3 (More) Reasons Universal Orlando Rocks for 5 Year Olds

We spent 6 nights last week at the two main Universal Orlando theme parks and stayed onsite at 2 of their resorts. Throughout our time there, I felt like Universal Orlando really cares about giving their guests a stellar experience, and put a lot of effort into making that happen. Here are 3 more reasons why Universal Orlando rocks for 5 year olds.

1. Awesome lazy river and water slide. For 4 nights, we stayed at Universal's Cabana Bay Resort and devoted one day to hanging out at their pools. We find that we need a rest day in the middle of all the park touring, and thought the kids would have a blast floating on the lazy river and going down the water slide. Not only did they have an awesome time, we did as well (see picture above). You can buy floaties there, but a kind family gave us theirs as they were leaving that day.
2. Frequent, spacious buses. Unlike other theme parks, where we were constantly jam-packed like sardines into the shuttle buses that we had to wait for, we never once had to wait for a bus at Universal Orlando. In the mornings at Cabana Bay Resort, we would usually see 3 buses in a line waiting to pick up guests. In the evenings, I think we had to stand up on the bus twice, but even so, there was plenty of elbow room. This was great for our kids, especially after a long day at the parks.
   
3. Fun gift shops. The gift shops were attractions in and of themselves. There were so many fun hats and masks that our kids (and we) enjoyed trying on, like the one above, and I can't forget the Minions goggles. They have really creatively themed candy bars, like a white chocolate one with pineapple bits in the Spongebob store, or a milk chocolate one with gummy fish in the Dr. Seuss store (a la, the One Fish, Two Fish book). We also enjoyed perusing the funny shirts and whimsical souvenirs, like the one below and the Cat in the Hat's hat mug.

The more I reminisce about our trip, the more I appreciate all the experiences we had and little fun touches we got to enjoy. There's just so much to do and check out, aside from the rides, shows, and play areas. I'll devote a post to these little touches in the future. In the meantime, check out my other Universal Orlando posts below.

Click here to read 3 reasons Universal Orlando rocks for 5 year olds.

Click here to read 3 reasons Universal Orlando rocks for everyone.
Click here to read 3 (more) reasons Universal Orlando rocks for everyone.
Click here to read a review of Barney's Backyard at Universal Orlando.