Howl-O-Scream 2019
- Thread starter Gavin
- Start date
I'm hoping I'm not just becoming an old man at only 27 years old, but the music at the DJ Booth in San Marco is absurdly loud. I bought the new dining plan and was trying to let the cashier know at Marco Polo's but we had to practically yell to each other to communicate. Luckily the music stopped as I sat down to eat because eating with music blaring isn't my idea of a pleasant dining experience. I'm okay with music playing even if I don't like the music that's playing, but hopefully they tone it down.
Is the park gonna put the haunted house wait times on the app?
Today, Killarney looked amazing, and I liked Jack Is Back! Frostbite was a little better this year and probably my favorite house this time (which is weird because I wanted it gone last year). I'm not sure if it was just because it's mid-September and not closer to October, but towards the end of the day, I was able to walk through 2 houses without experiencing any scares. The scare zones were all pretty good though.
Our observation Friday night was that the volume was up too high throughout the park. I couldn’t hear the Circo preshow at all.
One annoying issue last night was getting in lumberhack. Apparently the signage for Lumberhack and the sign that shows the wait time is not where you enter. You have to go through the Vault's entrance and diverge later on. This was confusing for us first timers, and we asked multiple staff in area and none of them could give us an answer. The 10 of us waiting at the lumberhack sign had to wait for guests leaving the house to tell us where to go.
anybody know the track they use outside of demented dimensions?...i would love to get my hands on that piece of art...
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So we visited HOS tonight and what I saw tonight was hands down the worst I have ever seen HOS. The whole feel of the park was not the normal feel I get at HOS. Without Monster Stomp or Fiends the excitement level was low. Theming across the park seemed less, muisc and sounds effects didnt seem to be the same , houses sucked, just wasnt the event that it once was. I will say though the Jack is Back show was great and happy to see its mostly unchanged....easily the highlight of tonight for me.
I went for like the last hour and what I experienced was actually one of my favorite howloscream experiences in a while. I went through dystopia , frostbite, and vault and the staffing in vault was amazingly high . Around every corner I was seeing characters. Frostbite was better this year although there was a section in the middle without much scares but it was less than last year dystopia was about the same but I enjoyed it last year too.
The actors in vampire point were much better and I finally got to see the hack pack and even caught how they rope in the scare squad in ripper row which was entertaining. Not having the shows definitely sucked though I will admit.
The actors in vampire point were much better and I finally got to see the hack pack and even caught how they rope in the scare squad in ripper row which was entertaining. Not having the shows definitely sucked though I will admit.
Yeah, the park really needs major props for the staffing situation this year. Even towards the end of past seasons after the event has fully hired up, I've never seen staffing levels as consistently high as they have been on my two trips thus far this year.
I still think scenic, atmospherics, park environmentals, staff performances, etc need help, but after literally like a decade of me complaining on BGWFans year after year about horrendously low staffing levels, it looks like they've actually finally fixed that part of the equation.
The houses are already feeling pretty solid to me overall (by BGW standards). I'm optimistic that performances this good this early are a great sign for the coming weeks.
I still think scenic, atmospherics, park environmentals, staff performances, etc need help, but after literally like a decade of me complaining on BGWFans year after year about horrendously low staffing levels, it looks like they've actually finally fixed that part of the equation.
The houses are already feeling pretty solid to me overall (by BGW standards). I'm optimistic that performances this good this early are a great sign for the coming weeks.
Was pleasantly surprised by Frostbite, Vault, DD, and Dystopia. They have good bones and should be pretty good come October.
None of them had bones as good as Catacombs. If you know what I mean.
We attended the even both Friday and Saturday night. Overall, we were disappointed. The park felt lackluster with no general theme like previous years. Also, we noted a lack of decorations throughout the event. Ireland was honestly a highlight. If the rest of the event evolves over the next few weeks so other hamlets can feel like this, I will be happy. We were pleasantly surprised by the number of scare actors in the mazes, and every scare zone was staffed really well every time we walked through. Also, the indoor houses were too bright.
However, between the hours of 5p and 7p, we found ourselves aimlessly wondering because we normally filled out this portion of our day with the shows. The lack of Monster Stomp and Fiends really dampened our day and ruined our mood. Yes, Jack is there, but 8 minutes is nothing compared to the production we're accustomed too. We're going to return in October because the houses left us with a good impression, but these budget cuts are apparent and not welcome for us. Entertainment is at the core of what Busch Gardens Williamsburg is, and it was absolutely devastating to our experience of the overall event.
Also, where is the fog??!!?!? The park didn't feel that different.
Finally, the pin trading was amazing. It was honestly a hunt to find the ambassador pins, and a workout. Kudo's to the person responsible for planning the pin distribution out so that other traders will be able to find them in the coming weeks.
However, between the hours of 5p and 7p, we found ourselves aimlessly wondering because we normally filled out this portion of our day with the shows. The lack of Monster Stomp and Fiends really dampened our day and ruined our mood. Yes, Jack is there, but 8 minutes is nothing compared to the production we're accustomed too. We're going to return in October because the houses left us with a good impression, but these budget cuts are apparent and not welcome for us. Entertainment is at the core of what Busch Gardens Williamsburg is, and it was absolutely devastating to our experience of the overall event.
Also, where is the fog??!!?!? The park didn't feel that different.
Finally, the pin trading was amazing. It was honestly a hunt to find the ambassador pins, and a workout. Kudo's to the person responsible for planning the pin distribution out so that other traders will be able to find them in the coming weeks.
I don't like like going to opening weekend. I usually wait 2-3 weeks for things to improve if needed.
It would be hard for Busch Gardens to fit in a coffin.