I imagine it is always a gamble. We took a gamble last year -- well, I had heard sales were not going well last year -- it was really circumstance that made it to only opportunity for my wife and I to enjoy the event together so it was 'instead of' a typical RoF for the year.
Anyway, last year was too good and I never expect to experience that again. Will it be too popular of an option?!? I still think they will restrict attendance enough to make it more enjoyable than a lot of HHN nights, add in the food and it seems like not too bad of a deal.
The BAD -- it is still a dress rehearsal night, really, I always felt why RoF was such a great discount is the event hasn't had a chance to find its groove, I assume premium scream night is the 2nd dress rehearsal w/ TM preview night as the first one so it is all very new to everyone working there.
The good - it is cheaper (or around the same) cost as a night w/ express -- no one has express, you should see the maze in a pulsed group as opposed to a constant conga line. It really should be an enjoyable way to experience the event and I know last year we ended up trying foods we would not have spent the money on if it were not included.
Last year Premium Scream Night was a really awesome experience. I agree with everything above, but just to highlight a couple of other cool perks:
-The line pulsing is obviously great, because you get to experience more of the scares, and the actors' attention is more fully on you, so you get to experience the house in optimal condition. And, I think the insight I want to add is that for some houses, this matters more than others. Insidious was definitely my #1 house at Premium Scream Night, because it was a scare-intensive house, and I got the full barrage, sometimes being the only person in a particular area. That was probably the best experience of HHN Orlando last year across visits. On later visits to HHN last year, Insidious was not my favorite, because the scenic and comedy of Goblin's Feast / Slaughter Sinema 2 etc. often held up better for a "normal" walkthrough than the scares of Insidious, which could for me be more hit and miss when not at Premium Scream Night.
-The actors in the scarezones are able to focus more on you, and those areas can be significantly more interactive than is typically possible during the event. They will play with you instead of just doing the jump scare, if you engage.
-The park is filled not only with influencers but also with HHN super fans, many wearing old shirts, etc. Even if you don't spend time talking to the others at the event, there is a really cool feeling that you are among your tribe, and that is a different vibe than normal event nights.
-The free food is awesome, but hot tip, I would avoid the New York-area booths right around entry / dinner time. It seemed like many people had the idea to fuel up there first, and the booths were setting up, so getting food there was my longest wait of the night.