universal with 6.5 and 4 year old?

[DualvansMommy]

We have 2 weeks spring break from school next month and already have plans for first week. However, we have a lot of Amex points that would be enough to cover 4/5 nights at either the following places with flights included in 2nd week.

Royal Pacific, Leows Sapphire Falls resort or Wyndham Bonnet Creek.

Initially I was thinking of just staying at WBC and relax by the pool with maybe a trip to the new Volanaco waterpark at universal, but rethinking as figure if we're there....might as well take advantage of universal?? is there enough to do for the 4 year old though??

and which resort would you stay if you only had 4/5 nights? want it to be as simple as possible without having to rent a car, lots of downtime by the pool and I know the boys would love that universal waterpark. Oldest isn't into Harry Potter yet, but I AM! wondering if it might be bit scary for DS2?

[SnuggleBuggles]

If you can afford Royal Pacific, it’s by far your best choice. You get Express Passes for your whole family from check in through check out day. You can then enjoy much shorter lines. You can buy the passes but for 4 people it is significantly cheaper to stay at Royal Pacific, Hard Rock or Portofino and have then included.

Check ride height limits.

You can preview rides on YouTube. Gringotts is a fun ride but the visuals could be scary for a 6.5yo.

You can all ride the Hogwarts Express and Flight of the Hippogriff. Everyone can play with interactive wands ($50).

There are a lot of family friendly shows.

There are super cool play areas!

Anyone who says Universal is only for thrill riders is missing all the cool play areas, Harry Potter exploration etc.

You can make a wonderful family vacation at Universal. The resorts are top notch. No need at all for a car. It’s fabulous how compact and walkable the whole place is.

You can pool hop at Universal! You can easily fill your days enjoying the different resorts and pools. Cabana Bay has a lazy river and spray area.


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[DualvansMommy]

If you can afford Royal Pacific, it’s by far your best choice. You get Express Passes for your whole family from check in through check out day. You can then enjoy much shorter lines. You can buy the passes but for 4 people it is significantly cheaper to stay at Royal Pacific, Hard Rock or Portofino and have then included.

Check ride height limits.

You can preview rides on YouTube. Gringotts is a fun ride but the visuals could be scary for a 6.5yo.

You can all ride the Hogwarts Express and Flight of the Hippogriff. Everyone can play with interactive wands ($50).

There are a lot of family friendly shows.

There are super cool play areas!

Anyone who says Universal is only for thrill riders is missing all the cool play areas, Harry Potter exploration etc.

You can make a wonderful family vacation at Universal. The resorts are top notch. No need at all for a car. It’s fabulous how compact and walkable the whole place is.

You can pool hop at Universal! You can easily fill your days enjoying the different resorts and pools. Cabana Bay has a lazy river and spray area.


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Express passes isn't park tickets? It's like WDW fast passes right?

DS2 just had his physical and tops out at 41.5 as of this month, so looks like from universal website theres plenty of rides for his height which is very promising! for a long time, I always thought universal was really for OLDER kids like 8 and over cuz of many height restrictions.

[KrisM]

Express pass gets you in the faster line, but there are no reservations or limitations. You can do ride after ride with it at any time. Way easier to use than a fastpass.

Orlando Informer has a lot of information and a crowd calendar: https://orlandoinformer.com/universal/crowd-calendar/?month=mar&yr=2018#crowdCalendar

I'd go with Express Passes if you can at all. We are going in June and staying at Portofino Bay. I'm looking forward to the Express pass.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I misread your OP- I wouldn’t let a 4yo Ride Gringotts or the Mummy (If tall enough)- too scary, I think. Seuss Landing is lots of fun though. :) a 6.5yo May be ok on them but preview ahead. My ds2 was 8 and scared on Gringotts- and chickened out in line for the Mummy. ;)


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[WatchingThemGrow]

Our kids really enjoyed sea world at that age. We haven’t done universal yet.


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[klwa]

We did Universal in California last year, so a little different than the Orlando one, but we had DD2 along, and she was 4 at the time, although shorter than your 4 year old.

In HP world, she was able to ride Flight of the Hippogriff and loved it. We did rider swap on the Hogwarts ride, which involved her sitting in a room off to the side with whichever parent wasn't riding & watching the first HP movie.

She loved Shrek & Simpsons and meeting the characters. And she was tall enough for the Transformers ride. Oh, and Despicable Me. She couldn't ride Jurassic Park, so we stayed in the rider swap area there, as well, and played with the toys they had.

Honestly, I was worried about taking her, but we ended up having more to do than I would have thought. And Florida seems to have even more for the smaller guests, with Suess Landing, etc.

[georgiegirl]

My 3.5 year old was terrified of HP world. The fire breathing dragon freaked him out. He did better in Hogsmeade since it’s lighter. He enjoyed the doing magic with the overpriced wands in Hogsmeade and the riding the Hogwarts express. I would say Gringotts will be too scary for most 4 year olds. My middle child did it at 6 and loved it.