First Time - Are the Universal parks worth it?

[Lorene3]

We are planning our first trip to Orlando for the first week of December. I'm planning one day for each Disney park, and one day for each of the 2 Universal parks. Are the Universal parks worth going to? I have heard that the parks are dirty and the employees are not friendly. Should we even bother going to one or both? (Me, my hubby and our 6 year old daughter)

Thanks!

[mirlow]

I would like to know too. I ordered a Universal vacation video and it looked like it would be a fun place to go to. My kids wil be 7, 4, and 1.6 years old. We were going to stay 2 nights at the BC just to hang out and relax because our AP's expire before we head home. Now I'm wondering if we should go to HRH and stay those 2 nights and go to one of the Universal parks for a day? I haven't really read much about these parks. It seems like it is mostly families with older children that go there?

[Jordan's MOM]

We have not done Universal but my sister's family, that just returned from their trip did one of the Universal Parks with thier two DS's 7&9.They did not enjoy it that much. The boys enjoyed Suess Land if that helps know which park they went to. They said that for their boys ages, it was not worth the money. They however loved everything at Disney.
Jordan's Mom

[The4OfUs]

We did one day at Islands of Adventure this August - with my 7 yr old DS and 9 yr old DD, it would not have been worth it if we didn't get the tickets with our vacation package. Most of the rides there were extreme thrill rides, and we were in and out of the park in about 1/2 a day. It's also a very WET park, we wore bathing suits because the majority of the rides they could and WOULD go on were water related. Not saying it wasn't fun, but it is an "older kids" park in my mind - my son was terrified in "Poseiden's Adventure", which surprised me.

But...they do have the most AMAZING restaurant there, Mythos...and we'll get a dining pass and go back just to eat there next trip. :)

I will try Universal Studios once as well, mainly because they want to see Nickelodeon Studios. But we're a Disney family it seems... *grin*

[BethC]

My 8 year old daughter loved Islands of Adventure the most, although there were a few things at Universal Studios that she enjoyed as well. We found the parks to be very clean and the employess were all quite friendly. We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel for 2 nights and I can highly reccommend this hotel - it was fantastic!! 2 nights was plenty of time to see the parks and swim in the pool. If you are going on a longer trip or have done WDW many times before than I would definitely plan on making this side trip.

BUT, if it is your first trip and you are going for a week or less, I would suggest staying at Disney World. You are going to be very overwhelmed by everything there is to see and do and you'll find that one day at each park may not be enough for you. :)

Have fun!

[tinaluis]

We absolutely LOVE Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure and would not miss them - we visit them every time we go to Orlando. We have three daughters, 5, 3 and 3 mos. and always find plenty for the 5 and 3 year olds to do. They are a little heavier on the thrill rides than WDW (which my husband and I love) but we always find plenty to do for the kids too. And I've NEVER been treated rudely by any employee there.

[LeahA]

We have been to USF and IOA, I have to say that for us, my dh would pick IOA, he loves the roller coaster's, for me I would pick USF. I love Twister, Back to the Future, JAWS etc...

Even though IOA has Suess' Landing, I think overall, the park is geared towards older children/teenagers and adults. I think USF has alot more overall activities for the whole family.

It's definitely worth it to experience IOA/USF at least once. We always enjoy going there, and plan to go back in the future.

[sherry7]

We loved both of the parks. The theming was spectacular, the parks were spotless, and the employees were polite. IOA was my favorite of the two. It does have a few thrill rides, but there is plenty a smaller child could do also...especially Seuss's Landing. I liked Universal just as well as MGM. The only thing I found disappointing at either IOA or Universal were the shows. The are not bad, but they are not up to Disney standards either.

[sha_lyn]

The parks are not dirty. In fact I was very impressed wiht them especially IOA. I think IOA out "disneys" WDW. The theming is wonderful. They even brought up palm trees that were damaged in hurricanes to put in Seusslanding (becasue of the weird shapes). Our kids were 3 and 11 on the trip. I really think DD enjoyed IOA more because of Seuss landign and the unicorn roller coaster. There is more that she can do at US but that doen't mean she enjoyoed it. She was bored by most of the shows there. The play areas at US are ok but the ones at IOA are better in my opinion.

