Is Universal Studios "Fun" Too?

[kittymarcy]

We have 3 & 6 year old boys. Just to be different, we want to try universal on our upcoming orlando trip...no magic kingdom at all. Are we making a mistake? Is it fun for the little ones over there? Any advice? We've never, ever been there!

Thanks!

 

[spiceycat]

ioa has a few things for little ones - but not like MK.

this is about everything

http://www.universalorlando.com/florida-vacation-packages/family-fun-with-kids.html

and from here
http://www.wdwinfo.com/universal/parkinfo/kids.htm

 

[donaldduck352]

We have 3 & 6 year old boys. Just to be different, we want to try universal on our upcoming orlando trip...no magic kingdom at all. Are we making a mistake? Is it fun for the little ones over there? Any advice? We've never, ever been there!

Thanks!

There is alot for kids to do in that age group!!
You should ask the pros on the Universal forum for better answers.Here it is:

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=30&f=30

 

[kittymarcy]

Thanks guys - those links are totally helpful. I'm usually over on the budget board, so I'm hobbling around over here

 

[SnowWhite2]

I waited until my kids were about 10 and 12 before we went to Universal and I was sorry I waited so long. Of course there are more things for older kids but the younger ones get tired out more easily. I vote to take your kids this time.

 

[roxannex]

There are more attractions for older kids, but my son had lots of fun there last summer when he was only 2.

 

[yasuern]

If your choice is US or MK for a 3 & 6 y/o I would choose MK hands down.

There is just so much more to see and do at MK for this age group - were I think US is geared more towards ages starting around 8-10 y/o except for maybe the Barney/ET area at US and Seussville area at IOA. IMHO


Sue

 

[matt&natasha]

well I went to orlando for the first time last summer and I have to say that I thought universal studios was the most disapointing park out there but hey everyone's different. It's no magic kingdom but nothing can touch that

 

[Mudd77]

Depends on the child really. Surprisingly, my daughter has always preferred the Universal parks when giving a choice. She has always liked the Nickelodeon characters (Sponge Bob, Dora, Jimmy Neutron, Shrek, etc...) better. She is also a little daredevil (started riding space mountain when she was three). Now 8, she will be riding "The Mummy" for the first time this May. We try to go to Orlando every year and the Universal Parks are always on our "to do" list.

 

[Kaler131]

We are doing the Universal parks (staying onsite there) fo 5 days this year too.
I have been doing a lot of IOA research lately (we have been to Universal Studios Florida before but not IOA yet) and there seems like there is lots for them to do!! We took my dd and oldest ds to USF when they were 3 & 5 and they had a WONDERFUL time!!
The Curious George water play area is AWESOME!!!! But, be prepared for them to get SOAKED. Bring maybe a dry shirt and socks for each of them....

 

[DISNEYNV]

We love Universal and IOA! I have to admit there is more family shows and rides geared towards the younger ones at MK, but theming at Universal is top notch! We took DD on her first FL trip when she was 18 months and DS at 14 months and we stayed at the Royal Pacific hotel and went to both parks. They both loved it and had a blast! We love Suess Landing and the interactive play area Zoo. There are four main rides in SL for young kids and families plus meet and greet times and a Circus Macgircus CS restaurant. Both kids loved strolling through both parks and there was always something fun for them to see or do. Jurrassic park island has an awesome play area with slides, rope crawls, water area and even tunnels and caves to explore. While under construction for Harry Potter the lost Continent land is also fun. They closedvthe Unicorn coaster there though that was for little ones. The restaurant Mythos is excellent. I reccommend the Rissotto of the day they have great menu options for kids as well and an excellent view of all the IOA islands from inside. Toon Lagoon hosts the parks two other water rides. The other is at JP and it is awesome! Universal has plenty for kids as well including favorite character meet and greets and daily parades, Pets Star animal show, ET ride, Barney Live show, an awesome Curious George interactive water area ( bring your swim suits) Woody Wood Pecker kiddie coaster, Fievels interactive play area, Shrek 4D, and Jimmy Neutron ride! There is plenty to see and do while at Universal Studios with smaller kids. They will love it

 

[donaldduck352]

well I went to orlando for the first time last summer and I have to say that I thought universal studios was the most disapointing park out there but hey everyone's different. It's no magic kingdom but nothing can touch that

So sorry to hear that.When we go to Orlando Universal is the highlight of our trip.
Its deff not Disney but I dont go looking for DW there..

