Universal has spent decades building parks around big rides, big screens, and big franchises. Its newest park does close to the opposite. Universal Kids Resort, officially opening July 1, 2026 in Frisco, Texas (just north of Dallas), is the company’s first park built from the ground up for little kids and the grownups chasing after them.
I brought my little sister, Jennifer, and my 6-year-old niece, Maisie, for an early media preview. We walked every land, rode the rides, sat through the shows (more than once, in a few cases), stayed at the hotel, and came back for a second day because little Maisie would have melted down from sorrow if we hadn’t. Below is what the park really is, who it’s for, what to do, where to eat, what it costs, and a few honest notes on what’s working and what Universal still needs time to figure out.
A quick orientation first: this is a small regional park, seven themed lands on roughly 20 acres, designed for families with kids somewhere in the 3-to-9 range. It is not Epic Universe, and it isn’t trying to be. Instead of an international draw, this is a park aimed at a local crowd who live within driving distance (though it’s just 30 minutes from DFW airport if you do want to fly). Set your expectations correctly, and you’ll have a good day. Show up expecting an Orlando-style resort with lots of big indoor rides, and you might be disappointed.
Take a Walk With Us
Before you dig into the details, come see it for yourself. We shot this walkthrough during our media preview visit, so you can get a feel for the scale, the theming, and the general vibe of the place before you read another word.
Setting Expectations: What Universal Kids Resort Really Is
This is the most important section in this guide, so read it before you book anything. Universal Kids Resort is not a theme park the way you know it. It’s a smaller, far more doable experience built for little kids, with a heavy emphasis on themed splash pads, playgrounds, photo ops, characters, shows, and simple outdoor rides scaled for the under-10 crowd (though older kids and parents may still have a good time). Think of it as a combination family fun center, splash zone, and playground, dressed up in some of the best-known characters in kids’ entertainment.
The scale is the whole point. At roughly 20 acres, you can cross the park in minutes, which matters when you’re managing nap schedules and short legs. And if you stay at the hotel, which sits right at the front of the park, you can duck back to your room for a nap or a swim in just a few minutes from almost anywhere inside the gates. That kind of proximity is genuinely rare, and for families with young kids it’s a blessing.
All of this also means Universal Kids Resort isn’t an international draw the way the Orlando or Hollywood theme parks are. This is a park designed to pull in locals. The low-cost tickets (compared to a major theme park) make it easy for families to afford, especially if you can snag an annual pass, though those are already sold out for the moment. Set your expectations correctly and this is a great day (or two) of fun and play for your littles.
One more thing to plan around: this park won’t be open every day of the year. After its summer opening, Universal Kids Resort closes on select dates throughout November, December, and January, including Christmas Day and most of late January. Universal has reserved the right to add more closure dates, so check the official calendar before you build a trip around a specific week. It’s an unusual move for a Universal park, and it’s another sign this one is built for a regional crowd rather than destination travelers.
Universal Kids Resort: A Land-by-Land Guide
The Universal Kids Resort park is laid out as a ring of lands with the Minions water ride, Bello Bay Club, anchoring the center. You enter under the hotel and into the Isle of Curiosity at the front of the park, which opens onto TrollsFest to your left, Bello Bay Club straight ahead, and SpongeBob’s Bikini Bottom to your right. From there, you can walk the ring in either direction, and because everything wraps around that central water area, the hotel and the middle of the park are never more than a short walk away. Below is what you’ll find in each land: the rides, shows, play areas and splash zones, dining, and shopping.
Isle of Curiosity
Featuring DreamWorks’ Gabby’s Dollhouse, Isle of Curiosity is the first thing you see when you walk into the park. It’s built around shady lawns, interactive play areas, and an immersive shopping experience, and it’s where three of the lands connect.
Shows & Characters:
- Gabby’s Cat-Tastic Dance Party, an interactive experience featuring Gabby herself. Gabby and her entourage of dancers make their way through the front of the park, then stop to sing a couple of songs and dance along with the crowd.
- Meet Gabby and friends throughout the land. Once her dance party is over, you’ll find Gabby in front of a photo op not far from her dollhouse-themed store.
Dining:
- Universal Kids Resort Café (quick service) – located just to your right as you enter the park. Try the French Toast Monte Cristo. But note that this location has no indoor seating. Not your best bet on a hot day.
