10/5 Halloween Trip Planning--Please Help

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T

Ticholas

Sep 29, 2012
4
1
20
Greetings,

I am planning a trip for this coming Friday 10/5. My girlfriend and I are heading up to BGW for HoS on Friday morning from Raleigh and want to make the most of our day. We plan on being at the gates 10 till 10 to ensure a good start.

Here's my primary concern: once HoS starts up, will we have enough time to hit all the houses? I'm considering getting the quick queue pass; is it a waste of money for a Friday? Also, which houses have the longest waits this year?
 
On a Friday night, if you do it right, it shouldn't be a problem. Here's the order I've had a good deal of sucsess with so far (copied over from the HOS thread with some modifications):

Zachary said:
1. Get to Thirteen at about 5:15 and wait for the 5:30 opening.
2. Upon getting out of Thirteen, book it to Deadline and knock it out. There's a good chance you can get both done before 6pm.
3. Directly after Deadline, hit Bitten. Its line shouldn't be too bad just yet, but you'll probably wait a bit. If the line looks too unrulely, skip it.
4. From Bitten, hit Catacombs. Yes, you'll probably have a bit of a wait here but it's performing well this year.
5. Wait for it to get dark if it isn't already (catch a show, eat dinner, ride Verbolten, etc.)
6. Make your way over to Fear Fair. I have yet to see a line at Fear Fair this year so it shouldn't be too bad of a wait.
7. Hop on a train from Fiesta Station, ride to New France, and get in line for Root of All Evil a little before the park closes. No matter how long the line is, they should let anyone in line through. Just don't cut it too close.
Click to expand...

Do your best to get any rides and shows you want to see out of the way duirng the day. You don't want to feel presured to acomplish those after 6pm though, I will say, if you have time to ride Verbolten at night with the fog, take the opertunity. I'm not going to lie, it's pretty fantastic.
 
Going from 13 to Bitten seems like a stretch, especially since you pass Deadline (if you're backtracking through Italy and by that time you should be able to do Fear Fair) or Catacombs & Root of All Evil (if you're going toward France). *if you made a typo, I think I know what you mean*

Starting at 13, you can make a counterclockwise trip around the park or start at Deadline and make a clockwise trip. You'll be guaranteed to hit all the mazes by then (Fear Fair is the only one that's actually out of the way for you).

Griffon goes dark during HOS. All the lights around the ride go dim from the orange coverings too. It's really cool.

Verbolten is not to be missed either. Just be wary of crowds. The gift shop around the corner sells one time fastpasses for the ride if the lines get too long.

(I believe) The other three coaster shut nonessential lights down, which means you'll get a few rides in darkness. Apollo is especially awesome at night.

Just hit everything early. Crowds usually don't start flowing in until around 4-5, so be sure to hit any must-rides and do rerides just in case the park gets swarmed with people. Friday nights will still draw good crowds (especially with HOS going on) so plan ahead.
 
Sorry, fixed #3. It was meant to say "Directly after Deadline", not "Directly after Thirteen".
 
Thanks Zachary and netdvn! I feel confident we can pull off all the houses now due to the insight. I'm definitely ditching the quick queue passes.

I have a couple more questions: are the HoS shows worth seeing? I'm not a big fan of park shows, but have always wanted to see something along the lines of Bill & Ted at HHN. I went to HoS in 2005 and thought the Jack is Back show was incredibly lame.

Also, do you guys have any recommendations for hotels ($50-70)? A lot of the reviews for the area seem disappointing.
 
As far as as Haunted Houses in one night, that is a really good plan, but also remember if you do get pressured on time, you can buy one time QQ for haunted houses for about $10 at the closest gift shop. I say do this for Bitten and 13. $20 and you skip the longest waits of the night.

As for shows, Fiends is a must. Best show IMO, then again I am a guy :p Dig It Up has some catchy tunes and some familiar ones, and it is a interesting show I would recommend. Not sure about Night Beats, I have yet to go there.
 
All the shows are superb this year. If you'll be there all day on Friday, you shouldn't have any problem getting all three done plus all the rides and whatnot. Crowds shouldn't be bad at all.
 
Hotel-wise: The Richmond Road drag has tons of options from small motels to newer chain hotels, plus there's plenty of food. Hotels closer to the Colonial area tend to be a bit newer and the drive to the park is shorter, but there is a lack food options nearby. Capital Landing Rd. also has a few newer hotels, but food is even more sparse around there plus, it's further from the park.

There is a Marriott right outside of the Kingsmill entrance if you're willing to spend the extra money for a nicer place to stay. The hotels in that general area aren't as nice as the newer ones though.
 
You guys are super helpful. Thanks for the input. I'm going to trust your comments
about the shows and check them out. Same with the hotel situation. Man, I can't wait to hit Verbolten and Griffon for the first time.
 
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