Adults only trip - is Universal Studios/Island of Adventure a good idea?

[Burgermom]

My DH and I are trying to plan a quick getaway vacation for just the two of us (leaving little kiddos behind with their grandparents).
I am having a difficult time finding a vacation that would only take a few days (a day of travel there; about 2 days at destination; a day of travel home).
I have read that US/IOA (In Orlando) can be done in a couple days (esp if you stay at Royal Pacific which allows you to use the Express Pass thing). So I am thinking this might make for a nice quick getaway this winter. We would likely spend 3 nights/2 days with park-to-park express pass tickets.

So my questions are:

1) are there other late 30-something couples out there who have done US/IOA trips and enjoyed it? I worry that my DH and I might feel old and out of place without kids. I haven't been since I was in my early teens and it has likely changed A LOT since then (as have I...) We both walk a lot and are in good physical condition so physically I think that we are fine. Just worried that it may be too "immature" for us.

2)Is the City Walk fun for adults? What is there to do there that would appeal to adults?

3) Would Royal Pacific hotel or the Portifino hotel be better for a couple's vacation? I like that Portifino apparently has a Starbucks in the hotel (i think?) but not sure if RP does?

4)What rides and shows have 30-something couples enjoyed?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance for any suggestions

 

[bigjon1805]

My wife came for an adults only trip last September for our first time to Universal since our teens. I think you guys would have a blast. I'll respond to your questions.


1) We are 33 years old and loved the parks. The rides aren't really geared towards children at all. You'll find plenty to do and it is great for a short trip. Make sure you check into upgrading to annual passes to maybe get a discount on the hotel. For us, it was only $15 each to go from 3 day tickets to annual power passes. We have been 3 times since! The annual pass prices are changing, so you will have to check that out.

2) I would say that CityWalk is for adults. There really isn't anything for kids to do. There are great places to eat and drink and the clubs at night are adult only.

3) We personally have not stayed at Portofino, but loved Royal Pacific. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

4) We honestly enjoy them all. Even the few kid rides that are there bring back a nostalgia and make it fun. I would venture to say, 90% of the rides would be thoroughly enjoyed by 30 somethings.

Do it and have fun! You'll enjoy it!

 

[KCBelle]

1) We are a couple in our late 30s/early 40s and love Universal. We have never felt out of place without kids or felt the parks were geared towards kids and families only with the exception of maybe Dr. Seuss area (which we still enjoyed once just for the nostalgia aspect).

2) City walk has several sit down restaurants that we enjoy. There are also quick service dining places we have never tried and bars/nightclubs which we haven't gone to either so can't speak to those. There is also a movie theater and mini golf.

3) We have stayed at both Royal Pacific and Portofino Bay and I would gladly stay at either one again. There is a Starbucks at Portofino I went every day last week. I liked the pools at Portofino a little more than Royals Pacific's, especially the zero entry beach pool. Portofino has the spa if that is something you are interested in. We have had massages and body wraps there and been pleased. The one downside I found with Portofino was no mini fridge in the room (you can pay extra to get one, $15 I think) We stayed club level at Royal Pacific and the service was great.

4) We enjoy thrill rides so Universal has tons of options for us. We don't really do the shows, just not our thing.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip last week and are already planning another.
Hope that helps

 

[wookiebeck]

I'm in my 40's. Love it at US and IOA. Some days I feel like taking my motion sickness pills and riding roller coasters. Some days I like taking it easy and watching shows or just plain hanging out in the two HP lands. There are very few places (Barney/Woody Woodpecker) that I would call purely kiddie. I really enjoy the Dr. Seuss rides, so give them a chance.

We had fun at RPR for a night of drinks and sushi in their sushi bar. That hotel is the cheapest of the deluxe choices. Portofino is our fave during the summer for the pools and grounds.

We don't do dancing or clubs at CW. Plenty of nice dinner choices. We usually go to bed anyway to take advantage of rope drop.

Good luck!

 

[mischief32]

Me, 47 and my husband 49 are heading there in a few weeks without our daughter. We are going for HHN but love to hit up the rides. Our favorites are the water rides at IOA, Hulk, Dr. Doom, The Mummy, MIB and Gringotts. We also love eating at the many places in Citywalk that my daughter does not like. We will be staying at Cabana Bay. We love the lazy river and the pool side drinks, Alcoholic Root Beer Float, is to die for.

 

[schumigirl]

This year is going to be our second year without our son, and as two adults we love Universal just as much as when he used to come with us.

No bad choice for either hotel, you certainly won't feel out of place not having kids with you at either place.......there is a real mix of people there all the time. We are very biased towards RPR as we adore it. Perfect for us in many ways.

The parks are designed for everyone.......no one will look twice at you going on cat in the hat for example........

Citywalk is perfect for families and adults alike. They sometimes have live music playing in the centre........they also have kids activities down the steps. Things like teaching them how to dance certain ways and dance offs......restaurants are fabulous for the most part and it's a fun lively place to be at night with or without kids.

The mini golf is a lot of fun there. 2 courses. One themed for aliens and the other spooky......both are better at night as they look lovely all lit up.

We never go to the clubs, but I hear they are good.

Have you checked out the website to see what is on offer? www.universalorlando.com

Should give you a good overview of what there is on offer at UO........and it'll be a lovely break for both of you as a couple again.......

