Evan said:
One of the advantages for me in going to KD is that I don't have to go on a Saturday! The drive from Arlington is fairly easy, except for those evil Megaprojects on I95.
Thanks, both of you!
Halloween Haunt 2013
- Thread starter ZebraShoes
- Start date
One of the advantages for me in going to KD is that I don't have to go on a Saturday! The drive from Arlington is fairly easy, except for those evil Megaprojects on I95.
Thanks, both of you!
Party Rocker said:
And it seems my post didn't go through for mobile, but I'm not going to say because some *cough* Nora *cough* will not go through the maze if they knew.
OK. Another question. Do y'all suggest going Friday or Sunday?
From a purely logistical perspective, they both have pluses and minuses. The traffic out of DC on Friday will be a Scare Zone all on its own. On the other hand, the park closes two hours earlier on Sunday.
Is there a difference in crowds? Or any other relevant factors?
Also, do we need Fright Lane passes on either Friday or Sunday? (I hate lines.)
Thanks again for all of the help!
From a purely logistical perspective, they both have pluses and minuses. The traffic out of DC on Friday will be a Scare Zone all on its own. On the other hand, the park closes two hours earlier on Sunday.
Is there a difference in crowds? Or any other relevant factors?
Also, do we need Fright Lane passes on either Friday or Sunday? (I hate lines.)
Thanks again for all of the help!
I was there opening night which was a Friday and got all the mazes done by 10pm. I didn't ride any rides besides WindSeeker and only watched 2/3rd's of Blood Drums.
I have ALWAYS had amazing luck with Sundays in the past purely because about 4 mazes open at 6 as opposed to 7, which helps with getting all of the mazes done in time.
I have never been on a Saturday, but Zachary has and from his report, it was hell. He can tell you more about a Saturday night though.
I have ALWAYS had amazing luck with Sundays in the past purely because about 4 mazes open at 6 as opposed to 7, which helps with getting all of the mazes done in time.
I have never been on a Saturday, but Zachary has and from his report, it was hell. He can tell you more about a Saturday night though.
Saturday is right out. Because of the 3-day weekend there is no reason for us to brave Saturday crowds.
If I were you, Nic, I would go on Friday. Kings Dominion opens for normal weekend hours (10:30 am) and closes at midnight on Friday, which is good regardless of whether you stay that long or not (honestly, I like to!). However, on Sundays, the park doesn't open until noon. I don't know about you, but I like to get to the parks as early as possible to avoid crowds. A later opening time, no matter when you show up, gives the crowds less time to disperse. Plus, assuming you can get there before 3:00 or so, you'll beat everyone who's in school, and pretty much have the park to yourself for a bit. Sadly, thanks to school, I haven't gotten to try this out myself outside of Disney vacations, but it would undoubtedly work. Plus, Friday typically seems like a slower crowd day as many would not consider it part of the "weekend," but still a school day, and not go.
Long story short, I like Fridays, but I'm about a half-hour from the park, so I can go whenever. Otherwise, I would recommend Sundays (always my favorite day for Howl-O-Scream), but that two-hour opening delay kind of skews the deal. Hope this helps!
Long story short, I like Fridays, but I'm about a half-hour from the park, so I can go whenever. Otherwise, I would recommend Sundays (always my favorite day for Howl-O-Scream), but that two-hour opening delay kind of skews the deal. Hope this helps!
Fridays - Open at 7:00 pm till midnight (exception to this is Friday, Oct. 11th when the park will have normal Saturday hours 10:30 am - midnight). The children's area is NOT open on Fridays (No Planet Spooky or Dinosaurs Alive Trick or Treat). FOF, Hurler, WWC, and Log Flume not open due to Haunt Maze or Haunt Queue Line use.
Saturdays - Open 10:30 am till midnight. Kids area open with Planet Spooky and Dinosaurs Alive Trick or Treat events noon-5:00pm (kid's area closes 7:00 pm). [DA is still a $5.00 admission; but, you get candy along several stops and a few dinos are in costume]. See parks website for details on events during Planet Spooky. I believe FOF and Hurler are open until 5:00pm. They run until an hour before the Haunt mazes open at their locations. I think the Log Flume is open till 5:00 or 6:00 pm. You might want to check the parks web site to verify what is open.
