Universal Orlando with Kids: Top Tips & What to Know Before You Go

We’re just back from Orlando and without a doubt, the Universal Orlando parks were the highlight of our trip.

This was actually my eighth visit to Florida, but my first time doing it with the kids — and let me tell you, it is a whole different ballgame when you’re doing it as a family. I already knew I loved Universal, but seeing it all through their eyes made it even more special.

We had a 14-day ticket for Universal Orlando and we used it 8 times in total — and honestly, that worked really well for us. You need to be realistic here, people… you are not going to do a park every single day. You will burn your kids out, burn yourself out, and everyone will end up miserable. The park days are full on. They are intense, they are hot, there is a lot of walking, a lot of stimulation, a lot of waiting, and rest days in between are so important. For us, having the flexibility to dip in and out, do shorter visits, and build in down days made all the difference.

And one thing I would say straight away if you’re going with kids: 122 cm is a bit of a magic height at Universal Orlando. So many of the big rides open up from there, and my seven-year-old was exactly 122 cm, which made things much easier to manage. It meant there were far fewer “you can’t go on that” moments where we had to split up as a family and wait around, which definitely made our park days much easier.

Islands of Adventure

Islands of Adventure has always been my favourite park at Universal Orlando and even though this was our first time visiting Epic, Islands still came out on top for us.

The rides here are just on another level. We had the best days in this park — so much fun. If your family loves thrill rides, this is the one. It has that mix of big coasters, water rides, Harry Potter, superheroes, dinosaurs… it just really delivers.

Our favourites here were VelociCoaster, Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure, The Hulk, and the water rides Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls and Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges.

The water rides are brilliant, but do not underestimate them. You are not getting “a little bit splashed.” You are getting absolutely drenched. Like, dripping wet, runners soaked through, no dry patch left kind of drenched. So either do them on a really hot day in quick-dry clothes, or leave them until right before you head back to the car and have a change of clothes ready.

If you’ve got younger or shorter kids in the group, Parent Swap is definitely worth knowing about too. It means one adult can wait with the child who isn’t riding, while the rest of the group go on, and then the adults swap without queuing all over again. Such a handy option for families.

Universal Studios Florida

Universal Studios Florida is just super chill.

You can actually feel it when you walk into the park. It feels way less chaotic, way less hectic, and just that bit easier to potter around. There are still loads of brilliant rides and experiences, but the overall feel is definitely calmer.

And Diagon Alley… honestly, chef’s kiss. It is so incredibly well done. If you’re a Harry Potter fan like we are, it is just the most amazing experience to walk through a full-scale Diagon Alley and see all the shops brought to life. The kids absolutely loved it, and to be fair, so did we.

The Harry Potter rides here are brilliant, but Escape from Gringotts was such a standout for us. It was such an incredible one to do together as a family. We also loved Revenge of the Mummy — such a good ride and one we’d happily do again and again.

And if you want to ride the Hogwarts Express between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, just note that you do need a ticket that covers both parks for that.

Epic Universe

This was our first time visiting Epic Universe and I was really excited to see it after hearing so much about it online.

It absolutely did not disappoint.

Visually, it is stunning. It feels really fresh, really polished, really thoughtfully done. I actually found it very easy to get around as well. It has a central area with a gorgeous carousel, and then the different lands come off that central hub, so it feels very manageable to navigate and find your bearings, which I really liked.

Our favourite rides here were Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, Stardust Racers, Curse of the Werewolf, and Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.

I would definitely recommend doing an evening or nighttime visit here if you can, because it is so beautiful once it all lights up. Depending on the time of year, it is often open until 9pm or 10pm, and some of the rides are just incredible in the dark. Stardust Racers at night was such a highlight and one I would highly recommend.

I will say though, Nintendo World felt like sensory overload for me as an adult. Visually it is amazing and very clever, but it is busy, loud, bright, and there is a lot going on. So if you have a child who can get overwhelmed by lots of noise, stimulation, or crowds, that is definitely something to be mindful of.

Volcano Bay

We also did Volcano Bay, which was such a fun family day.

It was nice to have a different kind of park day mixed in there. Still exciting, still lots of fun, but a little different from the full-on theme park days. Our favourites were Krakatau Aqua Coaster and TeAwa The Fearless River — not your average lazy river at all, and such good fun.

Same advice here as the other water rides though: make sure it is a hot day, wear quick-dry clothes if you can, and be prepared to get soaked.

Queue times, fast passes and where staying onsite can really help

We were there at a busy time of year, and queue times were no joke. Some rides were hitting 2.5 hours, which is a lot, especially with kids.

That is where it is worth being realistic. If you are only doing Universal Orlando for a day or two, then fast passes are definitely worth considering, even though they are pricey. It is something to factor in from the start rather than being shocked by it later.

And one really good tip here is to look at the top tier Universal hotels, because they include the fast pass perk on both your check-in day and your check-out day, which can work out really good value compared to buying fast passes on their own.  Guests at Loews Portofino Bay, Hard Rock Hotel, and Loews Royal Pacific get free Universal Express Unlimited for Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, and it covers both your check-in day and your check-out day with valid park admission. That can make it much better value than buying Express separately, especially for a shorter stay.

AAP for neurodivergent kids

If you are travelling with a neurodivergent child, it is worth looking into Universal’s AAP programme for help managing queue times.

Universal says this is for guests whose disability means they cannot wait for extended periods in a conventional queue. To request accommodations, guests are asked to register for an IBCCES Individual Accessibility Card (IAC) within 30 days of the visit and at least 48 hours before arrival. Universal reviews the information and decides on the most appropriate accommodation, and they do note that having an IAC does not automatically guarantee an AAP.

That can be really helpful for families where long conventional queues would be a huge barrier to enjoying the parks. It is definitely something I would look into in advance rather than leaving until the day.

Other tips that really helped us

• Bring refillable water bottles and keep topping them up throughout the day.
• Use the Universal Orlando app constantly to keep an eye on wait times and make decisions as you go.
• Measure your kids before you leave so you know exactly what they can and can’t access.
• Do not over-plan every second of the day — leave room to wander and soak it all in.
• Evening visits are such a good option. Parking is free after 6pm and the parks can feel that bit calmer later in the day.
• Build in rest days. I know I already said it, but it really matters.

Height guide by park

And for anyone planning with kids, here is a handier breakdown of some of the main ride height requirements by park.

Islands of Adventure

Universal Studios Florida

Epic Universe

Volcano Bay