Growing up, I always considered Universal’s theme parks in Orlando and Hollywood to be the “grown-up” parks you graduated to when you were ready for intense rides, faster coasters and bigger thrills. Now that I am a mom of three and a frequent theme park visitor, I know that Universal parks have fun for kids of all ages.
On July 1, Universal will open its newest theme park in Frisco, Texas, and this time, there is no wondering who this park is for. It’s right there in the name — Universal Kids Resort. Built for children ages 3 to 9 and their families, the park features lands themed to franchises like “Shrek,” “Jurassic World” and “Trolls.”
The park is much smaller than its counterparts on the east and west coasts, and the shows, characters and attractions in each land cater to younger kids, so they can experience their first coaster, cool off in a SpongeBob-themed splash pad and meet a baby dinosaur all in the same day.
I traveled to the Dallas area with my seven-year-old son to preview this new park before its grand opening. Here’s everything you need to know about this kid-friendly park, including how to save money using points and miles.
Tips for visiting Universal Kids Resort
Who should visit Universal Kids Resort?
After our visit, I see two specific types of Universal Kids Resort visitors. The first would be families in Dallas or within a few hours’ drive of the park who can drive in for a one-day visit or weekend staycation.
The other group is families planning a vacation to the Dallas area. You could spend a day or two at Universal Kids Resort and then move closer to downtown Dallas to experience other family-friendly attractions in the area.
There is technically a third group: people like me who love theme parks, no matter the target age demographic. But most people will have the best time if they visit with children in tow.
How many days do you need at Universal Kids Resort?
If you only have one day, you can easily get on all of the rides at Universal Kids Resort. But, the park has so many themed play areas, shows, character meet-and-greets and a hotel that my son and I enjoyed just as much as the rides that I would recommend the park’s two-night vacation package.
You’ll get two nights at the Universal Kids Resort Hotel, half-day park admission starting at 2 p.m. on your arrival day, and a full day admission the following day. This will give you a chance to get the lay of the land on the first day and then explore more and revisit your favorite attractions the next.
The best attractions at Universal Kids Resort
According to my unpaid intern (aka, my child), there are three standout rides at Universal Kids Resort.
His favorite ride (and I think I agree) was the Bello Bay Cruise in the Minions vs. Minions section of the park. We got completely soaked on this rapids ride, and it incorporated a lot of spinning that made it different from similar rides. We rode this one twice, and not just because it helped us stay cool on a hot summer day.
My son also loved (and requested to re-ride) Shrek & Fiona’s Happily Ogre After in the Shrek’s Swamp section. This is the first Shrek-themed ride in the U.S., and he was old enough to drive the car on his own. Not only did he ride it twice, but he also wouldn’t even let me in the car the second time to prove he was big enough to do it on his own.
The park has two roller coasters, Rhonda’s TrollsFest Express and Jurassic World: Cretaceous Coaster. Of those, Cretaceous Coaster was definitely my son’s favorite. He is obsessed with dinosaurs and loves the “Jurassic World” movies, but it is also the more thrilling of the two coasters.
It should come as no shock that Jurassic World Adventure Camp was his favorite section of the park. In addition to the coaster, there were two other rides and a pair of dinosaur-themed play areas that he did not want to leave.
Using points and miles to save at Universal Kids Resort
Its smaller size makes Universal Kids Resort more affordable than other theme park vacations. When you have the right credit cards in your wallet to employ these points and miles tricks, you can still find ways to save.
Related: How to use points and miles to save money at Universal theme parks
Getting to Universal Kids Resort
Universal Kids Resort is located about 25 miles from downtown Dallas, putting it between 30 and 40 minutes away from both area airports, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Dallas Love Field (DAL).
Several airlines offer direct flights to one of these two airports, making it easy to dip into your stash of airline miles for a trip to the Lone Star State.
American Airlines offers the most direct flights to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport from cities like New York, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami, while Southwest has the most flights into Dallas Love Field (the airline is based here) from Denver, New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Las Vegas.