Sundays - Open Noon - 10:00pm. same schedule for Planet Spooky and Dino's Alive. Haunt opening schedule the same. Just closes at 10:00 pm instead of midnight.
Fridays are great if you want to focus on mainly on Haunt and some rides. Crowds are very light and most mazes have little or no lines (keep in mind this was opening weekend - so, the crowds could build up as you get closer to Halloween). But, Fridays have no where near the crowds that Saturdays do. This is NOT a good time to take young children as the children's areas are closed and no Halloween activities for them on Friday evenings.
Saturdays are good for families with young children who plan on heading out of the park by 7:00 pm. Park is not crowded the 1st half of the day. Around 3:30-4:00 pm, the Haunt Crowds start to flood through the gates. Crowds this past Saturday evening were horrendous. Waits for the mazes were probably around 1 hour long. Unless you get a Haunt Fast-pass, you probably won't get through more than 5-6 of the mazes. Though, I heard the lines go down some between 10:00pm - midnight; so, it might get better if you can stick it out that long.
Sundays, I have never been on a Sunday. But, I have heard that you get all the daily kid's events/activities and Haunt without the crowds of Saturday. Yes, the park is only open Noon-10:00pm, but with light to moderate crowds, you probably are going to get all the rides and Haunt Mazes you wish done in that time period.
As stated above, KD does stagger opening times for their Haunt mazes (Saturday & Sunday). At 6:00pm "Zombie High", "Club Blood", "Slaughter House", "No Vacancy: The Inn at Darkside Manor", and "Outbreak: The Evolution" open. All other mazes and scare-zones open at 7:00 pm. Fridays, you might get 3-4 done within that hour [those that are close by ZH, CB, and SH | NV and OE are in other areas of the park. Saturdays, you might get 1-2 mazes done in that same time period. Sunday's [guessing here] 2-3 mazes in that hour.
Saturdays - Open 10:30 am till midnight. Kids area open with Planet Spooky and Dinosaurs Alive Trick or Treat events noon-5:00pm (kid's area closes 7:00 pm). [DA is still a $5.00 admission; but, you get candy along several stops and a few dinos are in costume]. See parks website for details on events during Planet Spooky. I believe FOF and Hurler are open until 5:00pm. They run until an hour before the Haunt mazes open at their locations. I think the Log Flume is open till 5:00 or 6:00 pm. You might want to check the parks web site to verify what is open.
Sundays - Open Noon - 10:00pm. same schedule for Planet Spooky and Dino's Alive. Haunt opening schedule the same. Just closes at 10:00 pm instead of midnight.
Fridays are great if you want to focus on mainly on Haunt and some rides. Crowds are very light and most mazes have little or no lines (keep in mind this was opening weekend - so, the crowds could build up as you get closer to Halloween). But, Fridays have no where near the crowds that Saturdays do. This is NOT a good time to take young children as the children's areas are closed and no Halloween activities for them on Friday evenings.
Saturdays are good for families with young children who plan on heading out of the park by 7:00 pm. Park is not crowded the 1st half of the day. Around 3:30-4:00 pm, the Haunt Crowds start to flood through the gates. Crowds this past Saturday evening were horrendous. Waits for the mazes were probably around 1 hour long. Unless you get a Haunt Fast-pass, you probably won't get through more than 5-6 of the mazes. Though, I heard the lines go down some between 10:00pm - midnight; so, it might get better if you can stick it out that long.
Sundays, I have never been on a Sunday. But, I have heard that you get all the daily kid's events/activities and Haunt without the crowds of Saturday. Yes, the park is only open Noon-10:00pm, but with light to moderate crowds, you probably are going to get all the rides and Haunt Mazes you wish done in that time period.
As stated above, KD does stagger opening times for their Haunt mazes (Saturday & Sunday). At 6:00pm "Zombie High", "Club Blood", "Slaughter House", "No Vacancy: The Inn at Darkside Manor", and "Outbreak: The Evolution" open. All other mazes and scare-zones open at 7:00 pm. Fridays, you might get 3-4 done within that hour [those that are close by ZH, CB, and SH | NV and OE are in other areas of the park. Saturdays, you might get 1-2 mazes done in that same time period. Sunday's [guessing here] 2-3 mazes in that hour.
