of food, tons of water and everything. No concerns there. So we just closed the drapes. And watched a lot of duck tales, and we were fine. I mean, the first line is a hurricane.
[00:05:49] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:05:50] Speaker A: So it was pretty fitting.
[00:05:52] Speaker C: That's awesome.
[00:05:53] Speaker B: Yeah. And just real quick, shout. Shout out to, you know, everyone working at Universal land Disney, going above and beyond, helping all their guests, keeping everyone. Yes.
[00:06:06] Speaker C: Feeling safe and protected.
[00:06:09] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:09] Speaker C: Goes a long way.
[00:06:11] Speaker A: Yeah. I know, I know I mentioned this briefly earlier, but one more time, I just want to say how. How appreciative we were that there were reps that were willing to work with us to reschedule what we could and salvage, you know, our trip, because the main purpose of this was to do Hhn, and the two nights that we were supposed to do it were the nights of the hurricane when everything shut down. So the fact that we got to do anything is entirely due to how. How wonderful those universal reps were to help us and step in.
[00:06:40] Speaker B: Yeah. So, moving back to the Halloween horror nights, you mentioned that you did the VIP tour, and you've done it, you know, for the past three years. What. What exactly is involved with that vip tour?
And is it. Is it worth the money, in your opinion?
[00:07:02] Speaker A: Oh, man.
[00:07:03] Speaker B: I know it is a little pricey.
[00:07:05] Speaker A: Oh, buddy. It's. It's more than a little pricey because I won't say exactly how much it cost me. It was a little different. Can get annual pass holder rates on some of those tours. And the earlier you book, the better. I booked last April or May. That's how far out ahead. I did this to make sure that I could get it and get the best pricing I was looking today, and it looks like the rip tours start around $400 for the rest of this month. And the hidden cost that you don't really pick up on unless you read the fine print. You also have to purchase a regular HhN ticket for the night that you are doing an rip tour, which those can go anywhere from $85 up to $150, depending on what the night is. So it is not a cheap investment. And my mom and my friends thought I was pretty crazy a few years ago when I was like, I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this thing, and I'm gonna do all the stuff. But here's the way I look at it. I live in St. Louis. I am not close to Florida. It is not easy for me to get over there. And when I go, I'm working on a very, very limited time table that I can work with. And just like you guys, I'm a big Disney fan. So when I go, I want to do the Disney parks, too, and I want to do Mickey's not so scary Halloween party in addition to HHN. And I need to fit all of that within a week. So for me, Rip is absolutely worth it because it guarantees you that you get to go to all of the haunted houses that they have that here. So that is ten houses. We talked about some of those wait times. Trying to do ten houses that have anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours wait time is just not feasible to get in in the night. But with the rip, not only do you get all ten houses, you get a tour of all the scare zones. You get unlimited food and drink during the night. We can talk a little bit more about what that's like, and you get priority seating for the nightmare fuel show that they have, which is one of my favorite things about HHN, which we haven't even talked about yet.
And the best part of all, I have had, what, three or four different guides now across the years, and all of them have been fantastic. In fact, I have to give a shout out to my buddy Emmanuel, who was our tour for both the behind the screens and the rip this year. We actually met him last year on the behind the screens tour. Really hit it off, formed a good connection, and I asked him, is there any chance that if we come back next year, we can get you again? He goes, when you book your stuff, let Universal know that you want to do a tour with me. We'll make it happen. I was like, oh, cool, you know, that's great. Well, that was a year ago. I didn't think that they would care, you know, I mean, not to disparage Disney, universal, or anybody, but how many, you know, people actually mean it when they say that stuff? So last April, may I call? I make all my arrangements, and I say, by the way, can you put a note on my account? I'd really, really like to do this tour with Emmanuel. He's a great guy. We had a connection, if possible, that's who we want. Didn't think anything of it. John and I were walking into the behind the screens tour last Saturday, and I actually said to John, what do you think the odds are that we'll actually get him, or that my request, if it was even written down, didn't end up inside of a trash can somewhere? We go to check in. Emmanuel is standing right there. Turns out that not only did they give him our request, he came in even though he wasn't scheduled to work that day to do that tour with us. That's how awesome these guides are. He was supposed to be there Wednesday. Then when it got called off, he's off on Saturdays. But he saw that we were able to reschedule, and he brought himself in to work that day so that he could do it with us. And he did the rip that night, too. And that kind of level of care, to me, that is everything when it comes to the pricing, as you have somebody who wants to be there and experience it with you, who wants to take you through and make sure you have the very best time possible. And those guides know everything about the house. They spend weeks learning how all of the houses work, how the scares work, what the stories are behind them, and they freely give you that information so you're not just walking into a house like, oh, this one's called ghostbusters. I haven't seen that movie. I don't know anything about it. Before you walk in, he's telling you, all right, here's the story. Here's some things that you should look out for. Like, if you're a fan of these other movies, maybe pay attention to this. And if there are younger folks in the crowd, he'll even give you some little warnings about this might be a little bit too intense for you. Or, you know, some of the houses feature some, we'll call them smell zones. Um, they'll he'll. They'll give you warnings about, like, you might want to cover your nose when you start to go into this room because it can be a little intense. Um, just that dedication makes, for me, the rip. Absolutely worth it every single time.