- Cakey’s Cupcakes – This cart near the Kids Store serves up some delicious… but expensive (at nearly $10) cupcakes. We’d expect the offerings and prices to change as Universal figures out what guests are actually gravitating to.
Shopping:
- Universal Kids Resort Store – the park’s flagship shop. It carries merchandise from all seven lands plus resort-branded apparel and collectibles, and it holds the largest Gabby’s Dollhouse collection you’ll find anywhere. It’s both the first and last stop for most families, so it’s the place to circle back to on your way out.
- Gabby’s Dollhouse shop – While it has its own entrance and sign, Gabby’s shop is really part of the main Kids Resort Store and is completely open to the larger shop inside.
While there is no How to Train Your Dragon land or attractions in the park, there is a small amount of merchandise for the franchise, which seems to be very popular with guests. Little Maisie thought this sling with three baby dragons in it was one of the cutest things she’d ever seen. We’d have to agree.
Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom
Head right from the Isle of Curiosity and you’ll drop straight into Bikini Bottom, which makes a smart first stop in the morning. The rides here are the gentlest in the park and the easiest entry point for nervous first-timers, so this is where to build a little confidence before working up to the bigger stuff later in the day. And, if you’re lucky, SpongeBob and Patrick Star will be out for a photo op the kids will love.
Rides & Attractions:
- Barnacle Bus (30″ minimum) – the lowest height requirement of the bunch and a good very first ride
- Bobbing Barrels (36″ minimum), a spin-and-splash with water cannons
- Mrs. Puff’s Boating School (36″ to 76″) – note the maximum height here, which means taller kids and grown-ups have to sit this one out and watch
- Jellyfish Fields Jamboree – no height requirement, so even the littlest riders can climb aboard
Shows & Characters:
- Meet SpongeBob & Friends, with photo ops in the heart of the land
Dining:
- Goofy Goober’s – the land’s main quick-service stop
- Snack Bar for smaller bites and drinks
We ended up spending a lot of time at Goofy Goober’s. It’s cute, colorful, has 4 Coke Freestyle machines (as most of the quick-service restaurants do), and has lots of air-conditioned seating, which we needed on a 90°+ day. But be careful here: the chairs are top-heavy, and if you lean back a bit or try to hang a bag over the back, the chairs will fall backward. We saw that happen three times, the only place in the resort we ever saw a chair tip over.
Shopping:
- Barg’N-Mart, a treasure-chest-themed shop with nautical merchandise, including the Glove World glove hat and the SpongeBob and Plankton “shoulder pals” that ride along with you through the park
- Grab-it Mart, a kiosk for beach-ready accessories on your way out
Jurassic World Adventure Camp
Keep working your way around past Bikini Bottom and you’ll reach Jurassic World Adventure Camp at the top of the park. This is where your park adventure grows up a little. The Cretaceous Coaster is the closest thing Universal Kids Resort has to a big kid ride, and at a 39″ minimum, it carries the tallest height requirement in the park, so it’s also the one ride your littlest may have to skip. Dinosaurs being the universal kid magnet they are, this land is sure to draw a crowd, so it’s a good one to hit before lines build.
Rides & Attractions:
- Jurassic World: Cretaceous Coaster (39″ minimum), a family coaster where riders join the search for a missing baby Ankylosaurus named Bumpy. The park’s biggest thrill.
- Pteranodrop (36″ minimum), a gentle drops-and-bounces tower with a Pteranodon’s-eye view of the land
- Mr. DNA’s Double Helix Spin – no height minimum, a spinning climb up a double-helix tower (handheld infants are not permitted, so the very youngest still sit this one out)
Shows & Characters:
- Baby Dinosaur Meet & Greet, where kids get an up-close encounter with a newly hatched dinosaur. A reliable photo op and an easy win with the dino-obsessed.
Dining:
- Jurassic World Canteen – the land’s quick-service spot
Shopping:
- Jurassic World Outfitters, the main shop, with dinosaur apparel and toys. Look for the glowing egg keychains that crack open to reveal a tiny plush dino, plus oversized sleeping-dinosaur plush.
- Supply Depot, a kiosk for ready-to-wear dino headwear and apparel
Jurassic World Outfitters felt a bit like an interactive experience. There was a team member up front with a raptor puppet, and there were tables with toys out on display that you could play with. The mix of merchandise was fun, and much cuter and more colorful than the Jurassic merch at the Orlando and Hollywood parks.
