REVIEW: Halloween Horror Nights Premium Scream 2025 – The Only Premium Was The Price
Universal Studios Florida hosted its second annual Premium Scream Night for Halloween Horror Nights 2025, an exclusive one-night-only preview event. Having attended the inaugural event last year, we returned to assess whether the experience had improved or declined in quality.
What is Premium Scream Night?
Premium Scream Night is a special event allowing guests to experience Halloween Horror Nights before its official opening. Unlike regular admission, this event requires a separate ticket, and it is not included with Frequent Fear Passes or free admissions for Premier Passholders.
How Much is Premium Scream Night?
For 2025, Premium Scream Night tickets started at $375 plus tax and eventually rose to $415 before selling out. This marked an increase from 2024, where the event cost $350, or $325 for Annual Passholders.
What’s Included?
The Premium Scream Night ticket offers limited-capacity access to Halloween Horror Nights. Guests are pulsed in small groups through haunted houses instead of being placed in continuous lines. The package also includes food and non-alcoholic beverages from multiple venues, as well as a souvenir lanyard and credential card.
Our Experience
Entry Issues
The experience began with some confusion. Universal had officially announced that entry would commence at 6:30 p.m., but social media comments revealed that the Stay and Scream option would be available, allowing guests to enter earlier. This led to an influx of guests arriving before the official start time, resulting in longer lines once gates opened.
Though check-in was smooth, with wristbands and lanyards conveniently handed out upon entry, the operational inconsistency overshadowed the start.
Food & Drinks
Food offerings showed improvement over the previous year. In 2024, many food items ran out early due to high demand; however, this year, all food booths remained operational until 2:00 a.m., and no items seemed to sell out prematurely. Serving sizes were also upgraded from sample portions to full dishes, making long wait times feel more justified.
Still, our group, not particularly focused on food, limited our sampling to a few dishes, some of which we came to regret later.
Crowds & Wait Times
A noticeable increase in crowd size compared to last year was evident immediately. Although wait times were generally lower than regular nights, they were still extended compared to the previous Premium Scream Night. Anticipated houses like Five Nights at Freddy’s opened late, driving wait times up significantly, further complicated by last-minute scheduling of panels with the HHN creative team.
Our attempt to juggle scheduled events meant that we couldn’t fully enjoy both the houses and the entertainment, resulting in a missed opportunity to experience all that the night had to offer.
Overall Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Good
The overall experience held some improvements compared to typical operating nights. Shorter wait times, access to decent food options, and the exclusive early entry perk (if you were aware of it) contributed positively to the evening.
The Bad
Despite these benefits, the reality was that wait times weren’t as short as they had been in 2024. Many guests found themselves unable to fully enjoy the event due to the larger crowds.
The Ugly
One of the touted perks—the pulsed lines leading to an intimate experience—was frequently disregarded. Instead, many guests found themselves in traditional conga lines. Additionally, accessibility accommodations were lacking; guests with disabilities faced challenges finding alternatives to long queues that should have been considered.
Do We Recommend Premium Scream Night?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. While the event was initially a great experience in 2024, the operational changes for 2025 diminished its value. Those considering a visit are now better off opting for a non-private RIP tour, which, while more expensive, offers guaranteed access to the attractions.
In summary, Premium Scream Night 2025 felt more like a cash grab than a premium experience. Unless substantial improvements are made in the future, we would advise potential attendees to think carefully before committing to this event.
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