Is It Worth It??

[toystoryduo]

My DH and I are trying to decide whether or not to include a trip to US/IOA during our 2 week trip to WDW. Here's the thing: We have two DDs ages 2 and 1. My DD (age 2) absolutely loves Shrek! Since there is the new Shrek ride at US, we thought that we would take her.

However, after doing some research (as much as a mom can do with two children under 3 ), it seems that there won't be a whole lot for us to do as a family there. My DH loves US and would have a great time, but that means that I will have the kids all day while he goes on the rides. I really don't mind, especially since he has been working extra hours to make the trip possible, but will I find enough things to do to keep my kids preoccupied? What rides can we go on together as a family? (My kids aren't scared easily.)

I really appreciate any advice or tips that you can give me! Thanks!

 

[kellymonaghan]

There are TONS of stuff for you to do with the kids.

Each park has a whole section (a mini-park, really) set aside for young kids.

At USF it's KidZone, with Barney and a fabulous water fueled attraction based on the Curious George character. There's also Fievel's Playland, Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster, the great E.T. dark ride and Animal Planet Live, a show.

At IOA, there's Seuss Landing, with themeing that will impress even diehard Disney fans. Your kids will love it. It has fairly tame rides like a Seussed-up carousel and One-Fish, Two-Fish and a very zippy Cat in the Hat dark ride.

Many of the other rides and attractions in both parks are kid friendly, far too many to list.

So to your question, "Is it worth it?" the answer is "Yes. Yes! Yes!!!"

 

[robvia]

Bring a good book to read, go to the kid area of each park together so your DH knows where they are, set up a meeting time, then let him go on the thrill rides. The kids will stay in the playgrounds for hours. You can also use baby swap for some of the rides.

Bring a change of cloths for the kids, because they will get soaked.

They'll probably fall asleep in the stroller in the afternoon. I see it all the time, parents pushing strollers with sleeping kids in them. Plan an early morning, then go back to your hotel room in the afternoon.

 

[BarbaraMB]

It really isn't much fun for very young children. I thought I knew my 7 yr DD and thought she would be up to Universal and Disney. But she wasn't. She really like Seuss Landing and rode Cat in the Hat 7 times. I thought she would like Jimmy Neutron since she loved Nick toons. She screamed bloody murder and decided she wasn't going to do any more attractions for the rest of the trip. That included Disney. She woudn't even take the Nick tour. She was done. No 3D shows, nothing.

 

[Tigger Woods]

Since you're gonna be at WDW for 2 weeks, why don't you let your husband go to Universal by himself. With Fast Pass Plus, he can hit all the major rides in an afternoon. Then he can give you an afternoon with no kids at WDW so you can do what you want.

 

[robvia]

Agree.

Take turns. Split up and visit the parks seperately.

Don't worry about being a single rider. It's actually an advantage. Wait in row 2 of a coaster, and usually there's an empty seat for the front which you can take.

Plus on most rides, you can move up in the line by being a single rider. Look ahead of you, and if you see 3 people about to board the coaster, ask if you can move up, and take the empty seat.

And last but not least, there's the single rider line for rides like Dr Doom, Spiderman, Hulk, and MIB.

 

[SpideyHulk24]

I just got back with my 3 year old who loves Shrek. While he is adventurous he does tend to shy away from some things. We rode spider man with him at IOA and he cried. We thought, oh no, he is not going to like it here. Then he rode Shrek at US and Jimmy Neutron and so on and begged to go back to Spiderman. We did and he loved it. Basically, he was not used to these rides, but after he saw that they were just rides, he loved them all. He is already asking when we are going back and we have only been back 1 day. Also at IOA there are ALOT of height requirements, but you can do ALL of the shows and there are plenty of character meet and greets. At Universal Studios, my 1 year old nephew was able to ride everything. He was afraid of Jaws, but other than that, he was fine. My son loved it all!!!

Go and enjoy, it WILL be worth it.

 

[toystoryduo]

Thank you all for your replies. I think that we are going to go ahead and go to US/IOA. I appreciate your insights and advice. My DD is gonna love Shrek!

 

[Bubbles25]

Originally posted by kellymonaghan
There are TONS of stuff for you to do with the kids.

Each park has a whole section (a mini-park, really) set aside for young kids.

At USF it's KidZone, with Barney and a fabulous water fueled attraction based on the Curious George character. There's also Fievel's Playland, Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster, the great E.T. dark ride and Animal Planet Live, a show.




Her one year old might not be able to go onto E.T. she has to be able to walk on her own and sit in her own seat.

 

[BarbaraMB]

Spideyhulk - Bravo to your 3 year old. My 7 yr DD is afraid of just about everything and freaked out on Jimmy Neutron. I don't think age has anything to do with it when it comes to kids and rides, scarey movies, even Halloween decorations. My DD would run screaming in the house with the ice cream truck would be coming around. She might be the kid that will NEVER want to it all. Your son sounds like he will be riding the coasters as soon as he is tall enough!!!