DreamWorks’ Puss in Boots Del Mar
Come down from Jurassic World and you’ll arrive in Puss in Boots Del Mar, a sun-washed seaside village themed to the swashbuckling cat’s hometown. This is one of the most charming corners of the park to just look at, and it’s home to the puppet show that turned out to be a Maisie favorite (more on that in a moment).
Rides & Attractions:
- Swings Over Del Mar (42″ minimum), a flying carousel decorated with hand-painted illustrations of Puss and his pals. Note the 42″ minimum, the highest height minimum in the park… for what may be the scariest ride.
The Swings over Del Mar were shockingly Maisie’s 2nd favorite ride in the park, and for me, the most terrifying. I rode it once and truly had a freak-out moment when I thought I would fly off into oblivion. But Maisie was insisting on riding it again immediately. She had to make her 2nd ride alone, because neither her mother nor I could stomach a second terrifying spin. Just goes to show you that sometimes kids CAN be more fearless than adults.
Shows & Characters:
- Puss in Boots Theater featuring “Mama Luna’s Adopt a Kitty Day!”, a live puppet show set on kitty adoption day in Del Mar. It’s genuinely funny, a little interactive, a bit of audience Spanish, and is short enough to hold little attention spans. We saw it three times, entirely at Maisie’s insistence. Hot tip: stick around after the show to take a photo with the cast.
- Meet Puss in Boots & Friends nearby
Dining:
- Comidas y Leche – the land’s quick-service spot. By the time you get here, you are likely in need of air conditioning, and this spot delivers a themed interior, a Mexican comfort food menu, and a chance to relax. We stopped here twice.
Shopping:
- Mercado de Perrito
- Tienda de Dulces, a sweets shop
DreamWorks’ Shrek’s Swamp
Continue around from Del Mar and you’ll land in Shrek’s Swamp. The conceit here is that the ogre built the place himself, so it’s deliberately rough-hewn rather than polished, all mud, moss, and outhouse humor. It’s home to one of the park’s signature rides and a splash zone and playground that make it a smart stop once the day heats up.
Rides & Attractions:
- Shrek & Fiona’s Happily Ogre After (30″ minimum), a ride Shrek built to tell the story of how he and Fiona met, retracing the quest to rescue her from the dragon, with Donkey along for the trip. The first Shrek ride in the United States, and at a 30″ minimum, it’s open to most of the little ones.
Shows & Characters:
- Meet Shrek & Fiona, with photo ops in the swamp… we missed the stars of the land, but their photo op remains open to take a photo of your own.
Play & Splash:
- Shrek’s Swamp Rompin’ Stomp, a dry play area
- Shrek’s Swamp Splash & Smash, a wet play zone for cooling off
Dining:
- Swamp Snacks, serving the Shrekzel, the oversized soft pretzel imported from DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios Florida
Shopping:
- Triplets Treasures
DreamWorks’ TrollsFest
TrollsFest was a not-so-surprising hit with Maisie, an explosion of color, music, and glitter that gave her room to dance and play with the troll characters she adores. The team members working this land were having the best time of anyone in the park, cheerfully wishing every guest a “Happy TrollsFest” as they passed. Between the colorful theming, the merchandise, the treats, and the shows, it’s a great land to slow down, relax in the theater, and let the kids burn some energy. It’s also where you can get Troll-ified.
Rides & Attractions:
- Rhonda’s TrollsFest Express (36″ minimum), a twisty-turny ride through the festival grounds
- Hair in the Clouds (36″ minimum), a balloon-powered tower ride with flower-faced balloons and a 360-degree view of the party
Maisie loved both of these rides, particularly the kiddie coaster. But if the line is long for the coaster, you can skip it. It’s an approximately 30-second ride, which is just fine if there’s little wait, but a huge letdown if there’s an hour line.
Shows & Characters:
- Trollstastic: Concert Countdown at the Trolls AMPitheater, an outdoor (but covered) stage show where kids lead the sound check, learn the dance moves, and jump into the spotlight with their favorite Trolls. Maisie got so wrapped up in the show that she ended up dancing in the aisle.
- King Trollex Techno Dance Party, an indoor interactive dance experience. Hot tip: this one is air-conditioned, so prioritize it during the hottest part of the afternoon or if it rains.
- Universal Kids Resort Theater, the land’s largest indoor theater venue, wasn’t open on our visit and still had a “Coming Soon” sign.