[00:11:59] Speaker C: Bring up a point real quick.
Well, honestly, Robbie, your passion is infectious. It is awesome. It makes me, I'm so invested in your storytelling, so thank you for being here and explaining all this to us, but you brought up a really interesting and very important point. Food, Halloween horror nights. Yes. It's a huge focus on the houses and the scare zones, predominantly. Right. I'd say that the majority of people, that's what they're expecting, and that's what they're kind of focusing on. And then some merch. But there's also a lot of specialty foods and drinks as well. And when you're trying, if without an express pass and without a, you know, a tour, you're trying to get to three, four, five houses in the six to 01:00 a.m. period, that time goes by way quicker than people expect, and that's not allocating time for food. And a lot of times, like, I remember when I used to go, I was like, I just want to grab something quick and go because I want to get back in line to do the next one right. Especially when I didn't have the express pass. So the fact that this tour includes food time or includes the food, you get to go through everything and be able to enjoy the food. Like, that's really something to preach about. Cause in contrast to Mickey's not so scary.
You don't have a lot of wait times for rides. You don't have a lot of wait times for trick or treating.
Yeah, you'll have some wait times for characters, meet and greets, but there's a lot of different elements going on at Mickey's not so scary, including the shows, the parades, you name it. With Helen Hornites being the houses is the main attraction. And that takes up so much of your time. You don't get to try all these other things. So I don't know, I just wanted to point that out because I'm a foodie, first of all. Second of all, you know. Um, yeah, I just think it's something to really consider when it comes to planning out, because we always tell. I know I always tell my clients for Helen Hornets, eat before you go. You know, so that way you're not feverish while you're in there and then getting hangry and you're like, what am I gonna do?
[00:14:18] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:14:19] Speaker A: Yeah. So, steph, I'm so glad you brought that up. Cause I do wanna clarify a couple of things about the food.
It's very similar to what you're recommending to your clients. If you're doing, like, the rip tour, the food is really just available at the beginning of the night. And then if they have anything left at the end of the night, they have.
One of their vip restaurant locations is called Cafe la Bamba. And that's where you will initially go after you check in for your rip tour, and you're allowed to stay there as long as you want.
It's kind of an interesting system. The way that they have this setup is like, our tour was supposed to be at 730. We were in the park a couple minutes after six.
Again, because we have this great relationship. Emanuel was actually waiting for us to help us go through the check in process and then escorted us over to Cafe La Pamba. They have set up in there kind of, though, they have a bar, like a cash bar that you can get any of the drinks that are available throughout the rest of the park. And then they have, like, a buffet style of samplings of a lot of the different foods that are available at the stands throughout.
[00:15:27] Speaker C: That's awesome.
[00:15:28] Speaker A: It was pretty cool. They have, like, full meals, they've got vegan options, they've got desserts, they've got fruit plates, all of the water, soda.
I can't remember if there's powerade or not, but there's definitely water and soda and some kind of juices. As much as you want. I literally took, like, two waters and a couple of bottles of coke and a sprite. This is all included with what you're paying for this price. We had our own tacos that. That we made and just loaded them up until they wouldn't fit in my mouth. And I've got a big mouth, I freely admit it. And I was having fruit as well as all kinds of, like, street corn. They had cookies, they had all, guys, I have a new obsession. They had guava empanadas. And it changed my life. It was phenomenal.
[00:16:15] Speaker B: So, yeah, this been all my life.
[00:16:17] Speaker A: I know, right? Like, who would have thought? But, yeah, it was so good. And we just ate to our hearts content. And then the way that they do it is whenever you're ready again, regardless of what your initial tour time is set, as you wander over to a building across the street and you just let them know, hey, I'm ready to take my tour. And then whenever the next guide is available, that's who you're going to be with. Unless you've requested someone and you'll start your tour when you're ready. And then it's just kind of up to your guide as well as like, you know, they have some. Some different maps and stuff and how they hit the houses. So not all of the guides are going to the same place.
And there's a couple of different showings of the nightmare fuel show. And just depending on how your night's going, that's when you're guiding to figure out, like, all right, now's the time for us to go. Or, you know, we're going to catch the later show because it's really busy right now. By the time we get over there, all the seats are going to be taken. So they, they do a good job of keeping that balance between having the freedom to kind of move around based on crowds versus having, like, a set plan to get through the night.
[00:17:22] Speaker C: People were in your tour? Sorry, Brooks.
[00:17:25] Speaker B: Oh, no, you're good.
[00:17:28] Speaker A: So my buddy John and I, and then I think there was another couple and then a group of four.
Compared to, like, last year or the year before that, I don't think I've ever had a tour.
[00:17:40] Speaker B: Is there an age limit? With the tours?
