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Old 07-30-2011, 06:23 AM   #1
pixiemom
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Question Which park? [at Universal for young kids]

Hi all
I have a similar question that fivebarbiegirls posted about.

We to are also going to Disney in less then a month and I was thinking of either stopping at Sea World or Universal, now I am new to both really, haven't been to SW in over 35 years......and never been to Universal....my question is if we go to Universal which park Universal or IOA would be best for younger kids, their ages range from 9 to 3.......

TIA!
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Old 07-30-2011, 08:50 AM   #2
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Probably IOA. The Seuss stuff is in Islands of Adventure, but the Superheors are in Universal. Spiderman is reportedly an intense ride, though (I didn't ride it, but DD did with her cousin) and may not be an option.

Are they thrill seekers or do they like milder rides? Check the height requirements -- you may want to skip US/IOA until they're older and taller.
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Old 07-30-2011, 01:10 PM   #3
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Unless the kids are coaster fans, I'd avoid IOA. While Suess is there (and Harry Potter), there are only a handful of rides for everyone to go on. Definitely check the height requirements. I haven't been to Sea World in ages either, but that may be a better park for everyone.
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Old 07-30-2011, 01:26 PM   #4
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We opted to defer IoA/US until ds is older. He's 5.5yo and not quite tall enough for many of the attractions, and many of the ones he IS tall enough for, he won't go on yet.

His ride bravery is a work in progress. At 2yo he enjoyed the 3D movies, and boat attractions in MK (except for the dip on Pirates) but hated Dumbo/Aladdin and was uneasy on Peter Pan and Pooh. At 4.5yo he enjoyed all of the above as well as Soarin, but balked once he got to the entrance of Test Track (too loud).

This trip (we leave in a couple of weeks) we are hoping for Test Track and Big Thunder Mountain...maybe Splash. He's still not ready for Space Mountain or Dinosaur...baby steps!

Dd has been a ride girl since birth. At 10yo she's thrilled that ds won't ride the big stuff because we can do the child swap and she gets to ride more often!
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Old 07-30-2011, 01:30 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Minniemouse27 View Post
We opted to defer IoA/US until ds is older. He's 5.5yo and not quite tall enough for many of the attractions, and many of the ones he IS tall enough for, he won't go on yet.

His ride bravery is a work in progress. At 2yo he enjoyed the 3D movies, and boat attractions in MK (except for the dip on Pirates) but hated Dumbo/Aladdin and was uneasy on Peter Pan and Pooh. At 4.5yo he enjoyed all of the above as well as Soarin, but balked once he got to the entrance of Test Track (too loud).

This trip (we leave in a couple of weeks) we are hoping for Test Track and Big Thunder Mountain...maybe Splash. He's still not ready for Space Mountain or Dinosaur...baby steps!

Dd has been a ride girl since birth. At 10yo she's thrilled that ds won't ride the big stuff because we can do the child swap and she gets to ride more often!
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Unless the kids are coaster fans, I'd avoid IOA. While Suess is there (and Harry Potter), there are only a handful of rides for everyone to go on. Definitely check the height requirements. I haven't been to Sea World in ages either, but that may be a better park for everyone.
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Probably IOA. The Seuss stuff is in Islands of Adventure, but the Superheors are in Universal. Spiderman is reportedly an intense ride, though (I didn't ride it, but DD did with her cousin) and may not be an option.

Are they thrill seekers or do they like milder rides? Check the height requirements -- you may want to skip US/IOA until they're older and taller.
thank you all !!!!
I think we might be skipping it since not all of them can ride the rides and only 1 is a thrill seeker!
maybe we'll just stick with Sea World
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Old 07-31-2011, 08:37 PM   #6
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thank you all !!!!
I think we might be skipping it since not all of them can ride the rides and only 1 is a thrill seeker!
maybe we'll just stick with Sea World
We love SeaWorld! That gets my vote.
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Old 07-31-2011, 09:41 PM   #7
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We love SeaWorld! That gets my vote.
thank you!
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Old 07-31-2011, 09:49 PM   #8
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We've only been to Sea World once but we liked it. We have done US & IOA every year since our kids were little, about 5 & 7. At US, they loved the Woody Woodpecker area. They also loved some of the characters like Scooby & Barney. They actually tried some of "big" rides when they were tall enough like Spiderman & Jaws. IOA was better for us when they were smaller. Suess Landing is great. Jurassic Park was a good place just for looking around when they were younger too.
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Old 08-01-2011, 10:43 AM   #9
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We've only been to Sea World once but we liked it. We have done US & IOA every year since our kids were little, about 5 & 7. At US, they loved the Woody Woodpecker area. They also loved some of the characters like Scooby & Barney. They actually tried some of "big" rides when they were tall enough like Spiderman & Jaws. IOA was better for us when they were smaller. Suess Landing is great. Jurassic Park was a good place just for looking around when they were younger too.
thank you for your input!!!
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Old 08-05-2011, 04:21 PM   #10
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I personally think that Sea World is better for younger children and it is quite different than Disney so they get a different experience. They can touch the marine life and learn a lot but in a fun way. Universal and IOA is great too but if you only have one day, I'd say do Sea World, number number one pic, Universal number two and Islands of Adventures number 3. Have a great time.
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Old 08-05-2011, 04:26 PM   #11
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I personally think that Sea World is better for younger children and it is quite different than Disney so they get a different experience. They can touch the marine life and learn a lot but in a fun way. Universal and IOA is great too but if you only have one day, I'd say do Sea World, number number one pic, Universal number two and Islands of Adventures number 3. Have a great time.
good point! much different then disney so they def. will get a different exper.
thank you so much for pointing that out!
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