Is Universal Studios ok as a stand alone vacation?
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Anonymous
| Thinking 3 days at the park/4 nights at an on-site resort ? Not really interested in WDW right now. Did it when they were younger, maybe return in a few years. This would be with tweens. More interested in theme rides vs thrill rides. |
Anonymous
| I think it would be fun esp if you stay at one of the resorts that gives you an express pass. |
Anonymous
| YES - there is plenty to do especially for Tweens. Also, you stay at one resort, you can use the amenities at the other resort. So if you stay at Hard Rock (for example), you can still use the lazy river at Cabana Bay. Definitely get Express Pass or stay at a resort that includes it. |
Anonymous
| Totally worth it. I can’t wait to take DD when she’s older. She’s too young for many of the best rides right now. |
Anonymous
What’s a good age to go? |
Anonymous
Check the height cutoffs. We went when our youngest was 8 or 9 and he was still a little too short for the big roller coasters. |
Anonymous
Yeah, I’m probably waiting until 12. She still gets scared on some rides. She’d crap her pants on The Forbidden Journey. |
Anonymous
| We did three nights at the Hard Rock last February and went to Universal 3 days with a park to park pass. It was just the right amount of time. The parks closed early because it was off season so we would eat and go to the (chilly) pool after closing. Kids were 12 and 16. They would ride coasters over and over due to no lines. The only lines were the Harry Potter rides and several of those had Express lines which you get included with your Hard Rock stay. We also rode Hagrids three times but you have to be strategic to not wait too long...assuming the newest ride will be similar. We stayed on the Rock Royalty floor for the free breakfast and that held us over til mid afternoon when we would eat heavy snacks or ice cream, etc. |
Anonymous
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I think overall the rides at universal are pretty pathetic. 90% of all the rides are just movie screens with pneumatic seats.
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Anonymous
| I have two boys that are 8 and 10 and I took them to universal studios/disney right before the pandemic. They had been to disney twice before but never universal. They love action and violence and excitement, so I figured they would like universal way better. Turns out they really disliked it. They claimed all the rides were boring and looked old. They said Transformers, Spiderman and Minions were like watching boring movies, and that the Harry Potter ride (the one where you fly around) had bad special effects. They basically didn't even know what Simpsons was because it was last popular 20 years ago. Well that's like half the rides in the park so... anyway they couldn't wait to go to disney the next day |
Anonymous
| Yes, that is fine. We have done a weekend trip to just Univeral. My kids are younger and we couldn’t do the big thrill rides and we still had a great time. |
Anonymous
| I think you’ll have a great time at Universal. My tweens loved it and can’t wait to go back. They liked it better than Disney at that age. |
Anonymous
Yup, we did Universal in a day with my tweens. My kids love roller coasters, Universal is almost all "stimulations" was a huge let down. They did enjoy Harry Potter land, both loved the books. I would add another fun activity to your trip. |
Anonymous
| Definitely! Leave time for Volcano Bay as well! |
Anonymous
| If they love Harry Potter, then yes! And get a hotel with a good pool. Done. |