Thanks again to everyone!
Friday it is! You had me at "children's area closed."
Friday it is! You had me at "children's area closed."
Honestly, my biggest worry is whether we will have time to get through all of the mazes on Sunday, since the park closes two hours earlier. But I am certainly not walking all over KD in Duck Boots either (to cope with rain/puddles).
Trust me you will 
Like we said before, around 3 or 4 mazes open at 6pm. (Club Blood, No Vacancy, OutBreak, Zombie High, and Slaughter House.)
Blood Ridge Blood Bath will not be open however. I'm going to guess you can still board the ride, there just won't be any actors. So you can go through the and look at the various theming.
I was there on the Friday of opening night and I was able to do everything before 10pm except Blue Ridge Bloodbath. Which I could have done if I wasn't messing around. Also my friend that I was with didn't want to go through.
Like we said before, around 3 or 4 mazes open at 6pm. (Club Blood, No Vacancy, OutBreak, Zombie High, and Slaughter House.) Blood Ridge Blood Bath will not be open however. I'm going to guess you can still board the ride, there just won't be any actors. So you can go through the and look at the various theming.
I was there on the Friday of opening night and I was able to do everything before 10pm except Blue Ridge Bloodbath. Which I could have done if I wasn't messing around. Also my friend that I was with didn't want to go through.
So, my friends and I went to KD's Haunt last night and had a great time. Unfortunately, because all of Virginia seems to be one big mud puddle right now, the three outdoor mazes were closed (Corn Stalkers, Miner's Revenge, and Blue Ridge Bloodbath). We did actually go on the antique cars to see the decor, and it was kinda creepy being alone on that track, to be honest.
Anyway the Haunt is fundamentally different from HOS and I liked them both, but for very different reasons. And hopefully that is the last comparison I will make between the two events.
There were tons of (very enthusiastic) scare actors out last night. We hypothesized that some of them were refugees from the three closed mazes. Does anyone know if there are usually actors roaming around up front near the fountains? Some of them seemed to be dressed like scarecrows and we thought they might be from Cornstalkers, and I didn't see a scare zone listed up front.
So, if anyone cares, here are my overall impressions.
1. Scare Actors. The approach to the scares was very interesting. There were not a lot of people jumping out at me from hiding places and startling me; but there were tons of really creepy "monsters" blocking my way, staring at me, and stalking me. It was VERY unsettling. While I didn't scream a lot, I was very anxious and actually ran to Tony for protection more than once. The actors were also very interactive. They didn't just yell "boo." They seemed to be playing specific parts with relevant dialogue. I actually found myself talking back to them, in some cases. They seemed to have been really well trained, overall. Perhaps most importantly, most of the actors seemed to have a lot of fun, which made me enjoy myself that much more.
2. Atmosphere. I will preface this with the observation that I have always found KD a bit difficult to navigate and I didn't think the Haunt map was overwhelmingly helpful. That said, I think the park did an excellent job of creating an eerie and disorienting atmosphere. The dim lighting and endless fog made the park very creepy and somewhat hard to navigate, where they were used. The feeling of being lost with monsters running around was cool. I do wish it had been more consistent throughout the park, however. For example, the Grove, even in the Not Really Scary Zone, just wasn't creepy at all.
3. Mazes. My friends and I were unable to reach any consensus on the mazes, which probably speaks very well for them in general. So, these are my views alone. Doll Factory far and away creeped me out the most. One of my friends called it "shivery." The room with the strobes and swinging mannequins was particularly freaky. I was anxious and wound-up long after exiting the house. In fact, I was still tense after standing in line and boarding Volcano. I screamed the most in Zombie High. I guess there were the most startles in there. Also, the actors seemed to be enjoying themselves the most in Zombie High and Club Blood. Club Blood gets the "just cool" award for the night. Definitely not the scariest, but just a lot of fun. Outbreak was my least favorite, and I can't entirely explain why. It seemed very short, so I never had a chance to develop that tension/fear feeling. It was also the first maze of the night for us and I was the very first person in it, so maybe the actors were still getting warmed up?