[00:17:43] Speaker A: We had an eight year old in our group, so I don't think there is. I get dropped again. Sorry. Don't know if I got dropped again.
You guys hear me now?
[00:17:52] Speaker B: I can hear you, yes.
[00:17:53] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah. We had an eight year old in our group, Brooks, who made sure to tell our guide after every house that wasn't scary.
Sorry, guys. Third try.
An eight year old in our group made sure to tell our guide after every house that wasn't scary.
So, yeah, I don't think there's an age limit.
[00:18:15] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:18:15] Speaker C: Wow. Interesting. And.
[00:18:20] Speaker B: To the parents. Parents consent. Yeah, I remember Peter Brookhart talking about last year because they took their little ones and the scare actors, like, running up and going right up to their little kids face and going, coochi Gucci Coo.
Like, they're running all scary and then get out. Oh, you're so cute.
[00:18:46] Speaker C: That's still terrifying.
[00:18:49] Speaker B: All right, so we've talked about the vip tour, but we haven't talked about behind the Screams tour. Can you give us a rundown of that tour? And I'm assuming you did the six houses and what houses were available on that tour?
[00:19:06] Speaker A: Yeah, so we did do the six house tour, and it's become one of my most favorite things about HHN. Last year was the first year that we ever did it. Like I said, that's how I met Emmanuel.
And we did it again this year because we loved it so much.
The way that it works is you do either the three house or the six house tour. Those two tours in the past always kind of randomized the houses. You didn't really know what you were going to see until you actually signed up for it and went there that day and they let you know. This year, they really made an effort to make that a lot better for guests by publishing. These are the houses that are going to be part of each of the tours. The six house tour and the three house tour feature different houses. So if you do both of those tours, you'll actually be able to see nine of the ten houses for this year. The one house that was the exception was a quiet place, and that was by the decision of Paramount and the owners of that Ip.
When you do these tours, it is exactly what it sounds like. It is a lights on walk through the house with your tour guide, who will not only give you the backstory of what the house is and how everything works, they literally show you, this is how they do the special effects. Here's the trigger for where the fog comes from, there's the hose where the water is going to drip on you to make it feel like somebody's believing on you. There are the pedals on the floor that the scare actors are going to hit to cause the floor to vibrate, or this window to pop open. And while on the surface that sounds kind of bad, like the magician telling you exactly how they do the trick, it actually gives you a chance to appreciate the artistry that goes into these houses so much more. There are an unbelievable number of details that you cannot see when you're going through this house and it's dark and there are strobe lights going and you've got people pushing you from behind and, you know, universal reps that are trying to hurry you along and you can't stop to look. So getting to see how much care and effort the.
I don't know what universal calls them, they're not imagineers, but whatever the equivalent is that they put into these houses is just phenomenal. It's some of the best artistry that you can see. And one of the things that I really, really love is every year they hide some kind of themed item in every one of the houses. Last year, it was frogs that were hidden in each house that had some kind of hat or something on them that represented that house. This year it was snails. There are snails hidden in every single one of the houses that have some kind of theming with them. And if you know where they are, you can definitely find them, but if you don't, you're never going to see them. But it's just something fun that the universal architects did to challenge themselves.
Another aspect of it that's really, really cool is they kind of give you an inside look at how, especially on the ips, how that licensing stuff works, because they will let you take pictures. In fact, I'm happy to go on the MEP Facebook and upload some of the pictures that we took while on the tour, but you get to kind of hear the contract details between the IP holders and what universal. Because there will be parts where, like, can't take pictures in here. And sometimes you're like, why? That doesn't make any sense at all. And they'll have little backstories about why that is. Or things like Garaka, the big bad from Frozen Empire. You can see where he comes out in the houses, but they don't want you to take any pictures of him because without all of the lighting effects, the fog effects, the ice effects, that they use.
He looks a little dumb. And I get that, that they want to maintain that level of awe and scariness that this character is associated with. And so they don't want that being published out on the Internet. And it's like, oh, I totally get that. And that makes me actually appreciate this even more.
The one thing I will say, and I was afraid that this was going to happen, but we just didn't have a choice because our plans got altered and we actually did the behind the screams tour before we saw the houses. It did alter the way that I walked through these houses because for those six, I vividly, especially Ghostbusters, remembered where every single scare was gonna be and I was waiting for it. And if the timing was off and the scare actor got the person, you know, in front of me, I was just so upsetting because I'm like, I know what's gonna happen and I want it to happen to me.
So it did alter things just a little bit of. So I would. I would seriously recommend, if this is something you're interested in and it's a lot more affordable than the rip tour, do it after you've experienced the houses because it will take away a little bit of that immersion, a little bit of that magic, because when you go in, normally, you don't know what to expect. But if you go in knowing exactly what to expect, whether it happens or not, it's just not quite the same.
