Tips for grandparents taking grandkids

[TheSpooph]

My parents have generously offered to take my kiddos for a long weekend trip to do Harry Potter things!

Are there any gotchas we should think about? I’m planning on getting a notarized letter saying they have my permission for medical treatment. Anything else I should be aware of?

thanks!

 

[glocon]

We love doing the spells with the interactive wands... Look online and see if you can’t get a used interactive wand. If you can save your parents some $$ that would probably be helpful. We did this and had no problems. Just make sure it is actually an interactive wand you are buying.
If it breaks (or arrives not working) you can take it to either Ollivanders store and they will fix it for free. The wands are around $50+tax at the parks and you can probably find some on eBay for less than that- we did. Hope this helps!

 

[TheSpooph]

We love doing the spells with the interactive wands... Look online and see if you can’t get a used interactive wand. If you can save your parents some $$ that would probably be helpful. We did this and had no problems. Just make sure it is actually an interactive wand you are buying.
If it breaks (or arrives not working) you can take it to either Ollivanders store and they will fix it for free. The wands are around $50+tax at the parks and you can probably find some on eBay for less than that- we did. Hope this helps!

thank you!

 

[AngiTN]

We fly down with DGD every year, often twice a year.
I've never needed anything

 

[keishashadow]

My parents have generously offered to take my kiddos for a long weekend trip to do Harry Potter things!

Are there any gotchas we should think about? I’m planning on getting a notarized letter saying they have my permission for medical treatment. Anything else I should be aware of?

thanks!

It’s always smart to think ahead & be prepared. Good idea to have notarized permission in hand for prompt emergency medical treatment but I don’t carry one when traveling with my GD in the US. I do bring her passport. Rules are more stringent when traveling out of your country. especially when cruising, you need notarized copies to cover all the bases.

Some divorce decrees forbid children from traveling across state lines/out of US without prior written permission.

Can’t think of any activities in the parks that would require it, but there are those in the area (zip lines, & some tours etc.) that require guardians to sign release forms. Easy enough to check when pre-booking them.

What age bracket for the kids? Have they been alone on trips with the grandparents in the past? If not, might be a good idea to prepare younger ones for what to expect as to how many ‘sleeps’ away from home etc. If they get a bit homesick have found FaceTime can be a lifesaver.

 

[Robo56]

I have been taking my grandchildren to Universal for years. This is what has worked for us.

1. We always stay on sight at one of the Resorts that has Unlimited Express included.

2. My son or daughter in law gives me one of their insurance cards to cover any medical need that might arise. I have used it twice.

3. We always break the day up with park time in morning and then back to Resort for pool time then back to park.

You did not say what the ages of the children are? That will have a impact on planning ideas.

4. As my grandchildren got older I let them go online at Universals website and decide what restaurants they wanted to eat at etc.

A interactive wand for doing the magic spells in Potter Parks is great idea.

Also I would do a little reading on somethings folks have posted like ruthies12 on things not to miss in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. This will help make the most of their short visit and make sure they don’t miss anything special in the Potter Parks.

I think it is awesome your parents have offered to take their grandchildren for a fun time at Universal. They will have a great time.

It has been a wonderful time of making fun memories with my own grandchildren.

 

[TheSpooph]

We fly down with DGD every year, often twice a year.
I've never needed anything

thanks! I hope that’s the case! The planner in me is mentally preparing lists anyway...

It’s always smart to think ahead & be prepared. Good idea to have notarized permission in hand for prompt emergency medical treatment but I don’t carry one when traveling with my GD in the US. I do bring her passport. Rules are more stringent when traveling out of your country. especially when cruising, you need notarized copies to cover all the bases.

Some divorce decrees forbid children from traveling across state lines/out of US without prior written permission.

Can’t think of any activities in the parks that would require it, but there are those in the area (zip lines, & some tours etc.) that require guardians to sign release forms. Easy enough to check when pre-booking them.

What age bracket for the kids? Have they been alone on trips with the grandparents in the past? If not, might be a good idea to prepare younger ones for what to expect as to how many ‘sleeps’ away from home etc. If they get a bit homesick have found FaceTime can be a lifesaver.

this is the first big trip without mom and dad. They have stayed the weekend with grandma/grandpa and did great. Plus, my mom helps out with snow days, sick days and work trips - she is used to taking care of them and getting them to listen.

They are 6 and 9 with the 9 year old super excited about HP and the 6 year old excited about everything big sister likes. We have wands from a previous trip. They are in my packing list about 3 times.... one time we left them at home and I vowed to never do that again.

I have been taking my grandchildren to Universal for years. This is what has worked for us.

1. We always stay on sight at one of the Resorts that has Unlimited Express included.

2. My son or daughter in law gives me one of their insurance cards to cover any medical need that might arise. I have used it twice.

3. We always break the day up with park time in morning and then back to Resort for pool time then back to park.

You did not say what the ages of the children are? That will have a impact on planning ideas.

4. As my grandchildren got older I let them go online at Universals website and decide what restaurants they wanted to eat at etc.

A interactive wand for doing the magic spells in Potter Parks is great idea.

Also I would do a little reading on somethings folks have posted like ruthies12 on things not to miss in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. This will help make the most of their short visit and make sure they don’t miss anything special in the Potter Parks.

I think it is awesome your parents have offered to take their grandchildren for a fun time at Universal. They will have a great time.

It has been a wonderful time of making fun memories with my own grandchildren.

Thank you! I think it will be great (and tiring) for everyone. My mom used to be the super planner but passed the baton to me many years ago. Thanks for the tip about ruthies12. I love reading through those!!

I think the plan is to take it easy and go at the kids pace. Since we’ve been a few times as a big group, everyone knows a little bit of what to expect. Traveling without mom and dad means that the grandparents will need to ride the rollercoasters.... which should make for some awesome stories.