Hard Rock and Jurassic Park: Guide to Planning An (Adults-Only) Trip to Universal Orlando Resort
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It’s a truth universally acknowledged that growing up is just a state of mind. Just because you’re suiting up every day for a 9-5 now doesn’t mean you have to give up on collecting those limited-edition Funko Pops!, re-playing your favorite albums on vinyl from when you were younger, or yes, going to theme parks. Adrenaline heads getting their death-defying fix in aside, there are plenty of reasons to plan a whole vacation to a park — especially when many of them have become full-blown, all-inclusive resorts. But wait, you may be asking. The costumed characters, the goofy parades — isn’t this trip going to just become all about the kids?
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At a Glance: How to Plan a Universal Orlando Theme Park Trip
Best Place to Get Discounted Tickets: Undercover Tourist
Best Place to Book Hotels: Booking.com
Best Tour Program: Universal VIP Experience
Listen, there are times when you don’t want to travel with the kiddos — blowout bachelor parties, romantic couples trips, or even just trekking on your own solo adventure, etc. We totally get that experiencing a theme park through their doe-eyed wonder is one of the reasons why it’s seen as such a “right of passage” in the U.S. to take your little ones on their first trip down to Orlando, to see them light up at the magic. Unfortunately, my whimsy levels were somehow in the red during my childhood vacation, as I remember asking my parents at Disney World when we could leave the park so I could go down the python-shaped water slide at our hotel’s pool. “Maybe if you had brought me here when I was six, I would’ve felt more of the magic? I’m seven now. I know those are real people under the costumes,” I had said. My parents gave each other a tired glance. Dammit, kid, you’re at a theme park!
Related: The Rolling Stone Travel + Wellness Awards 2024
The good news is that if you’re anything like my parents and are thinking about how to plan a Florida theme park trip of the sans-youths kind, you don’t necessarily have to be that kind of “theme park adult” to have the most fun possible. And if you’re planning a 21+ solo or group trip, may we suggest choosing Universal Orlando Resort out of the “big two”? From the nightlife at CityWalk, to the thrill rides that’ll rattle your teeth, we think there’s enough adult magic here you can squeeze into a 48-hour weekend (we’ll save the Mouse for another guide).
So grab a Butterbeer, put your belongings in the locker, and let us be your official Universal Orlando Resort tour guide for the next few minutes. From how to get deals on tickets, to where to stay, and a couple park pro tips, here’s how to plan the best Universal vacation you can.
In This Article
How Much Are Universal Orlando Theme Park Tickets?
Where to Find Discount Universal Orlando Tickets
Where to Stay at Universal Orlando Resort
The Best Itinerary For Spending a Weekend at Universal Orlando Resort
Other Bars to Check Out In Orlando
How Much Are Universal Orlando Theme Park Tickets?
According to the Universal Orlando website, a one-day ticket is $119 for adults and gets you into one park per day. A one-day ticket for both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure gets you into both parks and works out to $174 per day (one day at the Universal Volcano Bay water park is also a separate ticket and is only $80 a day). Especially if you want to get the full Wizarding World experience, we strongly suggest getting a two-park ticket. Consider your budget may also increase if you’re going during special events like Halloween Horror Nights (featuring haunted houses from popular franchises like Stranger Things and Ghostbusters) which require a separate ticket.
Of course the longer you stay, the less you’ll pay per day. A five-day ticket starts at $58 for adults — do the math and it works out to $290 for the whole week, which is $305 in savings versus paying by the day. A five-day multiple park ticket starts at $72 for adults — just an additional $14 per day. Unlike Walt Disney World’s Park Hopper ticket, which has time restrictions, this lets you move freely from park to park over five days, any time from park open to close.
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Where to Find Discount Universal Orlando Tickets
Believe it or not, there are a couple of ways to find discount tickets to Universal Orlando Resort — if you know where to look.
1. Universal Orlando Resort Ticket Deals And Special Offers
Universal has got you covered with their latest park deal — right now, you can get two days free when you buy a 2-Park, 3-Day Ticket. This lets you either visit one park per day: Universal Studios Florida or Universal Islands of Adventure; OR choose a Park-to-Park ticket to visit multiple parks in the same day.
If you stay on-property you can save even more with this hot deal for your summer vacation — now you can get 30% off on a 3-park, 5-night vacation package at either Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort or Universal’s Aventura Hotel.
see universal orlando resort deals
2. Undercover Tourist Discount Universal Orlando Resort Tickets
The best place to start your search for Universal Orlando discounts online is at UndercoverTourist.com. The website offers a number of theme park deals, including coupons and promo codes to Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure.
Undercover Tourist has Universal tickets starting from just $118 for a single-day admission.