[00:24:23] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:24:24] Speaker C: I remember when we had Peter card last year, and we were talking about Han horrif. He had, like, this phrase, I probably am not saying it verbatim, but he says something like, beautiful horror or something like, do you remember Brooks? Like, he said something that was like, it was something beautiful and then just horrible at the same time. And it. It really expressed Halloween horror nights to perfection because really, you nailed it on the head when it comes to the artistry of it. I mean, every little detail so thought out. And, you know, I kind of view how in horror night, like, I don't like horror movies. I've expressed that before, but I do love Halloween horror nights. I know it makes absolutely no sense, but, like, I can scream and I can run for my life when I'm watching a movie. I'm, like, stuck and just having to wait for the next torture chamber to, you know, scare me.
And. But for Halloween, hornites, I don't know, I just fight or flight goes into effect, right? And it's like that scene, you know, not to go into the basement, goes into the basement and, you know, something scary is gonna pop up.
[00:25:38] Speaker A: Boom.
[00:25:38] Speaker C: You still get scared. It's like you can, you can kind of gauge where certain things are gonna pop out at you, but no matter what, there's not enough preparation. You're still gonna get freaked out and it's still going to be like adrenaline pumping through your body. And again, like, if you have the ability to kind of, like we've said it before, quote unquote, stop and smell the roses, or in this case, stop and smell the smoke.
Just like, the architecture and how they really make these movies and ideas come to life is just incredible, considering it's, it's a pop up. It is not always there. How they repurpose their props to create some of these things blows my mind. It really, really is. So, so, so on that note, let's say you're Kelton. Yes. I'm throwing him under the bus. Love you, Kelton. You're getting thrown under the bus and you're afraid of Howlin Hornites. You're not going. You refuse to go.
Would you think that doing the behind the screens tour is a little bit more manageable for scaredy cats?
[00:26:50] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. Real quick, I want to throw a little alliteration at you. I'm going to build off what Peter said last year and call it gorgeously grotesque.
[00:27:02] Speaker C: Love that. Love it.
Gosh, I got to go back and listen to what he said, but that's a good one. Gorgeously grotesque. I can see.
[00:27:14] Speaker A: We actually had a couple that was on our behind the screams tour, who, I don't know the reason why, but they actually told us that they do not go at night. They do not go to the houses when they're normally there. But they had been doing for years the behind the screams tour because they did appreciate the artistry and they got really into it and they liked horror films. They did not like getting scared. And it was too much of a, it was too much of a sensory overload. I could tell that there, there was some issues there with, with sensory stuff.
So I think that would actually be kind of perfect for Kelton. It's something that he could go, he could see what it could be like. And maybe, guys, that's our entry drug to get him there, you know, in full force.
[00:28:03] Speaker C: Wish that'd be awesome.
[00:28:04] Speaker B: I like that. But I like that injury drug.
[00:28:07] Speaker C: That's awesome. But, yeah, Kelton, whenever you listen to us contemplate, mull over the idea of a behind the scenes screams tour, you.
[00:28:18] Speaker A: And all, there's no scares. There's nothing that's going to scare you. I mean, it's definitely gross. Gorgeously grotesque because, like, you see with full detail just how like, viscerally, they get into the viscera. Some more alliteration for you on some of these, you know, prop bodies and stuff. Like, I have a picture probably not appropriate for the podcast Facebook page, but of our tour guide counting the ribs on guys that his chest had been ripped open. And you can see the muscle sinew and everything. Like, it is detailed. This is something that you will maybe see for 2 seconds as you're walking by the while, you know, strobe lights are going off and there's fog in the air. And it's like you guys took the time to anatomically create this dummy and give him, like, skin and muscle and, you know, bone.
[00:29:14] Speaker C: Temporary event, like, for one body.
[00:29:18] Speaker A: And it was spinning. Like, it was a body that's like, hung up and spinning. You might not even see it, but it was just amazing.
[00:29:27] Speaker C: We have another FTJ friend who did one of the behind the screams tour for the. Was it three houses? I think.
[00:29:34] Speaker D: Yes. Yes.
[00:29:36] Speaker C: And she told us, I showed us a picture of the vomit. One of the houses had vomit.
Which one? Or anything. And it was like, I know it's fake, but it looks so real and disgusting. Like, I just tried. I just wanted to get away from it as fast as possible.
[00:29:53] Speaker D: It was so gross.
[00:29:57] Speaker C: Yeah, I think I'd prefer just Helen Hornets just buzzing right through.
It's great when I'm not getting scared because I'm laughing at everyone else getting scared, and then when I do get scared, my adrenaline just spikes and I'm screaming and, you know.
[00:30:12] Speaker A: Anyways, you said something earlier that I did want to comment on because they actually talked about this on the tour. You know, we talked about that. This has been going on for 33 years and there are people out there. I wish I was one of them, but I'm not. That had been going all of that time. And the more you go, you do start to guess like, okay, there's going to be a scare here, right? You talked about how, like, you can walk through and be like, it's going to be there. It's going to be there, right? Probably going to have like a, you know, some kind of thing right here. Yeah, our guy talked about that. They've really, the last couple of years, been trying to figure out how to get around that, and I. And they've been playing a lot with the idea of anticipation and not putting something where you expect. And, like, so when we went through some of these houses, he would show like, here's the very obvious door right here. You know, you're going through insidious and you're in the lipstick demon's lair. And there's a Yde big set of double doors right in front of you. It's like, you know something is coming through those doors because we put it there and you're walking 30ft away, just walking straight towards it. You know it's going to happen. And you are looking, you are waiting, your anticipation is building. And then we don't do anything. We will not have anything come through that door. But when you round the corner and your guard starts to drop, that's when we're gonna get you. I just love that concept. I love playing novice stuff.