The mazes themselves were a bit confusing to navigate, but apparently the actors' dialogue was in part designed to address this. They would actually direct us (in character), while still trying to physically intimidate us. That component of intimidation was really interesting (and frightening) to me. I found myself forced to advance on and somehow get past monsters who were completely baring my way. Given that what I really wanted to do was run the other direction, I actually hid behind Tony a few times. That only worked, however, when another actor hadn't come up behind me. Several times I turned around to look for my friends and found only some creepy creature grinning at me. As I mentioned before, the mazes didn't seem structured for startles, but that didn't seem to be the nature of these scares anyway.
4. Scare Zones. I was the least impressed with the scare zones. There were two in particular that we all loved: Ironworx and the Lair. They were both dark, creepy, and foggy, and the actors were really into it. Some of the other scare zones, however, didn't work as well. There were tons of scare actors in most of them, put they didn't seem to do much other than stare at us. The lighting was too bright and there was just too much space in Cleaver Brothers Carnival. Feary Tales should have been fantastic, but glowering people in costumes just don't scare me. Maybe some of the actors were from the closed mazes, and weren't really trained for the scare zones?
Overall the scare zones were really well conceived, however. The music was great, the lighting was mostly spot on, and the fog was very disorienting. I really wish the entire park could have been dressed that way, and not just specific pathways.
Some final thoughts.
I was surprised at how quickly we got through everything. We actually had time for some roller coasters at the end of the evening. Intimidator and Volcano are both fantastic at night. I had forgotten how much I enjoy both of them. (I even got to hear the Belgian Lady!) Not sure if it is a good or bad thing that the mazes were so quick.
There weren't a lot of crowds, but it wasn't empty either. There were some fairly long lines. Regardless, with the exception of Outbreak, we were generally "alone" in the mazes. The staff really seemed to have the timing and flow down pretty well.
Anyway. Great fun.
Anyway the Haunt is fundamentally different from HOS and I liked them both, but for very different reasons. And hopefully that is the last comparison I will make between the two events.
There were tons of (very enthusiastic) scare actors out last night. We hypothesized that some of them were refugees from the three closed mazes. Does anyone know if there are usually actors roaming around up front near the fountains? Some of them seemed to be dressed like scarecrows and we thought they might be from Cornstalkers, and I didn't see a scare zone listed up front.
So, if anyone cares, here are my overall impressions.
1. Scare Actors. The approach to the scares was very interesting. There were not a lot of people jumping out at me from hiding places and startling me; but there were tons of really creepy "monsters" blocking my way, staring at me, and stalking me. It was VERY unsettling. While I didn't scream a lot, I was very anxious and actually ran to Tony for protection more than once. The actors were also very interactive. They didn't just yell "boo." They seemed to be playing specific parts with relevant dialogue. I actually found myself talking back to them, in some cases. They seemed to have been really well trained, overall. Perhaps most importantly, most of the actors seemed to have a lot of fun, which made me enjoy myself that much more.
2. Atmosphere. I will preface this with the observation that I have always found KD a bit difficult to navigate and I didn't think the Haunt map was overwhelmingly helpful. That said, I think the park did an excellent job of creating an eerie and disorienting atmosphere. The dim lighting and endless fog made the park very creepy and somewhat hard to navigate, where they were used. The feeling of being lost with monsters running around was cool. I do wish it had been more consistent throughout the park, however. For example, the Grove, even in the Not Really Scary Zone, just wasn't creepy at all.
3. Mazes. My friends and I were unable to reach any consensus on the mazes, which probably speaks very well for them in general. So, these are my views alone. Doll Factory far and away creeped me out the most. One of my friends called it "shivery." The room with the strobes and swinging mannequins was particularly freaky. I was anxious and wound-up long after exiting the house. In fact, I was still tense after standing in line and boarding Volcano. I screamed the most in Zombie High. I guess there were the most startles in there. Also, the actors seemed to be enjoying themselves the most in Zombie High and Club Blood. Club Blood gets the "just cool" award for the night. Definitely not the scariest, but just a lot of fun. Outbreak was my least favorite, and I can't entirely explain why. It seemed very short, so I never had a chance to develop that tension/fear feeling. It was also the first maze of the night for us and I was the very first person in it, so maybe the actors were still getting warmed up?
