We have an extra day while in Orlando and can't decide whether to go to Universal Studios or SeaWorld. The kids are aged 13 yrs and 3 yrs. All but the 3 yr old have been to SeaWorld before. Is there much for a 3 yr old to do at Universal Studios? He is a VERY active child. I'm thinking that it may be too "boring" for him at SeaWorld (I don't think he'd sit through any of the shows) and wondering if he would enjoy USF more, even just the scenery and atmosphere. Any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.

At universal studios. They have a Fivel playground, Courious George water area (bring a towel and swimsuit ),ET ride, Day in the Park with Barney, Jimmy Neutron ride, Shrek 4-D,Nickelodeon studios(sometimes they tape slime time Live)., Men in Black Alien Attack (shooting aliens). At IOA there is Camp Jurassic better than the bone yard at AK. Suess Landing with Cat in the Hat, Caroseussel, one fish two fish ride and If I ran the Zoo (good place to run). Sinbad show and talking fountain in Lost Kingdom. Super Hero Island if he's big enough has Spiderman which is fantastic. toon Lagoon has popeye's raft ride definitly a soaker ride. Our girls love both parks. Hope this helps. Lots of rides for the 13 year old.

I'd pick Universal/Islands of Adventure, especially since they have already gone to SeaWorld. Here's an article that explains waht young kids can do at Universal Studios: http://www.ioacentral.com/news/columns/barrys_backwater_bar_stool/universal_orlando_for_kids_part_one.htm

Barry is updating his article for what young kids can do at Islands of Adventure. Here is a copy of his older article about IOA:

ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE

Seuss Landing
Seuss Landing is very kid-friendly. Fences, signs, and steps are intentionally set at a lower level for kids. What child has not read a Dr. Seuss book? The familiarity children have with the Seussian works will draw them in.

Children can also enjoy the rides on the island. On Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish is a Dumbo ride with a twist. You sit in large fish and navigate up and down in a circle like the Dumbo ride at the Magic Kingdom, but you need to listen to the song to avoid getting wet. When the song says go down, you best go down or you will get a shower! When the song says go up, head to the sky. The last part is a free-for-all where you just choose a spot and hope you will not get wet.

The Caro-Seuss-El is a carousel ride populated with various Seussian creatures. The creatures move up and down, just like any other carousel. The Caro-Seuss-El is accommodating to handicapped guests. Handicapped guests roll their wheelchair into a special area on the Caro-Seuss-El and the area bobs up and down like the other creatures.

The Cat in the Hat: Ride Inside is a dark ride based on the popular book, but it spins you around. Kids have fun on this ride, but you may want to avoid the ride if yours have motion sickness.

If I Ran the Zoo is a play area based on the book of the same name. Your kids can crawl through holes, squirt water on a small island, play tic-tac-toe with Old Joe, and interact with many characters.

The Lost Continent
The Lost Continent is home to Dueling Dragons, a roller coaster for brave souls. Although the island may not appear kid-friendly, there are things for kids to do here.

If your children are disappointed that they cannot ride Dueling Dragons, they can get a roller coaster thrill by riding the Flying Unicorn. There are not big loops or inversions. The coaster banks, turns, and goes up and down a few hills during the one-minute ride. The height requirement for the Flying Unicorn is 36 inches.

Kids can be entertained by the Eighth Voyage of Sinbad show. The show can be loud at times, so check to see if your kids are scared by loud noises. Otherwise, the plot of the show is pretty easy to follow and once the action starts, the fights, swings, ducks, falls, and explosions continue until the end. The Sinbad characters can be seen roaming around the Lost Continent before and in between shows. Even if you cannot see the show, do not miss the Mystic Fountain at the entrance. The fountain talks back at you and tries to make you wet. Most of the time, it succeeds. Kids seem to have the most fun talking back to the fountain and trying to get it to squirt them.

