One adult with 7 and 8 y.o.?

[WiscoMom]

I've never been to Universal. Sometimes, schedules dictate I travel alone with the kids while DH has to be home.

What are your thoughts on mom, DS7 and DS8 enjoying Universal? I guess I'm most concerned about seating for rides.

 

[wdwrule]

I have been in your boat before and I have to say, there’s something special about ‘mom and kids’ time at a travel destination. We’ve always been a Disney family and have recently discovered Universal and now we’re hooked.

I feel like many of the rides at UO are not just two-seaters. Some fit four+ across. There are some rides that have only two seats such as Hagrid’s, Velocicoaster and Rip Ride Rockit (and I’m sure some others but those are some off the top of my head). Not sure if your boys are thrill seekers… those just named are more of the thrill rides/coasters. If so, you could always sit directly behind them.

I think they’d also like the shows and characters out and about such as massive Transformers, Scooby & the gang, Marvel characters etc.

Also, just an fyi, you may want to look into annual passes depending on how long your stay will be. At least getting one for yourself to get great annual pass hotel rates and discounts on food and merchandise. I’ve learned so much from reading the threads in the Universal section of these boards.

One more thing, if you’re looking at transfers if you’re flying, Tony Hinds car service is very trusting and reliable. Sometimes it’s just my daughter and I, and as a mom I feel very comfortable with Tony and his drivers. We have used them for five separate stays from MCO to Universal.

 

[Skywalker3]

Trying to remember what rides are 2 seaters...I think just Rip Ride, Velocicoaster, Hippogriff, and Hagrid's. They can do Pterodon flyers themselves if you're ok w that, or you can ride w each kid separately. Mummy, Hulk, Forbidden Journey, MiB, Gringotts, etc are 3 or 4. Are y'all looking to ride the more intense rides? or are they HP fans? we LOVE Universal, and Disney, so I think it would be fun time.

 

[CynBeth]

When are you looking to go? How many days? Are you staying on Universal property? We are 3 adults with no kids and stayed at Portofino for the first time for a few days before Disney around Thanksgiving and loved it! We had not been in years and it is so different. We do not go on roller coasters or anything with a drop really enjoyed the motion simulator rides and MIB and ET. My DM came with us and she barely goes on anything but Minions has non moving seats and the Hogwarts Express each way was great you get a slightly different experience. We got the park to park tickets and because of the level of hotel had the express pass so barely had waits. We also saw some shows and the holiday parade. At night was the wonderful cinematic experience and Hogwarts had projections. Also liked that we could go with the flow and not have to reserve dining or be on our phone all day.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

We travel with 3 kids and 2 adults. We usually put two kids together, 1 kid with an adult, and 1 adult with the person from single rider line on rides with 2 seats and never had an issue. At Disney the min age for kids to ride alone is 7. I don’t know if we’ve ever had anyone question the kids at Universal and we’re always in the row either in front or behind them.

 

[WiscoMom]

I have been in your boat before and I have to say, there’s something special about ‘mom and kids’ time at a travel destination. We’ve always been a Disney family and have recently discovered Universal and now we’re hooked.

I feel like many of the rides at UO are not just two-seaters. Some fit four+ across. There are some rides that have only two seats such as Hagrid’s, Velocicoaster and Rip Ride Rockit (and I’m sure some others but those are some off the top of my head). Not sure if your boys are thrill seekers… those just named are more of the thrill rides/coasters. If so, you could always sit directly behind them.

I think they’d also like the shows and characters out and about such as massive Transformers, Scooby & the gang, Marvel characters etc.

Also, just an fyi, you may want to look into annual passes depending on how long your stay will be. At least getting one for yourself to get great annual pass hotel rates and discounts on food and merchandise. I’ve learned so much from reading the threads in the Universal section of these boards.

One more thing, if you’re looking at transfers if you’re flying, Tony Hinds car service is very trusting and reliable. Sometimes it’s just my daughter and I, and as a mom I feel very comfortable with Tony and his drivers. We have used them for five separate stays from MCO to Universal.

This is such a thoughtful and informational post. Thank you!

The boys are becoming more thrill seeking. Tower of Terror at HS was more than we bargained for! If that gives any indication or comparison. They are definitely into Transformers, Jurassic Park, Fast and Furious, Minions, etc. We haven't gotten into HP yet. But I would definitely read at least the first book with them before we would go.

 

[WiscoMom]

When are you looking to go? How many days? Are you staying on Universal property? We are 3 adults with no kids and stayed at Portofino for the first time for a few days before Disney around Thanksgiving and loved it! We had not been in years and it is so different. We do not go on roller coasters or anything with a drop really enjoyed the motion simulator rides and MIB and ET. My DM came with us and she barely goes on anything but Minions has non moving seats and the Hogwarts Express each way was great you get a slightly different experience. We got the park to park tickets and because of the level of hotel had the express pass so barely had waits. We also saw some shows and the holiday parade. At night was the wonderful cinematic experience and Hogwarts had projections. Also liked that we could go with the flow and not have to reserve dining or be on our phone all day.

I'm looking at Feb 3-8, staying onsite. Possibly Cabana Bay.

 

[WiscoMom]

I'm looking at start of February, possibly stay at Cabana Bay for 4-5 nights.
Would it be worth paying for Volcano Bay? I'm trying to balance budget needs.

 

[WiscoMom]

I'm looking at start of February, possibly stay at Cabana Bay for 4-5 nights.
Would it be worth paying for Volcano Bay? I'm trying to balance budget needs.

