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Halloween 2023 at Universal Orlando Resort Guide

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Since I just took a quick trip to UO to experience HHN, I thought I would do a Halloween 2023 at Universal Orlando Resort guide.

Halloween 2023 at Universal Orlando Resort

Halloween 2023 at Universal Orlando

UO is known for their annual scary event, HHN. However, the resort leans into the holiday heavily and you can do various activities across the property to celebrate. Here’s a look at what all you can enjoy!

HHN 2023

Of course, there’s the main event – Halloween Horror Nights. This is what all of the hoopla is about and where things got started. This year there’s 10 houses, 5 scare zones, 1 live show, and themed food! I attended one night solo on this trip, but I didn’t exactly do it like other people. You can read my HHN Solo Tips post to read my full experience. However, I will say that I enjoyed the Stranger Things house and food! I also liked the show and Vamp ’69 scare zone.

I should point out that you can book tours for the houses at HHN. You can read my lights on houses tour review from last week. However, they also offer RIP Tours that allow you to skip the lines at the houses at night with the aid of a tour guide to walk you through the houses.

Themed Photo Opps

Chucky’s Twisted Playground is a room full of photo opportunities featuring Chucky at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort. However, it’s exclusively for UO resort guests only. Simply present your hotel room key to see 5 unique photo opps. New for 2023, UO has also set up a Universal Monsters themed photo scene at each of the 7 other resorts on property!

Themed Bars and Drinks

Cabana Bay’s Swizzle Lounge became The Spooky Swizzle Lounge complete with pumpkins! There’s also the Spooky Sunset Lounge at Endless Summer – Dockside Inn and Suites. Additionally, all 8 resorts have special themed drinks available at their bars. Plus, City Walk’s Red Coconut Club got a spooky re-theme to become Revenge of the Dead Coconut Club in 3D.

Halloween Tribute Store

I look forward to seeing the highly themed tribute stores whenever I’m visiting the resort. This year’s store for Halloween was themed to a comic book store with a storyline told in comic book form. I enjoyed walking around and taking it all in. My one complaint about this particular store is that it’s so dark in there, it makes it difficult to actually see the merch.

Spooky Season at Universal Orlando Resort

As you can see, there are lots of ways to experience Halloween 2023 at Universal Orlando! From a separately ticketed event with haunted houses to themed drinks and a merch store, there’s a little bit of something for everyone. So, have you ever visited UO in the fall? What do you look forward to the most?

2023 HHN Daytime Houses Tour Review

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Last week, I took a quick solo trip to Universal Orlando to experience Halloween Horror Nights. While there, I was lucky enough to do the HHN Daytime Houses Tour! This is the lights on Unmasking the Horror tour featuring 6 of the 10 haunted houses from Horror Nights. Since I couldn’t find many reviews online prior to booking this, I thought I would review it for others looking for info.

HHN Daytime Houses Tour

HHN Daytime Houses Tour

The whole reason I went to Universal Orlando this time was to see the “Stranger Things” house. My husband and I enjoy watching the show, so I really wanted to see the house. However, I wanted to explore it without being scared and to be able to take pictures to share with my husband. The Unmasking the Horror tour is the only way to do this.

I booked my tour in July, before they announced which houses were included. Sidenote: There’s also a 3 houses one, but this will focus on the 6 house one. So, it was a bit of a gamble. However, “Stranger Things” had been included in the 6 house tour the past two times, so I thought it was a relatively safe one. Thankfully, on August 1st I received an email notifying me of the six houses and “Stranger Things” was included!

Behind the Screams

This is quoted as being a 5 hour tour. My tour time was 10:45 AM and we wrapped up after 4 PM. There was an hour long break for lunch in the middle of the tour. We spent roughly 30 minutes in each house. I had a great, very informative tour guide who walked us through the stories for each house as well as where the scare actors would be and how certain tricks were done. It was an interesting look at the houses as well as the development process.

This tour included: Universal Monsters: Unmasked, Chucky: Ultimate Kill Count, Stranger Things 4, Yeti: Campground Kills, Dueling Dragons: Choose Thy Fate, and Bloodmoon: Dark Offerings. I enjoyed seeing the attention to detail in Stranger Things, Bloodmoon, and Yeti. Universal Monsters was neat with the setting in Paris. Dueling Dragons was the coolest when you finally see the two dragons near the end.

Personally, Chucky in general (not just the house) isn’t for me. My tour guide is a Chucky house defender as he doesn’t think everyone understands the premise of the house. However, I am just not into the character or storyline. I attempted to watch the show prior to my trip and couldn’t get into it. However, it seemed neat for any fans as I recognized several scenes just from watching a few episodes.