[00:31:44] Speaker C: Can hear Kelton right now saying, nope, nope, see ya. I'm.
[00:31:51] Speaker B: I'll see y'all in Margaritaville.
[00:31:53] Speaker C: I was gonna picture him saying that though.
[00:31:56] Speaker A: Nope.
[00:31:57] Speaker B: I can see him turning around just like they pop out and just die.
[00:32:02] Speaker C: Like, nope, nope.
[00:32:03] Speaker A: This year, I don't know that they've ever done this before. They had in major suites, candy factory, there were three different scares that you initiate, like actual buttons or things that the scare actors try to prompt you to interact with and then it does something.
[00:32:21] Speaker C: Oh, I've not experienced that yet.
[00:32:24] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:32:25] Speaker C: Wow.
[00:32:25] Speaker A: And new thing they're playing with. Like, I was like, oh, man. Like, you guys ride rise of the resistance a bunch of times or something. You want to make this all interactive because one of them say this first one, there is a candy bowl on a desk. When you walk in and major sweets is there, he's welcoming you into his factory, getting ready to do the tour. And he will gesture down at this candy bowl. Like, go ahead, take one. There's a motion sensor in that candy dish that as soon as you reach in there, it shoots out a puff of air right at you, which is very sudden and unexpected. And my buddy John, I love John dearly. John is a victim. When we walk through these houses, we.
[00:33:07] Speaker C: Need a john when we go because he'll be the target in front of.
[00:33:12] Speaker A: You if you need to laugh. And I laughed my ass off through these houses.
John knew this. He knew this. We had done the tour. He knew exactly what was going to happen. John still reached into that bowl and jumped like 5ft in the air when the air puff hit him. And major sweets laughed. I laughed. We had a great time.
[00:33:34] Speaker C: No anticipation needed. That one was gonna be funny no matter what. That's awesome. Oh, God. So, so, so what was your favorite part of your whirlwind, you know, hhn trip this year, most memorable thing, best part one that you want to relive or, you know, see it in your mind over and over again because it was just, it gave you the best feeling ever.
[00:34:06] Speaker A: Man. That's such a hard question.
[00:34:08] Speaker C: Sorry.
[00:34:12] Speaker A: The houses are amazing, and some of my favorite houses were this year, but I'm gonna get sappy, you guys, and I'm gonna say getting to experience it with the people that you love and care about who are just as passionate or. I know my fandom can get a little too high sometimes. People that get close to your level of passion, that's just incredible. I am so thankful that John was able to attend this with me. I'm so thankful that we got to meet up with Emmanuel again and that became a friendship. Like, we've already started talking to each other about movie recommendations and stuff. In fact, he recommended a movie that I saw on my last day before I flew back home to St. Louis and was texting him. Like, that was nuts. Why did you tell me to see that and just the relationships and memories that you can form going through this thing? Because it is an adrenaline rush from start to finish. You know, if you do the rip tour and you're there at 06:00 to start your night, you're going to be there until 02:00 a.m. at least, because that's when all of the houses close. We went through all of our houses. We went through all the scare zones. We went to the show, which we haven't even talked about. We did our shopping, we rode some rides, we hit a couple of the houses again, we did more shopping. And as many, like, stand out memories as I have from all of the things I experienced that night.
The one that sticks with me is John getting the crap scared out of him over and over again and just giggling uncontrollably. And I love that I don't look like a victim. I guess they won't go for me. Even like, if I stop and plant myself in a house waiting for a scare to happen, and I'll have the universal guys being like, come on, keep going. They won't get me sometimes. And it can be very annoying, but it's so awesome to see other people experience it if you can't get it yourself. And that's, that's one of the great things about it. In fact, I even a story that I love is I don't remember what house it was, but there was a point where a scare actor, which we both knew he was there. It was one of those really well telegraphed ones. He popped out and he got John. And, you know, John does his little jump and yell. I'm laughing hysterically behind him. I nod at the scare actor and I give him a thumbs up. He salutes me around the corner. He pops around on the other side and gets John again.
I was like, we communicated.
[00:36:55] Speaker C: That's awesome.
[00:36:57] Speaker A: And it was so good. Those scare actors are just phenomenal. Like, they are so good at their job and they're so passionate, and they make sure that even if they don't get you, you're still gonna get a good time. You're still gonna have a great experience seeing it happen to other people.
[00:37:11] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah.
