How is Typhoon Lagoon? Is it good for kids age 5, 7, 9? What about a crowded week when kids are off? Thinking about taking one day at a waterpark if 1) we do better than expected at the parks and have an “extra day” or 2) we’re just tired of fighting crowds at the parks. Usually, we don’t do pools or waterpark at all, but DD9 keeps talking about how much she wants to go in the pool (Probably because our DL hotel had a small waterpark.) Doing a split stay onsite Universal and offsite Disney. I told her we’d go to the pool the three afternoons we’re at Universal, but the offsite Disney hotel I booked has a small boring pool and most hotels are booked.
For your kids ages I would consider Blizzard Beach over Typhoon Lagoon. BB has a great section, Ski Patrol or something like that, for the preteens. My daughters loved it at 6 and 8. The wave pool at BB is also a little less intense.
I would recommend getting there prior to park opening. The best time to hit slides without long lines is in the first hour or so.
We stayed through lunch and then headed out as it was starting to get much more crowded.
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If you are staying on-site at Universal, have you considered Volcano Bay? It’s easier to get to with on-site buses versus doing BB/TL while off-site at WDW.
You’ll get Early Park Entry at VB too, since you are on-site. I love water parks and have done both BB and TL. If you are just determined to only do a Disney water park, then I’d suggest BB over TL - even for kids. However, of all 3 options I’d go to VB every time.
VB is a possibility. On the day I’m thinking of going, it’s more towards the end of our Disney days and would be only about $20 pp to add to our PH tickets. It’s basically a day I would use to go back to AK/EP if we miss a big ride there.
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If that’s the case, IMHO, I’d just add VB and not worry about AK/EP. Those parks are “half-day” parks right now - especially for Liners, like us, that do research and make itineraries,
Rides may be half day, but the parks … no way! But to each their own.
I know that many think VB is far superior to BB and TL. But I’ve heard good things about the Disney waterparks too, and if you already have a waterpark built into your ticket (so no extra cost), I personally would go that route even if VB is “better”.
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We will have a day each already planned at AK and EP.
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I get it! I’m very lucky to live in a city with one of the best zoos in America (Rated #7 annually in USA Today) So… I don’t always appreciate AK the way many ppl do. For habitats and animals my local park is better (and that includes Kilimanjaro Safari!) 
IMHO - EP is coming back, but still has a long way to go! I like WS, but I can’t make a whole day out of it. “Old FutureWorld” still has Soarin’, Spaceship Earth & TT, but a lot of construction walls too. GotG opening will help, but we all know that’s gonna be a madhouse after it opens and the rest of the year! 
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My kids absolutely have to do a waterpark every time we go. Depending on when you go you may not have a choice of which of the disney parks to try as there are times that only one of them are open (like now). Mine have gone to both and loved typhoon lagoon when the were younger but at 11 now they like BB better.
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I agree completely with Paula. We have taken multiple trips with our kids, and they all loved the pre-teen area (The “ski patrol” area) when they were that age. We loved it, too! We are dedicated rope droppers, so would get to the gates about 9:30 (30 minutes before opening), head to all the big slides, then once me and my wife were exhausted from climbing stairs, we would lounge in a deck chair while the pre-teens played in the ski patrol area. There is only one way in and out in that area, so it makes it difficult for a child to accidentally wander out of without us seeing them.
If you can get there around an hour before opening, there is a chance you could be the family of the day (if they still do that). That happened to us completely by accident on our first trip when we left extremely early because our GPS (it was that long ago) didn’t have BB on the map. We were chosen family of the day, got the first rides down Summit Plummet (a 120 foot tall water slide), free towels, locker rental, refillable mugs, and prime seating under a shelter in the center of the park.
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LOL! We make several days of Epcot, especially if a festival is happening.
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