[SNOWBOARDER]

We've been to USF on 2 trips and IOA on the last one and Universal is definitely worth the trip. The parks were very clean and the employees were very friendly. You can do IOA in 1/2 day. Use the the other 1 1/2 to explore USF because it's a bigger park. There's a link to Universal from this page....Have fun!!!

[kidzmom3]

We went to Islands of Adventure last November with our then 7 year old son, 4 and 2 year old daughters and we really enjoyed it. Here is a list of some of the things that were appropriate for them, and they are kindof chickens:
Seuss Landing:
the carousel
one fish two fish (they adored this ride/dumboesque but with squirting water) rode x2
the cat and the hat
the grinchmas sled ride (there near holidays)
Also the playground here "if I ran the circus"
*i really enjoyed the playground areas for the kids to run around in.

They liked the unicorn rollercoaster and the Pteranadon flyers. My older sun rode the jurassic park river ride and we all went into the Triceratops encounter. Also, the dinosaur playground was a big hit for my younger girls while we waited for my dh and ds to get off jurassic park.

We liked the water raft ride and flume (popeyes bilge rats and I forget the other name) The food court area here in cartoon land was very imaginative with lots of things to look at and even climb over.

While I would agree that there are a lot of grown up rides here. My DH was in absolute heaven as he is a coaster fan. We really enjoyed IOA, it is visually stunning. The theming from land to land is fabulous complete with theme music. The superheroe area is loud. That was my one complaint. When all the superheroes came riding up on there atv's with sirens blasting. LOUD

I love Disney better, it is more familiar and I would go every year. But I would go to IOA every other year. And hopefully they will add a couple of more kid rides to each area as time goes on.

Have fun

[lookingforward]

We went to US & IOA in April. My boys were 10 and 8 at the time and they LOVED everything about it. My 10 year old is a thrill ride addict and was so happy. We went Easter week but stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel so we did not wait more than five or ten minutes for any ride. My 8 year old loved US and most of the rides at IOA. It is completely different than Disney but it is first rate entertainment in a different way. Also, citywalk has some great restaurants..you will really like it.

[M&M's Daddy]

We were at both US and IOA on 10/9. We have two DD's (5 and 2).

I would definitely say that US and IOF are geared toward adults and teens, more so that the MK. That said, I would still say these are great parks for families, even with very young children.

We began the day at IOA. Seusslanding is the one area that targets families and young kids. We didn't really try any other area except we did walk over to the cartoon area. I don't think that IOA has enough attractions for small children to occupy a full day. We headed over to US after lunch. (Part of the reason we didn't stay was that last year we went to US and the then 4 yo loved it and kept whining to go there). The parks weren't busy last week and we got to go on the Cat in the Hat and the One Fish... rides 1/2 dozen times each before heading to US. Note: if you get a 2 or 3 day pass you can 'Park Hop' between US and IOA.

Although US only has a few attractions that target young children, in my opinion and experience, what they do have could easily occupy a young child for a full day. There is an area Fievel's Playland that a kid could spend the whole day in (which our 5 yo loves). There's a great water interactive park (Curious George) that big and small kids could spend hours in on a hot day. Right next to it is a 'Ball Factory' that is a large room with air cannons and guns that shoot nerf type balls that families could spend hours in. There is a Barney show that's great for young children and in the exit area there is an interactive play area that kids could spend hours in...

The parks are not dirty and our experience with the staff was good. I would recommend going to both, though if you were only going to spend one day, for the 6 yo I'd pick US. Both my wife and I like US over MGM.

[kristikae]

I wouldn't go to Orlando and not go to these parks! I love the magic Disney has but USF and IOA are special in their own way. I have always been amazed how clean all the parks are in Orlando considering the number of people there. I don't think you will regret it if you go to USF and IOA.