[00:37:13] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. The times that I would go, I I try to, like, when we go through the scare zones, I'll, like, make like a. That person scared. That person.
I just love seeing what transpires after that. So I can only imagine. I mean, it's, it is kind of like a, it is a bonding experience to scare with people. Like, to be scared with people. There is just something about that.
[00:37:40] Speaker D: It's a trauma bond.
[00:37:42] Speaker C: There you go. Yes. That's exactly what it is. Oh, man. Too funny. Human shield. You're, you're my friend. I'm telling you, as my shield. Now we're enemies.
All bets are off.
I pick you to be scared.
[00:38:02] Speaker B: So I hate to start winding down this episode. I mean, talk on that. I'm sure after we hit stop recording, we're still going to be talking, but kind of, I think we can you kind of hit some of your, your thoughts about Halloween horror night. But, uh, lastly, do you have any tips for someone that, like maybe their first time going for Halloween horror nights or.
[00:38:30] Speaker C: Wait, hold on.
[00:38:31] Speaker A: Yeah, sorry.
[00:38:31] Speaker B: Yes, yes.
[00:38:33] Speaker C: Before we get to the final thought, one other blah, blah, blah, is there anything else that we're missing that you experienced that you would like for our audience to know before we get to the tips? Because I know there's so many different.
[00:38:49] Speaker B: Components about this show.
[00:38:51] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah.
[00:38:53] Speaker A: Briefly.
Yeah. So do you feel like you need more fire in your life? Do you feel like you need more sexy dancing in your life? If so, go to this show. I feel like that every day of my life.
So every year.
Pretty much forward to going to the, the amazing shows that they, that they put on.
This was a new show this year, so last year it was actually a reworking and reiteration of the show that had taken place the year before. The storyline was about a dreamer that keeps having this nightmare every night. And eventually they learn to confront their nightmares and take over the dream and make it into something that they can control. This year was a.
It had elements of that to it. It was about a young man who falls in love with a circus performer, and she dies during her performance. And every night he has to relive going to that show and seeing her die again and again as he tries to come up with a way to how to save her.
This show is just. There's nothing else like it. It features these incredible dancers and acrobats. I will say it is a, like, r rated show. Like, I don't remember if our little eight year old in our group went to it or not, but I know that our guy definitely, like, urged his parents, you might not want to bring him into this because there is a lot of gyrating. There's a lot of. We'll call it hair flipping.
There is a lot of sexy time throughout these shows. And the dancers are on point. I don't think they have ever had anything that has trans fats in them. I don't think that's possible, based on what you can see. And you can see a lot.
And the dancing is just so cool. And they love to play with fire. Like, I don't play with fire, but if I did play with fire, I'd be very disappointed, because it wouldn't be as cool as the way that they play with fire. I mean, we're talking flamethrowers. We're talking setting people on fire. We're talking jumping through fire rings and somehow doing sexy dances with fire and not burning yourself or your friends, talking about people hanging themselves up by their hair and, like, going up the air and still juggling fire like it's insane. And if you like that kind of stuff. I do.
I highly recommend that you don't miss it. And considering that that is part of the built in cost for your rip tour, absolutely worth it.
[00:41:32] Speaker C: I've never experienced a show because I've always felt like I've never had time, even with the express pass. I get that you have to prioritize what you want to do. And a lot of times when you're with a group, as we all know, with group settings, there's a lot of compromising. Not a lot of, you know, it's compromising. So I love hearing the feedback about the shows being good because I've never experienced that.
Yeah. Fire. Lego. Let's go.
[00:42:05] Speaker A: Burn, baby, burn.
[00:42:08] Speaker C: All right. Anything else that you want to let us know about? Before we get to final thoughts.
[00:42:15] Speaker A: No, I think that about covers it.
[00:42:17] Speaker C: I'll say one thing that you haven't mentioned. You mentioned to us pre recording, but not while recording.
There was a lot of merch, a lot of good merch that Robbie was kind enough to share with us.
Yeah. If you're on YouTube, you'll be able to see some of the fantastic stuff that he has purchased. That is so cool.
[00:42:40] Speaker A: Aluminum signed poster of, like, the concept art.
[00:42:44] Speaker C: That is so awesome.
[00:42:45] Speaker A: This year in particular, the. The merchandise was absolutely incredible. And that does actually remind me of one last thing. Steph. They have a store, and very much like the houses themselves, it's rebuilt. Not only every year, this year they started rebuilding it every season. The tribute store, which can move around the park and is rethemed.
Seriously, they just did it in summer. Now they redid it again in October, moved it. The tribute store this year was phenomenal. This is a store that carries pretty much all of the Hhn merchandise. So if you are limited on your time and you're wanting to see just like the, the full gamut of everything that's on offer, make time for the tribute store this year. It's in the very back of the park, up in the New York section, right by Jimmy Fallon's ride and the Ghostbusters house that rip ride rocket runs through. The tribute store has a story this year. It is actually about a character that was introduced in one of the scare zones last year. Her name is Bat Tilde. She's half bat, half woman, and all kinds of scary when, as you walk through this store, they have it set up so that there is a very clear path to follow. And the rooms have different themes. Like, you start out and you're actually in, like, a survivor's, like, hideaway. And they have maps of where they've seen sightings of Batilda.
