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This past fall, my family of five (two adults, a teen, a tween, and a toddler) took a trip to Florida to visit Universal Studios. I was sure that my older two would LOVE Universal, especially The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but I was not so sure how the toddler would do. So, is Universal Studios good for toddlers? Here is our experience.
Lodging
We wanted to concentrate on Universal this trip instead of Disney (although I did take Ellie there for one day), and so we decided to stay on Universal property. They have some great hotels with big perks, so we were really happy that we made this decision. I was paying for this trip on my teacher salary, which meant that we went as cheap as we could find. We ended up at Universal’s Endless Summer Resort — Dockside Inn and Suites, one of Universal’s two value hotels on the property. When they say value, they really mean value. We had a two-bedroom suite for under $150 per night. It was so clean and new with the cutest beachy theme. I couldn’t have been happier, and the price was astonishing.
Dockside Inn and Suites has two pools on property. We spent nearly every night by the pool playing ping pong or their huge version of Connect 4. There is a bar by the pool and a food court right inside; you can easily bring your food outside to eat.
In addition, there is an on-site Starbucks and Universal gift store. Staying onsite also gives you early admission to the theme parks and free bus transportation, which was fast and efficient. With all of the perks and the cost, there is really no reason to stay off-site when visiting Universal Orlando.
If you want something a little more upscale, Universal also offers prime value hotels, a preferred hotel, and premier hotels. If you are only staying for a night or two and going to the parks, you might seriously want to consider a premier hotel, which offers a free Universal Express Pass to each guest. Depending on time of year, an Express Pass costs anywhere from $89 to $379 per person per day. A stay at a premier hotel can be as low as $325 per night. If you put four people in that room, you easily could be just paying for those Express Passes and getting a free room.
Here are the hotels offered at each price point:
Value:
Universal’s Endless Summer Resort– Dockside Inn and Suites
Universal’s Endless Summer Resort — Surfside Inn and Suites
Prime Value:
Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort
Preferred:
Premier:
Tickets
Universal Orlando nearly always has a ticket special happening. Right now, you can buy two days and get three days free, and this is a deal that they often run. You can purchase your tickets right off of their website or use Undercover Tourist, which is sometimes cheaper. Make sure that you explore all options to get the best deal. (BTW — Children 2 and under are free.) Between the ticket offers and inexpensive hotel rooms, this is a much more affordable vacation than some others in the area.
Parks
So, the price, the convenience, and the lodging work great for toddlers, but what about the actual parks? First, a bit of background. Universal Orlando consists of three parks: Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, and Volcano Bay (the waterpark). Both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios have The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Hogsmeade is in Islands of Adventure, and Diagon Alley is in Universal Studios. There is a train that goes between the two lands, but you have to have a park to park ticket to ride it.
Islands of Adventure
Islands of Adventure has the biggest area for toddlers in Universal, Seuss Landing. There are four rides in this area, but only two are without height restrictions. There are only two other rides without a height restriction in Islands of Adventure; the train between Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios and Storm Force Accelatron. You must have a park to park pass to ride the train. Storm Force Accelatron is a teacup-like ride, but it is REALLY fast, and I would not count on feeling comfortable putting a toddler on this. All of that is to say that there are really only two rides that anyone can ride in Islands of Adventure without a park to park pass.
While there are only a couple of rides without height restrictions, there are plenty of playgrounds and shows that could mesmerize a toddler. If you are with older kids, there are several activities in each land to entertain toddlers while older kids are on thrill rides.
I have listed all rides for 40″ or shorter and attractions appropriate for toddlers below; all other rides in the park require a height of at least 42″. Everything is listed by land and goes in spatial order. Start by making a right to go into Seuss Landing.