It’s probably obvious, but my favorite house was the Stranger Things one. I enjoyed feeling like I was actually in the show. Plus, now I have pictures of Eddie’s house.

Pros

  • Perfect for IP fans – If you are a fan of any of the IPs or are intrigued by the original house stories, then this is perfect for you.
  • Great for HHN fans – This tour is also perfect for any fans of HHN who are interested in learning how the houses are designed and set up.
  • Good for horror fans – I thought it was neat learning how some of the scares/tricks are performed.
  • Can take some photos – This is the only way (besides being media) that you can take photos inside the houses. Granted, it is limited, particularly in IP houses. However, it’s still neat.
  • Can slow down – At HHN, they tend to run you through houses pretty quickly and there’s no way you will see everything. A tour is much slower and little details are pointed out and explained.

Cons

  • Expensive – It was over $100 for me to do this tour and it doesn’t include admission to HHN or the parks.
  • Long – Similar to my guidance in my Universal Holiday Tour Review, this is not an activity where you sit around and listen. Five hours is a long time to spend on anything, so make sure you are truly interested and capable of walking that long.
  • Rushed – While the walkthroughs were slower than at night, the tour still felt a little rushed at times. Also, lunch was stressful as we had one hour to go get something, eat it, and be ready to see Stranger Things. I wish the tour included a lunch, even a sandwich to cut out the stress of missing a house. I also feel compelled to point out that we didn’t get a single restroom break. The only break we had was for lunch. So, that wasn’t good for staying hydrated or the bladder. Ha.

Is the HHN Daytime Houses Tour worth it?

I think the HHN Daytime Houses Tour is only worth it if you are a fan of one of the IPs or horror in general. Plus, I don’t know that it would be a great use of time for someone’s first visit to Universal Orlando. However, I enjoyed my tour and don’t regret it one bit. So, have you ever done a Horror Nights tour?

Garden Grill Dinner Epcot Character Meal Review

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Back in February, I booked the Garden Grill dinner at Epcot for me and my mom. This is a review of that experience.

Garden Grill Dinner

Garden Grill Dinner

There are a plethora of dining places to chose from at Epcot. In fact, it can be difficult to choose which restaurant to eat at. However, I know my mom prefers more classic or simple dishes. With that in mind, I booked the Garden Grill dinner on our Epcot day.

Technically, Disney calls this the Chip ‘n’ Dale Harvest Feast. It’s $55/adult and $36/child. The unique thing about this meal is that the restaurant rotates to give you views inside the Living with the Land ride! So, your view is constantly changing and giving you something new to look at.

The Characters

While dining here, you can expect to meet Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale! Mickey is adorable in his farmer outfit! The rest of the characters are in their normal attire. Each one comes to your table separately to take pictures and visit briefly. You are also given a card with their signatures on it (seen in my Instagram post below). They are all friendly, but move pretty quickly.

The Food

Most character meals, like in my Cape May Cafe Character Breakfast review, at Walt Disney World are a buffet. However, this one is a sit-down meal served family style. Due to that, I think the food is better. It’s not necessarily fancy food, but it’s consistently good. We also enjoy this variation because it’s less stressful than trying to grab a plate from the buffet while keeping an eye out for characters.

You begin the meal with a salad and rolls. The salad was ok, but I’m not a fan of dressing, so I wasn’t super into it. The rolls were good though.

Then, you are served a big pan of mains and sides. We received BBQ chicken, grilled beef with chimichurri, mashed potatoes, green beans, spoon bread, and a corn mixture. We also got a bowl of macaroni and cheese. We really enjoyed the chicken, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese.

You finish the meal with a serving of berry short cake with whipped cream for dessert. My mom is super picky about fruits, but she likes most berries. So, this was the perfect ending to this meal. It was sweet without being too sweet.

Everything here tasted fresh. The quality of food was certainly better than what you would find on a buffet. It’s not groundbreaking, but it is tasty.

Is Garden Grill dinner worth it?

As always it’s difficult to determine somethings value. If you are looking for a character meal with better food, this is a great choice! If you have a picky eater, then again this is perfect! On the other hand, there are loads of more unique and interesting places to eat at in Epcot. So, if you want to try some new foods, I’d recommend looking elsewhere. Also, if you are on a tight budget, you should probably consider a quick service at Epcot or perhaps eat at a festival booth. Overall, it’s a fun character meal with good yet simple food.

Caring for Giants Tour Review at Animal Kingdom

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Back in 2019 I was lucky enough to do the Caring for Giants Tour at Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. It’s a short behind the scenes look at the elephants of the park. I thought it was a fun add-on activity that was worth doing a review of.

