Planning an Adults Only Trip to Universal Orlando
Planning an adults only trip to Universal Orlando is so fun! Universal Orlando lends itself to being a great destination not only for families with older children, but also for grown ups who want an amazing theme park experience sans kids!
Family vacations with your children are so fun, but sometimes the grown ups need a theme park getaway, too! In my time working as a travel advisor, I am booking more and more adult only trips to Universal Orlando. Whether you are in town for a conference, need a quick getaway, or a full fledged vacation, Universal Orlando is a great destination for just the grown ups!

How to Make the Most of Your Time at Universal Orlando as Adults Only
Swap Your Eating and Riding Times. Most people stop for lunch between noon and 1:00, and dinner around 5 or 6. So, the lines for all the rides are shorter during those times, and the lines for food are shorter before and after those times.
Some people complain about long lines, but if you go during the “off times” you don’t have to wait very long at all. Plan to have an early lunch around 11, a nice mid afternoon snack around 2, and then a late dinner around 7 or 7:30PM.
Ditch the Park Bag. Many rides don’t allow you to have a bag, and they make you store it in one of the lockers near the attraction entrance. They let you have the locker for free for the amount of time they calculate it will take you to ride the ride once. It can be inconvenient to keep stowing your bag, and worrying about getting back in time to get your bag without paying for the locker. So, try to go without a bag if you can. As adults, we don’t have a lot of extra stuff to carry, so even a small belt bag or sling bag is ideal if you need to take something.

Choose a Great Onsite Resort. This can be pretty easy as adults. The Universal Onsite Resorts are all fantastic. However, there are a few that stand out to me as great options when planning an adults only trip to Universal Orlando:
- Universal’s Aventura Hotel. Aventura has an AMAZING roof top bar and lounge, with views for days. The comfortable seating, and laid back atmosphere are great for grown ups!
- Loew’s Portofino Bay Hotel. Think of an Italian Harbor with live opera singers on the piazza, amazing food options, and a beautiful pool. That is Loew’s Portofino Bay. I think it has a “fancy”, classy vibe to it, making it perfect for a grown up getaway.
- Cabana Bay Beach Resort. To be fair, this hotel draws a lot of families with the lazy river aspect. However, the retro vibe, walking option to Volcano Bay, and the lazy river all are awesome for adults.

Utilize the Single Rider Line. Many attractions at Universal have a Single Rider queue. While you do risk not being seated RIGHT next to each other, that seems to be fine in most cases when traveling sans kids. This may eliminate your wait time, and if you do not have Express Pass, using the Single Rider line is a great idea.
Visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as Adults
The Wizarding World is a popular place, spanning both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. So make sure you have a park to park ticket!
On The Forbidden Journey ride, you will often see a long line because the lockers are right as you enter the castle. Go around the people trying to store their bags to get into the attraction line. Go through the single rider line! It cuts your wait time significantly, and many times they would need 2 single riders, so you stand a good chance of riding together.

Enjoy a Butterbeer tasting. While this is not an “official” activity at Universal Orlando, you could have so much fun with this! Butterbeer comes in many forms ~frozen, hot, ice cream ~ and several other options! There are SIX ways to try Butterbeer in the Universal theme parks! Take some time to try a little bit of each, and see which you like the best!

Across the street from Ollivanders is an exit from Hogsmeade that takes you to The Lost World. From that bridge you get one of the best views of Hogwarts, and it’s a great place to get a picture!
Visit Hog’s Head Pub in Hogsmeade. Planning an adults only trip to Universal Orlando is not complete without some grown up drinks! Here, you can enjoy some grown up drinks such as Dragonscale Lager, Hog’s Head Brew and Witches Brew. You’ll find the pub inside Three Broomsticks.
Overall Best Attractions at Universal Orlando for Adults
Universal is definitely family friendly. But, some of their attractions stand out to me as perfect for adults:
- Transformers-The Ride 3D
- Incredible Hulk Coaster
- Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventures
- The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman
- Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rock It
- VelociCoaster

There are SO many amazing attractions, but those really stand out to me as great for adults when planning an adults only trip to Universal Orlando. Lots of thrills, coupled with a little bit of nostalgia from our childhood favorites.
Best Places to Eat at Universal Orlando for Adults
Ahhhh……SO many good places! When planning an adult only trip to Universal Orlando, good food choices are a MUST! Citywalk is brimming with awesome options, and Citywalk has late hours. So long after all the families have gone to bed and settled the kiddos down for the evening, Citywalk is a great place to be as just adults!

Hard Rock Cafe. We are big fans of any Hard Rock Cafe, no matter where we go. The Hard Rock Cafe Orlando is the largest Hard Rock Cafe in the WORLD. They have a stage area where they host live performances throughout the year. There is also a John Lennon Room, and I believe you can ask to see it and they will take you to it. This has been our experience in the past, so just ask! Also, the food is great and we always have great service.
Antojitos. For authentic Mexican food, Antojitos is fabulous. We love the live performances they have there on almost a nightly basis. Dancers, mariachi bands, etc. It’s so fun. Their table side guacamole is amazing! And, their margaritas are fantastic.

Voo Doo Donut. What adult doesn’t like fancy donuts? VooDoo Donuts is a fun stop at the end of the night to get some tasty treats for breakfast the next morning! Or, stop by on your way to the theme parks in the morning. Their variety of flavors makes it fun for adults who like something different than a traditional glazed donut.
I hope these tips help you have a great time at Universal Studios! Do you have any pointers for visiting Universal Studios? Share them in the comments!
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Carrie Hurst
Not only do I love sharing all my vacation tips and ideas here on A Princess and Her Pirates, but I also work alongside families to create magical vacation memories year after year! Email me at carrie@destinationsinflorida.com to begin the planning process, and join hundreds of families on my current guest list.
Are the rides in WWOHP scary?
I think it depends on your version of “scary”. Like the Escape from Gringott’s seems scarier than the Forbidden Journey. But the Hippogryph isn’t scary at all.