Universal and IOA with a 2 1/2 year old??

[disneydreamer1970]

DH and I have decided to surprise the kids with a trip to Universal and IOA in January for Christmas. Anyway our kids will be 17, 8 and 2 1/2 on the trip. Will there be enough to keep the little one busy? The last thing that I to do is keep him in a stroller for 4 days? Our plan is to stay at RPH for our stay. Please give me any advice for the little one. The last time we were there our 17 year old was 12.

Thank you....Trish

 

[Jonny_Duck]

My first trip to IOA was yesterday and havent got to go with little kids yet so I am not too sure all that can be done there for them. We did the high in the sky Seuss trolley and there was a pretty awesome looking playground there and ofcoarse they have the Merry-Go-Round. Over at Universal was pretty good actually for kids imo. I brought my niece when she was 2-3 and she had fun. With us she did... Shrek, Jaws, Earthquake, Twister, Stationary Jimmy Nuetron, and Terminator. We didnt do many shows but she could of done all those also. The most fun she had though was at the playground they had there. They have this thing that squirts water and she kept running through that and had a lot of fun. I will look for more info on what a little one can do at IOA and if I am missing anything from Universal.

 

[Jonny_Duck]

Not sure how tall your little one is but the Nuthouse roller coaster is a height req of 36" so that is a possiblity. I think the Simpsons was a 40" Height requirement and same with Jimmy Nutron which I think my nephew hit when she went but it varies by kid how tall they get when.

Over at IOA...
Jurassic park is 42" - Water ride that is pretty relaxing except one big drop and a cpl of dinos but nothing that jumps at you so not too scary.

Flying Unicorn - I think was a little coaster is 36".

The P Flyers are 36" - High in the sky type thing might be scary to some kids but looked cool and it rides 2 people so you or DH behind.

Spider man 40" - 3D Dark ride was pretty cool and wouldnt be too bad for a small kid.

High in sky Seuss Train 34" - Easy ride just goes over Seuss land and tells a story like thing would be good for a little kid I think.

One fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish - No height req. Dumbo type ride.

Cat in the hat - No heigh requirement for this either and I rly enjoyed this it does spin a little bit and tells the story of the cat in the hat.

The website also suggest camp Jurassic but I have no idea what is there we didnt look at that.

Hope this helps and have a great time on vacation.
~Jonny

 

[Tinker-tude]

DH and I have decided to surprise the kids with a trip to Universal and IOA in January for Christmas. Anyway our kids will be 17, 8 and 2 1/2 on the trip. Will there be enough to keep the little one busy? The last thing that I to do is keep him in a stroller for 4 days? Our plan is to stay at RPH for our stay. Please give me any advice for the little one. The last time we were there our 17 year old was 12.

Thank you....Trish

There's plenty for your youngest to do, it will just take some planning and organizing. In Universal, there's Curious George playland (lots of water) which is fun for every age, Barney's area, and Fieval's playground. These areas are toward the far end of the park, so it's a good central location to meet up and trade off chaperones. That way ALL the grownups can ride all the rides, all the kids have a good vacation, and everyone is happy. There are also shows your youngest will like, too, so you can have everyone together periodically.

IoA has so much color and fun that the little one won't even have to be playing to have a visually stimulating day. Despite that, they have great things for the little kids there, too. Suess Landing is a must, with another wet playland, a train, the Carosuessel, and lots of bright things. My 2/yo also had a great time seeing things and pushing buttons at the Jurassic Discovery Center. There are also a few playground there, but we didn't have time to stop at them. I've heard they're wonderful and can't wait to see them on our next trip. There's also another playland called Me Ship the Olive. With four days between both parks, you should be in a good position to experience everything. If there are other places I've forgotten, I'm sure someone else will fill you in.

Have you finalized the days you're going? We'll probably be there January 14-20. It'd be fun to meet up!

Tamie

 

[disneydreamer1970]

Thank you everyone for your advice.

Tinker-tude - We are planning our stay for January 16 - 21, and we would love to meet up with you!! Send me a PM anytime. My husband and I are really excited to plan this trip.

Have a great day!!

Trish

 

[MinnieForMe]

We just got back and there was plenty to do with our 2 year old. We spent three full days at Universal/IOA and I wish I had planned a fourth. If you go on a Monday/Tuesday at opening you will have Seuss Landing to yourself. We just continued to walk onto the Caro-Seuss-el (spelling ?), Cat in the Hat and the Trolley. My daughter didn't like One Fish, Two Fish because water sprays at you. We also had the characters to ourselves. She loved Thing One and Two as well as the Cat in the Hat.

Barney is her favorite dinosaur so we saw that show twice at Universal. She wasn't impressed with Jaws but sat through Fear Factor, Horror MakeUp, eetejuice, and animal actors with no problems. We spent over an hour in the splash area behind Barney but I don't know if it will be warm enough for your trip. She did not go on any rides but seemed very happy to meet characters and interact with others.

Have fun!