Evan said:
So, I just called Kings Dominion to ask because I still don't see it anywhere on the website. $65/person when you have two people. THAT IS INSANE. That's more than I'm paying for two tickets to get in to the park.
Halloween Haunt 2013
- Thread starter ZebraShoes
- Start date
So, I just called Kings Dominion to ask because I still don't see it anywhere on the website. $65/person when you have two people. THAT IS INSANE. That's more than I'm paying for two tickets to get in to the park.
Unless you're visiting on a Saturday or possibly a Sunday, then a Fright Lane pass isn't necessary at all. Friday is a little iffy as i've never been to Haunt on a Friday before. Sundays, you might wait 10 minutes to be able to get in, but the time flies while you're in line because the line is always moving.
I'm home and finally watched the video and I'm impressed! I have high hopes for these two new mazes and believe they can surely be the top two if they can staff correctly and get good qualified people to be in them.
Also I'm glad that Gene mentioned that Haunt is too scary or Chase because it might notify some parents what Haunt truly consists of.
Now time to work on the Haunt construction update!
I'm home and finally watched the video and I'm impressed! I have high hopes for these two new mazes and believe they can surely be the top two if they can staff correctly and get good qualified people to be in them.
Also I'm glad that Gene mentioned that Haunt is too scary or Chase because it might notify some parents what Haunt truly consists of.
Now time to work on the Haunt construction update!
Evan said:
I have been to Haunt on a couple Friday nights. Keep in mind that the park does not open until 7:00 pm. I thought they did not open the front gate until 6:45 pm. So you can get massive lines to get into the park at opening. (I wish they would open the International Street Front Plaza at 6:30 pm. That way most people can get through the front gate in time to watch the "Overlords Resurrection". The park can rope off the rest of International Street and drop the ropes at 7:00 pm).
The crowds have not been as bad as a Saturday, so I am not sure if the Fast-Pass is worth it on a Friday night. You are under a time constraint with the park only open 5 hours on Friday evenings. I would focus on the new mazes and your favorite returning mazes first. Then, as time allows, hit the other mazes, scare-zones, and maybe a show (New one in the KD theater). If you want a good mix of ride time, haunt time, and show time, then Friday nights would not be my choice of day to go.
Saturdays, you have more time to ride rides and an extra hour of Haunt (6 out of the 10 mazes open at 6:00 pm | the rest of the mazes and scare-zones open/start at 7:00 pm). Course, there are the crowds to deal with if the weather is decent. A Fast-Pass is suggested if you want to get through all the mazes with a minimum wait.
I have not been to Haunt on a Sunday in quite a while. So I cannot comment based on personal experience. I would think the crowds would be equal to or less than a Friday night. Haunt START hours are the same as Saturday; but, the park closes at 10:00 pm. Keep in mind that ALL Sundays in September and October have a 12 noon opening; an 8:00 pm close in September and a 10:00 PM close in October. Sunday would be good if you want a mix of ride time and Haunt stuff. With school and work the next day, I can't see the park crowded as a Saturday.
If I go on a Saturday, I get there between 2:00-3:00 in the afternoon. I ride some rides and grab a bite to eat (limited food service and big crowds can mean LONG waits in the food lines later in the evening). Around 5:30 pm I start scoping out the maze lines and pick one to wait in. Course the new mazes get the biggest lines ("Zombie High" should open at 6:00 pm and "Miners Revenge" at 7:00 pm | Not sure with the staggered openings if that will help with breaking the crowds up).
To me the Saturday Haunt "Rush Hours" are 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. After 10:00 pm the crowds start thinning out and the wait times drop for most mazes. The flip side is that a good number of the scare-actors are worn out by that time and the surprise, startles, and scares might not be as intense as in the beginning.
So there are plus's and minus's to each day of the Halloween Haunt operational days.
Youhow2 said:
I my opinion, the park started getting the Haunt props they deserve beginning in 2011. The maze set designs and detail has increased dramatically over the last 2 years. The new mazes seem to push the limit each year. And some of the older existing mazes were tweaked as well. (For 2013 - "No Vacancy" and "Corn Stalkers" got some more upgrades).
Just added two more photos to the "Other Props" section. I don't know how it slipped my mind. It's the one of the most noticeable things that Haunt provides!
So, serious question. How does Halloween Haunt generally compare to HOS? I have never been, and I am curious if I should try it out?