You’ll find the cheapest flights on Frontier Airlines, which flies nonstop to DFW from many of the same cities mentioned above.
Outside of American Airlines, Southwest Airlines or Frontier Airlines cobranded cards, the best points programs for getting to Dallas would include those that earn points that transfer into these programs. Frontier doesn’t have any transfer partners, but Bilt and Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer to Southwest Rapid Rewards points and Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer to American AAdvantage miles, all at a rate of 1:1.
Let’s look at a quick example that shows how it is totally possible to get your entire family to Dallas without paying out of pocket for your flights.
- Currently, if you sign up for a Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (see rates and fees), you can earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- When you transfer those points to AAdvantage miles at a 1:1 ratio, you’ll have 75,000 miles to book flights.
- You can find round-trip American Airlines flights between major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago for as few as 16,000 miles, so that you could cover flights for a family of four with 64,000 miles total.
Save money on your hotel stay
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Universal Kids Resort. TARAH CHIEFFI/THE POINTS GUY
Because of its proximity to the park, family-friendly accommodations and fun theming, I recommend staying at the Universal Kids Resort Hotel, but I will mention a few nearby points hotels, too.
Rates at the Universal Kids Resort Hotel average around $250 per night, but I saw rates as low as $166 in my searches.
If you want to earn or redeem points by booking through a travel portal, the Universal Kids Resort Hotel is currently only bookable through the American Express Travel® portal. (Since the hotel only recently opened, it could become available through other booking portals in the near future.)
Cash pricing is typically the same as what you’ll find by booking directly with Universal, but you can earn 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked through the Amex Travel portal with American Express Platinum Card® or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
Outside of Amex, you can pay for your stay with a credit card that allows you to use points to cover travel purchases on your statement, like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or one with a flexible annual statement credit that you can use to cover any eligible travel purchase, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees).
Related: The easy route: How to redeem Capital One miles at a fixed value
If you are so loyal to points properties that you refuse to bend even for a hotel where a giant Shrek mural greets you when you step off the elevator, there are several in the Frisco area.
- Courtyard by Marriott Dallas Frisco: This hotel is only about a five-minute drive from Universal Kids Resort. Rates start at around $148 or 14,800 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
- Hampton Inn and Suites Dallas Frisco: This hotel is less than 10 minutes from Universal Kids Resort. Rates start at $92 or 28,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
Saving money on tickets
Universal Kids Resort offers a variety of ticket types, including one- and two-day tickets or hotel-and-ticket vacation packages. You can also purchase add-ons like a Trolls makeup experience, refillable soda cups and stroller rentals.
How you purchase your tickets will determine whether they code as “travel” or “entertainment” on your credit card statement. Vacation packages and tickets purchased through third-party sellers like Undercover Tourist typically code as travel, allowing you to use miles or a general travel statement credit to “erase” the transaction from your statement.
But a ticket-only purchase will likely be coded as entertainment. If you still want to earn points on your tickets and other Universal Kids Resort purchases, your best bet could be a simple everyday spending card or one of the Universal Rewards credit cards, as they earn bonus points on qualifying Universal purchases, including tickets, vacation packages and in-park purchases like food and merchandise.
The no-annual-fee Universal Rewards Plus Visa Signature® Card earns 2 points per dollar on qualifying Universal purchases, and the $99-annual-fee Universal Rewards Plus Visa Signature® Card earns 4 points per dollar on qualifying Universal purchases, among other perks. You can add the points you earn to a Universal FUNds prepaid card to cover eligible Universal purchases on future trips. Both cards include discounts on in-park dining and merchandise purchases, too.
The information for the Universal Rewards Plus cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
My son and I had such a great time at Universal Kids Resort. I would recommend the park to anyone traveling to the Dallas area or other highly obsessed theme park fans like myself. Yes, the park is for kids, but I had as much fun as he did because we experienced it together (except for the part where he kicked me off the Shrek ride).
