I need help if we should go to Universal

[Kauai4life]

Aloha,
In the beginning stages of planning our Annual Florida trip for December, We always do Disney, I would really like to try Universal. My daughter who I travel with is special needs, she can handle slinky dog, Big Thunder Mountain and Seven Dwarfs mine train as roller coasters go. She was scared to death of Avatar and bugs life she went running out, always reminds me she never wants to do that again. My question is Universal not going to be a good fit? If it is should we do all three parks? Also note not in to Harry Potter, I would appreciate any feedback.
Mahalo

 

[CAPSLOCK]

What was the concern with Avatar? Ride mechanism or story elements?

A lot of the rides are not particularly intense physically but may have a scene or villain that she could find scary. I guess, if the source movie is okay for her to watch, the ride might be okay? You might need to watch some ride videos.

Pretty sure Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey would be out for her, you can't really see each other during the ride (there's a little barrier between seats) and there are spiders, a dragon, and other things that "pop out" at you.
Other rides with particularly "scary" elements - Kong (queue is dark & scary, ride has creepy bugs), Mummy (queue is dark but not as scary, ride has creepy bugs).

Has a "scary" element or two - Transformers, Spider-Man, Men in Black (big bug that isn't creepy, but might still be scary), Gringotts, Hagrids Motorbikes ("bugs" kinda but not creepy, this is a full size roller coaster but no real height or major drops), Jurassic Park River Adventure (big drop in addition to scary dinos).

Not scary but ride is intense - Velocicoaster, Hulk, Dr Doom Fearfall.

Probably okay - Simpsons, Dudley Dooright flume (you will be soaked), Hogwarts Express train, Fast & Furious (ride is not that great).

"Definitely" okay - Jimmy Fallon, all of Seuss Landing, Kang & Kodos (Dumbo), Storm Force (teacups), Popeyes barges (you will be soaked), Trollercoaster, Hippogriff (another mini coaster), Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Despicable Me Villaincon, ET.

Pterodon Fliers - how tall is she? Required to have a kid under a certain height to ride.

And the new Epic rides, of course. Should start getting reviews & videos for those next month.

I think it will come down to what factors make a ride scary for her. Skipping the intense rides and/or the really scary ones but doing a majority makes for a nice trip. Skipping everything but the tamest will limit you.

Are planning to enjoy the theming, the character meets, the shows, etc., or are you all about the rides? If anything with bugs or scary villains is out and you're only interested in the rides, probably you will be disappointed. If she likes Jurassic Park / Transformers / etc as movies, you guys might really enjoy the chance to be immersed in them.

Sorry for the novel

 

[Skippyboo]

Can’t talk about the Epic stuff, but they do a Grinchmas show at IoA and Studios has a Macy’s Thanksgiving style holiday parade with floats and balloons. Minions section, ET, Dreamworks Kid Zone, Animal Actor show are kid friendly. Seuss land , Flight of Hippogriff are kid friendly in IoA. Hagrid’s has a backwards section, it gets kinda of fast. It also has a drop sort of like the one in Rise of the Resistance.

 

[titojackson84]

If you don’t care about spoilers, I would recommend watching on-ride videos on youtube. It’ll give you a better idea, especially knowing your daughter’s ride tolerances.

 

[Kauai4life]

What was the concern with Avatar? Ride mechanism or story elements?

A lot of the rides are not particularly intense physically but may have a scene or villain that she could find scary. I guess, if the source movie is okay for her to watch, the ride might be okay? You might need to watch some ride videos.

Pretty sure Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey would be out for her, you can't really see each other during the ride (there's a little barrier between seats) and there are spiders, a dragon, and other things that "pop out" at you.
Other rides with particularly "scary" elements - Kong (queue is dark & scary, ride has creepy bugs), Mummy (queue is dark but not as scary, ride has creepy bugs).

Has a "scary" element or two - Transformers, Spider-Man, Men in Black (big bug that isn't creepy, but might still be scary), Gringotts, Hagrids Motorbikes ("bugs" kinda but not creepy, this is a full size roller coaster but no real height or major drops), Jurassic Park River Adventure (big drop in addition to scary dinos).

Not scary but ride is intense - Velocicoaster, Hulk, Dr Doom Fearfall.

Probably okay - Simpsons, Dudley Dooright flume (you will be soaked), Hogwarts Express train, Fast & Furious (ride is not that great).