Seuss Landing
Caro-Seuss-el — Any height. Under 48″ requires supervising companion. (Carousel)
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish — Any height. Under 48″ requires supervising companion. (Dumbo-style flat ride)
The Cat in the Hat — Must be 36″. Children under 48″ must be accompanied by a supervising companion. (Dark ride)
The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride — Must be 36″. Children under 48″ must be accompanied by a supervising companion. (Kid monorail)
If I Ran the Zoo — Playground
Oh! The Stories You’ll Hear — Singing, dancing, autographs
Character Interactions — Dr. Seuss Character Zone
The Lost Continent
Mystic Fountain — Talking Fountain
Hogsmeade
Hogwarts Express — Any height. (Train)
Flight of the Hippogriff — Must be 36″. Children under 48″ must be accompanied by a supervising companion. (Kid coaster)
Ollivander’s Experience in Hogsmeade — Interactive wand show
Frog Choir — A cappella group with puppets
Triwizard Spirit Rally — Martial arts and rhythmic gymnastics show
The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle — Projection show on Hogwarts Castle
Jurassic Park
Pteranodon Flyers — Must be between 36″ and 56″. Children under 48″ must be accompanied by a supervising companion. (Hanging glider)
Camp Jurassic — Playground (This is a fantastic playground, but we were surprised that my son was terrified of the dinosaur noises in the area when he was little. So here’s your warning: There are dinosaur noises.)
Jurassic Park Discovery Center — Indoor interactive exhibit
Skull Island: Reign of Kong
Skull Island: Reign of Kong — Must be 36″. Children under 48″ must be accompanied by a supervising companion. (Safari)
Side note: I REALLY suggest that you DO NOT take your toddler on this. The ride (and even the queue) is terrifying even for much older children! If you really think your kid might be able to handle it, I suggest watching a YouTube video of it before going just to make sure.
Toon Lagoon
Me Ship, the Olive — Playground
Character Interactions — Classic Comic Book Characters
Marvel Super Hero Island
Storm Force Accelatron — Any height. Children under 48″ must be accompanied by a supervising companion. (Tea cups on speed)
Side Note: Like tea cups, there is no height restriction on this ride. However, this is not your standard tea cup ride. This thing goes fast!!! I doubt that most people will want to put a toddler on this.
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man — Must be 40″. Children under 48″ must be accompanied by a supervising companion. (4-D Simulator) (Warning: This is action-packed and could be scary for some toddlers.)
Character Interactions — Spider-Man and Marvel Superheroes
Universal Studios
The Universal Studios side has more shows, but it has even fewer accessible rides for kids of any height. The only ride without a height restriction right now is Kang and Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl, a Dumbo-style flat ride in Springfield: Home of the Simpsons. Babies and toddlers can also ride the Hogwarts Express as long as your party has a park to park ticket, and children under 40″ can sit in a stationary seat for the Minion Mayhem motion simulator ride.
Most of the KidZone area of Universal Studios closed in January of 2023, so I’m hoping they revamp it with some newly themed accessible kids’ rides soon!
Hollywood
Drive-In and Dance (1950’s-style dance show)
Hollywood Character Zone — Meet characters such as the Scooby Doo gang, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Boop, Doc Brown, and Beetlejuice
*Note: The Bourne Stuntacular and Universal Orlando’s Horror Make-Up Show are also located here. They will let toddlers in to see these, but I wouldn’t suggest it. Explosions and severed arms could make for some traumatized toddlers!
New York
Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon — Must be 40″. Children under 48″ must be accompanied by a supervising companion. (3-D Simulator)
The Blues Brothers Show (Singing and Dancing)
Marilyn and the Diamond Bellas (Lip Synch)
Sing It! (A Cappella Group)
Vamos! — Bailalo (Latin Dance Show)
Production Central
Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem: Must be 40″ to sit in moving seats. Children under 48″ must be accompanied by a supervising companion. Children under 40″ can sit in a stationary seat. (Motion simulator)
Transformers: The Ride 3-D: Must be 40″. Children under 48″ must be accompanied by a supervising companion. (4-D Simulator) (Warning: This is action-packed and could be scary for some toddlers.)
Character Interactions — Transformers
San Francisco
Fast and Furious: Supercharged: Must be 40″. Children under 48″ must be accompanied by a supervising companion. (Warning: Once again, this is an action-packed ride that could be scary for some toddlers.)(Motion Simulator)
Beat Builders (Drumming with construction objects)
Springfield: Home of the Simpsons
Kang and Kodos’ Twirl and Hurl: Anyone! Children under 48″ must be accompanied by a supervising companion. (Dumbo-style flat ride)
The Simpsons Ride: Must be 40″. Children under 48″ must be accompanied by a supervising companion. (Motion Simulator) (Warning: It’s the Simpsons. Jokes will be inappropriate.)