- Meet Poppy & Friends, with photo ops throughout the land
Dining:
- Trolls Eatz!, the land’s quick-service spot
- BroZone Cones, for ice cream and frozen treats
Shopping:
- Sparkle Shine Glitter Glow, home to the Troll-ify Me! makeover, where kids can transform into Poppy, Branch, or Guy Diamond. One of the most interactive shopping experiences in the park.
- Mr. Dinkles’ Market
As you might expect, we spent a lot of time in this land. We watched the stage show, danced with King Trollex, had some treats, rode both rides, and shopped till we dropped. After a lot of soul-searching, Maisie settled on a Tiny Diamond plushie. I bought one for myself as well, because Maisie was certain that if she whispered messages to her Tiny Diamond, mine would hear them as well, and we would always be in contact. I’m not crying… you’re crying.
Illumination’s Minions vs. Minions: Bello Bay Club
Sitting in the middle of the park rather than out on the ring, Bello Bay Club is the Minions’ water playground, where the yellow Minions and their purple counterparts are locked in a good-natured water battle and you’re invited to pick a side and join in. This is the wettest land in the park, which makes it the natural place to end your day, once everyone’s ready to get soaked and there’s no more dry clothes to worry about. Grab a water blaster and dive in.
Rides & Attractions:
- Bello Bay Cruise (40″ minimum), a boat ride straight into the middle of the splash zone. Note the 40″ minimum, one of the taller requirements in the park, so some of the littlest may have to sit this one out.
- Bello Bay Golf Cart Derby (36″ minimum), a spinning ride where the Minions vs. Minions competition runs off the rails
Shows & Characters:
- Bello! Meet the Minions, with photo ops in the land
Dining & Shopping:
- Bello Bay Boutique & Bites, a combined shop and quick-service spot. The retail side splits its merchandise between Team Yellow and Team Purple, so kids can declare their allegiance.
Take some time to explore this land and enjoy all the play activities and fun Minion figures and displays.
Carnival Games, Splash Pads & Play Areas
The rides are only part of the day here. Most of the lands have some mix of splash pads, dry play areas, and carnival games tucked in, and together they’re a big part of what makes Universal Kids Resort feel more like a family fun center than a traditional theme park.
On a busy day, make sure you pack (or buy in almost any shop) a swimsuit and enjoy hours of extra fun running through a giant pineapple, splashing with the Minions, and getting soaked in Shrek’s Swamp. Note that the larger splash pads have changing areas next to them. And if you’d rather keep the kiddos dry, there are playgrounds, rope bridges, treehouses, dino jungle gyms, and numerous other play spots scattered throughout the park.
But save a few bucks for the games as well, if Dad wants to show off and bring home that giant stuffed SpongeBob. If the kids want to try their hand, some games are very hard to win, while others have a guaranteed winner every time, and you can trade in a collection of smaller prizes for a bigger one. Choose wisely. And if you’d rather not pay extra, just keep the family moving past those carnival booths.
The Universal Kids Resort Hotel
The 300-room Universal Kids Resort Hotel sits right at the park entrance, and “right at” undersells it. You actually walk into the park underneath the hotel itself. That kind of proximity is the whole pitch, and for families with little ones it’s a genuine gift. From almost anywhere in the park, you’re only a few minutes from your room, so a midday nap, a swimsuit change, or an hour at the pool never becomes the cross-country expedition it would be at a sprawling destination resort. We could easily get Maisie back to the hotel for a break and to cool off, and right back to the park the moment she was ready.
And while the brightly colored hotel is aimed squarely at kids like Maisie, it never tipped into too-much for the grown-ups. We actually loved the vibe. The lobby was playing upbeat pop, not the kind of looping kiddie music that would have had us begging for mercy by check-out, and that one small choice went a long way toward making the place feel like somewhere the whole family could relax, parents included.
A Universal First
Here’s something that hasn’t gotten much attention: this is the first hotel Universal operates itself. Every one of Universal’s Orlando hotels is run by Loews. The Universal Kids Resort Hotel is the company’s first time running its own front desk, café, and housekeeping, and so far, it looks like they’re off to a good start. The team couldn’t have been more friendly or more helpful, and on a brand-new property where everyone is still learning the building, that warmth covered a lot of ground. The park and hotel both clearly need more time to smooth out their operations, but stellar guest relations go a long way, and it was on display from check-in onward.
The Rooms
The hotel was built with families in mind, and every room is sized to sleep the whole crew (in fact, even the entry-level room sleeps up to 5). There are four room types, and we toured three of them.