I'm probably not the best to compare as I've never been to HOS. Maybe Zachary or David can answer this as they have been to both.
Nic said:
Haunt blew HOS out of the water last year. I was extremely impressed with what KD did last year. A few of the houses were pretty hit or miss, but overall the event was much better than HOS.
From livingsocial.com...for those of you without season passes: As of now it says on the buy page: Time left: 13 days. https://www.livingsocial.com/events/cities/23-baltimore/822288-kings-dominion-2-tickets-halloween-haunt?msdc_id=23-baltimore Use promo code FALL13 at checkout for additional $5 off. I have no idea when the code expires.
Kings Dominion: 2 Tickets + Halloween Haunt
Kings Dominion • Doswell, VA
Select dates between September 27 and October 27
what you get
$62 ($123 Value) for Two Single-Day Admission Tickets
Includes Access to Halloween Haunt (Select Dates)
Two Parks In One: Amusement Park with Thrill and Family Rides
It's not fear that gets you screaming at the top of your lungs, that makes your adrenaline pump and your heart race. It's the thrill you crave for whizzing down steep hills, speeding through sharp turns, and zooming around upside down loops at up to almost 70 MPH. Experience all the action at Kings Dominion, just a short drive from Richmond in Doswell.
And, coming this fall, get into the spooky season at Halloween Haunt. This scary experience transforms the park on select nights in September and October into a paranormal paradise featuring more than 450 monsters roaming the midways, ten mazes -- including Miner's Revenge and Zombie High-- six scare zones, five scary shows, and more. Luckily for you, the entire family can also check out the new Planet Spooky, featuring a foam pit, several live shows, a children's hay maze, and more.
Kings Dominion's Website | Facebook
about the park
Feed your excitement on classic coasters like the Grizzly (a wooden roller coaster with a double figure eight layout that dashes through dense forest) and the award-winning Rebel Yell. And once you're ready to really challenge your threshold for adventure, buckle in for the Volcano and the Flight of Fear (which blasts you into a space-like atmosphere by going from zero to 54 MPH in four seconds).
fine print
REFUND POLICY: This event is nonrefundable. No full or partial refunds are given to customers who miss the event. In the event of a cancellation, your voucher will be fully refunded • Limit 2 per customer • Subject to weather • Purchaser may change the name of the individual retrieving tickets up to 24 hours in advance of event via the LivingSocial website event details section; no name-changes or alternate pick-ups permitted without notice at venue • Entire value must be used in a single visit • Voucher will be available for use 24 hours after your purchase • Valid for select dates between September 27 and October 27 only
Kings Dominion: 2 Tickets + Halloween Haunt
Kings Dominion • Doswell, VA
Select dates between September 27 and October 27
what you get
$62 ($123 Value) for Two Single-Day Admission Tickets
Includes Access to Halloween Haunt (Select Dates)
Two Parks In One: Amusement Park with Thrill and Family Rides
It's not fear that gets you screaming at the top of your lungs, that makes your adrenaline pump and your heart race. It's the thrill you crave for whizzing down steep hills, speeding through sharp turns, and zooming around upside down loops at up to almost 70 MPH. Experience all the action at Kings Dominion, just a short drive from Richmond in Doswell.
And, coming this fall, get into the spooky season at Halloween Haunt. This scary experience transforms the park on select nights in September and October into a paranormal paradise featuring more than 450 monsters roaming the midways, ten mazes -- including Miner's Revenge and Zombie High-- six scare zones, five scary shows, and more. Luckily for you, the entire family can also check out the new Planet Spooky, featuring a foam pit, several live shows, a children's hay maze, and more.
Kings Dominion's Website | Facebook
about the park
Feed your excitement on classic coasters like the Grizzly (a wooden roller coaster with a double figure eight layout that dashes through dense forest) and the award-winning Rebel Yell. And once you're ready to really challenge your threshold for adventure, buckle in for the Volcano and the Flight of Fear (which blasts you into a space-like atmosphere by going from zero to 54 MPH in four seconds).
fine print
REFUND POLICY: This event is nonrefundable. No full or partial refunds are given to customers who miss the event. In the event of a cancellation, your voucher will be fully refunded • Limit 2 per customer • Subject to weather • Purchaser may change the name of the individual retrieving tickets up to 24 hours in advance of event via the LivingSocial website event details section; no name-changes or alternate pick-ups permitted without notice at venue • Entire value must be used in a single visit • Voucher will be available for use 24 hours after your purchase • Valid for select dates between September 27 and October 27 only
I've been to both HOS and the haunt, but the popular opinion on here for some reason is that Buschs same thing every year thing is totally better than sacrificing some minor detail to mazes and constantly adding new things to the event.
