Which Universal for kids ages 7 and 8?

[gobraves39560]

We are Disney fans, but have been waiting for the kiddos to get older to bring them to Universal. We have 2 tickets already, but have need to decide which park would be better for them. They will not ride rollercoasters.. nor will I.. haha, but we do want to see Harry Potter. Is it worth it to go to Islands of Adventures, or should we stick with the other one. Please help!!!

 

[donaldduck352]

Non thrill rides,but great shows?The Studios is the place to go then.

IOA has got Spidy,Discovery Center at Jurrassic park and such.But The Studios seems more fitting for there ages and ride likes!

Don't miss the Horror Make-Up Show,sit in the front row w/the kids!!!!!!!!

 

[gobraves39560]

Non thrill rides,but great shows?The Studios is the place to go then.

IOA has got Spidy,Discovery Center at Jurrassic park and such.But The Studios seems more fitting for there ages and ride likes!

Don't miss the Horror Make-Up Show,sit in the front row w/the kids!!!!!!!!

Thanks sooo much!!!!! We will do that one!!

 

[christophfam]

We are Disney fans, but have been waiting for the kiddos to get older to bring them to Universal. We have 2 tickets already, but have need to decide which park would be better for them. They will not ride rollercoasters.. nor will I.. haha, but we do want to see Harry Potter. Is it worth it to go to Islands of Adventures, or should we stick with the other one. Please help!!!

Harry Potter is in IOA so if you want to go to WWOHP then IOA it is. Both parks have plenty to do for kids your age. I'd go to both.

 

[tinkerbellandeyor]

Studios it is more kid friendly IMO

 

[damo]

I would get a park hopper and do the kid friendly rides in both.

 

[christophfam]

Don't miss the Horror Make-Up Show,sit in the front row w/the kids!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure I agree with this one for a 7 and 8 year old! I guess it depends on your kids and what they are used to, but it does get a PG-13 rating from the park.

 

[GingerJay]

I would definitely get the park hopper and do both. They are really close together and it's easy to bounce between the two, even if you are doing them in just one day. If I had to choose, I would say IOA- that gives you Seuss Landing, Superhero Island, and the WWOHP; plus I think IOA is prettier than US.

 

[Kay1]

I would get a park hopper and do the kid friendly rides in both.

I agree but I would choose the studios otherwise. Jaws, Men in Black, Disaster, ET, Terminator and that's just a few off the top of my head.

 

[damo]

Here are the attractions I would choose in both parks:

IOA: Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish, Caro-suess-ell, Suess Trolley, Flying HIppogriff, Jurassic Park Discovery Centre, Jurassic Park Playground, Pteranadon Flyers, Popeye, Me Ship the Olive, Spiderman, Storm Force Acceletron, Sinbad Show, Poseidan's Fury.

Universal: Jimmy Neutron, Shrek, Men in Black, Simpsons, Et, Curious George Play Area, Disaster, Animal Actors Show.


For adventurous kids, you can add a few more rides at both parks.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Here are the attractions I would choose in both parks:

IOA: Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish, Caro-suess-ell, Suess Trolley, Flying HIppogriff, Jurassic Park Discovery Centre, Jurassic Park Playground, Pteranadon Flyers, Popeye, Me Ship the Olive, Spiderman, Storm Force Acceletron, Sinbad Show, Poseidan's Fury.

Universal: Jimmy Neutron, Shrek, Men in Black, Simpsons, Et, Curious George Play Area, Disaster, Animal Actors Show.


For adventurous kids, you can add a few more rides at both parks.

I'd agree with this list for the most part. We took our daughters in July (11 and 7). DD7 loved all of Seuss Landing, Flying Hippogriff, Jimmy Neutron, Woody Woodpecker's coaster, and the Curious George play area. She liked Shrek, Storm Force Acceletron, and ET.

She refused to ride Spiderman (rode it at three and it still traumatized ), she liked Jaws and Disaster OK but didn't want to do them again, and we didn't do Simpsons. She did not like MIB nearly as much as Toy Story Mania or Buzz - she thought MIB was a bit scary.

She's a pretty timid rider compared to her sister at 7.

If I could only pick one, I'd pick IOA just for her enjoyment of Seuss Landing and Flying Hippogriff. But I think the hopper is a great idea.