The mazes themselves were a bit confusing to navigate, but apparently the actors' dialogue was in part designed to address this. They would actually direct us (in character), while still trying to physically intimidate us. That component of intimidation was really interesting (and frightening) to me. I found myself forced to advance on and somehow get past monsters who were completely baring my way. Given that what I really wanted to do was run the other direction, I actually hid behind Tony a few times. That only worked, however, when another actor hadn't come up behind me. Several times I turned around to look for my friends and found only some creepy creature grinning at me. As I mentioned before, the mazes didn't seem structured for startles, but that didn't seem to be the nature of these scares anyway.
4. Scare Zones. I was the least impressed with the scare zones. There were two in particular that we all loved: Ironworx and the Lair. They were both dark, creepy, and foggy, and the actors were really into it. Some of the other scare zones, however, didn't work as well. There were tons of scare actors in most of them, put they didn't seem to do much other than stare at us. The lighting was too bright and there was just too much space in Cleaver Brothers Carnival. Feary Tales should have been fantastic, but glowering people in costumes just don't scare me. Maybe some of the actors were from the closed mazes, and weren't really trained for the scare zones?
Overall the scare zones were really well conceived, however. The music was great, the lighting was mostly spot on, and the fog was very disorienting. I really wish the entire park could have been dressed that way, and not just specific pathways.
Some final thoughts.
I was surprised at how quickly we got through everything. We actually had time for some roller coasters at the end of the evening. Intimidator and Volcano are both fantastic at night. I had forgotten how much I enjoy both of them. (I even got to hear the Belgian Lady!) Not sure if it is a good or bad thing that the mazes were so quick.
There weren't a lot of crowds, but it wasn't empty either. There were some fairly long lines. Regardless, with the exception of Outbreak, we were generally "alone" in the mazes. The staff really seemed to have the timing and flow down pretty well.
Anyway. Great fun.
Very nice report! Glad to hear you had fun!
I agree 100% with you on the scare-zone, I've never been able to get a nice scare from Cleaver Brother's Carnival. There is just so many of them and they always seems to chase out, so you can find all of the actors on each of the ends of the pathway. Feary Tales, has never been scary, but extremely good looking. They have actually improved the look since last year!
Club Blood has never been a "scary" maze and every time I describe the maze to someone, I simply just say it's a creepy club. I do agree in a sense about there not being pop up scares, but there is still quite a few in each of the mazes. Or at least the potential for a pop out scare.
Also, I would like to see OutBreak leave next year, while there is some good looking props inside, the space is just too cramped and there is some blank hallways and I don't see much more potential for it next year even if they try to improve it.
Zombie High so far seems to be my favorite maze this year, so I will wait to give y'all my commentary on that!
I agree 100% with you on the scare-zone, I've never been able to get a nice scare from Cleaver Brother's Carnival. There is just so many of them and they always seems to chase out, so you can find all of the actors on each of the ends of the pathway. Feary Tales, has never been scary, but extremely good looking. They have actually improved the look since last year!
Club Blood has never been a "scary" maze and every time I describe the maze to someone, I simply just say it's a creepy club. I do agree in a sense about there not being pop up scares, but there is still quite a few in each of the mazes. Or at least the potential for a pop out scare.
Also, I would like to see OutBreak leave next year, while there is some good looking props inside, the space is just too cramped and there is some blank hallways and I don't see much more potential for it next year even if they try to improve it.
Zombie High so far seems to be my favorite maze this year, so I will wait to give y'all my commentary on that
!
Nic said:
You reported to me that Flight of Fear was shut down for a maze. 2 things about that.
1. They should run the trains for added excitement!
2. Which maze?
theexpozay said:
1. The maze is far away from the station that you can't hear the trains even if they're being launched. The maze no longer goes up into the "UFO." The maze begins when you're at the steps of the UFO and there is an attendant at the stairs that controls how many guests are in the maze at one time. She directs you to an opening to the left of the stairs instead of going up into the "UFO."
2. OutBreak: The Evolution
theexpozay said:
Actually, the maze in question was Outbreak. And honestly, it could have used something to make it more exciting.
It seems like a great concept, actually. But the execution just wasn't entirely there. I agree with Evan: it needs to go.