Busch sometimes has higher detailed sets, but then again, they do none of the work building the mazes. It's all contracted to an outside company that specializes in it (besides last year's roae... And this year's pirate maze, though quite frankly I have absolutely zero hope for roae) Cedar Fair takes a different approach, With all maze concepts (for the most part) being tested at Knotts, Then those concepts and designs are transported other parks, and they each do similar things, though to my knowledge none of them are exactly the same, set/design/layout wise.
While Busch's sets are fancier and made to be reused for 7-8 years to the point where the season pass holders can remember every single last scare down to the T... Kings dominion often offers a varied products each year, with each reused product being changed significantly each year, minus a few things like the maze in the antique car ride, making repeat trips to mazes you loved even better, by keeping the core story and core scenes in place, but changing it up enough to keep you guessing. Hooray for modular set design...
Now if you are like me, you'll notice lots of technical details that Busch absolutely blows KD out of the water with, as far as shows, lighting in mazes/shows/etc. But, personally I find larger faults in how HOS has handled itself since I've been on this site.
The set designs are really good normally at Busch. But, I appreciate the more intricate, albeit visually less expensive looking take KD has taken in on their mazes. Now, I didn't get to go last year but the year before that was amazing. The new mazes had quite the bit of flare that I was never used to seeing at KD, and apparently last year raised the bar again. Their show production has been getting bigger and better. Their mazes have been getting bigger and more intricate designs. Also, Kd's Scarezones are so much better than busch's... Again, Busch's in some cases look more expensive... But KD's have always had a better layout of props, well tended fog machines, etc... Only thing I really don't like about Kd's Haunt is the use of cheap-looking mask... Something Busch is actually very guilty of as well. Scare Actors are on the same level, but have higher spirits at KD.
Busch sometimes has higher detailed sets, but then again, they do none of the work building the mazes. It's all contracted to an outside company that specializes in it (besides last year's roae... And this year's pirate maze, though quite frankly I have absolutely zero hope for roae) Cedar Fair takes a different approach, With all maze concepts (for the most part) being tested at Knotts, Then those concepts and designs are transported other parks, and they each do similar things, though to my knowledge none of them are exactly the same, set/design/layout wise.
While Busch's sets are fancier and made to be reused for 7-8 years to the point where the season pass holders can remember every single last scare down to the T... Kings dominion often offers a varied products each year, with each reused product being changed significantly each year, minus a few things like the maze in the antique car ride, making repeat trips to mazes you loved even better, by keeping the core story and core scenes in place, but changing it up enough to keep you guessing. Hooray for modular set design...
Now if you are like me, you'll notice lots of technical details that Busch absolutely blows KD out of the water with, as far as shows, lighting in mazes/shows/etc. But, personally I find larger faults in how HOS has handled itself since I've been on this site.
The set designs are really good normally at Busch. But, I appreciate the more intricate, albeit visually less expensive looking take KD has taken in on their mazes. Now, I didn't get to go last year but the year before that was amazing. The new mazes had quite the bit of flare that I was never used to seeing at KD, and apparently last year raised the bar again. Their show production has been getting bigger and better. Their mazes have been getting bigger and more intricate designs. Also, Kd's Scarezones are so much better than busch's... Again, Busch's in some cases look more expensive... But KD's have always had a better layout of props, well tended fog machines, etc... Only thing I really don't like about Kd's Haunt is the use of cheap-looking mask... Something Busch is actually very guilty of as well. Scare Actors are on the same level, but have higher spirits at KD.
See you in No Vacancy this year >: D
Edit: Why isn't there an evil face? Get on it Gavin!
Edit: Why isn't there an evil face? Get on it Gavin!
I'm going to Haunt at some point this fall. I want to try to do all the mazes. I also have to ride intimadator 305 for the first time. If anyone can tell me what's the best plan that would be great!
If everything goes well, I will be there opening night to help provide the best way to do all the mazes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trej_eTSfj4&feature=c4-overview&list=UU3IwLP2Qfe7-JCPpvFG_hbA
Just want to have a little side note that if this is creeping you out already. Please don't bring your kids to this event.
Just want to have a little side note that if this is creeping you out already. Please don't bring your kids to this event.