Character Interactions — Simpsons Characters
Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone
E.T. Adventure: Must be 34″. Children under 48″ must be accompanied by a supervising companion. (Suspended bicycles)
Animal Actors on Location (Animal Show)
Character Interactions — Spongebob Squarepants
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley
Diagon Alley — Harry Potter shops, wand experiences, and snacks
Ollivander’s Experience in Diagon Alley — Interactive wand show
Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees — Singing group
The Tales of Beedle the Bard — Puppet storytelling show (Warning: Some of the puppets are really creepy and might scare toddlers.)
Knight Bus — Bus with talking head
Hogwarts Express — No restrictions! (Train)
Volcano Bay
Tot Tiki Reef — Children should be under 48″ (Toddler slides, fountains, and volcano)
Runamukka Reef — Children should be under 54″, life jacket under 48″ (Kid slides, geysers, water guns, dump buckets)
Puka Uli Lagoon — Life jacket under 48″ (Leisure pool with drums and jets of water)
The Reef — Life jacket under 48″ (Leisure pool with waterfall)
Waturi Beach — Life jacket under 48″ (Wave pool)
Kopiko Wai Winding River — Life jacket under 48″ (Lazy river)
*Children who wear diapers must wear a swim diaper with a bathing suit over it.
Child Swap
Universal Orlando has many rides not included above that are only for people taller than 40″, and some of these shouldn’t be missed for adults. Luckily, Universal does offer child swap. To do this, all members of the party need to go to the ride entrance and go through the line. Once you get close to boarding the ride, a team member will take the child and accompanying adult to a room that usually has television screens for entertainment. When the first adult is finished, the other adult can ride. This is a bonus if you have older kids because they can ride with both adults.
Strollers
You are allowed to bring strollers into all three parks, but only Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure rent strollers on site. Rentals are $15 per day for a single stroller and $25 per day for a double stroller.
Food
You can bring your own food into the park, which can really cut down on snack costs! Baby food/formula, small snacks that do not require heating, food for special dietary needs, and food required for medical purposes are all allowed. You may also bring up to two liters of water. The only coolers allowed in the park are soft-sided insulated bags no more than 8.5″ wide x 6″ high x 6″ deep. You may not bring picnic lunches, glass containers, or open containers.
Baby Care Centers
There are a couple of baby care centers at each park that include nursing areas, chairs, bottle warmers, and a microwave. These can be found at the first aid stations. In addition, every restroom includes a changing station.
How Our Trip Went
We all had an amazing time at Universal Orlando! However, we had to split up to do this. Ellie loved strolling around and taking in the sites, but she wasn’t patient enough to be carried through lines all day while we child-swapped her. My husband isn’t big on rides, so he took her most days.
In Islands of Adventure, her favorite section was obviously Seuss Landing. Everything is super colorful, there were rides that she could actually do, she could play on the playground, and she really loved watching Oh! The Stories You’ll Hear! She pretty much spent her entire day here.
At Universal Studios, she was completely entranced with Animal Actors on Location. She cheered for the animals throughout the entire show. Other than that, she mainly just strolled around Universal catching side shows and exploring Diagon Alley.
Ellie is a water baby, so of the three parks, she actually liked Volcano Bay best. She also stays satisfied at one attraction for long periods of time, so we basically parked her at Tot Tiki Reef for the day. She didn’t want to leave to explore anything else, so my husband and I just took turns taking the other two kids to rides while Ellie played in the fountains and on the baby slides.
Verdict: Is Universal Studios Good for Toddlers?
I’m going to give this a yes and no.
For the yes, there are lots of things that toddlers can do at Universal Orlando, but the theme parks certainly do not cater to toddlers. It is absolutely worth it to take a toddler to Universal if there are older members in the party who want to visit, and you will be able to find things to entertain your toddler all day.
However, would I plan a trip to Universal Orlando just for a toddler alone? No. While there are plenty of things to keep toddlers occupied in Universal Orlando, there are soooo many parks in Orlando that specialize in toddler rides and attractions that these would be a better use of your vacation time and money.
I hope this helps you make your decision of whether or not you want to take your toddler to Universal Orlando!
