Many people ask me what can kids do at Universal Orlando. I've had that question asked so much that I decided to write this article for
IOACentral: The Adventure Lives Online!. Here it is for your enjoyment.
Silly Rabbit, the Universal Orlando Theme Parks are for Kids!
Many people say that if you have kids, you are better off going to Walt Disney World. They say Universal Orlando has nothing for kids. To this I say, “Bah humbug!” Sure, the big thrill rides like the Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands of Adventure and Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Florida receive a lot of press and attention, but there is plenty to keep your kids occupied at Universal Orlando.
Part 1: What’s for Kids at Universal Studios Florida?
Production Central
Production Central has three attractions that are kid-friendly.
For those kids who have watched many hours of Nickelodeon (presumably 99.9% of the kid population in the United States), they will more than likely be familiar with the popular Jimmy Neutron TV show. With this familiarity, kids are sure to enjoy Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast, a simulator ride that takes guests through an exciting chase through the universe against Ooblar the Yokian, Jimmy’s arch nemesis. Along the way, guests encounter the Rugrats, Spongebob Squarepants, and other Nickelodeon characters. The height requirement for this ride is 40 inches, but if your children do not meet this requirement, they can still experience the show in the non-motion seats at the front of the theater. The line for the non-motion seats tends to be much shorter than the regular line for the motion seats.
At the exit of Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast, kids can have fun in the interactive area. Kids can send an e-mail card to a friend, be a director of a cartoon, or control the cartoon’s sound effects. Kids can also play trivia games based on Nicktoon shows. If kids answer enough questions correctly, their reward is a round on an arcade game. Spongebob Squarepants hangs around in this area for a meet and greet. You don’t have to go on the ride to enjoy the interactive area. You can always enter this area through the Nickstuff Store.
Although wait times tend to be long, Shrek 4-D is another attraction for your kids to enjoy. It’s based on the popular Shrek movies. Shrek 4-D is more of a Shrek 1 ½. Shrek and Fiona are off to their honeymoon, only to be thwarted by the ghost of Lord Farquaad. Not only is the movie 3-D, but also the theater has its own special effects, like moving seats and special water effects. The show has nothing overly frightening for young kids. If you are still unsure, many copies of the Shrek DVD include an additional DVD of Shrek 3-D. This DVD has the entire Shrek 4-D movie, minus the theater effects (of course).
Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone
By its very name, Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone has plenty of activities for kids.
The Animal Planet Live! show is based on the successful cable TV network of the same name. Although it does seem like a long commercial for the cable network, kids delight in seeing dogs, monkeys, birds, and other animals perform tricks and stunts. Intertwined with the stunts are clips from different Animal Planet shows. A few kids are even lucky enough to be chosen to work with the animals! Check your park map for show times.
Younger guests can watch A Day in the Park with Barney, starring their favorite purple dinosaur. Check your park map for showtimes. The show exits into Barney’s Backyard, an interactive play area where kids can make music, splash in water, or draw on the walls. Some activities are off-limits to those over 48 inches and 36 inches. Barney’s Backyard has its own entrance if you don’t wish to see the show. Consult your park map for Barney’s performance times.
Curious George Goes to Town is a wet and dry play area based on the Curious George books. You can squirt people below with water cannons or be the one below who is being squirted. You can go through areas and interact with different wet elements. Watch out because people above may be trying to dump water on you! If you hear a bell ring, you better know which way you are going because a huge bucket of water is flowing towards you! If you are not inclined to get wet, you can take the dry path to the ball room. You collect balls around the room and then, using the huge guns on the second level, shoot them at people. The balls are so soft and lightweight that they do not cause any pain. In fact, most people do not know that they have been hit!
Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster is truly a kiddie coaster. It basically spirals you down to the end. The height requirement is 36 inches.
Fievel’s Playland, based on the movie An American Tail, has many interactive play elements at a “mouse-eye view.” The centerpiece of the playland is the slide. You can take a two-person raft down a water slide.
The Kidzone houses the E.T. Adventure. Based on the hit movie, you venture aboard bikes to find E.T. and bring him back home to the green planet, where only his healing touch can save the dying planet. The ride can be scary for kids during the opening chase sequence, but it is pleasant and wonderful afterwards. E.T. may even call your kids by name!
During various times of the day, characters like Shaggy, Scooby-Doo, and Woody Woodpecker perform a short song and dance number in the Kidzone. Afterwards, they are available for a meet and greet. Check your park map for the schedule.
World Expo
Back to the Future: The Ride can be too rough a ride for kids (as well as adults). The simulator ride can toss you around so much that I’ve seen kids cry when it’s over.
However, if your kids meet the 42 inch height requirement for Men in Black: Alien Attack, they will enjoy shooting aliens in their quest to become Men in Black agents or merely bug bait. Although you may think the aliens are scary, they’re too cartoony-looking to strike terror in kids. They’re more amusing than frightening. The ride vehicles spin several times, but this motion is unlikely to make most people sick. Kids and adults can even compete with one another to see who can score the highest.
