Q: We are planning to take a family vacation to Universal Studios but I have seen that it may not be as friendly as Disney World for babies.
A: While I will say that Disney is great for taking kids of all ages, Universal does have some baby friendly accommodations. Both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure have a baby care center near the front entrance to the park that offers a place to nurse, heat up bottles or food and change diapers. The biggest downfall we experienced traveling with a little one was the lack of rides she could go on due to height restrictions and even in Suess landing only 2 of the 4 rides we could go on as a family. What they do offer which I think is better than Disney are child swap rooms at most of the rides that have a heigh restrictions and the best part is they are inside with AC, a few even have diaper change stations.
Universal does offer stroller rentals but they are the big plastic ones most theme parks offer and are not the best for babies so we always bring our own stroller to the park and they do allow wagons but I haven’t seen many in the park. If you are staying at a Universal hotel you can request either a mini crib or a pack and play for your room and they will also have a little baby friendly toiletry bag in your room with them.
Even though there are limited rides for little ones in the park there is still plenty of fun to be had at several play areas. The newest is Dreamworks land in Universal Studios near the E.T. ride. This new area features characters from Shrek, Trolls and Kung fu Panda and has a playground and multiple water play areas and if you little ones are like mine you will want to bring a change of clothes because they will love getting wet on those sunny Florida days. There is also an indoor dance party featuring the popular Dreamworks characters. At Islands of Adventure there are several play areas, my little ones love If I ran the zoo in Suesslanding there is a water play area but also plenty of places to explore. In the Toon Lagoon area of the park there are a few water features and you will find a boat themed play area. Over by the Jurassic Park river ride there is a big play space called Camp Jurassic, now this one is more for older kids so you will have to keep a close eye on the younger kids.
If you will be visiting with a baby your family will still have a great vacation, but our family does feel like these parks are best for the older kids.