Florida Kid-Cation: Universal Studios

Tips For Survival!! (The Goal? Minimal meltdowns, MAXIMUM FUN!)

Going to Universal at night is AWESOME!!

Hey Parents…I’m talking to you…

The Harry Potter rides are magical. Velocicoaster leaves you speechless. We did 4 days with 4 kids. And even though I was ready to check myself into a hospital by day 4, it was one incredible week that the kids still talk about today! Thinking of taking the fam to Universal Studios?? Here is what we learned…

Tip 1: Bring Lots of Money

No joke here…bring it. This is one expensive wizarding adventure.

Admission tickets are pricey, especially if you do both parks. We purchased 6 regular tickets for 4 days for both parks (if you add on their version of the Fast Pass, it was going to be another almost 2k). Once we got over the initial sticker shock, we poured ourselves a drink, high-fived each other, and went to bed dreaming of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure! (We made a good decision, right??)

Food is Expensive

Like a good parent looking to be cost-efficient on family vacations, I researched articles on how to save money while at the park. There was no real guidance there, just long lists of recommended snacks that were cheap. We recommend that someone wears a small backpack (it’s like being the designated driver… no one really wants this role because you have to store it in a locker on every awesome ride), and bring refillable water bottles and some snacks of your own. You can refill water at the soda drink machines. There’s one right when you enter the park where you split off either to the left for Islands of Adventure or to the right towards Universal Studios. For food, like lunch and dinner, it is what it is. We paid well over $100 for lunch in the Simpsons park area for (drumroll…) chicken tenders and soda. We bit the bullet, got over our initial feelings of food rage, and then decided not to fight it anymore. One of the days, we took the kids to Mythos. It is a fabulous, delicious, fancy shmancy restaurant and one of the top-rated restaurants in the park. Nate and I have eaten there twice now, it does not disappoint.

All The Add-Ons… $$$

When you factor in parking ($30 a day) and those pricey Harry Potter wands (or anything really from the hundreds of gift shops), you are looking at the financial equivalent of a downpayment for a new car that you lovingly spent on memory making. As a parent who enjoys seeing the kids super excited and happy, I know that all they really want is to be with us and it doesn’t matter where. They are the happiest when we go to this campground up north for a long weekend which costs practically nothing. This trip to Universal was really something Nate and I wanted to share with them. He and I went in 2021 and had the most WONDERFUL, amazing, unforgettable time. All we could talk about when we were there was… “we can’t wait to bring the kids here!!” And so we did 😊 Will we go again? Oh Yes. But we need a few years to save up!

Looking to save on parking? Go at night! After 6pm, parking is free. Which just makes going at night even MORE awesome. All the rides are lit up and it is quite a different experience. Velocicoaster after dark??? Yes, Please!!!

Tip 2: Stay Close To the Park

Stay close to the park, like REAL close. Our fabulous rental home was only 12 miles away yet it took us 30 minutes every single time to get to the park (and drive home). Traffic is constant and always a nightmare. There’s just SO many people in one area (Orlando, you are NOT my favorite). You also couldn’t drive a mile without seeing a car accident. You always hear about how LA traffic is terrible, or New York, or Chicago. No one ever talks about Florida traffic. Let me be the first to say it. It…is….horrendous. Stay close to the park, or better yet… stay on property! That is our plan for next time.

Tip 3: “Kid Downtime” Is A Crucial Clock to Follow

Getting your timing right with kids is key. Kids are ticking time bombs. We never did a full day at the park with the kids. And we did that intentionally. The kids have no patience for waiting in line for rides. They also don’t do well in the Florida sun and it was HOT. When they get hungry, you gotta feed them quick. So we planned our days accordingly. We either got there right when they opened and stayed until 1 or 2pm, or we arrived around 5 and stayed until close. The kids had the break they needed, and so did we. If you stay on property, this is a lot easier to do. My sister did this… they were at the park early, stayed until noon, went back to the hotel room to rest and swim, cool off, and then went back to the park at night. “Perfectinschlag!” (Office reference)

Tip 4: My Tip For Waiting In Line

My tip for waiting in line is…refine your ability to accept it and stay calm. There’s no way around waiting (unless you purchase the very expensive fast pass which, side note, does not include Hagrid’s Magical Motorbike). Beware of the single rider line allure! The single rider line does not move any faster. We experimented with this on Hagrid’s Motorbike. It moved so slow we eventually just left and went to have lunch. Sometimes you hit the rides JUST right… we rode Hagrid’s multiple times. Velocicoaster was an hour and 20. The wait never went below an hour. When you watch the app, you can literally see the wait go from 10 minutes to 90 minutes right when the park opens to the public. The only way to get on that right quick is to stay on property with the advantage of getting to the park early before it opens. A nice benefit that Nate and I will take advantage of in the future. We never rode Kong, the line was simply too long every time we had time to try it. Such a bummer, that ride is COOL.

We Will Be Back!!

It was a great week in Florida, and…it was the kids FIRST experience at Universal! Sharing that with them was WORTH IT. We didn’t just do Universal, we also did a family photoshoot on the beach, and did a Gator Boat ride. My favorite Universal memory is riding The Mummy with the kids… they were so scared and then afterwards, couldn’t stop talking about how awesome it was.

We are taking a much needed break from the Florida scene. The kids have been there a ton of times. Last time we went, we did a week at Disney and did the Kennedy Space Center. I like Florida because there is so much to do, but there are so many other great places to explore. And, I want them to see it all.

As you may know, the park is expanding to include some very cool Nintendo themed rides! We were told not to go to Universal for the first year of the new stuff. So, in the meantime, we will explore and adventure elsewhere! For all of us, the new park and rides are a highly anticipated future adventure that we can’t wait to experience 😊 And, you’d better believe we will be staying on property, no exceptions! It’s the best possible experience, and I can’t WAIT!!!!!