One of the best babymoon ideas DH and I have come up with is Universal (specifically the HP stuff) but I wouldn’t be able to ride the main HP attractions. I don’t know when else we’d be able to get away to do this trip, because we don’t want to drag our toddler around Diagon Alley. He wouldn’t have any fun.
What do you think? Would it be worth going to Universal just for the food and experience of HP world?
Additionally, are there any other rides you’d recommend? I’m not very familiar with Universal and I know their rides aren’t really designed for ‘any and all ages’.
I think yes for WWoHP and you could walk through the queues for FJ and Gringotts, which are experiences in themselves but not actually ride. I do not have a particularly good impression of the food but the theming of the restaurants is good. Will you buy an interactive wand?
Elsewhere there are plenty of shows and Citywalk to explore.
Congratulations.
The 2 main rides are amazing, but like the above people said, walking through the queues would be very fun. Hogwarts is AMAZING, and Hogsmeade is pretty neat and the first room of Gringotts is super cool and immersive…
But Diagon Alley is the star. It’s incredible. If I had to go to WWoHP and was unable to ride the rides, but I could still go through DA, Knockturn, etc, I would in a heart beat. When I saw the attention to detail, like the Malfoy mask in Knockturn and the names of the products on shelves in stores, and most of all when I leaned in and listened to the Vanishing Cabinet, I literally teared up. It was so amazing and immersive. I cannot wait to return! Go! Congrats!
If you are a big HP fan, you should absolutely go even if you can’t go on the rides. The themeing is incredible in both areas and you can spend hours watching shows, shopping, casting spells, eating and just taking it all in. One trip, my sister and I literally spent 6 hours in Diagon Alley. Probably one hour of that was spent waiting for and riding Gringotts a couple times, but the rest was spent just getting lost in everything. You will have an amazing time! Congratulations!
Congrats! I love Universal, but in my opinion it’s not a great option for a pregnant woman and a toddler. So many of the rides have restrictions.
I hate to discourage you from something you seem excited about … just sharing my perspective. When my wife was pregnant, there was very little for her to do at Universal (whereas in WDW, there were a lot more options). Also, compare your toddler’s height to the height restrictions on the Universal website and you will see which rides would work for your toddler. Even 2 of the Dr. Seuss rides have a 36" minimum height restriction. We are waiting to go back to Universal until our youngest is over 36" and our older is over 40".
Thanks everyone for your input. We could definitely fill the time with exploring and looking at ALL the details. And eating every version of Butterbeer they have. But it would also make me want to go back ASAP to do the Gringotts and Hogwarts rides, so I’m torn. And after checking their disability guide, I could ride 4 things between the two parks, 2 of which are basically the Dumbo ride at WDW and 1 is the carousel.
We’re taking both kids to Disney in 2020 when our baby is 1, so it would be 2021 at the earliest when we’d be able to sneak away to Universal for a parents’ only trip.