[Amazing-grace]

Universal studios was my favourite day out in Orlando. We have 4 children and they all loved it, very different from MK, but absolutely brilliant nontheless. Don't miss it :D

[Dopey's twin Dippy]

Hi . Our first trip to Universal was a few years ago.
We had a great time. We loved all of the rides especially ET. that was great.
Food was the same as other parks. We have not been to the new part yet. my
SIL said they really liked it. The rides are more for older kids.
I think you will like the place. We also love Sea World. try it at least one day
and see. But of course we always go back to MK cause its our favorite.

[hulabird]

I had purchased US/IOA tickets for this trip to WDW, which we took at the end of August
I bought a 5 day php for WDW and a 2 Day US/IOA...after I bought the US tics I
started having second thoughts, thinking..."how will I ever tear myself away from WDW?"
but I did, and I was glad I did because my DH and I had a great time there, and we only
used 1 day of the pass so next year we can use the other day, as we did both US and IOA
in one day...it really is worth checking out.

Hulabird

CBR Aug/Sep 2001
CBR again in Aug/Sep 2002

[bhse]

the people who say there is nothing for a small child to do at IOA are completely wrong. My 4 yr did Spiderman, Popeye, Dudley do-right, Storm spinner, Unicorn coaster, all of Seuss landing, Jurassic River ride, Pteradon Flyers, Dino encounter, play area and discovery center, Poseidens fury and Sinbad shows and loved them all. 9 yr old joined me on Hulk, Dueling dragons and Fearfall.

[MikeP]

We did IOA and US for the first time this year, both were great, both were clean and very well done. Both my DS 9 and 5 had a great time at each of the parks. IOA and US are don't miss attractions for us from now on.

[Robinrs]

As you can tell by my signature I am FAR from unbiased... :rolleyes: .. but I thought I'd stick my two cents in...

My son was 6 when we first went to Orlando. IOA was the first theme park we ever went to. I always call the Port of Entry MY Main Street. It took my breath away then and it still does.

Universal is a fave of mine because I have a degree in theatre. It represents so much of what I love. My son is now 8 and JUST reached the height for the main coasters, but we have enjoyed the parks 10 times before that. There is so much more to offer.

I agree with Beth about the Hard Rock. An awesome hotel! And with the card key you get Express Access so your longest wait is about ten minutes. We went on Memorial Day and never waited more than five. I wouldn't do it any other way. It was depressing when we went to Epcot the next day and had to wait up to 45 mins for rides. It can spoil you terribly.

I think Orlando is full of great options. The sad thing is when people think that Disney is the only option. It's like visiting New York and not going to the Statue of Liberty because you like the Empire State Building.

So, in a word, is it worth it... YES! :D

[mrs.pixiedust]

My family experienced US for the first time in September. Ages ranging from 60 down to 9mo., none of us really enjoyed it. I feel that most of the rides are outdated. Even my 4 yr old dd thought Jaws was cheesy. We did not go to IOA. Hopefully, it's much better. The best part was letting my dd play in the Curious George water park. We do not regret going because now we know that we are not missing out on anything when we don't go back! I highly recommend Sea World as an alternative. They even have a new rollercoaster. We all had a much better time there. I guess US just didn't live up to the standards we had in mind after years of experiencing the magic of Disney.

[UrsulaFan]

Another YES for IOA & USF!!! Our 2 DSs, 8yo & 10 yo, loved them!! We had only planned 1 day at each, but they couldn't wait to leave WDW to go back to use up our third day ticket!!

DH & 10 yo are going to Webelo Camp for Cub Scouts this summer for 1 week & 8 yo DS thinks the 2 of us should go back while they are gone!!

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says.............................................. ...................... We are missing the most important information here. How many days are you there? If this is six days in 6 parks, forget about it. My DD who is the best traveling child I have ever seen, managed,as a 7 year old, on a seven day trip, 2 on 1 off 2 on 1 off 1 on. How many off days do you have planned?? If the answer is none then skip USF/IOA. But, if you can make room, their parks are not dirty, they have some great attractions, so you should try them!!

