Universal newbie questions

kohlby said:

My daughter was not ready for Forbidden Journey on our last US/IOA trip. She was 7 and loved thrill rides but the intensity of FJ would have been too much for her. (Her favorite ride is the Aerosmith roller coaster at Disney - so she loves intense in the way of movement). She is doing FJ this year at 9. However, Mummy wasn't nearly as intense. It's still not a relaxing ride, but it won't seem like a giant spider is jumping out at least. She did fine on Mummy as soon as she was tall enough. Even my eldest, who doesn't like intense rides, liked Mummy. (He said he liked FJ too, and he loves Harry Potter. However, he didn't want to do it a second time so I think it was borderline too intense for him. A second time wouldn't have involved waiting, as we were doing rider swap so he could have done it twice in a row).

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Kalea said:

This was really helpful to read. Right now we're telling the kids that we''ll allow them to ride whatever they're tall enough to ride. But I think we'll at least discourage the youngest from riding FJ. If we can rider swap and all tour the castle, I'll be a happy camper!

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christophfam said:

I would encourage you to buy a waist pack. I know lockers aren't a huge deal, but why bother if you don't have to? I really hate using the lockers, it is just a hassle. I have a kipling bag that converts to a waitpack when I need it and a shoulder bag when I don't.

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christophfam said:

I would encourage you to buy a waist pack. I know lockers aren't a huge deal, but why bother if you don't have to? I really hate using the lockers, it is just a hassle. I have a kipling bag that converts to a waitpack when I need it and a shoulder bag when I don't.

You might like to look at this touring plan - http://orlandoinformer.com/page/articles.html/_/universal/touring-plans/on-site-3-day

As everyone has stated it really isn't necessary, but for those of us who enjoy a little planning there it is!

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kohlby said:

Just plan on doing it last if the youngest really wants to do it. That way, if you goof, it's not a big deal. My eldest's very first theme park ride ever was Spiderman at 3 years old. After that, it took a while to get him on rides that he couldn't see what they did. My bold middle child wanted to try anything she was tall enough for. And though perhaps Tower of Terror may not have been the best idea at 3 years old, she recovered well and did just fine for the next ride. She also burst out in tears during Space Mountain at 4 or 5 and was very upset during the last third of the ride, wanting the ride to end. With her face still red and tears still wet, she then asked to do the ride again right away and loved it the next time! So, kids recover from rides they can't handle differently.

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