The Standard Queen is the one we stayed in. At 288 square feet, it pairs a queen bed with a twin-over-full bunk and a kid-friendly bathroom. It’s the workhorse of the hotel, and it was more than enough space for the three of us. Maisie, naturally, claimed the top bunk within about four seconds of walking in the door. We were also lucky to have a theme park view. Maisie really enjoyed watching the rafts from the Bello Bay swirl around the whirlpool and disappear into the drop.
The Deluxe Queen is the one type we didn’t get to see. It keeps the same five-guest layout as the Standard but adds a little more room to stretch out, a sensible middle step if the Standard feels tight but you don’t need a full suite.
The Signature Queen also sleeps five with the same bedding, and steps up to 424 square feet with a roomier bathroom (including a separate toilet area, which any parent wrangling a morning bathroom rotation will understand the value of). If you’re traveling with more gear than people, or you just want a little breathing room at the end of a hot day, this is the comfortable splurge.
The Family Suite is the standout. At 486 square feet it sleeps six, and it’s laid out to feel far bigger than a single hotel room. The parents get a private bedroom with a king bed and a door that actually closes, there’s a queen pull-out sofa in the living area, and a twin-over-twin bunk is tucked into a little hallway across from the bathroom. That tucked-away bunk is the clever bit, because it gives the kids their own nook and makes a one-bedroom suite feel almost like a three-bedroom. There’s a refrigerator too, which earns its keep the moment you’re traveling with milk, snacks, and leftover cupcakes. For a multi-kid family hoping for any shot at a quiet adult moment after bedtime, this is the room to book.
Dining
Dining at the hotel is a single destination, the Curiosity Café, and for a hotel this size, one well-rounded café gets the job done. It serves a kid-friendly menu, Coke Freestyle machines, and Starbucks coffee and drinks, plus a full-service bar for the grown-ups built right into the same dining room. You can grab a coffee, get the kids a fancy soda, and order a cocktail all in one spot, which is the kind of small mercy that makes traveling with little ones survivable.
In our three days and two nights at the resort, we had breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the Curiosity Café, which felt like a comfortable home base for us and a place to relax outside of the hubbub of the park and pool.
Everything Else
The rest of the hotel is simple and family-focused:
- An interactive arcade and game room, with a few SpongeBob games the kids gravitated to
- A fitness room, for the grown-ups still pretending they’ll work out on vacation
- The Mini Shop, for essentials, forgotten toothbrushes, and pool necessities
The pool is large but simple. There are no slides, play areas, or hot tubs. But with a whole park full of water play just steps away, the pool isn’t trying to be the main event, and it doesn’t need to be. Think of it as an extension of your park day, a quieter place to cool off and unwind after the splash pads in the park have done their work.
Hotel Guest Perks
Staying on-site comes with three special perks worth knowing about. The first is Early Park Admission, which allows hotel guests entry to the park one hour before the general public. At a park where the popular rides can build a long line quickly, that quiet first hour is the difference between walking onto the Cretaceous Coaster or waiting an hour for it. The second is a dedicated hotel entrance into the park, so you’re not looping out to the main gate every time you head back in after a break. And, a small perk that we found very helpful… You can shop in the park and have your purchases sent directly to your room!
Stays at the Universal Kids Hotel start at around $300, with a Signature room costing approximately $100 more for more space to spread out and stow bags.
Tickets, Passes & Previews
Here’s where Universal Kids Resort makes its strongest case. Compared to a traditional theme park, this place is genuinely affordable. A day at one of the big destination parks can run well north of $100 per person (up to $200 or more in the busy season). At Universal Kids Resort, a one-day ticket starts at $54.99. For a family that just wants a little theme park fun without making a long trip to Florida or California, this new park may be the perfect affordable stay-cation.
A few things to know before you book:
- 1-Day General Admission starts at $54.99 per person. Pricing is dynamic, so a quiet weekday is your cheapest option, while peak dates climb higher (up to $79.99 over Labor Day weekend).
- 2-Day General Admission starts at $73.99 per person and must be used on two consecutive days. If your kids are anything like Maisie, you’ll want the second day anyway. Use that 2nd day to prioritize anything you missed and to pick up those last-minute gifts.
- Silver Annual Pass is $129.99 per person for 12 months of admission (blockout dates apply). Do the math and the pass pays for itself in roughly three visits.
- Silver Annual Pass with Parking bumps it to $164.99 and folds in regular self-parking for the year.
