Universal Orlando Resort

Universal Orlando Resort is a super fun vacation for families with older kids and teens! The best part for many is Harry Potter World where you can be immersed in the magical land of wizardry. There are also areas for Jurassic Park, Minions, and many other favorite movies from Universal Pictures.

There are some attractions that appeal to younger kids, but not nearly as much as Disney World, so we recommend doing this park once your kids are over 48″ tall so they can experience more attractions.

Things to Do

Universal Studios – the original park that never stops changing, this park has attractions based around many movies like ET, Men in Black, Minions, Secret Life of Pets, The Mummy, Transformers, and more. It also contains the Diagon Alley section of Harry Potter World.
Islands of Adventure – this park blew my mind when I visited it in opening year in 1999 and it has only gotten better! This park has beautiful immersive lands, beautiful landscaping, and fun attractions. Lands include Superheros, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter (Hogwarts and Hogsmead), Dr. Suess, and more!
Volcano Bay Waterpark – I think this might be my favorite water park in the Orlando area! Lots of great water attractions!
Coming Soon – Epic Universe!

Places to Stay

There are on-site hotels that provide free transportation and early access to the parks.
If you stay at a top-tier resort, Express passes (skip the regular line on most attractions) are included. You get these passes for every day you stay INCLUDING the day your arrive and the day you leave. You can save cost (especially if you’re a family with multiple kids) by staying an a cheaper hotel part of the time and staying 1 night at a top-tier resort to get Express passes included for everyone for 2 days.
You can also stay at one of the MANY hotels or rentals near the area.
PRO TIP: Do a split stay! Stay off property somewhere cheap, and splurge on a Premium on-site hotel for 1 night. That will get you and your entire family Universal Express Unlimited passes for 2 days (check in and check out day). That’s an amazing deal!!

Budget Considerations

This is not a cheap destination. If you thought it was cheaper then Disney parks, it’s not – unless there’s a good promotion going on. BUT you can save by looking for deals on the Universal website, and/or by staying off-site at an affordable hotel or rental.
Check for deals – sometimes they do deals like buy 2 or 3 days, get 2 free. Check the Universal website and Undercover Tourist and compare deals.
There are often special rates for Florida residents

Kid-Friendly Places to Eat

Everywhere is kid-friendly, but it’s not all great food. A few of our favorites: San Franciso Pastry Company (San Francisco section) Lots of great fresh options! Personal favorites: Clam chowder in a bread bowl, the caprese sandwich, the hot turkey panini, chilled tuna noodle salad, and all the fresh pastries! TODAY Cafe (Hollywood Blvd, close to Minion Land) This cafe has good breakfast options, pastries, sandwiches, and salads. Mythos Restaurant (Islands of Adventure in the last bit of The Lost Continent section that’s left) This is a sit-down restaurant set inside a cave of rock formations and waterfalls with a good variety of food on the menu.

Tips from Parents

If you want to ride the Hogwarts Express attraction that goes between Hogsmead (the Harry Potter section in Islands of Adventure) and Diagon Alley (the Harry Potter section in Universal Studios), you MUST have a park-to-park ticket.
If you have the Express pass, it is possible to do Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios in one day (although it will be a long day), but 2 days would be better.
If you don’t have Express passes but are staying onsite and can utilize early entry and will stay all day, you can accomplish each park in a day with the right strategy.
If you don’t have Expresses passes and are staying off property, or if you don’t want stay from open to close with no breaks, or if you’re visiting during a holiday or high-crowd time, you may need 2 days per park (4 days total).
Volcano Bay can be done in 1 day.
Universal Studios does not have water rides so you don’t have to worry about getting wet there, but Islands of Adventure has THREE water rides that can make you completely soaked. Come prepared with shoes that can get wet or a change of shoes.
Some attractions allow you to wear small bags on rides (like fanny packs and cross-shoulder packs with a 3-pronged strap). Many of them make you put larger bags in a locker and you have to pay for a locker each time. If you can get away with small bags only, it will save you both time and money! Or take a stroller and store your bag in a stroller (but don’t leave valuables).
For more of our tips and tricks, check out our Universal itineraries >

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