And then the next room has, like, weapon lockers and stuff for the survivors that are trying to take her out. As you make your way through, you eventually work your way down into the subway, and Battilda is down there. They have a giant life size train that she is up perched upon that you can go and take pictures by, which is pretty cool.
So I loved that they took the cause. They've had the tribute store for a long time, and what they used to do is every year they would put hints in it, like little posters and things that would hint at what some of the houses might be at the next HhN. This year, they just said, you know what? We're making this store its own house. And I think that is a phenomenal idea, and I hope that they keep doing that. It's well worth your time. Take the time to go through there, because very much like Steph said, the merch this year.
Oh, my God. Like, talk about FOMO. I bought a everything that I could see and want, and I filled my suitcase to bursting and there was still stuff that I was like, I wish I had gotten that. Now I'm seeing it online and I wish I had gotten it. It is so good this year.
[00:45:15] Speaker C: Do you get any souvenir or anything like that? Like memorabilia for doing any of the tours that you did?
[00:45:22] Speaker A: You do? I'm actually wearing my rip lanyard and batch that you get every year. This year they did introduce a. It might have been last year, too. I don't remember. But unmasking the whore, you get a couple of pins. And I don't know if this is a new thing or how exactly we got this, but when I booked our tours, I booked the hotel and the tours at the same time. And they told me, make sure you stop by five and dime, which is one of the stores in the park. They're going to have some exclusive pins for you guys.
[00:45:55] Speaker B: And.
[00:45:55] Speaker A: And they were these really, really nice enamel pins that had the hhN, the screaming punk skeleton skull on it and the year that were just part of the package. So that was really cool. A couple of buttons, too for each one of the tours. So you do get some. Some pretty neat stuff.
[00:46:12] Speaker C: It was well worth it no matter what route you go, whether the day or the night time, but. Awesome. All right, Brooks, I'm sorry for cutting you off earlier. Please run us out.
[00:46:24] Speaker B: Oh, no, you're good.
So, Robbie, final thoughts on HHN and tips?
[00:46:32] Speaker C: We love them.
[00:46:33] Speaker B: Tips.
[00:46:34] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:46:35] Speaker A: Okay. Well, I feel like I've given a lot of good tips throughout the episode, so to kind of summarize some of those express pass is absolutely worth it. If you're not going to do an rip tour, express Pass is the way to go. You can absolutely get through all ten houses with an express pass and probably do a couple of your favorites a few times.
Use the universal app, just like on the Disney apps. They do have the houses listed. They even have their own subcategory. And you can pull that map up to take a look at the wait times for the houses. I will say that I did not find that they seem to update quite as frequently as they do over on the Disney app, but they are still a pretty good indicator. So use that to your advantage. It's definitely hard to. It's a lot harder, I feel like, to run from side to side in this park versus doing that over in Disney. Like, if you're looking at your wait times, but if you're in a certain spot and you see that, you know, all the houses around there have a 40 minutes to an hour wait, go to the other side. I guarantee you it's going to be 20 minutes, 25 minutes, and there's going to be two to three houses gathered together that you can just hit one after the other. They actually kind of stagger them that way on purpose so that as you exit out of the house, the start line for the next one is relatively close, so you can kind of make your way around the park if that's the. The way that you want to do it, or you're not concerned about lines because you guys, because I told you, save your shopping for the end of the night. You will use all six of those or all eight of those hours from 06:00 p.m. to 02:00 a.m.
most of the shops close at two, but the main universal one right before the exit and the tribute store stay open later. So if you are interested in shopping, wait till the end of the night to do so and pick up all of your stuff then can be a bit of a mad rush. But you're not going to lose any time for doing houses, food, the shows, etcetera. Speaking of the show, I highly recommend it. I feel like not enough people are aware of just how awesome the show is. I mean, it's a. It's a sexy Cirque du Soleil with fire. I mean, I don't think any of the words I just said in that sentence are unappealing to anybody. So definitely go see that show.
And I guess the last thing that I would say is, again, if you're not doing the rip tour or any of the other tours, you're just going on your own. Don't stress.
It can be a very overwhelming night, especially when you literally have people trying to jump out and scare you. So just take the time to actually enjoy it. Take a chance to look around and admire how much work and effort these artists have put into the scare zones. The houses, the. The artwork for the banners for the houses, which is one of the things I love. I've got posters of several of them because they're just beautiful and just enjoy the experience of getting to be there and do something that a lot of people have never done. In their life and might not get to.
I love Hhn and I cannot wait to get back. And I hope that all of your listeners have maybe picked up the bug and will go and experience it for themselves as well.
[00:49:57] Speaker B: I don't know how you haven't.