Caring for Giants Tour

Caring for Giants Tour

The Caring for Giants tour is a 60 minute experience providing a look at the elephants of the Animal Kingdom theme park. Your guide will take you backstage and tell you all kinds of facts about these glorious creatures. You will also get to admire them from a backstage area 80 to 100 feet away. At the end, there is time to take lots of photos of the elephants.

At $35 a person, this is one of the cheaper add-on experiences at Walt Disney World. In fact, I think it may be a good starting point for someone looking to add on a tour at Disney. At an hour long, it is also a shorter experience (versus a more intense 5 hour tour at Magic Kingdom or the several hours long Universal Holiday Tour).

Tips

  • Reserve your spot early. There are a few small tours offered each day, so it can book up early. Reservations open up 60 days out, just like dining. So, decide early on if you want to book this experience and book it as soon as you can.
  • Best for animal lovers. While it is super neat to see stuff backstage as a theme park fan, I think someone who doesn’t like elephants or animals might get bored here.
  • Ask questions. The guides will give you tons of information on elephants as well as how they care for them. Feel free to ask questions. There was plenty of time for our group to ask questions, so take advantage of that time.
  • Bring your camera/phone. The last little bit of the tour is spent just observing the elephants and taking photos. It’s a peaceful and memorable experience.
  • Be prepared. This is a one hour outdoor walking tour. Dress appropriately.
  • Have fun. While this is a learning experience, it’s also a very calm one. So, relax and enjoy!

Is the Caring for Giants Tour worth it?

While I don’t know if children would enjoy this tour, I think most adults would. If you like elephants, then you will like this. At $35, it’s not a huge gamble of money. However, if you have a packed theme park day, it may be best to skip this one.

Cape May Café Breakfast Character Meal Review

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Fall may be beginning, but if you are looking for a character meal with summertime vibes at Disney World, then I’ve got the meal for you! The Cape May Café breakfast is a character buffet meal at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. I ate here last December with my mom and I am happy to finally share my review.

Cape May Café Breakfast

Cape May Café Breakfast

Dinner at this location is a character-free seafood buffet. However, the Cape May Café breakfast is a beach-themed character dining buffet experience. In fact, Disney calls it Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast! So, you know it’s going to be a good beachy time! Admittedly, that good time does come at a cost with it being $45/adult and $29/child, plus tax and gratuity.

Before I get into the review of this restaurant, I want to disclose that this character meal holds a special place in my heart. This was technically my first character meal! I booked it for my solo stay at Disney’s Beach Club Resort during the Disney Social Media Moms 2016 Celebration. It was during this meal that I learned what all of the hype was about for these character meals!

The Characters

I was happy to discover that the characters’ outfits had been updated since the last time I dined here. The last time I was here, the characters were wearing more general nautical themed or ocean setting outfits. You can see in the Instagram post above from 2016 that Donald was wearing a fun spin on his classic outfit back then. In the post below, also from 2016, Minnie is wearing a swimsuit and seahorses on her cover up.

Now, the characters are wearing the appropriate attire for a day at the beach! As you can see in the more recent photos below, Donald is sporting a striped undershirt and a beachy button up shirt over it. He also seems pretty happy with his hat! Daisy and Minnie are both wearing summery dresses. Goofy is wearing a shirt and swim trunks! Everyone looks perfect for a beach bash!

I have to commend all of the characters for being perfect each time I’ve eaten here. The interactions are fun and priceless! This was my first character meal ever as well as my first real character meal after the pandemic. There’s just something about the vibes here that make it special.

The Food

I have to admit, even the food is better here now! The meal started with some tasty salted caramel “beach buns” with a vanilla cream. My mom and I may have asked for seconds of these! I was tickled to discover that you can get pog juice here now too!

The buffet features a good variety of foods to choose from. It’s one of the few places you can get Mickey and Minnie waffles! My mom appreciated the omelet station, while I enjoyed an eggs benedict. I felt like this meal was a more elevated dining experience than some other basic breakfasts on property.

Is The Cape May Café Breakfast Worth It?

I always struggle to determine if something is worth the money or not. However, I will say that this was a good meal with characters. I will add one caveat to eating here: the location. The Skyliner has made it much easier to get here now, but it still might not be worth the hassle of coming/going for some folks. Due to the location, it seems to have availability when some other character meals may not. I think it’s worth it if you want a fun breakfast with characters. If you are on a tight budget, short on time, or not going to be staying or visiting the Skyliner/Epcot area, then it’s probably not worth it for you.