First Family Trip to Universal-

Hey Everyone! My family and I will be planning a trip to Universal later in the year, last of June. We are a group of 7–mom, dad, grandparents and 3 kids (ages 2, 5, and 9). We are contemplating 1-2 days at the parks, because there are other attractions we want to visit. This will be our first time at Universal, so we’re not sure what to expect. We would appreciate any advice that would ensure everyone has a great time and makes our visit easier.

You’re going to have an awesome time! Here are a couple of initial things to consider:

  1. End of June is going to be the busy season, so it would be worth considering Express Passes. Not sure if you’re planning on staying on property, but I’d look into either Royal Pacific, Portofino Bay, or Hard Rock Hotel because you’ll get EP included. The rooms will be more expensive, but it’s often much less than staying elsewhere and buying the passes. Especially with little ones, being able to cut your wait time drastically is priceless.

  2. You will find that there will be quite a few thrill rides that the kids will probably not be able/want to do. That said, the little ones will find plenty to enjoy in Seuss Landing in IOA and in Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone in USF (if it isn’t demolished by June!). Take a look through the UOR site and see what you think the kids will want to do.

  3. You’ll definitely want to do a touring plan for that time of year. There are lots on the TP site if you’re a subscriber, but also some free ones on OrlandoInformer.com that are also good.

  4. Plan on getting to the parks early… at opening if at all possible! It may be a struggle with little ones, but you’ll do far less waiting if you can get going early. Go in the morning, hit the attractions you most want to do, and then head back to the hotel for naps/rest time.

Feel free to post any questions you have now or along the way. There are lots of people (myself included) here who would love to help!

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@bgmutza has given some great advice and I concur with it all. It is most definitely worth looking into getting EP, as it will make your time much more relaxing and enjoyable. Reviewing descriptions of all the rides and attractions will certainly help you narrow down what things are “not to be missed” for your family.

The last time I took my family to Universal with me, my boys were almost 4, almost 7 and 10, so if you have any child-specific questions, I would be more than happy to help you out. We were there June 29-July 1, so I can also relate to the time of year, though this was in 2015. I have since been back twice with my sister in October.

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