Island of Adventure - Crowds?
 

I'm planning to go to Universal Islands of Adventure later this month. Does anyone know the best days of the week to go? How bad are the crowds and lines? Are there enough attractions for a 5 & 6 year old? <BR>Thanks!

Islands of Adventure is a great park! I went in December and rode both of the roller coasters 3 times! That should give you and idea that we basically owned the park. My longest wait was maybe 15 minutes and I am pushing it at that. Your kids will LOVE Cat in the Hat, 1 Fish 2 Fish, the carousel, maybe the sky ride in Jurassic Park, and that is all I can think of. The park is more for a teenager/young at heart crowd. What I would do if I were you is spend 1/2 a day at I of A and the other 1/2 at Universal. The parks are within walking distance of each other. It was an excellent park. Lots of water rides and big thrilling rides.

<BR>we went last sat. 2/26....we got there when they opened (9:00am) and went on all the major rides by 10:30am...did all the rides and shows by 5:30. crowds in the morning (9-11am) weren't bad.. the crowds increased later...the only long wait we had was 1hr for the flume ride...everything else only 10 minutes or so but this was early in the morning. most rides are for adults....they do enforce height rules. some rides require between 42-48 inches i think. don't miss the sinbad show and if you go on the popeye raft ride you WILL get DRENCHED!!! as the previous post said....not a whole lot for kids.

I didn't know that you could park-hop at Universal with a 1 day pass. How does that work? If we could do that it sounds like the perfect solution. Thanks!

Actually, I don't think you can park hop with a one day pass--i'm not positive though. We bought a 2 day, 2 park pass, so we could spend a day each in the parks. I of A definately does not have too much to offer for the age of your kids except the Dr. Seuss section. It's mostly thrill rides and a couple of water rides.

My husband and I just got back from Florida last week. We spent (part of) one day at I of A. We went on a Tuesday, which seemed to be a pretty good day to go. We got there at 10am and basically walked on to most of the rides we went on. The longest wait was 15 minutes at most. We found, however, that the park was too kid-oriented for us. We had planned to stay there till closing (7pm) but we had done everything there that we wanted to do by 2pm and left. Don't get me wrong - we love amusement parks and when we go to Cedar Point we stay till closing every time - but at I of A we went on maybe 5 or 6 rides and that was it. The park had lots for kids and not a lot for adults. Since we left I of A so early, we tried to get into Universal Studios for the rest of the day on our 1-day ticket. They would not let us in and told us you needed a 2- or 3-day pass to "park-hop."

Hi Robin <BR> <BR>We were at IOA & Universal 2 weeks ago. We went Thursday, March 2nd to IOA and Universal Studios. We had a ball!!! No crowds. We had no wait for the roller coasters. The longest wait was for the Spiderman ride (45 minutes).. We got to the park around 11:00 a.m. Saw everything (Loved Dr. Suess land) Then headed over to Universal Studios for the 2nd part of our day. We had lunch at NASCAR cafe (city walk) then headed over to Universal around 4:00. We bought the 2 in 1 passes which are admissions to IOA and Universal Studios for 1 day. I think the cost was around $70.00; a little less for children under 9. I definetely recommend doing Universal Studios last if you see both parks in 2 days. At night Universal has a Mardi Gras parade. EXCELLENT SHOW!!! They through beads from the floats etc...Costumes are beautiful! When we were there the parade started at 7:00 p.m. Wish I still there!!! Love both parks!! <BR>HAVE FUN!!!!

Hi Robin <BR> <BR>It's me again. I forgot to mention at IOA they have the characters the kids can take pictures with and get autographs. My 9 yr old niece took pictures with Woody Woodpecker, Popeye and Olive Oil. They also have Betty Boop and the Cat in the Hat, Captain whic ich we didn't see. When you get your

Hi Robin <BR>Please excuse my last e-mail. I hit enter by mistake. (Sorry) <BR>I was saying when you arrive at the park please make sure to pick up a brochure. It will have the listings and times of the different characters for the children. My 9 yr old niece took pictures with Popeye and Olive Oil and Woody Woodpecker. They also had Captain America, Spiderman, Betty Boo, and the Cat in the Hat (whom we didn't get a chance to see). We enjoyed Dr. Suess land it's really cute... I have to confess I did take a picture with Popeye and Olive Oil.. (they were too cute) <BR>Have a good time!! <BR>Janice