"Definitely" okay - Jimmy Fallon, all of Seuss Landing, Kang & Kodos (Dumbo), Storm Force (teacups), Popeyes barges (you will be soaked), Trollercoaster, Hippogriff (another mini coaster), Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Despicable Me Villaincon, ET.

Pterodon Fliers - how tall is she? Required to have a kid under a certain height to ride.

And the new Epic rides, of course. Should start getting reviews & videos for those next month.

I think it will come down to what factors make a ride scary for her. Skipping the intense rides and/or the really scary ones but doing a majority makes for a nice trip. Skipping everything but the tamest will limit you.

Are planning to enjoy the theming, the character meets, the shows, etc., or are you all about the rides? If anything with bugs or scary villains is out and you're only interested in the rides, probably you will be disappointed. If she likes Jurassic Park / Transformers / etc as movies, you guys might really enjoy the chance to be immersed in them.

Sorry for the novel

Aloha
I like the novel.
With Avatar she was just scared I loved it but I just kept saying close your eyes.
She is a grown women, cognitively she is about 5 years old, not any physical limitations
She loves the shows and characters, I will have to check out the Character meals.

 

[Kauai4life]

Can’t talk about the Epic stuff, but they do a Grinchmas show at IoA and Studios has a Macy’s Thanksgiving style holiday parade with floats and balloons. Minions section, ET, Dreamworks Kid Zone, Animal Actor show are kid friendly. Seuss land , Flight of Hippogriff are kid friendly in IoA. Hagrid’s has a backwards section, it gets kinda of fast. It also has a drop sort of like the one in Rise of the Resistance.

Aloha,
The Christmas show sounds great, never have ridden Rise of the Resistance.

 

[Kauai4life]

If you don’t care about spoilers, I would recommend watching on-ride videos on youtube. It’ll give you a better idea, especially knowing your daughter’s ride tolerances.

Aloha,
That's a great idea.

 

[Kit Jackson]

She was scared to death of Avatar and bugs life she went running out, always reminds me she never wants to do that again.

Do you know or remember what the issue was with A Bug's Life? Depending on what bothered her, that might eliminate some of the tamer rides at Universal. Does she like shows and music?

 

[Kauai4life]

Aloha,
If I remember correctly it has been a few years, it was the feeling of bugs running on the ground.
She loves shows I would have to say her favorite attraction is the Frozen sing along at Hollywood Studios, we have done that more times then I can count.

Do you know or remember what the issue was with A Bug's Life? Depending on what bothered her, that might eliminate some of the tamer rides at Universal. Does she like shows and music?

 

[Kit Jackson]

@Kauai4life Can she handle simulators like Star Tours? If she can, this opens up a ton of possibilities. If you want to go to Universal, and she's willing to go with you, I think there will be more than enough to do. You may end up skipping some of the more intense rides, but there is more to the park than thrill rides. I'm a ride coward and I've never felt like there was nothing for me to do at Universal.

Shows:
Blues Brothers
Beat Builders
Animal Actors
Horror Make-Up Show (I love it, but it may not work for your family; it's a behind the scenes look at how they do some of the special effects for monster movies.)

There have been some new shows added since I went. There may also be parades, if you're into that sort of thing. Last time I went, there was a nighttime show (sort of like Universal's version of World of Color) which was paused but I think has started up again.

I know you said you're not into Harry Potter, but Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream is totally amazing and worth getting even if you are not a Harry Potter fan and have absolutely no interest in the theming.

 

[Kauai4life]

Thank you very much for your valuable information.

@Kauai4life Can she handle simulators like Star Tours? If she can, this opens up a ton of possibilities. If you want to go to Universal, and she's willing to go with you, I think there will be more than enough to do. You may end up skipping some of the more intense rides, but there is more to the park than thrill rides. I'm a ride coward and I've never felt like there was nothing for me to do at Universal.

Shows:
Blues Brothers
Beat Builders
Animal Actors
Horror Make-Up Show (I love it, but it may not work for your family; it's a behind the scenes look at how they do some of the special effects for monster movies.)

There have been some new shows added since I went. There may also be parades, if you're into that sort of thing. Last time I went, there was a nighttime show (sort of like Universal's version of World of Color) which was paused but I think has started up again.

I know you said you're not into Harry Potter, but Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream is totally amazing and worth getting even if you are not a Harry Potter fan and have absolutely no interest in the theming.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

The Bourne Stuntacular show is really good too, very cool way of integrating live actors with the sets/effects.