 

[shoney]

We brought our boys there when they were about 4 and 6. We also went with my parents. All of us had a ball!! There was something for everyone.
My husband, mom and me all rode Hulk...that was great. All of the adults loved Mummy. We really like the restaurants as well.
My boys loved all of the water features everywhere. We went in August so it was super hot. They played everywhere~ the spent over an hour running in a open fire hydrent in the NYC area. We actually had strangers ask to take their picture because they were having so much fun.
The characters were more current to them at the time. They loved Shrek, all nick characters, spiderman, curious george, cat in the hat. They were over Barney by then, but my 4 year old still liked the show.
US/IOA is also much cheaper than disney...tickets, dining, etc.
We went back to Disney about a year later and we had fun, of course, but we all agreed that our upcoming trip will not include any Disney parks. My boys were the first to suggest it....now 7 and 9.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

We have 3 & 6 year old boys. Just to be different, we want to try universal on our upcoming orlando trip...no magic kingdom at all. Are we making a mistake? Is it fun for the little ones over there? Any advice? We've never, ever been there!

Thanks!

Universal Studios/IOA has lots to do for small ones ...

Universal Studios has Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone with a couple of play areas and a coaster for kids, plus there is a live Barney show. There is also Animal Actors on Stage, and I'm sure your boys would love Shrek and ET. On the IOA side there is Seuss Landing with the Caro-seuss-el (a carousel with Dr. Seuss characters), One Fish, Two Fish ride (much like Dumbo and Aladdin's at MK), Camp Jurassic Park (a prehistoric playground), Popeye’s ship, The Cat In The Hat ride, and the Seuss Trolley Ride.

---> this link will give you more information.

 

[kittymarcy]

I am getting so excited - thanks for all the great eating and ride tips. It sounds like there will be more than enough there to keep everyone happy.

We'll get our disney fix with a character b'fast at one of the hotels one day

We're also going to stay at the Nick hotel (yes, we are brave souls), so that's awesome that universal has those characters too!

 

[donaldduck352]

At set times of the day,the Madagascar characters are there for meet and greet right in front of the Animal Actors stage at US--very popular with the kids!!

Just throwing this out there-the price you pay for the Nick hotel-you can stay at the Royal Pacific and get FOTL and see all the characters that Nick has and do a breakfast meet with Spidy,Thing 1 and 2,etc.plus have the benifits of staying at a world class resort!!!IMHO

 

[isla bonita]

We find loads to do when there.

Our children are spread out in ages and we found things for all.

I love Seuss Landing the colors are beautiful. Great pics to get.

 

[Kellydelly]

My family LOVES US and IOA! I have been taking them there since they were babies . There is plenty for little ones to do! We prefer it over Disney, it's a better value.

 

[M&M's Daddy]

We first took our older 2 DDs to USF when they were 2 and 5, about 7 years ago. Not having great expectations given USFs reputation for catering to older kids, we were pleasantly surprised when our kids had a blast. Perhaps only 1/3 or fewer of the attractions USF and IOA are appropriate for kids at such a young age, but we found there was more than enough for them to fill the day. You could easily spend 1/2 the day at Curious George's alone. Bring swimsuits.

Having said the above, the last time we went to Orlando, 2 years ago. Something really rubbed me the wrong way. The FOTL pass. USF used to have Fast Passes like Disney. Now you have to basically pay for an extra ticket per person to get the FOTL. Disney might cost more up front, but I find the Fast Pass system great. Its fair and completely egalitarian. It really irritates me that if you don't stay on site at USF, you have to shell out a ton of money to get the convenience of not wasting hours in line on popular attractions. I'm irritated to the extent that we will probably not go to USF/IOA on our trip this Easter, even though we have three days available on our USF multiple day pass.