Today we are talking all about Universal Studios and some tips that might make your trip a bit smoother.
First, let's talk semantics, Universal Parks is comprised of three different parks. There is Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay (their water park). All three parks offer different rides, attractions, and characters for all different ages so I would suggest visiting all three. When we traveled to Universal, we had a 12-year-old, an 11-year-old, and a 2.5-year-old for reference. Our 12-year-old loves big scary rides, and our 11-year-old doesn't, and obviously our 2.5-year-old wasn't big enough to ride the big rides, so I feel like we really experienced all aspects of the park to accommodate the entire family.
We stayed at Cabana Bay, which is a Universal property. The advantage of staying on property varies, but we liked the direct transportation to and from the parks via a shuttle and there are often deals where if you stay at their properties your park tickets or Universal Express Pass could be included. This is because staying on property is significantly more expensive, but you are paying for convenience and for us during this trip (with a toddler) it was worth it to not have to worry about taking an Uber to and from the park daily. Cabana Bay was ok, although, we stayed one night at Portofino to get our Express Passes included and that resort was much nicer. Another advantage of Portofino was the water shuttle that took you directly to the park entrance, along with a number of restaurants and entertainment options that would have made our night plans easier to figure out. So, with all of that explained, below are the 7 tips I have for doing Universal Studios with Older and Younger Kids.
1. Plan your day
I know this seems like common sense, but this is not a vacation where it is best to just wake up and go and wing it. We had little kids and big kids so the best way for us to organize these days is to get up and go. Wake up and try to be there for park opening, this allows you to beat the long lines and the heat of the day. Then, we usually like to go back to the hotel around lunch time, let the older kids swim and have lunch or rest and let the toddler take a nap. Once nap time is over and we have all had lunch in the air conditioning, we get ready to go back to the park for the late afternoon and evening. Universal is a great place for the whole family, but they have a lot of thrill rides and 3D experiences, so the demographic seemed older, meaning these kids sleep in. So, if you are willing to go early you really get to have the experience of the park with less crowds and more opportunities to ride favorite rides multiple times with zero wait times.
2. Plan for grocery delivery
We have been to Walt Disney World multiple times and have done this every time! A few days before your trip sit down and plan out easy grab and go breakfast options, a few lunch options, snacks, and drinks to have in your room. Then, use Walmart or Amazon delivery to order those groceries and have them delivered to the bell hop upon your arrival. This is a great way to be more prepared, worry less, and save money. What I usually do is order a pack of water, some uncrustables, chips, muffins, and some fruit and yogurt for breakfast. You won't need a ton, because you don't want it to go to waste, but small kids will inevitably get hungry at the most inconvenient time, and this allows you to be prepared and get out the door quicker in the mornings. In addition to the convenience of having food on hand it also saves money, these parks are EXPENSIVE, and if you can at least have one or two meals in the room and only purchase some treats and dinner at the park it is a big help.
3. Visit Seuss Landing for little kids
When my older kids were riding the larger rides there got to be a lot of standing around time for me, and if the wait time was significant, it was hard to entertain the toddler. I wish I would have discovered Seuss Landing earlier, because it really was the best place for a toddler to be entertained and still feel like they were getting to experience the park. The rides are all smaller in this section and often have shorter wait times, so I could ride things multiple times without waiting a long time. There was also just open play areas in this section with slides, water features, and a fun maze that could entertain my toddler without having to wait at all while his older siblings were also having fun. There were even a few rides in this section, like the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride that my older kids found entertaining as well and we could enjoy as a whole family.
4. Take advantage of rider swap
Rider swap is when the whole family waits in the line and then two of the members go on the ride while the other family members wait at the front of the line. When the riders are done, the adult is then allowed to come right back to the front of the line and take the other child on the ride. Our family has an odd number. 5, so this works great for myself or my husband to go on the rides with each child while one parent waits with the toddler. This could also work if you have one parent who doesn't want to do the larger roller coasters, it's me, I'm that parent.
5. Get Express Passes
Express passes are offered as a way to skip the line, you will still have a line, but the Express Line is usually much shorter than the regular line. First, these are an investment, they are definitely expensive but very worth it, in my opinion. They cut wait times in half, at least. Also, there aren't any limits on the number of times you can use your pass in a day, and you don't have to pre-choose the rides you will ride or choose a timeslot (Disney does their passes this way). At times you can get the pass included if you stay at certain hotels within Universal, for example, the best option for us during this trip was to stay at Cabana Bay then book one night at Portofino which is considered a luxury resort and got us our Express Passes included with our stay. We didn't even need to use the second hotel room for the one night, just by booking the room we saved $900 off of what the passes would have cost if we booked separately. There are two rides in the whole park that don't qualify for Express Passes, they are Hagrid's Magic Creature Motorbike Adventure and Pteranodon Flyers.
6. Use a travel agent
Our family has done Disney a number of times and used a Disney planner each time, they always have the top tips and can arrange your trip in a way that is suitable for your whole family. Well, we did the same thing with Universal, and it was perfect! These planners come at no cost to you but know all the ins and outs of the parks (that is how we knew to book a room at a luxury resort) to ensure your whole family has a great time. In addition to knowing how to book your trip they can also give you information about the character meet areas and what part of the park to visit to find your child's favorite characters. This was a big deal for us on this trip because we have a toddler who LOVES characters, these meets were the highlight of his trip. The planners really do take so much stress off the planning process and help to ensure you can have so much fun with your kids while not worrying about all the little details.
7. Download the park app
We used the park app constantly throughout our whole trip. The app provides information like wait times, park maps, available rides and what age levels they are suitable for, and so much more. We planned as best we could but until we got in the park and saw the crowds and understood the layout it was impossible to know the best time to go to certain rides and where everything was located in proximity to where we wanted to be.
Today we talked all about Universal Studios Orlando and some of my favorite tips on how to optimize your experience. No matter what tips you gather before your trip try to remember a few things, these days are long, especially for small children. So, take it slow, don't try to fit everything in your first trip and go with the flow. There will be melt downs, sometimes even by your older children, and frustration will come and go, but there will be some really fun times had by all and major family bonding will happen!
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