Any age guidelines?

[Susie22]

We are Disney vets going to Universal for the first time this fall. We have a broad range of ages, 3 months, 2 years, 8 years, 11 years and 13 years. I can easily look up height restrictions, but in reading my guidebook it seems that many shows/rides without height restrictions still may not be appropriate for all ages, like the Terminator show and the makeup show, and frankly almost everything except Barney. I am reading general descriptions, but it doesn't give any age guidelines. What is inappropriate about each attraction, for example. Is it too loud, too gory, inappropriate language, sexual content, etc.?

At Disney you can pretty much assume that if you meet the height requirement you will mostly be ok on the attraction, but that doesn't seem to be the case at Universal. I know not every kid is the same and some kids are fine at some attractions and not at others, but is there anywhere to get some general age guidance for EACH attraction?

 

[Metro West]

There is no age requirements at Universal or IOA...just height requirements.

The park map can give you a description of what to expect or just ask the team member in front of the attraction.

 

[Susie22]

Thank you for your reply. I know there aren't any age requirements, but I would still like some general guidelines in advance before I get to the park so I can decide how many days I want to spend there. I can legally take a four-year-old to see the movie Poltergeist, and it wouldn't cause bodily injury, but that doesn't mean it would be appropriate. I'm just wondering if there is any guidance available to tell me in general a minimum age to see these attractions.

 

[RMulieri]

Are you reading Universal Orlando by Seth kubersky? that book gives some more description.But there is nowhere I know of to tell you WHY each thing may or may not be appropriate for YOUR family..We took our 8 yr old on just about everything and all the shows and I didn't find them inappropriate but what I may find appropriate you may think is inappropriate. .I can tell you the Horror makeup show is more funny then scary, but there is fake blood( and quite a bit of it). Beetlejuice is a LOUD rock n roll concert featuring classic movie monsters.There is some sexual innuendo, but my 8 yr old never picked up on it.Sindbad at IOA is loud and a stuntshow, I guess real little ones might be afraid.Twister might scare the little ones( it is a simulation of a tornado).Shrek should be fine,ANimal actors is good etc.

 

[Susie22]

Thanks so much! That's the kind of feedback I'm looking for. I am reading that guidebook, and he seems to suggest that many attractions aren't appropriate for children, but like you said, he never says why or what he considers a child, a 5 year old? 10 year old? I know everyone's children are different, but any feedback on the individual attractions from a parent's perspective is really helpful.

 

[hydrotony]

If you are concerned about bad reactions from small children, here's my 2 cents worth.

Twister has a very loud windy noisy tornado recreation scene.

Beetlejuice is a PG-13ish show considering the off-color innuendo jokes.

Terminator 2 3D has loud noises, live action actors running through the audience and a lot of machine gun robot shooting.

Disaster has you sit through an earthquake subway station scene with fire and water and shaking subway cars.

Revenge of the Mummy coaster ride has intense imagery with fire and loud noise moments.

 

[macraven]

look at the rides and shows that are listed online at the UO website.
if you think it would be a good, decent show/ride, let us know.

i think we can do a better job in helping you if we knew what you wanted to see and do in the parks.

i know the animal show at the studios is good for the entire family.
ET is decent but don't know if it would upset a 2 y/o with the creatures from the et planet.

Barney would be great for 3 of the kids.
fieval playground also good.

don't know about shrek.
not sure how a 2 y/o would react to the large shrek and characters.
the do have nonmoving seats in the front of the theater.


all of seussland at ioa would be fine.
there is some spinning with the cat in the hat ride.
same with storm force which is similar to the teacups at the motherland.

sinbad show is fun for all ages.
it's an acrobatic stunt action show.

you can use the child swap rooms if some in your party want to do a ride that the others can't or not interested in.

 

[SmallWorld71]

It really depends so much on the kid, that it's hard to say. DD went on almost everything she was able to at age 7 1/2. (We did not do Terminator with the boys as there was something else she had more interest in.) She was 50" tall at the time, so too short for the big coasters (much to her dismay!). The only ride that she really didn't like was Revenge of the Mummy and that was because she said it was too loud. (She is very sound sensitive.) She didn't love Forbidden Journey either, but she wasn't scared.
But, this is the girl who rode Kali at 3, BTMRR at 4, Everest at 5 etc... Her 8 year old friend on the other hand, just got back from Disney and was terrified of Pirates and the only ride with a height restriction that she could handle was Soarin. So - you never know.

If there are certain rides at Disney that your kids don't like, find too scary, that might help figure out what they can/ can't handle at UO.