Universal Studios FLA and Toddler Tips, Please

[coreysmom]

Hi,
We may be planning a trip to Universal Studios in Florida with our 2-year old. Has anyone been there recently with a toddler, and have any advice on what (or not) to pack, to do, best way to plan your days? What would you do differently? I know one thing that is coming with us is our walkie talkie set. Any stroller advice (rent or bring)? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[darebear]

Hi,

I first took my son to Universal when he was 22 months and again when he was 26 months and I will tell you from my experience, there is not much to do there for that age. The only reason we went back is because they have a Barney area and my son LOVES Barney, so we spent $50 on the admission fee to hang out with Barney all day. They are too small to go on most rides. And even the ones they can go on, were a bit scary for a 2 year old. My son has no fears but Jaws scared him. If you do go, I can't see spending more than one day. I never went to Islands of Adventure, we concentrated on Disney instead.

On our first visit, I had my own stroller and on the second we rented. They do not recline and are not padded, my son liked them. The only thing is there is LONG walk from the parking garage to the front gate, for a portion of the way there are moving sidewalks, but at the end of the day when you are so tired you would probably be wishing you had the stroller. I would definately bring a bathing suit, towel and pool shoes for you child. There is an area where they have spraying water and the kids can run in and out of a house and water is dumped on them. The first visit I didn't bring that, and wound up having to buy news clothes and shoes while we were there. Also a tip I picked up from the books which I find to be true is go to Universal earlier in the week, because most people come to Orlando over the weekend and head to Disney first, and Universal at the end of the week.

I would definately recommend Disney over Universal. When are you planning on going?

Allison

[coreysmom]

We are planning on August, and we are considering having our 2-year-old stay home with his grandparents. After reading your very helpful comments, that sounds like the way to go. It sounds like our 10-year old will love it, though! I really appreciate your sharing! Thank you!

[darebear]

I would definately do that if you have the option. August, as I am sure you know will be very crowded and HOT!!! We went in May and September and they were both very hot and had long lines. One day my aunt met us there with her 5, 7 and 12 years olds, and if was hard, because even the 5 year olds didn't want to do the same thing as my son, so there were many unhappy kids(especially in the heat and crowds). But yes your 10 year old will have a blast. When I went in May I brought my 13 year old cousin with us and she had a great time. Have fun!

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Allison

[coreysmom]

Thank you, Allison, for your very helpful advice! I will certainly ask here when I think of more q's!

We had gone to Universal 2 years ago in the spring (mid-May, I think) and stayed onsite at the Hard Rock Hotel (when my 1st son was 8 years old and I was 4 months pregnant), and Universal's "Express" pass for hotel guests was a blessing in disguise. We (very luckily) didn't have to wait in the regular line for rides, and very often my husband and son were able to go for multiple rides on a favored attraction (MIB and Spiderman comes to mind), without waiting in lines. I did feel very sorry for those waiting in lines, though -- waits were upwards of 1 hour, easily, I think. I expect there will be some longer waits in September, even for "Express" passholders. We enjoyed that trip immensely, even though I remember we packed way too lightly (temps were uncharacteristically cold for May around 65 degrees) and we dressed in layers the whole time.

If any of you are pregnant and thinking of going, there are some rides/shows that are fairly tame (I just asked the workers there about the ride, and hubby and son went first and then explained to me the ride -- any scares, sudden moves, etc.), and there were plenty of shows to go to. Of course ask your doctor first what's safe for you to do. My son even managed to be in the audience of "Slime Time Live." Of course there is plenty of walking, too. The hotel was close enough that I could walk back in mid-afternoon for a much needed catnap and meet my family later for more fun and dinner.

Unfortunately, we don't plan on going to Disney. Maybe another time!

If anyone else has any experiences at Universal Studios, please share!

Coreysmom
:)