Buy universal orlando tickets on undercover tourist
A five-day ticket, meantime, is $265 — or just $53 a day. That saves you $46 versus purchasing the same pass at the gate.
Undercover Tourist’s site often offers additional discounts on Universal passes. Right now, you can save an extra $5 off your purchase — no promo code required. See full pricing details here.
3. Sam’s Club Discount Universal Orlando Resort Tickets
Sam’s Club members can save on Universal Orlando theme park tickets, with up to 20% off select stays at select Resort hotels. You can also purchase admission to the theme park (including a Express passes) and gift cards that you can use for shopping or dining.
To get the cheap Universal tickets, you’ll need to first sign up for a Sam’s Club membership, which starts at just $50 a year.
get sam's club membership $50/year
Upgrade to a Sam’s Club Plus membership, which costs $110, and get 2% back (up to $1,000) on Sam’s Club purchases, including Sam’s Club Travel. See full membership details and Sam’s Club Universal Orlando Resort deals at SamsClub.com.
get sam's club plus membership $110/year
Where to Stay at Universal Orlando Resort
Similar to Walt Disney World, Universal’s resorts are split into a tiered structure based on budget and perks, although if we’re being honest even WDW’s “budget” hotels are now wildly out of reach for most spending-conscious guests. While in the past, some may have tacked on a day at Universal to their WDW trip, we think they have some seriously underrated properties, and staying there is the best way to experience all that Universal Orlando Resort has to offer.
All Universal resorts offer complimentary transportation to the parks, whether that be by bus or by water taxi (the transportation time is roughly the same, so we frequently take the water taxi for a pretty and relaxing ride). The best perk is that many of the resort hotels are within comfortable walking distance of the parks, so it may only take you 10 minutes through a lush, tropical pathway to reach the entrance. When you stay on-property, you’ll also enjoy Early Park Admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Universal Volcano Bay up to one hour before the theme park opens.
There are four hotel tiers, by most to least pricey — Premier, Preferred, Prime Value, and Value. Looking to keep the party going? Definitely book the Hard Rock Hotel. We definitely recommend checking out the pool at the Hard Rock Hotel, since it’s unlike anything else (you can listen to music underwater). RS fans are sure to appreciate all the memorabilia on display in the hotel, too (although Southern Rock fans might find their selection a little lacking, as we overheard one dad say “you’re telling me they have Axl Rose’s guitar but not Gregg Allman’s?”).
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel is another winner, since it looks and feels as much like a relaxing, seaside Mediterranean escape as one can find stateside. Themed to the waterfront town of Portofino complete with its own harbor, with intimate cobblestone walkways leading to lush and sprawling courtyards. While so-called “family” hotels can feel like they’re just tailored to the kids, Universal took a page straight out of old world Europe and made this resort feel like a destination worth visiting for the older crowd too.
These Premier hotels also come with the added bonus of free Universal Express Unlimited (a $129.99 value per person, per day), which lets you skip the regular lines at the most popular attractions in both parks. So if you were already planning on purchasing an Express Pass, it makes more financial sense to stay at this kind of resort.
That being said, even the more budget-friendly resorts offer comfortable accommodations, great food courts, and impressive theming. We’ve also stayed at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, and it’s a favorite of ours if you want to live your best groovy Sixties, beachside getaway life, with the best Cuban sandwich on property and prime access to Volcano Bay, too (clutch if you want to roll right out of bed and straight into the wave pool). There will be more kids here than say, Hard Rock, if that’s a dealbreaker for you.
The Best Itinerary For Spending a Weekend at Universal Orlando Resort
DAY ONE
Because we’ve only got 48 hours to pack in the fun, folks we’re getting in early and staying late. So when those gates open, you should be lining up! (This is where Early Park Admission really comes in handy on beating the crowds, especially if you’re staying on-property). While we think you should always fly in the night before your first park day, the rookie mistake here is heading out to Universal CityWalk for a night cap on your unofficial “Night 0” — look, we all want to get the party started, but there’s nothing worse than already being nauseous on your first ride of the day (especially with all the screen-and-motion-based attractions here).
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If you don’t want to have to worry about waiting in lines and you’re a sucker for behind-the-scenes views and theme park fun facts, doing a VIP Experience with your group, in our opinion, is totally worth it. Your party will get a seven hour tour of both parks, complimentary breakfast and lunch, discounts on merchandise and Express Unlimited Pass for the rest of the day after the tour is over. Starting at $259.99 per person, it is a bit pricey though (and doesn’t include the cost of your park ticket), and I would maybe not suggest this tour if you’re as much of a theme park history freak as I am. “Is it true,” I had asked our guide on our last tour, “that the animatronic cop in the chase scene of E.T. Adventure was holding a shotgun when the ride first opened? And that it was replaced with a walkie-talkie at the request of Spielberg?”. The guide shook her head. “I’m not sure? I didn’t learn that during training.”
