Fall at Universal Orlando is one in all my favourite Florida journeys to take — the climate’s first rate, the decorations scream autumn, and there’s simply one thing about visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter through the season that appears further magical. In the event you really feel the identical and have already got a fall getaway to Common Orlando brewing, you in all probability have visions of hitting your go-to rides after darkish and sipping Butterbeer whilst you absorb all of the nighttime park vitality. However there’s one factor chances are you’ll not notice, and it’s the form of essential element that might derail your journey in the event you don’t plan accordingly.
Right here’s the factor: Come spooky season, park hours look a little bit completely different.
From late August via early November, Common Studios Florida closes early on choose nights — typically as early as 5 p.m. — to make means for Halloween Horror Nights, the extremely anticipated (and large) after-hours seasonal occasion. In the event you’re going particularly for HHN, this works to your benefit. If haunted homes aren’t your scene, although, you’ll be ushered out of the park earlier than you would possibly count on.
It’s a super-easy element to overlook in the event you’re not within the loop about Florida theme park information, and it might understandably be a serious bummer to not notice till you’ve already arrived and headed over to hop on Revenge of the Mummy after dinner… solely to be instructed it’s time to pack it in for the evening.
So, right here’s every little thing it’s good to find out about Common Orlando’s fall hours so as to plan accordingly.
Which dates are affected?
This 12 months, Halloween Horror Nights runs from Aug. 29 through Nov. 2 on choose nights (sometimes Wednesday via Sunday, with a number of Tuesdays sprinkled in). On lately, Common Studios Florida closes at 5 p.m.
Nevertheless, to offset this early closure, the park may also open an hour earlier — at 8 a.m. So, whenever you’re strategizing about easy methods to spend your park days, ensure you take into account that. I’d advocate both getting up early and “rope dropping” Common Studios Florida on HHN days to take advantage of your time within the park, or arriving and leaving with sufficient time to keep away from the HHN crowd as they file into the park.
What concerning the different parks?
Since HHN takes place at Common Studios, the opposite parks aren’t affected as a lot through the fall. Nonetheless, I at all times advocate double-checking the park hours on the times you intend to go to. For essentially the most half through the summer time, the park hours have been 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for Common Studios and Islands of Journey, 10 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m. for Epic Universe, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Volcano Bay.
As we transfer into fall, you’ll discover some fluctuations in these hours, with the park closing instances shifting by an hour or two many nights. Islands of Journey even closes as early as 6 p.m. on HHN Tuesdays, after which at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. on different nights. However none differ as drastically because the hours for Common Studios throughout HHN season.
Oh, and whereas CityWalk isn’t a park, it’s a blast and deserves to be acknowledged extra. Throughout HHN, CityWalk stays open for buying and eating (even when the parks shut early) from 8 a.m. to midnight on Mondays and non-HHN Tuesdays and from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. on HHN days.
What are some hacks for planning round HHN?
If your loved ones desires to maximise your park time however truthfully doesn’t have any curiosity in being haunted, spooked, or in any other case creeped out like the remainder of us freaks, there are positively some workarounds:
- Examine park hours upfront. Significantly, I can’t state this sufficient. Common posts hours months upfront on their web site, so look earlier than you ebook.
- Go on Mondays or non-HHN Tuesdays. There are few issues I like greater than a theme park on a weekday! The crowds are typically decrease, and through HHN season, you’re additionally in a position to squeeze in a little bit extra time in the event you go on lately. Moreover, everybody ought to witness the dragon respiration fireplace atop Gringott’s at evening at the least as soon as.
- Hit up different parks within the evenings. This sounds apparent, however not everybody books tickets to park-hop every single day. In the event you’re solely visiting Common Studios, and even in case you are visiting multiple park however aren’t getting park-to-park passes, make sure that to schedule your Common Studios go to for non-HHN nights. Professional tip: Epic Universe at evening is unbelievable.
- Benefit from the sooner begin time. Toss again some espresso and stand up and out earlier than the morning rush.
- Line up baby care and have a grown-ups evening out! In the event you don’t plan on bringing the grandparents alongside to assist out, loads of respected native providers supply childcare for theme park stays. That is the way in which to go if anybody in your grownup crew is into scares — the occasion is an absolute should for horror buffs.
How late are you able to keep in the event you do HHN?
Right here’s the place having that childcare lined up is available in clutch, as a result of HHN ends *late* at evening. The closing time varies, however it’s typically both 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. Simply do not forget that it is a individually ticketed occasion, so that you’ll want to attend till the official begin time to enter the park.
Except you splurge, that’s. The “Scream Early” add-on allows you to test into the park as early as 3 p.m. so you may knock out some rides or reveals earlier than heading to the Haunted Homes or scare zones at 4 p.m. Feeling tremendous spooky? Upgrade your experience with other “extras,” just like the HHN Categorical Move (to get front-of-the-line entry).
The Backside Line
Even with the added logistical maneuvering, it’s 100% price touring to Common Orlando within the fall. The decorations, the vitality, the costumes, the seasonal meals — it’s each bit as magical as you’re imagining. So long as you factor in the early closing time at Common Studios whenever you ebook your journey, you gained’t be dissatisfied.
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