[pixiemomma]

I DON'T KNOW WHAT PLANET SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ARE FROM BUT I HAVE BEEN TO US AND IOA TWICE AND LOVED IT. MY SISTER & FAMILY LIVE IN THE ORLANDO AREA AND MUCH PREFER IT TO DISNEY. (I WOULDN'T GO THAT FAR) THEY ARE DEFINATLY MORE TEEN/ADULT ORIENTED PARKS, THOUGH. THE YOUNGEST PERSON WE WENT WITH WAS MY NEPHEW WHO WAS 7 AT THE TIME AND HE ENJOYED IT. I ACTUALLY FOUND THE PEAK SEASON CROWDS AT US MUCH FRIENDLER AND PLEASANT THEN THOSE AT MK.

[ksdave]

As you can see by my sig, I have been doing WDW since it opened. I love it, even at my advanced age :)
But USF/IOA is really awesome! I think in many respects they have caught and surpassed WDW. When we went in May, we did two days at USF/IOA and five on-site at WDW (AS Sports). If I had to do it all over again, I would definitely do three, maybe four days at USF/IOA. My DS, 9, and his friend Bryce, also 9, and my DD, 11, absolutely loved it. And for me, I saw alot of examples where they have surpassed WDW:

- At WDW, you still have to do the Tram if you stay offsite. USF now has covered parking garages which connect to the parks via moving walkways.
- At WDW, there are a few fans here and there on the lines. At USF, they have a ton of fans with water misters on all of the lines (really important when its 90 degrees).
- Compare similar rides: MIB vs. Buzz Lightyear. MIB is a brand new ride with crazy twists and turns. Buzz uses the same old track and all from If You Had Wings. Splash Mtn is a 75' drop vs. Jurrasic's 85', steeper drop.

For folks with kids 8 or 9 and older, I think USF/IOA is a must see. We loved it!

[leebee]

I think DisneyDad is right- how long will you be in Orlando? You said a week...is that seven whole days for touring or do you arrive on Saturday, tour Sun-Fri, and fly home on Sat? If you only have 6 days for touring, I'd get 4day ph at Disney and go to Sea World or get a 5 day ph at WDW. How media savvy is your 6 yo DD? I have an 8yo DD who wouldn't get too much out of IoA because she doesn't watch or know any of those cartoons/movies, with the exception of Seuss, and is still too young for the thrill rides. If your 8yo enjoys the cartoons/movies around which IofA is built, then get a 4 day ph at WDW and go to IofA one day. Personally, if you just have 6 days to tour, I'd say stick to Disney. DD was 5 1/2 the first time we took her, and the 4 day park hopper was not enough! Part of what will slow you down on your first trip is the character interactions at Disney. How do you say "no" to a child who wants to take the time to meet ALL SEVEN of the Dwarfs? My daughter was character hungry the first trip to WDW, not so much on the subsequent trips. And trust me, you will get tired! Along about the third day of Orlando theme parks, I start yearning for that vacation at the beach where polite young gentlemen bring you tall frosty drinks with umbrellas, where you NEVER set the alarm clock and get to stay up past 10pm every night... wherever you go, two things will happen: (1)You won't get to see/do everything, and (2) you'll come to accept the fact that YOU'LL BE BACK!!

[beattyfamily]

We did not do it on our first trip in 1998 but IOA wasn't even open then.

Then on our second trip, we went to IOA and Universal. We went the first week of December 2000. Our 4 year old DD LOVED IOA!!! We could not tear her away from Suess Landing or "Whoville" I should say. If you family loves the Grinch, then it's a MUST!!! It was the highlight of our daughter's vacation. Because of this, we're going again in 3 weeks, in hopes of seeing the Grinch again and the Whoville people walking around...