 

[Seeker615]

Yes - My hubby and I went for 5 days for our anniversary and had a blast. We are going again in the spring and can't wait.

We stayed at Royal Pacific so we had express passes, we saw the Blue Man Group one night and we also did mini golf and enjoyed happy hour on Citywalk.

We had so much fun and the express passes made everything so much easier and more enjoyable.

 

[agavegirl1]

You will have a blast!

1. Hubby and I are empty nesters. I have only been to US/IOA once with kids. I love it for our adults only vacations. We are more "mature" than you are and have never felt out of place. There is a vibe there that all ages can enjoy. (I am creeping up toward 60 myself).

2. City Walk is very adult oriented with restaurants, nightclubs, shopping etc.

3. We have stayed at both Royal Pacific and Portofino. We prefer Portofino for atmosphere. The piazza is lovely.

4. We enjoy both thrills and theming. We enjoy everything except areas designed specifically for the littlest kids such as the Woody Woodpecker coaster. As for shows, we enjoy the Horror Makeup Show and street entertainment such as the Blues Brothers.

 

[bumbershoot]

There is a Starbucks at Portofino I went every day last week.

Where? Is it new? Or is it a "proudly serving Starbucks" type of place?

 

[macraven]

op, i think you will enjoy the parks and city walk.

age has nothing to do with fitting in there.
there is something for everybody for entertainment in the parks.


heck, i see a lot of old people on each trip i make to the darkside.
meaning retirement age peeps.....

 

[agavegirl1]

Where? Is it new? Or is it a "proudly serving Starbucks" type of place?

It is in the Piazza where the lagoon for the boat launch is but on the opposite side.

 

[cschaaf]

My answers are similar to the above answers

Our last trip (and the next one) sound similar to your idea - drove there one day, did the parks for 2 or 3 days, then drove home. Staying on-site is a huge advantage and, for us, 3 days gives us plenty of time to do everything we want to do, including riding some rides over and over (I'm looking at you Mummy, MIB, Hulk!)

1. We are late 40s/early 50s and love the Universal parks (side note, we also love the Disney parks) and don't feel out of place without kids. We've been to Universal 3 times - twice with the young adult kids, and once without. We'll be going again without the kids in mid October

2. We're not the nightclub type, but we love a few of the restaurants in CityWalk and will try a few new ones on our next trip.

3. We've only stayed at Royal Pacific and it's a beautiful hotel. We're staying at Portofino on our next trip - and it looks even more beautiful. I don't think you could go wrong at either place.

4. We like almost every ride. We haven't done a lot of the shows, but we did enjoy the Horror Makeup Show and Animal Actors, but not enough to want to do them every trip.

 

[KCBelle]

It is in the Piazza where the lagoon for the boat launch is but on the opposite side.

Yep, it had a Starbucks sign outside and was right by the door to the elevators for the east wing. The inside looked like a regular Starbucks and the menu looked the same. They also served breakfast sandwiches and pastries, muffins and sweets like in regular Starbucks.

 

[bumbershoot]

It is in the Piazza where the lagoon for the boat launch is but on the opposite side.

Yep, it had a Starbucks sign outside and was right by the door to the elevators for the east wing. The inside looked like a regular Starbucks and the menu looked the same. They also served breakfast sandwiches and pastries, muffins and sweets like in regular Starbucks.

Thanks to both of you. Did a little digging, and apparently it was announced a few months AFTER our last stay there. And I must have missed any discussion here. Wild!

 

[Mom3girls]

My husband and I just went on an adults only trip in mid August, stayed at Royal Pacific for 3 nights/almost 4 full days and LOVED every minute of it!!!! We are planning on taking our teenagers back mid Dec and hopefully him and I can squeeze out another trip (just us) in the spring. We upgraded our tickets to annual passes for the room discount and bc we knew we were taking the kids back soon. Can't say enough good things about the hotel, restaurants, bars and parks!!! Had a BLAST

 

[Mom3girls]

This is us having fun without our 3 teenagers

 

[mcjw2011]

I went with my former co-worker, his dad, his fiance, and his friend six years ago.

You will have a blast there, even without the kids.

 

[soniam]

I think Universal is an even better adults only trip than Disney. We did a couple of days in late July as part of a longer trip that included WDW. DH and I are in our 40s and didn't feel too old at all. The amount of time you have is perfect. Royal Pacific is nice. We have been twice before with our son. There are a lot of good, upscale restaurants and a lot of great places to drink. Citywalk at night is geared more toward adults with clubs and live music venues. Have a great time.

 

[georgina]

Oh my, I am in my 50's and DH is in his 60's and we are going in a few weeks! Not worried about feeling old or being kidless. I love theme parks more than he does, but he comes along with me sometimes. We ride all the thrill rides, drink more than we do at home, eat out, relax. We have stayed at RPR several times with our kids but are going to try PB this time. If that is the type of trip you will enjoy, do it!

 

[mellyf]

Agree with everyone who's posted! My husband and I are also empty nesters. We went in January of 2015 for 4 days and had a blast. We went again this past August with our kids/grandkids and also had a blast. We stayed at RPR the first time, loved walking to the park for early entry, and also loved Express Pass. Not sure when we'll be able to go again, but hopefully in a year or two. There are tons of couples of all ages (w/ no kids).