[vinotinto: my suggestions are in
bold below
DIS friends, I need help figuring out a strategy for our HHN day/evening. Please help!
- We have APs and will be at UO by 2pm and can "Stay and Scream."
- We have Express Pass for HHN.
- This is our only night doing HHN (Thursday Oct 7th).
- I want to sit down and have linner, so that we're not melting down for lack of food (important not only for the teens but for this mama, snacks are just not enough for extended hours!).
- I currently have linner reservations at Finnegan's at 2:45pm and Lombard's at 3:30. Lombard's menu is more appealing, but logistics is more important.
- they are not that far apart from each other. Lombards will be a quieter dining experience. Finnegan’s is especially hopping pre HHN.
- We want to do all 10 houses, enjoy the scare zones, have a couple of snacks/themed food, and definitely see the 2 shows.
- the Columbus Day Thursday has been busier than most others in the past when we’ve visited. You have EP, conventional wisdom is to do the first few houses from stay & scream (see above) & save your pass to do repeat viewing.
- Of the houses, Hill House and Beetlejuice are the ones we may want to do more than once.
Then, it’s a good idea to start out in CP area. Might get lucky & knock them both out before the gate gets back there.
- I would prefer to save our energy for the evening, and would prefer not to stand in a stand and scream line for more than 20 minutes.
So, would you recommend that we eat linner at Finnegan's or Lombard's?
doesn’t matter where or what time you eat dinner. Both options will have you back on the sidewalk before 5 pm. when it rolls around, the TM’s will start herding people into the pens. They are very efficient at it. Many of the rides will be proactively closed before 5pm to allow for the people in line to be processed in a timely manner so that the park can be cleared of day guests. Sooner that happens, the earlier HHN will fire up.
Assuming we want to head to Central Park for the Scream and Stay, what time should we plan to be there and what kind of wait can we expect? I assume there is no seating and beverages while we wait for the houses in that line? How far behind the pack will we be if we do not make the Beetlejuice/Hill House line?
you will wait in “a” pen until the park is cleared, period
Read back, there have been reports of the pens being released by 5:30 or so, although quite early based upon past experience.
There is little seating or shade in the pens. It’s a mass of humanity lol. Prefer to hang back to not be in the thick of the crowd. YMMV.
There are plenty of opportunities to grab refreshments throughout the night. Expect long lines, especially for the pizza fries & tater Stick things. there have been consistent reports of excessive delays for snacks throughout the night this year.
You may find yourself needing to prioritize houses vs snacks & house vs shows. Might want to discuss that with the fam ahead of time to avoid disappointment.
If we decide to Scream and Stay at Finnegan's at 5pm, would that experience be more pleasant than Central Park? Is there seating? Beverages?
Lol define ‘pleasant’. like death & taxes, HHN holding pens are hot & crowded. Most people seem happy enough & go with the flow. There’s an interesting electricity in the air. All part of the experience. Embrace it.
pray to your higher power it doesn’t rain. 
.
benches will likely be long spoken for, same as fence railings TBH. Finnegan’s will be at capacity; both from those trying to hold down their table for 3 hours
to those in line outside trying to get in.
it’s good to go into the event with a general plan of attack. However, you need to be flexible. will find that crowds for each house ebb & flow from hour to hour. relax and enjoy the ride.
Can’t argue with that fact lol
