Watch out HHN…the kids are here!!! Florida September 2025: Day 8

A lie in? On vacation…what is this madness??!! Dad would be so disappointed in me. We really needed it mind. 7 days of rope drop to park close with HHN and a party sprinkled in for good measure has really done a number on us.

Coffee then? Yep, coffee…and copious amounts of skittles apparently; stop eating handfuls of sugar and brush your bloody teeth kids!!! Mind you, you’re gonna need the energy a sugar high gives you…it’s HHN night!!!

The kids have been nagging and nagging, and watching YouTube videos, and nagging to go to HHN, and after a very very swift debate (Jo said ‘no’, me and the kids said ‘yes’), we were set up for another night of HHN…with the kids. That’s right Art the Clown…cower in terror as Alaska joins the event; maybe setting up for an anniversary year collab house?? Universal creative…make it happen; we just want free event tickets in return.

Voodoo for brekkie then? Aiii, it’s vacation…calories don’t count right? RIGHT??!! God I hope not, I’m gonna be in trouble otherwise…the shadow of fat Dean just waiting in the wings for my return. What doughnuts you want then guys?…Dirt? Umm, ok…Luckily after the cost of this trip that’s all you’ll be eating for a while; best start getting accustomed to it. Mmmm, delicious, even if Gray struggled to finish. Get it down your neck kid, you need to carb load to leg it from Art and Jason this evening. Salty Wolf Man for me…sounds dodgy, but very delicious…

Full of dirt, we head to Universal Studios Florida for a fun filled day of Minions and Dreamworks before the horrors of this evening…navigating the event with this pair. They’ll be fine, but don’t think me and Jo will cope. Guess the Cat Lady will have two more victims this evening…or maybe not; she’d give these two back in a hurry.

Globe pics…*cheese* 📸…got to be done. Mid morning tantrum…complete. The call of Minions allures Alaska from her day 8 fatigue rage. Come on then…bosses choice, and I dare not go against her…it’s just not worth it. Gru calls me out for my lack of hygiene…cheeky bugger, I showered last night and haven’t got my smelly shoes on (30,000 steps a day gives your shoes a battering to be fair…). Decent ride…well, not really, but Alaska enjoyed it. No kids, no piranha guns or minions figures today; we’re travelling light. Don’t want those pesky horror nights teens nicking it from the stroller this evening. Imagine the mayhem as Alaska and Gray go on a HHN bounty hunt…too scary even for this event.

Villain Con; where else?? It’s become a staple for us, and I got to get back on the board, I have a reputation amongst the villainous and vicious to uphold. Yep…winning; it’s strange how happy this makes a grown man…beating a load of children at a first person shooter. Fortnite? Nah mate, I’m ace at Minion Blast…

Bake my Day to browse all the delicious treats and leave with a vicarious diabetic coma. Everything is bright pink and looks delicious; but I’m beginning to think that calories don’t actually stay on vacation, and diabetes definitely don’t. Just look at the pretty colours kids…and follow me out of this place. No Grayson you can’t have the Bake My Day hot pants…maybe when you’re older and you make your life choices…

She can’t be hungry already??!  “I want meatballs!!!”…really sorry Alaska, but (and I cowered in fear saying this)…ummm; No? Thank goodness, she decides to spare my life at the offering of a Freeze Ray Pop instead. It is bloody boiling today, not a cloud in the sky…just the sun, in search of any exposes piece of skin to burn the living hell out of me. Ahhh, Blue Banana Minion and a Gru pop please. Rock hard from the freezer, and too cold for Alaska (too cold? It’s bloody ice cream…no idea what she expected; ‘here is your Luke warm, malformed minion pop my liege…’). Absolute waste of money for the kids, but I guess more for me and Jordan…can’t really complain; well...the calories I guess; NOOOOOO!!!

Jimmy Fallon time…ooo look it’s Hashtag…Hi Hashtag 👋…queue better than a ride that replaced the late, great Twister attraction. Alaska and Gray love getting hit by pizza and racing through space though…pretty fun.

My boring, boring family, fed up of Brendan moaning about his lack of coffee (I get you man…I get you) opt to forgot The Mummy today and leave me Billy No Mates it…play the music…🎶All by my self…🎶. Quite nice actually, ahhhh 5 minutes peace; and chance we can make the line a little longer? I need the break.

Can’t leave the tribute store without buying something; I got the passholder discount after all…would be silly not to. New hat acquired; they still haven’t noticed…shhhh, maybe I can get away with it.

Catch up, and wander to help the Decepticons handle those pesky Autobots…wait, what? We’re helping the Autobots? Aww man, Alaskatron and Sound-Gray-Ve are gone be so disappointed. Sorry guys, close your eyes, make a wish and maybe this time Megatron will triumph. After all…if Jurassic Park has an alternate ride path, why can’t this??

Exit to the parade for 5 mins chill before the battle for the front of Five Nights at Freddy’s commences. Not looking forward to this with the kids and the hot Florida sun, but best check the tickets to make sure everything is in order. Wait…what the hell has happened to the tickets…damn.