As mentioned, in Dec there are the Grinch show and the Macy's parade, both of which are really well done. Many areas are also decorated, it's gorgeous.

There are several rides that do a little sprinkle of water as an effect, it relates to bugs on Kong & Forbidden Journey.

 

[Miffy]

OP, the PP who asked re Star Tours has brought up an important point. Many of the rides at Universal are motion simulators much like Star Tours, which, btw, is a ride I cannot stand.

My sister and I went to Universal for the first time in December. The first ride we did was Minions and we didn't even sit in the moving seats. We sat on a non-moving bench. Even so, we were both incredibly motion sick afterward--and it really screwed up most of the rest of the day for us.

Side note on Minions: I thought the resolution of the video projection was subpar. I'm sure this contributed to my motion sickness, since I have a problem looking at anything that's even slightly out of focus. If your daughter couldn't take Avatar, which is in relatively sharp focus, I'm not sure what her reaction would be to many many of the Universal rides.

 

[Skippyboo]

OP, the PP who asked re Star Tours has brought up an important point. Many of the rides at Universal are motion simulators much like Star Tours, which, btw, is a ride I cannot stand.

My sister and I went to Universal for the first time in December. The first ride we did was Minions and we didn't even sit in the moving seats. We sat on a non-moving bench. Even so, we were both incredibly motion sick afterward--and it really screwed up most of the rest of the day for us.

Side note on Minions: I thought the resolution of the video projection was subpar. I'm sure this contributed to my motion sickness, since I have a problem looking at anything that's even slightly out of focus. If your daughter couldn't take Avatar, which is in relatively sharp focus, I'm not sure what her reaction would be to many many of the Universal rides.

Minions Mayhem was in 3D but they convert in to 2D in 2019 maybe that’s why video projection is subpar. I normally skip it because the line is normally very long and I don’t really find it that great an attraction. I do like Villain Con.

 

[disneyseniors]

OP: It's difficult to offer help since we dont' know your daughter's limits.
I would avoid Universal, I guess. I think all of the rides have potentially difficult parts for her, but I really don't know? The shows are nice, especially the animal one which is cute and something she might enjoy. The horror makeup show might scare her. They have one part where they show screens of all their horrific made up actors in various films.
The Dr. Seus area would be fine for her, but I'm not sure what age she is. The ride in the sky is nice and calm. I would guess that those areas would be ok for her. The other ones, I would be cautious.
Also, I agree that you should watch ride videos. Good luck.

 

[Kauai4life]

OP, the PP who asked re Star Tours has brought up an important point. Many of the rides at Universal are motion simulators much like Star Tours, which, btw, is a ride I cannot stand.

My sister and I went to Universal for the first time in December. The first ride we did was Minions and we didn't even sit in the moving seats. We sat on a non-moving bench. Even so, we were both incredibly motion sick afterward--and it really screwed up most of the rest of the day for us.

Side note on Minions: I thought the resolution of the video projection was subpar. I'm sure this contributed to my motion sickness, since I have a problem looking at anything that's even slightly out of focus. If your daughter couldn't take Avatar, which is in relatively sharp focus, I'm not sure what her reaction would be to many many of the Universal rides.

Aloha,
She would hate all these stimulator rides, thank you for your advice.

 

[DL1WDW2]

There are many ways to enjoy theme parks especially if you plan to visit during the holidays.
It surprised me to discover Universal for my first visit. I thought the decorations and holiday lights were more enjoyable at Universal.
I think you should visit at least once. The CityWalk and both parks are closely connected so it is easy to walk but also fun to use their water taxi transport for a very relaxing trip day or night .

 

[Miffy]

Aloha,
She would hate all these stimulator rides, thank you for your advice.

Universal, though, does have a lot of what I'd call extreme roller coasters. They don't interest me but perhaps your daughter would enjoy them.

 

[musika]

If she hates simulators and cannot handle extreme rollercoasters I would hesitate on recommending universal for her. Most rollercoasters at universal are true coasters, meaning they are much more intense than Disney. I think there is definitely *some* stuff she would like (primarily Dr. Seuss) but the majority of the rides fall within those two categories. I'd strongly suggest both ride videos and checking out the universal website to rule rides in/out for her. The entertainment wouldn't tip the balance for me - it was fun, but not something I'd build my day around if you know what I mean.