Everyone else already told you all the other great rides etc...for little ones; I just wanted to mention "Grinchmas" at IOA in the Suess Landing section....:D

[Partridge4ever]

I agree you need to plan some "down time." My DH's rule is 2 park days, 1 pool/shop/sleep-in day. You also will probably need more than 1 day at MK. On our first trip, we planned to do Universal (IOA wasn't open yet) on our last day, but decided to spend an extra day at the MK instead.

If you plan to go back to Orlando in the future, get a pass for Universal/IOA that allows you to park hop. We did both parks in one day last year and we didn't even stay til closing. We missed a lot, but we saw the things that were most appropriate for our 5 year old. It was not dirty and no one was rude. We found it no less magical than Disney. I'm looking forward to going back. Your DD may have outgrown Barney, but the look on my kids' faces was priceless.

I don't know the official names for the rides, but I'll briefly outline our day. We started w/IOA and did all the Seuss stuff first, where we were held up in line for the snow ride because they were filming a commercial. We did the Cat in the Hat twice. Then Spider Man. Waited forever for Pteranadon Flyers. This is NOT worth an hour wait. We rode the Jurassic Park water ride and played in the play area. Rode a unicorn roller coaster that for some reason terrified my DD who is usually a daredevil. We ate at the Popeye restaurant and saw the Seuss Christmas show before moving on to Universal. At Universal we saw the Barney show and spent about an hour in the play area, did the Fieval slide a gazillion times, ET, Back to the Future, Hanna Barbera. We did Men in Black, but DD didn't care for it. We intended to see Nick Studios, but I failed to realize that it closed earlier than the rest of the park. In-laws were hungry so we left about 5 pm. If we had stayed til closing (as I'd intended :) ) we could've done Curious George and Animal Actors. Like I said, there's a lot we had to miss, but we were satisfied. We still have 2 days on our tickets for next time.

[candyht]

My 4 year old twin daughters loved Universal & IOA. At Universal, there's a really fun place called Curious George Playground. My whole family, especially DH had a blast here. Put your DD in a bathing suit and let her run through the sprinklers and fountains - she'll love it. There's also a 2 story ball playground here. You shoot foam balls out of canons at other people. My girls really enjoyed vacumming the balls up into the machines. If you daughter loves Barney, as my daughters do, there's an excellent stage show. The theatre is really pretty - looks like a park. At the end of the show, all the kids gather around the stage and Barney gives all them a hug. Next to the theatre, there's an indoor play area that my kids really enjoyed. Universal & IOA have numerous play areas that you will have to drag your kids away from.

My kids loved Seuss Landing at IOA, but otherwise they didn't enjoy the rest of the park. They are under 40", so they didn't meet the height requirement for a lot of rides. They LOVED One Fish, Two Fish and Cat in the Hat Rides. We rode both rides several times, since there were no lines. I love Disney, but I think that Seuss Landing is better themed. Also, Spiderman is the most amazing attraction that I've ever been on. Dudley Do Right Falls is the best water flume ride - but be warned that everyone on this ride gets very wet.

IOA is geared more toward teenagers, but the theming of this park and it's rides are really excellent. I also agree that Mythos is an excellent restaurant. They are only open for a few hours a day - just for lunch when we went last month.

We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and we didn't use Front of the Line Access very much. The park wasn't very crowded. But the Hard Rock Hotel is very nice. The rooms are really nice. The beds were sooooo comfortable. If you have an Entertainment Card, the rate, if available is about $117/night.

Overall I highly recommend visiting Universal & IOA. It's very different from Disney. I will say though, that the employees at Disney were much more helpful and much friendlier. At Universal, they weren't as helpful. They also seem to be understaffed.

[LISALISA36]

I HAVE BEEN TO DISNEY WORLD WITH THE FAMILY AND TO IOA WITH GIRLFRIENDS,
I LOVED IOA & CANT WAIT TO TAKE FAMILY THERE.
ACTUALLY WE ARE ONLY GOING TO ONE DISNEY PARK ON OUR NEXT TRIP.
DONT MISS UNIVERSAL PARKS.