Goods and bads. We did the Bite and Fright package last night. The restaurant part of the experience was delightful. Despite a huge holiday weekend Sunday evening turnout, our waitperson, Karen, was terrific. The Bite and Fright price ($40/per) is a great deal. I expected them to make up any loss with the food but we were pleasantly surprised by the quality and quantity of our selections from the specific Bite and Fright menu which was generous portions of really good food. We then went around behind the restaurant and saw what we thought was the front entrance to the Haunted Mansion. It was the front steps and the main door behind a gate that was padlocked. A lady who was chaperoning a half dozen kids was already waiting at the gate and we joined them and began chatting to help pass the wait from 6:30 to the 7 pm opening time. During this time, several staff people passed by or were attending to something on the other side of the gate. Some 15-20 mins later, security staff asked us all to move from the spot where we were standing so they can park a vehicle there. As we complied, I asked if we can get back in line where we were standing. It was then and only then that anybody or anything informed us that the line was around the back of the building. There was no signage in sight and none of the people working behind the gate offered to point us in the right direction. Live and learn, I guess. Luckily, when we got to the rear of the building, we saw that only about 30 people had lined up in the giant rat mazed of ropes and posts. However, as we walked back and entered at the proper point, a half dozen teenage girls came tearing up from the rear parking lot and proceeded to duck under all the ropes, cutting in front of us, all in plain view of a security guard, who gave us a shrug and a 'hey, whatcha gonna do' look. So much for your 'zero tolerance for line cutting' posting throughout the property. Justice prevailed, but through no intervention by BHM staff. Some 15 mins later, the girls somehow found out that tickets were needed and left. Of course, it would have been delightful if they waited for the additional 30-40 mins only to be turned away. Now some good stuff: The waiting line actors are great. Tireless and nimble, they kept the crowd's spirits up and ready for what was to come. The Haunted Mansion was a lot of fun. A lot of work has gone into making so many different rooms and ideas... too many to count. A lot of dedicated ghouls, zombies and 'whatevers' doing their utmost to actually even give me, a somewhat jaded haunt vet, a few good jumps out of my skin. Our favorite was the stobe light room with the black and white Rorschach/fingerprint patterned walls and actors. Okay, back to bad stuff. After we exited the BHM, we found our way down the parking lot to where the Clubhouse/Ticket counter and Sanctuary meet. PLENTY of signage here and the actor offering to have photos taken with him also confirmed our correct path. Less than 10 feet from the end of the line, a security person asked if we have tickets. We showed her our wristbands and she told us to go through a rope path back out front alongside the front of the Sanctuary building, along the parking lot. This then led us down between the Sanctuary and BHM buildings and exited into a mess of people going in all different directions with no signage or supervision. We managed to work our way across the back of the Sanctuary venue and up the far side to where we would have been had not that security person sent us on that wild goose chase. As we got back in line, now behind lord knows how many people were now in line ahead of where we originally would have been, I mentioned to that same security woman how she had just wasted our time. She said she thought we were going to the BHM although she never asked that and never noticed that we already had the '#1' tab removed from our wrists bands. Okay, we read in the many reviews about how long the lines are and, by this time, they were a reality. The line for Sanctuary was mindbogglingly long but, to be fair, we were warned. Again, the line actors (and to some extent, the horror movie clips) are essential and integral to keep the 2 hour+ wait from turning into a mob scene. Last but (so) not least: I don't know how much more you're making off of the VIP program but, considering the high volume you are already attracting, is it really worth it? It's a horrible optic and public relations anathema. People are waiting far too long in line to see a steady stream of other people getting in long before it's their turn. At least make the VIP entrances somewhere else out of sight from the many, many people who are waiting a very long time. In this day and age, the last thing people want to see is a chosen few, even if it's just a matter of an extra 10 or 20 bucks in their pocket, being let in while the majority of your customers are spending the majority of their evening waiting in line. read more