Panic run to guest services…not sure why; my ticket was fine. Ahhh, but in a wimp and need Alaska to protect me. Yes, best sort these out…I’ll be running out of Five Nights exit door. Thanks Alaska, you scare off all the creepy kids…Springtrap wouldn’t dare!!! Tickets sorted, special buttons for the kids acquired.

IT IS TIME!!!

Catch up with the kids and Jo; Grayson looks at me in disappointment and regret at actually having to go through with something he begged me to go to…sorry kid, no turning back now (just don’t let Freddy Fazbear get you…

We get in line for our wrist bands to disapproving looks from both HHN staff and the punters…”This line is for HHN”…yeah we know, cant you see Gray and Alaska have donned their game faces? Ain’t no one gonna mess with them; Fart the Clown and Freddy Fazbutt (you decide which is which…).

Now for the scariest part of the evening…the long assed wait, in the baking Florida sun…with the trio of terror. Jordan’s lip sweating more than (well, you make up you’re own innuendo), Grayson tantrum sweat dancing, and Alaska scaling me like a sweat covered pole dancer (maybe we shouldn’t have called her Alaska…set ourselves up for that one I guess)…this was gonna be traumatic. An hour in, and I’ve joined the sweaty back crew, and find myself calling for the sweet embrace of death. Just kill me now…or get me in to the A/C; I’m happy either way at this point….oh, stand down Art, I see movement. Just enough time for Gray to blast out a few quick impressions, and for Alaska to game plan…punch the scare actors and protect her family…how sweet? “Dad, I’m gonna punch them all in the face…”. Umm, you can’t do that babes…”not the actors, only the animatronics…”. Ah ok, well that makes it all ok I guess…cheers babes.

Oooohhhh hell…the countdown is on. The team members take sadistic pride in making us all count down from 10 before unleashing hell. 3…2…1!!! Bugger…EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!!!

Grayson legs it, duck, dodge, dip, duck, diving (or something like that…you get the reference), followed by me and Alaska. Damn, knew I should have put my crocs in sports mode, slipping everywhere. Where the hell is Jordan?…JORDAN??!!! Don’t worry kids…she’s lost to the night; may she rest in peace.

Oh hi Jo, where the hell did you come from? Lip now wetter than an Otters pocket, and breathing like a 90 year old with COPD, she finally managed to catch up with us.

Absolutely mental mind, masses of people flailing around the 400m walk to the house lines…women and children in floods of tears as rampaging sweat ridden nerds (yes I include myself in that too), desperately leg it to the three way split…sorry WWE, ain’t no one picking you over Terrifier or FNAF.

Luckily, we manage a closer spot than last week and get set to wait it out…”Mam, why are you doing your makeup…you’re going to shit yourself”…umm, ok, sick burn Alaska, but she’s hardly powdering her ass. She’s got a full on lip sweat to cover up.

Ahhh, at least it’s air conditioned in here, and the most anxiety inducing part of the evening is complete. 45 minutes to go, Gray, Jo, and Alaska do a full on ET and phone home (mainly for Jeff…even Elsa has fallen to number two at Jeff’s spotty little paws). Cannot wait to see how the kids react to this…let’s go!!!

Armed with some noise dampening headphones…Alaska, I know they’re called headphones, but they do need to go on your ears…our time is now!!!

Here we go…”WOOO…HORROR NIGHTS!!!”. I think Alaska is excited. Right, what’s the order? Mammy, Grayson…Badass Alaska (to protect me), then me…they’re so excited!!!

Team members have been great with the kids…pumping them up, knuckles and high fives…here we go kids…don’t get scared now (Easter egg…). FNAF up first, Gray and Alaska do insanely well, and barring a few jumps, they have an amazing first run of their first ever HHN house. Holy hell kids, I would have been looking for an exit door the first time Chica looked at me funny, but they stuck it out and left with a smile…amazing!!! And no scare actors or animatronics were injured in the process…Win/Win!!!

Want to do another house guys? HELL YES!!!

Ok, El Artista it is!! Nice one kids, my favourite house of the year, cannot wait to run this again!!! Alaska jumping like a flea, but ain’t no stopping them. Kids out do Jo as she gets scared by a paint brush and some paper…oh, and a flower, terrifying; never mind the moving statues and flying gargoyles. Bloody amazing house, and definitely one of the scariest this year. Cannot believe how well the kids are doing with this…and Grayson is desperate for more. FALLOUT!!!

Hang on kids, think we best recoup some energy first. Where better?…the Five Nights at Freddy’s overlay of Louie’s. More pizza? oh of course, with some Meatballs…Alaska is thrilled. First though, we need to navigate a scare zone…the Toxic Twenties. Streets lined with the toxic avenger and his band of mutated mob bosses…and the Fletcher Kids; not sure what’s worse?

Alaska, not really a fan, but giving the mutants high fives and funny looks…it’s ok Alaska, pizza is your reward…lots of pizza, and an over frosted cupcake. All for the memories…and photos (this will look great on the gram).

