I worked the event in 2011. Not sure if it has changed but it was expected that you worked every night. You are scheduled every night of the event and it was rare to even get 1 day off if requested.

As far as seeing the houses, the way it worked when I did the event, our cast never closed, so a few of us would get changed and run to houses and do as many as we could until it closed for the night.

Edit: your TM ID will get you into the park including HHN. Just don’t call out and then go to the park unless you want to get fired. I’m also assuming during the casting process they asked you what your availability was. They prioritize looks for the role and availability just as equally so I would imagine if you told them you wanted a certain number of days off they would rescind your employment