Sinbad’s Bazaar has many carnival-type games at an extra cost. Your kids may want to knock down bottles to win the huge Scooby-Doo stuffed animal.

Jurassic Park
If your children are not tall enough for the Jurassic Park River Adventure, they can meet a living Triceratops at the Triceratops Encounter. You can see one of three Triceratops: Sara, Topper, and Chris. The Triceratops will move, yell, and even go to the bathroom. Kids have a chance to pet the Triceratops if they are as tall as the fence surrounding the dinosaur.

The Jurassic Park Discovery Center is a mini-science center where every exhibit is based on dinosaurs. Children can play You Bet Jurassic to test their dinosaur I.Q., they can X-ray the insides of a dinosaur egg, they can have their DNA sampled to create a new dinosaur, they can search for dinosaur bones in a rock, and they can “Be-A-Saur” by looking through VR glasses in a dinosaur model. If a dinosaur happens to hatch in the nursery, your child may be lucky enough to name the newborn.

Camp Jurassic is another play area. Kids can run through caves, squirt each other, climb over rope bridges, and go down slides. Be careful because Camp Jurassic winds around a lot and it is easy to lose a child in there. Camp Jurassic is also home to the only ride exclusively for kids, Pterandon Flyers. Children must be 36 to 56 inches to ride. Anyone over 56 inches tall will need to ride with a child who meets the height requirement.

If your kids still want to get wet, but they are too short for the Jurassic Park River Adventure, they can stand in the splash zone for a dousing. The splash zone is by the Thunder Falls Terrace. When a boat comes down, it splashes a huge wave that hits anyone standing in the splash zone. You may even get more wet in the splash zone than on the ride itself!

Toon Lagoon
If your kids do not meet the 44-inch height requirement for Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls or the 48-inch height requirement for Popeye and Bluto’s Bildge-Raft Barges, they can still have fun on Me Ship, the Olive. Me Ship, the Olive is a three-level interactive play area. It is Popeye’s ship modeled after his girlfriend. Kids can climb up and down the stairs, go down the slides, and play on a piano. An elevator is provided for those who cannot climb stairs. The most popular level is the second level. On this level, squirt guns are provided so you can nail the passing boats. Although the boat riders have a wetter experience in other parts of the ride, the squirt guns seem to annoy them the most. The guns bring out the little devils in children. The bridge to Popeye and Bluto’s Bildge-Raft Barges also has water cannons for 25 cents a shot.

Children can see their favorite Toon Lagoon characters around the island of during the Toon Trolley Show. Consult your park map for times.

Marvel Super Hero Island
The three major rides on this island – The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Dr. Doom’s Fearfall, and the Incredible Hulk Coaster – have height requirements (40 inches, 52 inches, and 54 inches, respectfully). The only ride that doesn't is Storm Force Acceleration. This is a teacups clone that is themed after the X-Men and Storm. If your kids have motion sickness, they may want to avoid the ride. Otherwise, just sit and spin the control as fast as you can!

Marvel superheroes appear on the island throughout the day and during the Meet the Marvel Super Heroes parade. Consult your map for times.

By all means go to Universal!

My daughter was 3 on our last trip and my son was 1 and they both loved it. Conincidentally, we brought my sister in law who was 14 too and she raved about IOA (more so than some of our time at Disney).

I was actually surprised how many things we could bring our daughter on. She is quite small for her age so we had low expectations (but high hopes) that she would be able to go on other things.

The only items she didn't love was the Poseidon's Fury and Shrek 3D (at Universal Studios next door to IOA). Shrek 3D was our first attraction of our whole trip so the “effects” were a bit too much for her. She got used to it though and by the end of our trip she begged to go on everything.

It goes without saying that your teenager will thank you greatly for choosing IOA over Sea World. I've been to all of them many times and I still go to Sea World once in a while but Universal is a must for us. The only drawback is that your kids will like it so much that this will be a requirement for all your trips from now on.