Morning
Start your morning on the Universal Studios Florida side, which is still very much rooted in the original “Ride the Movies!” philosophy the park opened with in 1990. The park is organized into areas themed after real (New York, San Francisco, Hollywood) and fictional (Springfield) locations. Must-do rides include Revenge of the Mummy (based on the film series starring Brendan Fraser), E.T. Adventure (the park’s iconic classic dark ride, and the only opening day attraction still in operation), MEN IN BLACK: Alien Attack, and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts down in Diagon Alley.
Afternoon
For lunch or a treat, Minion Land opened up last summer, and the food at the Minion Cafe is surprisingly good (although your tolerance for Minions may vary). A visit without sampling a Butterbeer (served regular, hot (seasonally), and frozen, but regular is the best), is also a visit wasted, and while you’re in Diagon Alley, we suggest loading up on classic pub fare (the fish and chips are flown in fresh from Europe) and specialty beer with names like “Wizard’s Brew” and “Dark Forest Ale” at The Leaky Cauldron. Then treat yourself to some truly unique ice cream flavors at Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour.
At this point, you’re going to want to take the Hogwarts Express (equal parts immersive ride and inter-park transportation) to Hogsmeade at Universal Islands of Adventure, although note that you’ll need a two-park ticket to do this. When you’re at Hogsmeade, you’re going to want to get straight in line for Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventures — it’s the only ride in both parks that doesn’t accept an Express Unlimited pass, and wait lines can get monstrously long (Pro tip: splitting up and going through the single-rider queue usually cuts down on this wait a little). If you can, we recommend trying the sidecar and motorbike (totally different experiences).
Next, head out into the eight themed “islands” of Islands of Adventure, home to Marvel Super Hero Island with mega-popular rides like The Incredible Hulk Coaster (with seven inversions, it’s not for the faint of heart) and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Dinosaur-lovers should make a beeline for Jurassic Park, which has, in our completely unbiased opinion, one the greatest roller coaster of all time — Jurassic World VelociCoaster. Set during the timeline of the Jurassic World (2015) featuring Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing and Christ Pratt’s Owen Grady, the ride promises maximum thrills and an easter egg-packed queue. Bottom line, it’s a must-do.
Evening
For dinner, it’s time to head out of the parks and straight into Universal CityWalk, Universal’s dining and entertainment district, which will have some of your best dinner options. Feel free to walk around and do some shopping (if you haven’t already), and be sure to stop by Hard Rock Café in CityWalk, which is the largest in the world. FYI — there’s a piece of the Berlin Wall behind the restaurant.
Make a reservation at Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar, where you can dive into custom-designed burger or saddle up to some sushi. Of course we recommend you embrace the Burgushi, a rolled up burger fusion that offers the best of both worlds — it might sound weird at first, but trust us, you’ll love it.
After you’re all fueled up, make your way over to CityWalk Rising Star, which is not your typical 21+ karaoke club. Here when you grab the mic, you’ll be performing with a live band complete with real backup singers. There’s a huge variety of songs and genres, and while we can’t promise the quality of talent that will take the stage, we’ve never not had amazing time here (Pro tip: it gets super packed on Saturday nights, so take your seat and get your song requests in early).
DAY TWO
Morning
For the first half of our second day, we’re talking it as slow as the lazy river after jamming out the night before. Even if you’re not a fan of water parks, we think there’s something for everyone at Volcano Bay (beaches aren’t very convenient to get to in Orlando, so some locals use this as their beach on weekends). The park is already pretty peaceful and relaxing for a water park, but if you’re looking for even more privacy and you’ve got a bigger group, you can get your own private cabana (which comes with a delightful fruit plate and on-call beverage service).
When you enter the park, everyone gets their own TapuTapu band — yours for the day, this waterproof wearable eliminates standing in long attraction lines. Just find a ride, tap your band, and it’ll hold your place in the park’s Virtual Line so you can relax until it’s time to ride. We recommend you check out both of their “lazy rivers” – Kopiko Wai Winding River is a great opportunity to chill and float through beautiful scenery, or our personal favorite, TeAwa The Fearless River, will give you more of a thrill.
If you’re a coaster fiend, you’ll especially enjoy the Krakatau Aqua Coaster. It’s incredibly popular, so enter the virtual queue for that as soon as you arrive as it tends to fill up (and you might want to ride again!). The drinks at the Volcano Bay bars like Dancing Dragons and Kunuku Boat Bar are tropical and amazing, and we highly recommend the Jerk Shrimp Mac & Cheese for lunch and a colorful Waturi Fusion ice cream for dessert.