- Kids 2 and under are free and don’t need a ticket.
The annual pass is the standout value here, and the public clearly agrees. Last we checked, the Silver Annual Pass had sold out, which tells you something about local demand for a park that hasn’t even officially opened yet. We’d expect Universal to revisit pass availability once the park is past its preview and soft-opening phase and settled into normal operation, so if you missed the first wave, keep an eye on the website.
Preview Days
If you simply can’t wait for July 1, Universal opened a limited preview window from June 24 through June 29, with one-day preview tickets starting at $49.99. The catch is that a preview is exactly that: the team is still rehearsing operations and putting finishing touches on the park, so some attractions, shows, and experiences may not be running on any given preview day. You’re trading a complete experience for first-through-the-gate bragging rights, and for some families that trade is well worth it.
Packages & Add-Ons
If you’re staying over, Universal’s “Create Your Own” package lets you bundle hotel nights, flights, and tickets (including a specialty “1.5-Day” admission option) along with perks like Early Park Admission, resort-wide charging privileges, and free delivery of anything you buy in the park straight to your room. One note worth underlining: hotel room rates do not include park admission, so a stay needs tickets added or a package booked. Don’t assume the room gets you in the gate.
Know Before You Go
A park built for little kids lives and dies by the practical details, and this is where Universal Kids Resort quietly shines. Here’s what we learned on the ground.
Getting There
The park is located in Frisco, just off the Dallas North Tollway at Panther Creek Parkway, about 30 minutes north of downtown Dallas and roughly the same from DFW airport. This is, by design, a drive-to park for the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, though it’s an easy add-on for anyone already flying into the area.
Hours & Parking
Operating hours shift by season and date, so check the official Universal Kids Resort website for the day you’re visiting. Parking is paid (and can be bundled into the Silver Annual Pass with Parking if you’re a frequent visitor). Confirm the current daily parking rate on the website before you go.
Beat the Heat
We can’t say this loudly enough: it gets hot in Texas in the summer, and the park’s trees and landscaping haven’t grown in yet, so shade is scarce. Plan your day around it. Hit the outdoor rides and shows in the morning, save the air-conditioned spots (the King Trollex dance party is your friend) and the water-play areas for the brutal afternoon stretch, and keep water and sunscreen on hand. We’ll get into our wish list for more shade later, but for now, just go in expecting sun and plan accordingly.
Come Ready to Get Wet
Water play is central to this park, not an afterthought, so pack swimsuits (or grab them in almost any shop). The smart move is to let the kids stay dry through the morning rides and shows, then turn them loose in the splash zones in the afternoon. A few things that make the water play painless:
- The water areas have changing stalls, so nobody’s wrestling a wet toddler in a bathroom.
- There’s also a family-sized, full-body dryer you can step into to dry off after a soaking, for a nominal fee. The kids think it’s hilarious.
Built for Little Bladders
This is the kind of thing only a park designed for young families gets right: the bathrooms are plentiful, large, clean, and located right off the main park loop. For a kid who needs to go right now, that placement is the difference between a pit stop and a puddle. Veteran parents will appreciate it more than they expected to.
A Smart Little Touch at Quick Service
Here’s a detail we loved. At the quick-service restaurants, instead of making you balance a loaded tray, they give you a number to set on your table and bring the food out to you. Why? Because if you’re holding the hand of a small child, you may not have a free hand to carry anything. It’s a tiny thing, and it tells you exactly who this park was designed for.
Height Requirements at a Glance
Yes, even a park built for little ones has height rules, and we spotted one maximum height limit as well. Worth checking little ones against these before the day’s first meltdown:
- No minimum: Mr. DNA’s Double Helix Spin, Jellyfish Fields Jamboree (handheld infants not permitted on Mr. DNA’s)
- 30″: Shrek & Fiona’s Happily Ogre After, Barnacle Bus
- 36″: Bobbing Barrels, Mrs. Puff’s Boating School (maximum 76″), Pteranodrop, Rhonda’s TrollsFest Express, Hair in the Clouds, Bello Bay Golf Cart Derby
- 39″: Jurassic World: Cretaceous Coaster
- 40″: Bello Bay Cruise
- 42″: Swings Over Del Mar (the park’s tallest requirement)
One Big Planning Note: Seasonal Operation
Don’t assume this park is open every day of the year, because it isn’t. After the summer, Universal Kids Resort closes on select dates throughout November, December, and January (Christmas Day and most of late January among them), and Universal has reserved the right to add more closure dates. If you’re planning a fall or winter visit, check the official calendar before you book anything around a specific week.
