One question I often get as a Dreams Unlimited Travel agent is, Is there enough for little kids to enjoy at Epic Universe? While every kid is different, I can personally say my three-year-old can’t stop talking about how much he loves Epic Universe. The beauty of the park is in the details and kids often have a way of slowing down your plans so you can savor the little moments.
In terms of attractions, there are only two attractions with no height requirement and the lowest height requirement is 34″. I will say waiting until your child is at least 40″ tall opens the door to five attractions and might be worth waiting for. Additionally, there are two phenomenal shows you should NOT miss regardless of age – “Le Cirque Arcanus“ and “The Untrainable Dragon”.
Height Requirements
- Constellation Carousel – No Height Requirement – Hand-held infants are not permitted.
- Curse of the Werewolf – Minimum Height 40″
- Dragon Racer’s Rally – Minimum Height 48″
- Fyre Drill – No Height Requirement – Hand-held infants are not permitted.
- Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry – Minimum Height 40″
- Hiccup’s Wing Gliders – Minimum Height 40″
- Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge – Minimum Height 40″
- Mine-Cart Madness – Minimum Height 40″
- Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment – Minimum Height 48″
- Stardust Racers – Minimum Height 48″
- Yoshi’s Adventure – Minimum Height 34″
1. Child Swap Looks a Little Distinct at Universal Parks
“Child Swap” allows families to trade off who gets to ride and who waits with the younger children or non-riders without having to wait in line twice. The difference at Universal Orlando is that the entire family waits in line (riding or not), and there is a family room near the attraction loading area for family members to wait while the others ride. The great news is that the family room often has a movie playing, a water refill station, a changing table, and sometimes a bathroom. The downside of this is that your whole family is waiting in line for the attraction. So little kids, with little patience will need to wait in line if all the adults want to ride. It also means that more intense queues like Monsters Unchained, your whole family is seeing it all. Including a towering Frankenstein and scary effects.
2. Take Advantage of the Family Care Center
There is a Family Care Center located in Celestial Park tucked away along the walkway between Stardust Racers and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic. The Family Care Center offers essentials available for purchase, amenities like bottle warmers and filtered water, nursing rooms, and even a sensory room.
The nursing rooms each have one armchair, two tables, and multiple outlets. These rooms are designed for one person at a time for extra privacy.
The sensory room has a white noise machine, the ability to adjust the lighting, and two sensory wall activities.
What I love most about the Family Care Center is the large kitchen area with two sinks and dish liquid for washing bottles and sippy cups, two bottle warmers, a microwave, filtered water, and an ice machine.
Even if you don’t need to visit the Family Care Center for any of the above reasons, there is also a vending machine for personal care items and over-the-counter medicines. Pretty much anything you can think of is in here! This is worth noting for the next time you need an essential while at Epic Universe.
3. Build in Time to Play and Explore
If your little ones aren’t tall enough to ride some of the attractions, there are still plenty of things to do! For younger kids, there is an expansive and highly themed playground called “The Viking Training Camp” in How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk. Plus, a large splash pad called “Astronomica” in Celestial Park. Just keep in mind there is little shade near the splash pad area, so you’ll want to put on plenty of sunscreen and maybe enjoy a cold beverage while your kids play.
In addition to play areas, there are also two interactive experiences that could take up almost an entire park day. Just like the other Wizarding Worlds at both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, Ministry of Magic has a TON of new wand interactions that include very cute Fantastic Beasts like Demiguises and Nifflers. In fact, there are 12 spell-casting locations and 14 wand magic locations throughout the world. You can bring your wand from the other Universal parks or purchase a new one at Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique. You might even spot Cosme walking around her wand shop, which has 10 of her exclusive wands for sale.
One of the biggest draws to Epic Universe for the whole family is the immersion of Super Nintendo World. Not only does the world appeal to multiple generations, but the Power-Up Band experience is fun for all ages. There are eight Power-Up locations, each with five mini-games. The Power-Up bands cost $40 and are eligible for discounts like Annual Passholder. When you purchase a Power-Up band, it comes with a map of each Power-Up location. Even though my toddler doesn’t fully understand the games, the joy he had running to each location was well worth the $40!
4. Your Entire Family Will Have Fun
You might be wondering if only some of the worlds within Epic Universe will appeal to young children – like Super Nintendo and How to Train Your Dragon. However, the theming and character interactions in each world may surprise you in what your child connects to. Even though my three-year-old loves Halloween, I was worried Dark Universe would possibly be too scary for him. While there are scary moments like the queue for Monsters Unchained or the vampires in Das Stakehouse, my son can’t stop talking about Ygor and “Frankenstein’s castle.” Characters like Ygor and Frankenstein know how to have fun interacting with young children – Ygor spent 10 minutes talking to my son and even pushed his stroller around! All that to say, don’t rule out the worlds your kids may not be familiar with. You will be surprised how there are little things for each family member to enjoy in each world!