 

[gobraves39560]

Thanks yall!! I am still up in the air, but leaning towards Universal Studios. We will be at Disney for a week, and decided to add this on. We have 2 free tickets to one park... so I can't do the hopper along with the cost of Disney. It does sound fun. One day when the kids are older, we will def. do that. We are checking out of our resort the last day, and will stay at an offsite hotel, as we do every time. I am excited to have the kiddos try it out. Thanks all of you for the WONDERFUL advice. I may look into adding to the tickets if possible for the hopper.

 

[SmallWorld71]

We were just there last month. Here are my 7 year old's recommendations:

Universal Studios:
Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast, The Simpsons ride, Men in Black, Shrek, ET, Woody Woodpecker Coaster
meeting Spongebob, Scooby and Shaggy, Shrek, the Simpsons and Madagascar characters
She went on Revenge of the Mummy but thought it was too loud; she also did not care for Jaws

Islands of Adventure:
Spider-Man, Flight of the Hippogriff, The Cat in the Hat, Dudley Do-rights Rip Saw Falls, Storm Force Excelerator
meeting SuperHeroes and Dr. Seuss characters and trying Frozen Butterbeer and candy from Honeydukes
She tried by didn't like: Jurassic Park River Adventure and The Forbidden Journey

I asked her which she liked better and she couldn't choose. She said she liked them both. There were definitely more rides that she liked at Universal. But, she is a big Harry Potter fan and enjoyed the area a lot and Spider-Man was her favorite ride of all.

 

[gobraves39560]

We were just there last month. Here are my 7 year old's recommendations:

Universal Studios:
Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast, The Simpsons ride, Men in Black, Shrek, ET, Woody Woodpecker Coaster
meeting Spongebob, Scooby and Shaggy, Shrek, the Simpsons and Madagascar characters
She went on Revenge of the Mummy but thought it was too loud; she also did not care for Jaws

Islands of Adventure:
Spider-Man, Flight of the Hippogriff, The Cat in the Hat, Dudley Do-rights Rip Saw Falls, Storm Force Excelerator
meeting SuperHeroes and Dr. Seuss characters and trying Frozen Butterbeer and candy from Honeydukes
She tried by didn't like: Jurassic Park River Adventure and The Forbidden Journey

I asked her which she liked better and she couldn't choose. She said she liked them both. There were definitely more rides that she liked at Universal. But, she is a big Harry Potter fan and enjoyed the area a lot and Spider-Man was her favorite ride of all.

Thank you! I think that Dh may have to take another vacation day, so we can do both!! Or maybe cancel Disney??? Not sure if that would fly well, though... thanks for the info. Sounds like either one would be AWSEOME!!! Yay!!!!!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Thank you! I think that Dh may have to take another vacation day, so we can do both!! Or maybe cancel Disney??? Not sure if that would fly well, though... thanks for the info. Sounds like either one would be AWSEOME!!! Yay!!!!!

You're welcome! I will add that at Disney she loves Space Mountain, Mission Space, Test Track, Splash, Soarin and BTMRR. She also loves the Haunted Mansion. She does not choose to ride Dinosaur. I don't know about Rock 'n' Roller Coaster or TOT as we have not been to DHS in a while. Just to give you an idea of her level of bravery.

 

[gobraves39560]

You're welcome! I will add that at Disney she loves Space Mountain, Mission Space, Test Track, Splash, Soarin and BTMRR. She also loves the Haunted Mansion. She does not choose to ride Dinosaur. I don't know about Rock 'n' Roller Coaster or TOT as we have not been to DHS in a while. Just to give you an idea of her level of bravery.

Yeah... we made the mistake of riding TOT... the kids won't ever ride that again..lol.. but they don't mind Dinosaur. and Soarin is a must. Sounds like you have a brave girl like me. My son is not so brave. haha

 

[Albytaps]

I agree with Damo and those that said to get the hopper option, you will most likely be able to ride everything you want to in one day (but will have to probably skip on some shows.)

If I have to pick one I'd say IOA for HP, Suess, Spiderman, Popeye, Rip Saw Falls, Storm teacups (lol) and the JP area.

The Studios seems to have less in my opinion, however my kids loved ET. They didn't care for much of the rest.