Dusty’s Take
So, is Universal Kids Resort worth your time and money? That depends entirely on who you’re bringing. If you’ve got a little one in that 3-to-9 years old window, Universal Kids Resort is a genuine joy, a park where your kid is the main character instead of the sibling stuck holding Mom’s hand at the exit of every big kid ride. If your kids have aged out of that window, this might not be the park for them, though we saw lots of older kids and their parents having a great time. The park is unabashedly focused on a tight age range, and the target audience is likely to love it.
What struck me most wasn’t any single ride. It was the thoughtfulness. This is a park designed by people who clearly understand small children, from the bathrooms placed right off the loop to the food runners who carry your tray because your hands are full of kid. The team members, every one of them brand new at a park that’s the first of its kind, were warm and present in a way that papered over the inevitable opening-month wrinkles. And there are wrinkles. Ride operations are still finding their rhythm to speed up load and unload, a few of the new attractions will need time to shake out their maintenance kinks, and that’s normal for a park this fresh. I’d give them the grace of a few months before judging the clockwork functions.
My honest critiques are less about what’s here and more about what isn’t yet. A few things I hope Universal addresses sooner rather than later:
- Shade. The trees haven’t grown in, and Texas summer is no joke. A park full of little kids baking in full sun needs shade sails and umbrellas, and it needs them now, not in five years when the landscaping catches up.
- The queues. Nearly every attraction funnels you through a plain, unthemed switchback. Adults can handle a dull line. A four-year-old in the heat cannot. Universal Express is available to skip ahead for an extra fee, and on a first visit, it may be money well spent. But adding theming in the queue, along with misters and shaded outdoor segments, would do more to ease crowded days than almost anything else.
- Places to cool off. Beyond the splash zones and King Trollex dance party, there just aren’t enough air-conditioned spaces to duck into and recover. Moving some of the character meet-and-greets indoors would give families a reason and a place to escape the sun.
And then there’s the one I keep coming back to in my head: there are no indoor rides, which is really required for Universal to call this a “theme park.” Every attraction is out in the open air. If this park succeeds, and I very much hope it does, my wish for phase two is simple. Give us a few dark rides. They don’t need to be the big, expensive, screen-heavy kind. Just simple, high-capacity rides that tell a gentle story with music and color, the sort of thing a kid who’s frightened of the spinners and coasters can climb aboard and love. They’d give the timid little ones a win, and they’d give every family a few cool, dark minutes out of the Texas sun. That combination would elevate this park from a very good first effort to something special.
If you do come, give yourself more than a single day if you can swing it. We’d split it like this: water play and the playgrounds on your shorter day, rides and shows on your longer one, and if you’re staying at the hotel, fold the pool into the mix. A one-day blitz is doable, but this is a park that rewards a slower pace, which is rather the whole point of bringing little kids in the first place.
Which brings me to Maisie. We were supposed to fly home the morning after our day in the park. But Maisie couldn’t bear to leave her new “friends” behind and begged us for another day in the park, so we stayed and did it all over again. As our second day wound down and she realized it was ending, the tears started, the real kind, the kind only a tired six-year-old who isn’t ready to say goodbye can produce. Before we could manage it, a team member knelt down, handed her a cupcake, and told her how much they couldn’t wait to see her again. That’s the whole park, right there, in one small moment. Universal Kids Resort still has work to do, but it has already nailed the part that matters most. It made a little girl feel like the most important guest in the place. The rest, they can build once they figure out what the real guests, and not this crusty old blogger, have to say.
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Let’s Hear From You
So that’s Universal Kids Resort, top to bottom, through the eyes of one very enthusiastic six-year-old and the two adults trying to keep up with her. Now we want to hear from you.
Are you planning a visit? Is a park built specifically for the under-10 crowd something you’d travel for, or is this one strictly for the locals? If you’ve got little ones, does the water-and-play approach sound like something they’d love? And for the veterans out there: would you trade a few of the spinners for a couple of gentle indoor dark rides, the way we’re hoping Universal goes in an eventual phase two?
If you went during the previews, or you’re heading out after the July 1 opening, come back and tell us how it went. We’ll be watching the comments, and many potential visitors will as well.
Drop your thoughts below. And whether your kids are park-ready or still a few years off, we’ll see you in the parks.
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