I think that the 8 & 9 yo's might enjoy Universal but there's not a lot there for a 2 yo. The exceptions would be Seuss Island in IOA and Feivel's Playground in USF. If your older children like thrill rides (and are tall enough), they'll love the coasters in IOA. Spiderman (in IOA) and The Mummy (in USF) are awesome, high-tech rides. Disney has nothing that matches them! The shows are very well-done. We loved the Sinbad show at IOA.
You can get a great deal right now at Universal's website for 5-day Bonus Passes. They're offering one free child's pass with every adult pass purchased. The adult passes are $119.50 (before taxes, which are 6.5%), plus a $2 charge for Will-Call pickup. That would bring the cost of up to 5 day's admission for your family to $256.54. Buying the 2-day with a 3rd day free from Ticketmania would cost your family $402!
Here's the link to Universal's offer:
Universal Kids Free Offer
The drawbacks to the passes are the following:
- The passes are good for 5 consecutive days of admission. You can visit the parks, hopping between the two, everyday for 5 days. On the sixth day after the first use, regardless of whether you've visited the parks 5 times or only once, the tickets expire.
- The children's pass first day of use must be by Dec 27, 2005.
- You cannot have the passes sent to you. They must be picked up at the Will-Call window when you visit the parks. It's pretty easy to do and you don't need to stand in the long line for regular tickets. I think that the will-call pickup is being used to discourage people who do not need children's passes from re-selling them at a profit on eBay.
- Like Disney, Universal considers a "child" to be between the ages of 3 & 9. Children ages 10 & older pay the adult price. Children under the age of 3 get in for free.
As far as hotels are concerned, I think that you'll find there are some very nice hotels along the I4 corridor. There are some real dives, as well. So be careful and read reviews before you book! A cheap place may not be worth the little bit of cash that you spend.
You will not need a rental car if your hotel offers free shuttle service to the parks. Staying onsite would be the best option but the hotels are not cheap. However, they often give great discounts with the Entertainment Book. You cannot check those rates on the Loew's Website. You would need to call to check availability. The Royal Pacific is Universal's most affordable hotel. I would rate it at the same level as a Disney moderate.
Finally, will you be disappointed? If you go there expecting Universal to be like Disney, you will be. The parks are marketed to an older target group than Disney. You will not get that warm, fuzzy feeling that Disney promotes so well. You'll see a lot more unsupervised teens at Universal. You may get a little "homesick" for WDW while you're at Universal. I would personally find it very difficult to be so close to WDW and not visit at least once.
) to spend a day at US/IOA. I'm so glad they came up with that plan! As a family, we had not been to US for about 9 years or so. What a surprise to see all of the new changes! We all loved both parks, and we are now trying to plan a return trip to US/IOA. We would like to stay onsite next time, if only for just one night. 
