Universal for a 3 year old?? First time at park....

[suevee]

We have never been to Universal. The Mouse has had our allegiance and our money for years.....However, now we are eligible for the military tickets at Universal as well as WDW. So we thought we would try to combine the two.
One night at Mickeys Halloween party would cost $200 with tax for the four of us. Four seven day 2-park passes will cost $267 total. (My husband will get in free.) So I think checking out Universal is a no brainer.

We consist of two sedentary grandparents and two active grandsons ages 3 and 8. To help with our decision we would appreciate any answers to the following questions-

1. How big are the Universal parks? Do they compare in size to MK or Epcot??

2. We are not thrill riders. Splash Mountain is our speed. So will there be enough to do with our guys?

3. Which park is better suited for small children IOA or Universal??? We will have 2 days to spend at Universal.

4. How crowded does Universal get compared to WDW? We are planning to go mid-October.

5. How do I even begin a touring plan for Universal?

6. How good is the food? Is one restaurant better than another? And how expensive are they?

7. How difficult is the parking? How much does it cost? Do they run trams like WDW?

8. When does Harry Potter land open?

9. What are Express Passes? And how much do they cost? Could we just get two for our grandchildren?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Darcy03231]

We have never been to Universal. The Mouse has had our allegiance and our money for years.....However, now we are eligible for the military tickets at Universal as well as WDW. So we thought we would try to combine the two.
One night at Mickeys Halloween party would cost $200 with tax for the four of us. Four seven day 2-park passes will cost $267 total. (My husband will get in free.) So I think checking out Universal is a no brainer.

We consist of two sedentary grandparents and two active grandsons ages 3 and 8. To help with our decision we would appreciate any answers to the following questions-

1. How big are the Universal parks? Do they compare in size to MK or Epcot??

2. We are not thrill riders. Splash Mountain is our speed. So will there be enough to do with our guys?

3. Which park is better suited for small children IOA or Universal??? We will have 2 days to spend at Universal.

4. How crowded does Universal get compared to WDW? We are planning to go mid-October.

5. How do I even begin a touring plan for Universal?

6. How good is the food? Is one restaurant better than another? And how expensive are they?

7. How difficult is the parking? How much does it cost? Do they run trams like WDW?

8. When does Harry Potter land open?

9. What are Express Passes? And how much do they cost? Could we just get two for our grandchildren?

Thanks for any help.

1. I think both parks are smaller than Epcot and MK. Each one can be navigated in a day.

2. Yes. I'm not a thrill ride person and will ride everything in US. In IOA I only skip the Hulk, Dueling Dragons, Dr. Doom and Storm Accelorator (think teacups).

3. There are things to do in both parks for small children. In IOA there is Suess' Landing and the Sinbad show (my niece loved this show - she was 3.5 at the time) and Pretedon Flyers. In US there is Barney, Fievels Playground, ET, Animal Actors, Jimmy Neutron, and Shrek.

4. Crowds in mid-October shouldn't be bad at all.

5. I would start by going on line and looking at the park maps and individual attractions. One of the things I love about US/IOA is you don't need to plan every minute of every day.

6. Food is very good and I think is comparable in price to WDW.

7. Parking is easy. Just park in the garage. Last time I was there it was $15/day. There are no trams as it is within walking distance.

8. Sometime in 2010

9. The Express Pass allows you to bypass the stand-by line once for each ride. Kind of like a Fast Pass. In mid-October you may not even need them. If you stay on-site at one of the Loews Hotels (Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel, or Portofino Bay) your room key allows you unlimited Express Pass access. Its really the best way to go in my opinion. I just got back from a stay at the Hard Rock last week and we literally walked on everything. No waiting in lines at all. This left us plenty of time to relax, enjoy the pool and our resort.

 

[suevee]

Thank you for all your help!

 

[Metro West]

1. I think both parks are smaller than Epcot and MK. Each one can be navigated in a day.

2. Yes. I'm not a thrill ride person and will ride everything in US. In IOA I only skip the Hulk, Dueling Dragons, Dr. Doom and Storm Accelorator (think teacups).

3. There are things to do in both parks for small children. In IOA there is Suess' Landing and the Sinbad show (my niece loved this show - she was 3.5 at the time) and Pretedon Flyers. In US there is Barney, Fievels Playground, ET, Animal Actors, Jimmy Neutron, and Shrek.

4. Crowds in mid-October shouldn't be bad at all.

5. I would start by going on line and looking at the park maps and individual attractions. One of the things I love about US/IOA is you don't need to plan every minute of every day.

6. Food is very good and I think is comparable in price to WDW.

7. Parking is easy. Just park in the garage. Last time I was there it was $15/day. There are no trams as it is within walking distance.

8. Sometime in 2010

9. The Express Pass allows you to bypass the stand-by line once for each ride. Kind of like a Fast Pass. In mid-October you may not even need them. If you stay on-site at one of the Loews Hotels (Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel, or Portofino Bay) your room key allows you unlimited Express Pass access. Its really the best way to go in my opinion. I just got back from a stay at the Hard Rock last week and we literally walked on everything. No waiting in lines at all. This left us plenty of time to relax, enjoy the pool and our resort.

I think you covered everything.