San Francisco/Amity
Even though the shark looks rubbery, Jaws has been known to scare young children. With its intense motion and loud noises, the final disaster scene in Earthquake – The Big One can also frighten kids, but they can experience the first two pre-show rooms of the Earthquake attraction. The first room shows a short film of the use of special effects and models in movies. You can see models from the movies E.T., U-571, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. You can also see a portion of the destroyed model that was used in the short film. The second pre-show room demonstrates blue screen through scenes from U-571 and Earthquake. Your kids can even volunteer to be part of the submarine crew or a weather grip. Be forewarned – the weather grip gets a surprise! If you don’t want to experience the final disaster scene, please see a Universal Team Member and he or she will escort you to a waiting area or the exit.
Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Revue is a good show to entertain kids. Beetlejuice, the Wolfman, Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Bride of Frankenstein dance and sing to bootie-shaking tunes (leaning heavily towards disco). Your kids may not have been born when the songs originally hit the charts, but many kids will be dancing in the aisles to a disco beat. If you wait a little bit after the performance, the characters will come out for a meet and greet. Consult your park map for show times.
The Amity Boardwalk has carnival-type games at an additional cost. Your kid can win a stuffed toy that is bigger than him or her!
New York
Twister…Ride It Out is unsuitable for kids. The attraction has loud sound effects, darkness, pyrotechnics, and many simulated weather effects that may seem all too real for kids.
Across the way is the Blues Brothers show. Your kids may not have been born when the Blues Brothers had their heyday on “Saturday Night Live,” but many kids have danced and jumped around to the music. Your kids may even join in on the “conga” line during the show!
Check your park map for show times.
Hollywood
Hollywood is home to Terminator 2: 3-D – Battle Across Time, a spectacular 3-D show, but its best suited for teenagers and adults. Loud gunfire and relentless robot-on-robot violence may scare kids. The Universal Horror Makeup Show is a hilarious show that teaches you about the Hollywood makeup process, but again, it is primarily aimed at teenagers and adults. The show’s loud gunfire, spooky horror scenes, and realistic-looking makeup effects can frighten kids. Lucy: A Tribute is a walk-through exhibit profiling Lucille Ball and her “I Love Lucy” TV show, but unless your kids watch Nick at Nite, they may not be interested in the famous redhead’s history.
Near the Lucy: A Tribute attraction is a character meet and greet. You can meet Shrek, Fiona, Woody Woodpecker, and others in this area. Consult your park map for the meet and greet schedule.
In part 2, we will look at what’s for kids at Islands of Adventure…
Part 2: What’s for Kids at Islands of Adventure?
Seuss Landing
Most kids have grown up with the tales of Dr. Seuss. Naturally, they will be attracted to all things Seussian at Seuss Landing. Seuss Landing is very kid-friendly. Fences, signs, and steps are intentionally set at a lower level for kids.
Children can also enjoy the rides on the island. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish is a Dumbo ride with a twist. You sit in large fish and navigate up and down in a circle like Dumbo at the Magic Kingdom, but you need to listen to the song to avoid getting wet. When the song says go down, you best go down or you will get a shower! When the song says go up, head to the sky. The last part is a free-for-all where you just choose a spot and hope you will not get wet.
The Caro-Seuss-El is a carousel ride populated with various Seussian creatures. The creatures move up and down, just like any other carousel. The Caro-Seuss-El is accommodating to handicapped guests. Handicapped guests roll their wheelchair into a special area on the Caro-Seuss-El and this seating area bobs up and down like the other creatures.
The Cat in the Hat: Ride Inside is a dark ride based on the popular book, but it spins you around. Kids have fun on this whimsical ride. If you are prone to motion sickness, you can ask the ride op to turn off the spinning on your ride vehicle. However, the Cat in the Hat: Ride Inside is a lot more fun when the vehicle spins!
If I Ran the Zoo is a play area based on the book of the same name. Your kids can crawl through holes, squirt water on a small island, play tic-tac-toe with Old Joe, and interact with many characters from the story.
Seuss Landing is full of small, interactive areas. Head to McElligott’s Pool and toss a coin in a fish’s mouth to receive a surprise. Sit on Horton’s Egg outside of the Cats, Hats, and Things gift shop for an interesting photo op. Walk through the Street of the Lifted Lorax and listen to the Once-ler. Take a break by Sneetch Beach and listen to the story of the Zaxs.
Seussian characters like the Grinch, Cat in the Hat, Thing One and Thing Two, and the Green Eggs Guy have a meet and greet by the All the Books You can Read store. Check your park map for meet and greet times.
The Lost Continent
The Lost Continent is home to Dueling Dragons, a roller coaster for brave souls, but perhaps not for your kids. Its 54-inch height requirement usually excludes most kids from riding. The show Poseidon’s Fury tends to scare kids with its dark areas, spooky sounds, loud pyrotechnics, and scary images. Although the island may not appear to be kid-friendly, there are several things for kids to do here.