Freddy Fazbears then…great little overlay…and some delicious pizza. “The Carb overload good sir?”….oh, yeah…Pizza covered in Spaghetti and Meatballs? Sign me up…and give me that terrifying looking Cupcake cupcake too…I’ll eat that little buggers skull. Some pics to mark the occasion…and mark our last place visited incase we don’t make it out and succumb to Springtraps plans. Ok, can’t wait to get me some of this…hey; Jordan…stop eating the damn Pizza, we need to share. Alaska, put that meatball down…ahhh bugger it; dig in!!

Delicious…still hungry though…ok ok, there more food this way. Dance through club horror, Alaska and Gray bust some moves and get up on the podium for half hour (I hope they’re getting paid for this…I can’t afford Alaskas food bill this evening).

Ok, you guys get in line for Nightmare Fuel, I’ll get some more food for Alaska…umm, I mean us. Jason food booth, everything looks delicious; I’ll take it all please. All the food?…yes, all the food, for Alaska…and Grayson with his new found corn addiction. Would have been nice to have more than the scraps, but as long as the kids are happy. Soo yeah…food smelled delicious, Alaska said it was lovely, so I had to eat vicariously…oh, I was allowed some of the cereal atop the s’mores; how generous Alaska.

Finally, gates open and a massive rush of people into the stadium…Stairs? Why’d it have to be stairs?…no one hates this more than Grayson as he attempts to join the shows acrobats and front flip down the steel stairs…’TA-DA…the amazing Grayson!!!

Nightmare Fuel: Nocturnal Circus…HO-LEE HELL!!! Why have we missed this all these years??!! Fire, Magic, scantily clad women 🙄…and some bloke that contorts his body in ways only serial killers contort their victims. Insane…such a good show, even if Grayson did think they could do better by adding a “Rollercoaster on fire with a clown in it”…I worry for this kid.

Fallout foiled by a 75 minute wait…I would, kids wouldn’t…ultimately, we are doomed to either queue the rest of the night with the demon duo or just give up…and we ain’t no quitters. Diagon Alley then? Let’s see some Deatheaters…Alaska does have her Slytherin crocs on and is ready to pledge allegiance to the dark lord…it’s her long term plan to overthrow him; kids got ambitions.

Just in time to catch the Deatheater show, before making an account in Gringotts…Jordan needs a break from all the scares…she can’t handle more than one night of it…all together now…”AWWWWWW”.

Caught in line with the most annoying people…not, not the kids…well, yeah kinda the kids; Grayson was dropping all sorts of sick burns, calling me a Goblin and all that jazz. Just because he’s done a few houses, he thinks he’s Billy Big Balls now…strutting around like a Halloween Horror badass…I guess the Terrifier house it is for you Gray Gray…

Alaskas first ride aboard the tormentuous mine trains of Gringotts…it’s not always like this babes, Potter and his crew are just here to spoil the day…again. “I want to do it again!!”…maybe in a few days time babes, it’s getting late. Out just in time to see the ‘Grim Reaper guys with swords’…wands Alaska…they are wands; and these guys bloody love you…they must know you’re the air to the throne of Slytherin…

Quick catch up with some old friends…mad the people you catch up with in Florida, and then head for a boogie in Club Horror; well…most of us. Grayson has hit that age where he dances when he wants…just not in a club setting where he’s meant to dance.

Oh look…the Grabber…run. “Can I go meet him?”…umm, sure, but you know what he does right? Grabs kids?? Finneys mates didn’t die for you to willingly catch up with him like he’s an old mate. Wait…is that why you bulk ordered black balloons from Amazon Gray??

Kids are getting knackered now…almost like the walking dead…guess they fit in well; and I’m even better to the new Mel’s Die in overlay…zombie waiters serving limbs and fries. Alaska politely declines and send them on their way. Bloody zombies!!!

Quick wander down Crooked Lane, the kids are on to us…not really a fan of the potential feline transformation, they decide enough is enough. They’re knackered and want to tap out. Mind you…it is 10:30 and they’ve pulled an all dayer. Quick visit to the masquerade for Gray and Alaska to wave to Vampires and back to the stroller to return home. Well…that was the plan, but where the hell is the stroller? Assuming Universal had deemed our parking spot was unsuitable, they had re-sited in the middle of the Origins of Horror Scare Zone…great a tired Alaska will really love that. Well…either that or some unruly teens had gone on a joy ride and bailed after running some poor bugger over (I did wonder where all the blood on the wheels came from).

All in all though…a great night, and I’m sooo amazed at how much the kids enjoyed…and how brave they were. I was panic running out of houses well into my 20’s. Grayson is even desperate to do the full event next year…we’ll see buddy.

Quick look around the Koven overlay of the Coconut Club (great overlay, don’t stay long enough to appreciate it), a good night PB&J shake and Brownie Sundae and it’s time for bed…

Absolutely knackered…but back to Epic for the next few days…and an overnight stay at the Helios…

Another great day…