Universal or IOA? About This Page:

[yjgirl]

Hello all. We are planning a trip to DW in early Sept., but part of the family is going to Kennedy Space Center where the rest of us are thinking of going to Universal or IOA- need to know if both parks are able to get thru in one day or should I just stick to one park and if only one- which one? Oh my son will be 6 not sure how tall- right now he is about 46". Oh and what are the crowds like during this time? Thanks again for all your help.

[KMB733]

I've done both parks in one day, but its really pushing it. My choice would be to go to Universal. But IOA has more of the thrill rides. Which ever park you choose, you'll have fun. And I've been in September a number of times and the crowds are usually pretty light, except on the weekends when a lot of locals visit.

[Griffin]

I've never been to them (not yet anyway) But I would say, it probably depends on what rides you want to do. If you know that ahead of time you can most likely fit both areas in one day.

[Briasten]

DH and I can do both parks in 1 day. But, we don't have any kids with us. If I had to choose just 1 park, I would pick IOA because of the rides.

[Shell_of_the_South]

I would check the height requirements for the rides at both parks to see which park has the most he can do. I think most of the thrill rides at IOA have a 54' height restriction. There is a sticky topic at the top of this forum that lists the height requirements. However, the Dr. Suess area of IOA is great for kids, so that could be a compromise.

I wouldn't try to do both parks in one day - that's a lot to take in! We've been during Labor Day weekend and the crowds weren't that bad at all. Labor Day itself was less crowded than the weekend.

[paradox]

You can easily do both parks in one day, but maybe not with a little one. Seus LAnding is super, I took two teenage girls and this was their favorite part. If you are only going for one park I would look at IOA.

[chezp]

It would really be pushing it to do both in one day. It depends what kind of rides you like. If you love coasters, go for IOA. Otherwise, I'd go for Universal.

[shellybelly72]

Originally Posted by chezp

It would really be pushing it to do both in one day. It depends what kind of rides you like. If you love coasters, go for IOA. Otherwise, I'd go for Universal.

[karadisney]

Yes, it would be pushing it to go in one day to both parks. IOA is pretty big and so is Universal. Plus, they have a huge CityWalk that has shopping and restaurants. They have a ton of things to do. If I were you I would pick one of them. Have fun.

[espnerica]

It is pushing it to do 2 in one day IF you do not use the Express Pass option, which is basically like having a timeless fastpass to every ride in the parks. If you don't mind shelling out some extra cash to do both parks, that is your best option because you will not have to wait on any lines. The time you are visiting, though, is a pretty low crowd time, so I'm not sure if that will be a good bang for buck moment. IOA, even though it has cutely themed lands for kids like Seuss Landing, has the more intense rides- even the Cat in the Hat can make you very very dizzy. US has some older themed lands but the rides are not as intense and there's a lot of great shows to enjoy. So I would say pick what scares your 6 year old- is it a rollercoaster going too fast or a scary looking mummy next to him? If you pick the first answer, head over to IOA. If you pick answer 2, head over to the Studios. Either way I think you will have a great time- I first went when I was 6 and have gone every year since!!