A few months ago we took a family vacation to Universal Orlando. It was an amazing vacation and one that I intend to repeat. I want to share with you why we decided on Universal Orlando as a great vacation for our family even though our kids are under 10.
At first, when we were deciding on a vacation choice, we are a little apprehensive about taking our girls to Universal. We knew they had a lot of big rides. My misconception was that is is only for teens and adults. Universal has a fun history of scary and horror movies back from the 50’s and 60’s and I think that was also in my mind when I was considering vacation destinations. Would my little girls even enjoy this vacation? Would there be things for them to do? Or would it just be a waste of time and of money.
{The sign you walk in under as you enter Universal’s Island of Adventure}
After a lot of research and talking to a lot of friends I decided to give it a chance. There were quite a few articles that I had read that said it would be great, so we decided to take a chance and I’m SO glad that we did.
If you have little people and are looking into a wonderful vacation for your family, make sure you check out Universal Orlando. This is why:
Seuss Landing
Oh my goodness! I can’t say enough wonderful things about Seuss Landing. I feel bad that my pictures are square. Everything in Seuss landing is winding and round and curvy. Not a single straight line to be found. It’s a magical place full of wonder and fun! My girls loved it and we came back every day we were there to ride the rides over and over.
Of course they loved them all! The Cat in the Hat. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (watch out – my girls thought it was SO much fun to spray me and get me wet). The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Tain Ride. Caro-Seuss-el. And, Oh! The Stories You’ll Hear! (this is a fun live storytelling time) So much fun!!
Just a heads up. After you ride The Cat in the Hat. Be sure to follow the little path just behind Circus McGurkus. There is Horton’s Egg. This is so cool! It’s one of the best photo ops in the park and no one was there!
Jurassic Park
I didn’t get as many pictures at Jurassic Park as I would have liked. We were just having too much fun. My girls LOVED it! They spent a ton of time in the Jurassic Park Discovery Center. There favorite part was watching the baby dinosaurs hatch. My oldest got to name one of the dinosaurs the second time we were there. She named him “Pinkie.” We were given a certificate and we were told that the next time we visit, we can ask about “Pinkie” and they will be able to pull up his info and tell us all about how he’s been doing. How fun is that?
We also loved the rides in Jurassic Park. My girls went on Jurassic Park River Adventure and only had to close their eyes once (maybe twice). Watch out! You WILL get wet!
They also have a ride that is JUST for kids. In fact, unless you have a little kid with you, you can’t ride it! Seriously! And it was one of our favorite rides of the park. Make sure to check out the Pteranodon Flyers when you are there.
Minions
Of course I have to mention the Minions. My girls are slightly OBSESSED with Minions! So every time they saw one we had to run up and say hi. We also rode Despicable Me Minion Mayhem a TON!
Harry Potter World
Why in the world did I think my kids would be too young for Universal? Seriously! You just need to say one phrase to know that they loved it “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.” Hello!! Just look at their faces in the picture above. This is us riding to Hogsmeade on our first night at Universal. They were LOSING THEIR MINDS!! In fact, the oldest was really upset that she wasn’t totally ready to go and wasn’t dressed correctly (yes, next time we go, we will dress up).
I am going to try SO HARD not to fill up this entire post with pictures from Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. But it is going to be tough. It really is a magical place. The above picture is my girls enjoying Frozen Butter Beer at Three Broomsticks (we were there after everyone had left so we had the place to ourselves – so cool). You HAVE to have it. It’s almost like a requirement. And it’s SO Yummo!
My girls were to small to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey so they gave them passes to bring back when they are older. How awesome! I didn’t ride it. I get sick. But my hubby loved it!
****Note: Even if you aren’t going to ride “Forbidden Journey” you can tour the castle! Be sure to do that!! It’s AMAZING!!
One ride that we all LOVED was Flight of the Hippogriff. My little one will tell you that it’s her favorite. We had Express Passes (because we stayed on site – I HIGHLY recommend it) so we were able to go over, and over, and over , and over without waiting. SO Fun!
Even though it was hot, it truly looks magical all covered in snow. Make sure to stop in at Ollivanders and get your wand.
A video posted by Becky (@utahsweetsavings) on
After Hogsmeade it’s time to hop back on Hogwars Express and head on over to Diagon Alley!
Diagon Alley
It’s hard to try and pick a favorite between Hogsmead and Diagon Alley. But I almost have to go with Diagon Alley. It’s just SO AMAZING!! Too amazing for words. So… more pictures are coming your way…
A video posted by Becky (@utahsweetsavings) on
Everything is so life-like. I felt like we were in another time and place for sure.
We HAD to stop in at the Leaky Cauldron for a snack. So fun and So delish!
Honestly, there just wasn’t time to do it all.
We loved all loved Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. I couldn’t believe even my oldest went on the ride. She did amazing and really had fun!
Other Fun Rides
There were SO many other fun rides that we loved. My girls really enjoyed Men In Black Alien Attack. Get a VIP Experience and they will let you go down on the floor. That is what we had and it was so AMAZING and SO worth it! We were able to walk onto every ride the day we had the VIP pass. We saw both parks in one day! WOW!
We also enjoyed Spider-Man (and got to go in the back behind the ride and see how everything works) and the girls really enjoyed Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls (you get wet).
We skipped most of the super high adventure rides or scary rides. And trust me, there was PLENTY to do!
CityWalk
While you are there, be sure to spend some time at CityWalk. We had a blast just looking at things, shopping, eating, and taking pictures.
Of course there is a TON more to do back at your hotel or out of the park. Florida is so much fun!
Family Time
The main reason we went on this vacation is to spend time together as a family and Universal Orlando was the perfect place for our family to do that. We enjoyed shows, playing in the park and at the hotel, and just being together.
Even when it was a little rainy (which was half of one day) we had a blast. We had some good ponchos and just enjoyed our time in the rain. We can’t wait to go back to Universal Orlando and HIGHLY recommend it for anyone with smaller children. They will LOVE IT! Even in the rain!