Afternoon
Now’s the time to either hit up the pool back at your hotel, get in a much-needed nap, or, if you’re still raring to go — head back to the main parks! If there were rides you missed, or ones you couldn’t wait to go on again, you should circle back to those. It’s also a great opportunity to walk around and just take in the themed atmospheres, or do a little souvenir shopping.
Even if you’re not a big shopper, we recommend you check out the new summer “Tribute Store Plaza” – an Eighties shopping mall-themed gift shop featuring three highly immersive “mega” rooms. Walk through the nostalgic Mega Video Rental video store, the retro Mega Castle Arcade, and the Tribute Theatre, where you’ll find merch from movies like E.T., Ghostbusters, Jaws, and more. We spent time walking around just trying to spot Easter eggs inspired by familiar characters (even those no longer at the parks, like Bill and Ted). There’s a lot of love for the movies here, and a lot of secrets to find, and you might find yourself needing a bigger shopping bag along the way.
Feeling like you could nosh on something? Head over to the all-new DreamWorks Land, where there won’t be much for you to do without kids in tow, but where you can find fun themed snacks. Pro tip: skip the “Far Far a Waffle” and stick to the viral “Shrekzels” (pretzels shaped like the ogre with a side of green cheese), “Swamp Dog,” or “BroZone Berry” ice cream treat.
Evening
For dinner, you’re going to want to get your sweet tooth ready and take a seat at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen. Besides having their own, almost Disney-esque mascots (hostess Professor Doctor Penelope Tibeaux-Tinker Toothsome and her Steampunk sidekick robot Jacques), they’ve got a pretty unique and elevated menu. Order the Warm Chocolate Almond Bread to start and then the Coffee & Chocolate Stout Chicken Wings, but you’ll definitely want to save room for dessert here…the milkshakes are killer.
For a nightcap where you won’t find lingering families herding young kids, you’re going to get a taste of Bourbon Street at this recreation of New Orleans’ famous Pat O’Brien’s bar, where dueling piano players serenade raucous crowds with all the sing-along classics (we did once hear “Sweet Caroline” twice in two hours, so be prepared). Lean into it and order a Hurricane, don some Mardi Gras beads, and settle in for a night of revelry that only this bar can provide.
While nighttime offerings at the Universal parks have been slim over the years, if you want an extra bit of magic to cap off your park trip, head back to the Universal Studios Florida lagoon before closing for a show filled with sentimental soundtracks from blockbuster films — CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular. You won’t find any fireworks here, but you won’t miss them either — the show features an impressive display of tech and special effects, from 228 fountains that reach up to 131 feet, to 4K projection mapping over the building facades, and more than 600 drones. If you’re the kind of person who’s heart swells when they hear Alan Silvestri’s iconic score from Back to the Future, or would lose their mind if they saw a swarm of drones form the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man, you’ll be in good company.
Other Bars to Check Out In Orlando
If you don’t want to spend your last night totally engulfed in the Universal bubble, there are plenty of reasons to venture out into the greater Orlando area for a nightcap. Believe it or not, the city is currently going through a craft cocktail revival, and a creative mix of spirits can now be had in every corner of the city, from speakeasies to proper locals-only dive joints. All of the following spots come recommended from an Orlando-based bartender at the Velvet Bar in the Hard Rock Hotel. And we’re all adults here, so imbibe responsibly.
Bosendorfer Lounge
Many of the area’s most talented jazz combos and solo pianists come to perform in this lounge, which attracts a classy cross-section of trendy Orlando locals and the after-work crowd. Come for the chill atmosphere and live music, stay for the smoothest martinis you’ve ever had.
Tanqueray’s
A local’s favorite basement bar that’s also one of the few bars downtown you can depend on for live music every night. It’s no-frills, good cocktails and all the funk, jazz, and blues you can handle — but the building just recently went up for sale, so check it out while you still can.
Casey’s On Central
This sports bar is a great place to start (or end) your night, and it’s located in the heart of downtown Orlando. It’s known for it’s nightly local live music, fun loving staff, and, they quote, “the stiffest drinks in town.” It’s a small spot with lots of dive-like, kitchy decor, and their beer menu is pretty extensive.
Bellhop
This stunning downtown spot serves coffee by day and cocktails by night out of the historic Angelbilt Hotel. The bar’s design is themed after a moody, vintage hotel with a wall of keys ready to take you to your “room” and a back wall covered from head to toe in old suitcases. It’s cozy, atmospheric, and perfect for sipping an espresso martini while pretending you’re in an Agatha Christie novel.
Proper
Beyond the mid-century charm and meticulously crafted cocktails, vinyl rules supreme at this music-lovers Orlando spot. With hand-picked records playing over a Danley Sound flagship system (featuring SH50 speakers with pristine fidelity, positioned for optimized sound coverage across the bar), this cross between a hi-fi listening room and a watering hole might just be one of your more unique Orlando nightlife experiences.
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