Help me plan universal vacation with kids

[thor369]

We went to Disney last year and kids had fun. It was our first trip and this time we want to go to universal to something different.

I have hear people say that the park is geared towards older kids and adults. Is this true? We want a short vacation get away for like 3 days or something.

1. Hows the crowds compared to Disney?
2. March vs. April vs. May in terms of weather and crowds?
3. Which onsite hotel? Or save money using points outside the parks? And use Uber?
4. If staying at onsite hotel which hotel?
5. Where to buy lowest priced hotel and park tickets?

thanks

 

[damo]

How old are your kids? Do they like Harry Potter? Do they like Superheroes? Are they familiar with other IPs at Universal?

 

[AJA]

It depends on their ages.
Of course there are things for the little ones at Universal. But with the height requirement on a lot of the rides I would say age 7 (if they are on the tall side) or age 8 and up will have the best time without anyone being too disappointed that they "can't ride".
If you are going in May then go the first two weeks. After that southern schools are out and it gets more crowded.

 

[thor369]

How old are your kids? Do they like Harry Potter? Do they like Superheroes? Are they familiar with other IPs at Universal?

Kids are under 6 years old. Yes they love superheroes and transformers. Not yet familiar with Harry Potter but would get a kick out of seeing the dragon.
They are mostly familiar with a lot of the other characters.

 

[thor369]

It depends on their ages.
Of course there are things for the little ones at Universal. But with the height requirement on a lot of the rides I would say age 7 (if they are on the tall side) or age 8 and up will have the best time without anyone being too disappointed that they "can't ride".
If you are going in May then go the first two weeks. After that southern schools are out and it gets more crowded.

Would it be a better idea to split the trip between Disney and just one day at universal?

 

[AJA]

Would it be a better idea to split the trip between Disney and just one day at universal?

As much as we love Universal (my teen daughter prefers Universal to Disney ten times over) I would suggest just one day at Universal in your situation. Unless of course the adults are massive Harry Potter Fans.... Otherwise one full day is just enough to discover what your family will love. The Dino play ground in IOA is a big hit with Dino loving little ones and don't forget the play area in the Studios, not just the water part, they also have a great little kiddo slide ride that gives you a little (very little) splash at the end. They can run around while you sit and rest.

 

[smiths02]

We spent a week there last week (and about a week last year). We found lots of things to do and didn't even really ride any rides one day. However, I personally am glad we waited until our youngest were 6 and over 42" for our first visit.
As much as we love Universal, with height restrictions and scary factor for some of the rides (one of my kids didn't like Kong, for instance, even though the height restriction is like 36" and it is not a roller coaster), it might not be worth it for a Universal only trip for younger kids. But you can probably find something to do for 2-3 days.
You are talking about splitting time for a very short vacation. Since you sounded budget minded, one day at Universal and 2-3 days at Disney can get very expensive. It is multi-day tickets at the parks that are the deal.

 

[KMc Charlotte]

My twins were 9 on their first visit and could ride almost all BUT the Hulk. If they're OK with not being able to ride some of the rides, then there are still lots of fun things to do. If they are thrill seekers and will be bummed about not being able to ride some things, you might wait to go.

 

[MickyLynn]

My 6 year old niece was able to ride just about everything she was not afraid of. Most of us bought 2 day park to park tickets from Undercover Tourist and upgraded to the season pass for $10 when we got there. We stayed at Royal Pacific for the Express passes, and after 4 days of unending lines at Disney and 2 days of express passes, I think we've converted everyone to UO park fans. Consensus was that Old Key West was the nicer place to stay (we're DVC owners), but UO was the better park.
ETA: DO factor in the cost of the express pass. Even if its a slow day in the park, it only takes one or two rides to save you an hour or more of lines. The park will seem empty until you get to the HP section. Everyone is crammed in there.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We do 2 US days on each Disney trip and my youngest kids enjoy it but they enjoy Disney much more. But there are things for little ones to do, just not as much as Disney. I would recommend staying at an Express pass hotel (Royal pacific is usually the cheapest and it’s beautiful-similar to the Poly) that way you giys are within walking distance to the parks and you’ll get the unlimited express pass which will mAke it much easier with little ones if they don’t have to constantly wait in long lines. Maybe before you go just show them the first Hp movie (that ones not too scary) so they’ll kind of understand WWoHP (which is amazing BTW). UT usually has ticket deals like buy 2 days get 2 free or similar. US is great and you’ll hVe a blast!

 

[damo]

We did 4 days with a 2 year old last year. She had plenty to do. Make sure you factor in all the play areas. There is a fantastic indoor playground when you walk through the Barney gift shop. There is also a huge ball area in the Curious George area. The Jurassic Park playground was a big hit too. You can do these while others are riding the bigger rides. We had no issues keeping her happy. She loved the two small coasters. Also loved ET, Cat in the Hat, High in the Sky Trolley, Storm Force, Kang and Kodos.

Also near the Barney area is a bathroom with stalls that have small toilets for toddlers. It is great!

 

[cfoxga]

Our girls were 9 and 10 on our first trip. They were tall for their age, so they had the ability to ride everything, but were scared of the Hulk and RRR. By our second trip later that year, they overcame their fears and rode everything in the park.

They had also seen most of the movies related to the rides, so that really helped. So if you want the kids to experience everything, 6 might be too soon. But as others have mentioned, there are lots of things for smaller kids, just not quite as much as Disney...

 

[Spunky946]

Personally I’d wait until the kids are older and over 48 inches to be able to ride more. I’d stick with Disney for the next trip.

 

[rg35]

We waited until our triplets were 10 years old before visiting Universal (last year). My wife and I didn't think there'd be a lot there that they would be interested in until they were older. It was the right decision for us, but all kids are into different things at different ages. If your kids are tall enough and enjoy thrill rides, than Universal might be worthwhile.

 

[Laura353741]

1. Hows the crowds compared to Disney? SO much better!! You can also get an Express pass which is basically a fast pass for every single ride. Game changer! You also don't have to plan and re-plan and micro manage plans at Universal. Much easier to play things by ear there!
2. March vs. April vs. May in terms of weather and crowds? I would do early March to avoid spring break crowds.
3. Which onsite hotel? Or save money using points outside the parks? And use Uber? We stayed at Sapphire falls and loved it. The water taxi makes it super easy to get to and from the parks and my son loved it! We Ubered to and from when we had disney park days while staying there. I have also stayed off-site and would think renting a car would be better that route. But of course Uber is SUPER easy no matter where you are.
4. If staying at onsite hotel which hotel?
Can't go wrong with any of them! We loved Sapphire Falls, lots of people love Cabana Bay as well.
5. Where to buy lowest priced hotel and park tickets? I called Universal on the phone and they were able to talk me through lots of options / discounts.

The only thing I would be concerned about, like others said, are the height requirements. My son is NOT a roller coaster guy though but he had a blast riding things like Spiderman, ET, Men In Black, Minions, etc.

 

[nat8199]

Personally I’d wait until the kids are older and over 48 inches to be able to ride more. I’d stick with Disney for the next trip.

This is what we did. We are going to Universal for the first time in 2 weeks. We waited until all the kids will now be over 50 inches. So many of the things they wanted to ride they had to be tall for and the rides without restrictions did not seem as interesting to us as the Disney ones.