This one is for the park fans who drive past construction sites with their phones out.
Universal Kids Resort is under construction in Frisco, Texas, and some of the fences have started coming down. Which means photos of the hotel and construction progress are popping up online. Which means someone had to say something, and that someone is Diservations on X, posting as @diservations, with a message worth taking seriously: “Now that some of the Universal Kids Resort fences are down, I’m seeing a lot more up-close photos of the hotel pop up online. Don’t do it. Stay back and use your zoom. I’ve been doing it for years.”
Diservations has been tracking this project for a long time and knows what they are talking about. And the reason the advice matters is not just about being a good citizen of the theme park community. There is a sign.
Now that some of the Universal Kids Resort fences are down, I’m seeing a lot more up-close photos of the hotel pop up online. Don’t do it. Stay back and use your zoom. I’ve been doing it for years. pic.twitter.com/Kha7GGXgtm
— Diservations (@diservations) May 3, 2026
The signage at the Universal Kids Resort construction site prohibits photography, social media, videography, FaceTime calls, and drone usage. It says no exceptions. It says violators will be moved immediately from the site. That is not fine print. That is the first thing you read when you approach the property.
So if you have been thinking about pulling over on your next drive through Frisco for a close-up photo of the hotel, now you know. Stay back. Use zoom. The park is going to open and you will be able to photograph it from inside like a normal person when it does.
Now that we have covered the important part, let us talk about what is actually being built in Frisco, because Universal Kids Resort is genuinely exciting and deserves more attention than the photography drama.
What Is Actually Going Up Behind Those Fences
Universal is calling Universal Kids Resort its first theme park just for kids. All ages are welcome but the whole design, from the characters to the ride scales to the land concepts, is built specifically for younger children. This is not a Universal park where young kids can find a few appropriate things to do. It is a park where young kids are the entire point.
No confirmed opening date exists yet. The attached hotel is not taking reservations. Based on construction progress, fall or late 2026 is what observers are guessing, but Universal has not confirmed anything officially.
Seven lands are coming and the lineup covers the franchises that every parent of a young child currently knows by heart.
DreamWorks’ Shrek’s Swamp has two attractions. Shrek’s Swamp Splash and Smash is a waterlogged play experience built around Shrek’s triplets. Shrek and Fiona’s Happily Ogre After is a family ride retelling the love story of an ogre and a princess. Shrek and Fiona meet-and-greets are confirmed.
Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom is the most packed land with six attractions. Jellyfish Fields Jamboree puts guests in a Jelly Angler to catch bouncing jellyfish with SpongeBob. Barnacle Bus tours Bikini Bottom past Gary the Snail and other familiar faces. Bobbing Barrels is a spinning water ride with Patrick Star and Sandy Cheeks. Mrs. Puff’s Boating School has guests swerving through her undersea driving course. Interactive play areas and a meet-and-greet with SpongeBob, Patrick Star, Squidward, and Sandy are also there.
Illumination’s Minions vs. Minions: Bello Bay Club is heavily water-focused. Bello Bay Cruise pits Yellow and Purple Minions against each other in a rapids ride. Bello Bay Golf Cart Derby is a spinning, chaotic golf game ride. Minion meet-and-greets and play areas are included.
Jurassic World Adventure Camp has three rides. Jurassic World: Cretaceous Coaster sends guests searching for Baby Bumpy, a missing ankylosaurus. Pteranodrop simulates flying like a pteranodon with gentle drops and dips. Mr. DNA’s Double Helix Spin is a colorful spinning pod experience. There is a baby raptor meet-and-greet, a sensory garden, paddock play areas, and Jurassic World Lookout Towers.
DreamWorks’ TrollsFest has Rhonda’s TrollsFest Express, a coaster-style Armadillo Bus ride through the land, and Hair in the Clouds, a balloon ride above it. The King Trollex Techno Dance Party is a hosted dance event with a disco ball. Character meet-and-greets with Poppy and friends and two play areas, Poppy’s Playland and Trolls Critter Crawl, are confirmed.
DreamWorks’ Puss in Boots Del Mar has Swings Over Del Mar as its main ride, spinning guests above the kitty adoption day festivities of the village. Mama Luna’s Adopt A Kitty Day! is a show with puppets and some Spanish-language moments. An interactive games area and a Puss in Boots meet-and-greet round it out.
Isle of Curiosity near the entrance features a dance party and Gabby from Gabby’s Dollhouse character meet-and-greets.
The attached hotel will open with the park, though it is not taking reservations yet.
Why Disney Families Should Be Paying Attention to This
We cover Disney here and we are not going to pretend that Universal Kids Resort is a Disney park, because it is not. But we would be doing families a disservice if we did not acknowledge what this park actually represents for people who love theme parks and have young children.
Walt Disney World is magnificent. It is also enormous, expensive, complicated to plan, and genuinely exhausting for families with children under five or six. It is a multi-day commitment that requires significant advance preparation just to experience it at a baseline level. The Magic Kingdom experience that families dream about often looks different in practice when you are there with a two-year-old who is overwhelmed and a four-year-old who is too short for half the rides.
Universal Kids Resort is being built at a scale specifically suited to young children. The rides are calibrated for kids. The characters are the ones young kids actually recognize right now. The sensory gardens and calm spaces exist because someone thought about what young children actually need in a theme park environment. For a family looking for their child’s first theme park experience, this may be a more appropriate starting point than flying to Orlando for a full Walt Disney World week.
And for families in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, it removes the need to travel far at all.
We are genuinely looking forward to the food and dining side of this resort when more details come out. Universal has always taken the food element of its parks seriously and a kids-focused resort with franchise-themed dining has real potential. We will be watching for those announcements.
Follow Universal Kids Resort’s official channels for the opening date announcement and hotel reservation news when they eventually arrive. If you are in the Frisco area and you have been tempted to get closer to the construction for a better look, read the sign, listen to Diservations, and use your zoom. The park is coming and you will have plenty of opportunity to photograph it properly once the gates open.