 

[wdwrule]

We’ve never visited VB as we are not hard core water park people but heard it’s amazing. Keep in mind that sometimes VB closes with sometimes a day’s notice due to weather/cold temps. Someone else might have better knowledge about VB. I think for your first time visit there’s plenty to do and see at the two parks… Islands of Adventure & Studios. We’ve gone several times and still find details we’ve missed previously.

 

[wdwrule]

Also, in case you’re interested it looks like the ‘cheapest’ level of annual pass is around $350. This level has block out dates but none in February so you’d be fine. You can book hotels at the AP rate before even purchasing an AP but need to show it before you check out. Here’s the site to check AP rates for hotels. It looks like Cabana Bay would be $116 per night and Aventura would be $107 per night. These two hotels you could walk to the parks or take a bus. Sapphire Falls would be $176 per night. SF is slightly more upscale and also offers boat rides to parks included. https://reservations.universalorlan...ls=&ada=0&currid=1&vouchercode=&attendeeCode=

 

[AJA]

Also, in case you’re interested it looks like the ‘cheapest’ level of annual pass is around $350. This level has block out dates but none in February so you’d be fine. You can book hotels at the AP rate before even purchasing an AP but need to show it before you check out. Here’s the site to check AP rates for hotels. https://reservations.universalorlan...ls=&ada=0&currid=1&vouchercode=&attendeeCode=

Just to be aware pre covid there always were blocked out dates in February for the lowest cost season pass. The Studios side is blocked out for Mardi Gras concerts. Those blockout dates could come back next year. You could always update your pass if needed then.

 

[bellarinah]

I’m usually in your situation when my family is on vacation. We go to Orlando a few times a year visiting all the theme parks. My husband can come with us only once a year and other times I would bring my daughters to Orlando by myself. I’ve started doing this since they were 4 and 5 years old. They are 11 and 12 now. My daughters at your boys’ age enjoyed Universal immensely! They are probably tall enough to go on most of the rides. And the rides they may not be tall enough to go on, they may not want to do anyway. Most rides you all will be able to sit together since there are four seats in a row. The only problem I had was when one kid wanted to do a certain ride and the other didn’t. My older daughter loves roller coaster. As soon as she was tall enough to do Rip Ride Rocket (51”), she wanted to ride it. But my younger one didn’t like roller coasters (Strangely enough, she loved Tower of Terror, though.) At that age, I wasn’t comfortable for her to go on RRR by herself and she didn’t want to do it alone either. With only one adult, it became a tricky situation. As far as Volcano Bay goes, my girls absolutely loved it. We still go every trip since it was opened in several years ago. And it is so easy to get to from Cabana Bay. But it’s true that it will close if the temperature gets too low (I think when it dips below 65.) I had that happened to me once during Christmas time one year.

 

[ClapYourHands]

My first trip was as a solo parent with DS7 and DS9 - we had a blast! Most rides we could do all together, and the ones we couldn't, I let the boys sit next to each other, and I rode behind. The rides that are 2 seaters are either kiddie rides (hippogriff, Woody Woodpecker, pteranodon flyers, several of the Seuss Landing rides) that they'd be fine on by themselves, or the bigger coasters (Rip Ride Rocket, Velocicoaster) that are probably too intense for their ride tastes. Hagrid's might be the exception because it's kind of a "big" coaster, but it doesn't do anything upside down, and there are pauses for the story to progress. Because so much of the HP area is heavily themed, they will get much more out of it if they are familiar with the source material. I recommend having them watch at least the first movie, but really the first 3 are probably appropriate to their ages, and will help everything make more sense.

Volcano Bay is just a water park. It's well done, but unless your kids are SUPER into water parks, it's probably not worth the hit to your budget. On that first trip, we had 3-park tickets for 4 days, and we went to VB for one afternoon, and never went back. The kids weren't interested in revisiting it. Cabana Bay has two pools, a water slide, and a lazy river. My boys had more fun there because although the slides at VB are bigger, the slide at CB had much shorter lines so they got more sliding time. Plus, at their ages, they didn't really want intense body drop slides anyway.

 

[RJstanis]

I take my boys alone quite often. Mine are 11 and 9 now but we have done it for 2+ years. The youngest doesn't like being with a stranger so the oldest typically is gracious enough to be a single rider when I ride with the youngest. When one rode and the other didn't, the other would stand in line and would just walk through the ride loading to the exit and wait til we got back. Most of the time they could stand next to an attendant near the exit during this time too. Sometimes when I don't feel like riding (I get Motion sickness) I'll make sure they're situated on the ride and wait at the exit for their return. We never have any issues and make it work. Makes for really fun trips and alot of one on one attention they (nor I) normally don't get! I've come to realize my wife and almost all of her family are basically allergic to theme parks , whereas my boys and I love them (minus the motion sickness), so this scenario works out for the whole family!

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

My DH hates theme parks so I actually prefer visiting without him grumping about the commercialism, the crowds, etc etc. In the past trips without him I've either met my mom in Orlando or brought a friend with her kid so one of us could rider swap with my littlest, who is too short for many rides. Check the height requirements for your 7 year-old, I was surprised to see how tall kids need to be for Hagrid's and FJ. While Universal's child swap rooms are close to the rides, I still wouldn't feel comfortable leaving my youngest (5) alone (and I have to imagine it's probably against Universal's policy to do so), if anything we would walk the line with my 10 year-old and then let him ride alone while we wait in the swap room.