If your children are disappointed that they cannot ride Dueling Dragons, they can get a roller coaster thrill by riding the Flying Unicorn. There are no big loops or inversions. The coaster banks, turns, and goes up and down a few hills during the one-minute ride. The height requirement for the Flying Unicorn is 36 inches.
Kids can be entertained by the Eighth Voyage of Sinbad show. The show can be loud at times, so be careful if your kids are sensitive to such noises. Otherwise, the plot of the show is pretty easy to follow and once the action starts, the fights, swings, ducks, falls, and explosions continue until the end. If you wait a little while after the show, the performers will hold a meet and greet. The Sinbad characters can also be seen roaming around the Lost Continent before and in between shows. Consult your park map for show times.
Do not miss the Mystic Fountain at the entrance of the Sinbad. The fountain talks back at you, says silly things, and tries to make you wet. Most of the time, it succeeds. Kids are strangely attracted to the Mystic Fountain. Kids seem to have the most fun talking back to the fountain and trying to get it to squirt them.
Sinbad’s Bazaar has many carnival-type games at an extra cost. Your kids may want to knock down bottles to win the huge Scooby-Doo stuffed animal.
Jurassic Park
If your children are not tall enough for the Jurassic Park River Adventure, they can have fun at the Jurassic Park Discovery Center. This attraction is a mini-science center where every exhibit is based on dinosaurs. Children can play You Bet Jurassic to test their dinosaur knowledge, they can X-ray the insides of a dinosaur egg, they can have their DNA sampled to create a new dinosaur, they can search for dinosaur bones in a rock, and they can “Be-A-Saur” by looking through VR glasses in dinosaur models. If a dinosaur happens to hatch in the nursery, your child may be lucky enough to name the newborn.
Camp Jurassic is another play area. Kids can run through caves, squirt water at each other, climb over rope bridges, and go down slides. Be careful because Camp Jurassic winds around a lot and it is easy to lose a child in there. Camp Jurassic is also home to the only roller coaster exclusively for kids, Pterandon Flyers. You and your kids ride in swing-like seats that swing and swoop around Camp Jurassic. Children must be 36 to 56 inches to ride. Anyone over 56 inches tall will need to ride with a child who meets the height requirement.
If your kids still want to get wet but they are too short for the Jurassic Park River Adventure, they can stand in the splash zone by the Thunder Falls Terrace restaurant for a dousing. When a boat comes down, it splashes a huge wave that hits anyone standing in this area. You may even become wetter in the splash zone than on the ride itself!
Toon Lagoon
If your kids do not meet the 44-inch height requirement for Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls or the 48-inch height requirement for Popeye and Bluto’s Bildge-Raft Barges, they can still have fun on Me Ship, the Olive. Me Ship, the Olive is a three-level interactive play area. It is Popeye’s ship modeled after his girlfriend. Kids can climb up and down the stairs, go down the slides, and play on a piano. An elevator is provided for those who cannot climb stairs. The most popular level is the second level. On this level, squirt guns are provided so you can nail the passing boats. Although the boat riders have a wetter experience in other parts of the ride, the squirt guns seem to annoy them the most. The guns bring out the little devils in children. The bridge to Popeye and Bluto’s Bildge-Raft Barges also has water cannons for 25 cents a shot. These same pay water cannons can be found on the bridge near Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls. You can soak riders with a spray of water that lasts for a few seconds.
In front of the Pandemonium Amphitheater is a character meet and greet. You can meet Popeye, Bluto, Olive Oyl, Woody Woodpecker, Beetle Bailey, and others. Check your park map for meet and greet times.
Marvel Super Hero Island
The three major rides on this island – The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Dr. Doom’s Fearfall, and the Incredible Hulk Coaster – have height requirements (40 inches, 52 inches, and 54 inches, respectfully). The only ride that doesn’t have one is Storm Force Accelatron. This is a teacups clone that is themed after the X-Men and Storm. If your kids have motion sickness, they may want to avoid the ride. Otherwise, just sit and spin the control wheel as fast as you can!
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is a combination of a dark ride, simulator, and 3-D movie. It has scary images of super villains attacking, loud noises, and rocking motion that can scare kids. You may want to pass this ride if your kids are scared of such things, but it is a very unique attraction that can be experienced at no other theme park in the United States.
The Marvel Super Hero Parade occurs on Marvel Super Hero Island several times a day. Marvel superhero characters like Rogue, Storm, Wolverine, and Spider-Man ride down the main street of the island on ATVs and have a meet and greet. Spider-Man also hangs out at the Marvel Alterniverse Store for most of the day. Consult your park map for meet and greet times.
If you still are unsure if a certain ride would be good for your kids, consult with the ride attendant or Guest Relations. They will give you plenty of information. Plus, you know your kids the best, so you know what scares them and what doesn’t. Your kid may enjoy Poseidon’s Fury but might run in terror when they see Woody Woodpecker. This column is only a guide and may not apply to all kids.
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Michelle - with my step sisters!
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