[00:49:59] Speaker C: Yeah, your passion was just contagious, Robbie. It was amazing listening to you today. But like you said, I mean, if you're interested in Howlin Hornites and any of the vip tours and even just a staycation at Cabana Bay during this time of year where they have, you know, some Halloween festivities going on to, again, reach out to fairy till journeys travel agency.
We are a.
Jen, please correct me. Platinum with universal, which means we sell a lot. We know what we're talking about. Yeah.
We'll help you take care of all these.
Any howling horror night, universal epic universe vacation desires that you might have.
Wow. Yeah. That's all I gotta say.
I think. I think, honestly, if it doesn't sell itself. Robbie, you just sold Halloween Hornet seat to the unsellable. Yeah.
[00:51:06] Speaker A: Universal for my commission in just a little bit here.
[00:51:10] Speaker C: Thank you, Susu, so much for coming on. You were awesome. Wait to have you on again. You can come on the show whenever you want.
[00:51:19] Speaker D: Yep.
[00:51:20] Speaker B: You might be on in a few weeks.
[00:51:22] Speaker A: Oh, are we.
[00:51:30] Speaker B: All right, Jen, you want to take it away with our.
We had a trivia question, I believe.
Ages ago.
[00:51:39] Speaker D: Ages ago. So much has happened. Much good information. I was just all involved with what Robbie was saying, so.
[00:51:46] Speaker C: All right, I make a guess before.
[00:51:48] Speaker A: You give the answer.
[00:51:49] Speaker D: Yes.
[00:51:50] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:51:51] Speaker A: Okay. Because I'm not sure. I was trying to dig deep. Was it called fright nights?
[00:51:58] Speaker D: It was.
It was, yeah.
[00:52:01] Speaker B: Can you guess the year?
[00:52:04] Speaker A: Well, I know it was 33 years ago. So you're asking me to do math, which I don't appreciate. Pull out my calculator. Cause I can't do math at this time of night.
[00:52:15] Speaker C: Yeah, I would be doing the same thing. No judgment.
[00:52:19] Speaker D: 1991? Yep. It started as Universal's fright nights, and it only ran for three nights when it first started. So the first few years. Yeah, it was only three nights. It was October 25, and now it.
[00:52:36] Speaker A: Runs from August to November.
[00:52:37] Speaker D: That's crazy.
[00:52:40] Speaker C: True testament to just how popular, how desired, and how creative that experience is.
[00:52:50] Speaker D: Do you want to guess what the ticket price was in 1991 for Halloween horror nights?
[00:52:55] Speaker A: It's going to make me sad.
[00:52:57] Speaker D: It's going to make you very sad.
[00:52:58] Speaker A: Oh, man.
[00:52:59] Speaker C: You tell me anything less than $40.
[00:53:02] Speaker D: $12.95.
[00:53:04] Speaker A: $12.95. Oh, my God.
[00:53:08] Speaker D: Yep.
[00:53:09] Speaker A: That's amazing.
[00:53:10] Speaker B: Was any at the merch? $12.95.
[00:53:14] Speaker C: I need to go back in time.
[00:53:20] Speaker D: I'm sure that it wasn't as involved.
[00:53:25] Speaker B: I think they only had one house now.
[00:53:28] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:53:28] Speaker B: It would only have one house.
[00:53:30] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:53:30] Speaker D: So, I mean, I would still pay.
[00:53:32] Speaker C: $12 no matter what.
[00:53:35] Speaker D: Yes. But they've. They've really grown that, and it has such a following.
[00:53:41] Speaker A: Do you think they, you guys think they changed the name to further differentiate from, like, Six Flags because they call theirs fright fest, right?
[00:53:49] Speaker D: Yep.
Yeah.
[00:53:51] Speaker C: What? I'm surprised.
[00:53:52] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:53:53] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:53:54] Speaker C: What do you call it? Gorgeously grotesque.
[00:53:57] Speaker A: Mm hmm. Or grotesquely gorgeous. Either way, it works.
[00:54:00] Speaker C: Grotesquely gorgeous.
[00:54:01] Speaker D: Either way, it works.
[00:54:02] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:54:03] Speaker C: So.
[00:54:03] Speaker D: All righty.
[00:54:05] Speaker B: Well, folks, that just about does it for today's frightful episode of the master's beautifully, beautifully horror. Gorgeously grotesque episode of the Mouse Ears podcast. Uh, don't forget to join our Mouse Ears podcast, Facebook group, TikTok page, and. And Instagram to stay up to date to all things travel, but mostly Disney. And also, don't forget to check out the blog as well for several good articles. Uh, and also, if you're interested in having a fairytale journeys agent book you now trip, visit fairytalejourneys.com and let them know that the podcast sent you. Lastly, if you enjoy our weekly episodes of the Mouse Ears podcast, I mean, if you can't hear the passion not only in our voices every week, but our wonderful guests, if you can't hear that passion, I don't know, you might need to get your ears checked. And, I mean, sometimes that can take a while, but.
But if you enjoy listening to us or watching us, we would love for you to leave us a review wherever you watch or listen to us until the next episode. Thanks, everyone. Bye.
