It's 10 years later and it's an adults-only trip now

[ckay87]

I have not been to Universal since 2010, at which time it was summertime, I had kids and a full family with me. It's 10 years later, kids are grown, and I'm Universal-bound with just my boyfriend. We are both 50 and he's a Harry Potter fan (a big one!).

So we're visiting mid-January and I did all of the things I used to do. Booked the Hard Rock so we could have EPs. Bought 2 day park to park tickets to allow enough time for each park. And it's now occured to me..... I've never done an adults-only trip. In January no less. And it has me wondering, is this overkill? Without dragging a full family of 4 around the park. Without wanting to ride kids rides or being able to ride water rides (brrr), will we need the 2 days? Will we need the EPs?

While I now have my doubts, the one consolation is that my geeky HP-obsessed boyfriend will have plenty of time to explore, enjoy the wand stuff (which I have yet to fully understand). We can enjoy nice restaurants and the amenities of our hotel.

Guess I'm just thinking out loud, but please do share your thoughts and similar experiences.

It's so strange how life's changes so sneak up on you in ways you don't expect.

 

[TommyJK]

Not overkill at all IMO.

The extra time you *might* have without kids will allow you to go at whatever pace you want. Sit for a while and have a few adult beverages at various places throughout the parks, or take a couple hour mid-day break if you want......

I'd rather have more time than less.

I can't wait until I'm in the same boat and my kids are old enough to be left at home

 

[bchbetha]

If your budget is fine then rock on with your plan!! There are a lot of South American groups that tour in January so it won’t be crowd free. The Express Passes will be nice to have. Re-ride everything to your hearts content. Also, the parks close pretty early in the off season so having Express Passes will best take advantage of the shorter hours. And with the early park closing time, you’ll be able to enjoy your great hotel!

 

[Disxuni]

Two days is good, especially if you plan on enjoying both parks and want to take your time. Also, the parks close early as @bchbetha mentioned. Whether it'll be busy, or not, it'll just be nice to be able to go with the flow with your EP. You don't have to worry about being one of the first in the park, or worry about taking a break and having only a certain amount of time left of the day. Not sure if you're a drinker, but as @TommyJK said this is the time to relax and maybe have a few drinks too. Of course, plenty of parents do that with their kids anyway, but from what I've seen it's typically on the run.

This is the time to take in all the little details of the Harry Potter world, or anything else you can think of that you haven't been able to do before.