My adventures at Universal Studio with teens

I asked my son what he wanted to do for his 16th birthday and he said Universal Studios with his friends so that’s what we did. Not Universal exactly but Islands of adventure (the same thing but I think Islands is more for teens). I’m going to walk you through where we stayed, some tips on how to tackle universal with teens who believe they’re grown, and if you should or shouldn’t get an express pass. See how my adventures at Universal studio with teens went this Summer and let me know if you plan on tackling Orlando anytime soon.

My adventures at Universal studio with teens

Let’s start with where we stayed. Soltera Resorts. Might be a little bit on the expensive side these days but I actually paid less than 2k when I went which wasn’t bad to say we stayed the entire week. I didn’t pick this resort I had my travel agent do that for me since she knows the area and knows what I like. I knew a hotel wouldn’t be beneficial with teens (still gotta keep an eye on them) and I was bringing another family along with me so we needed space. Soltera was the best choice.

I loved the resort. It had a lazy pool which was packed most days until the rain came. Loved that they had a fitness area and a bar type area for adults. Loved that they were tight on security which was important because you want to know that you are in a safe area.

What I didn’t like was that we weren’t close to Universal at all. I knew we were going to be some minutes away but I didn’t calculate the real deal minutes until we were stuck in traffic. It was a good solid hr drive (with traffic) from the resort to Universal. Disney is a bit closer but still, I was not prepared for that.

The place was nice though. Clean and stocked with almost everything we needed. No toilet tissue, no towels, etc. You will need to bring all that stuff with you as if you are home. They did have stuff to cook with and make waffles so that was good. Forks and spoons and cups were plentiful. The coffee machine worked it’s magic and the pool was always open.

Where we stayed had 6 bedrooms and 5 baths. It was plenty of room as I had 12 people with me. We spread out with 0 issues. Houses are close together so you will hear your neighbor but overall it was a nice spot.

If you have any specific questions for me ask in the comments and I will answer your questions.

Next, let’s move on to Universal itself.

We picked Islands of adventure because I thought that catered to the teens more. We had already been to Universal a couple of years ago but never Islands of Adventure. Get the express pass….I will repeat get it. I wanted to buy it but thought hmm it’s early Summer, the weekday, kids are still in school we should be ok and I don’t have to spend the extra almost 300 bucks for an express pass. It’s worth it. Here is why….

Get the express pass….I will repeat get it.

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If you don’t get the express pass you will not be able to enjoy the park because you will be in line for hours. So by the time the park closes you may or may not have even tackled half the park. We spent 2 hours in line for 2 rides that’s 4 hours of the day gone since we didn’t get the express pass. Prepare to spend some dough though. Express pass plus the tickets will run you over 300 bucks if you are going in the Summer. It’s cheaper depending on the day you go so maybe fall and winter it’s not as expensive and you may not even need it. Top of Summer when we went (first week of June) that’s how much it was and we regretted not buying those tickets. I have patience but not to stand in line for 2 hours or more. If you get there let’s say when the park opens at 9 (we got there at 10:30 due to traffic) and there are 16 rides. If you spend 2 hours in line for most of the rides and the park closes at 10 will you get to ride all the rides? Add eating in there and frustrated teens who don’t have patience….yeah isssa no. I will never do that again. Get the express pass. I have warned you!

Overall the park was packed as hell. No one had on a mask it was as if Rona didn’t exist. It rained a little bit but not enough to leave the park. Jurassic the ride they really wanted to get on was closed due to maintenance but the butter beer was good lol. I don’t ride rides but the kids got me on one water ride that almost took my heart out. I would suggest you ride those first so you can dry off. We wore clothes that can dry quickly, and carried our book bags with our own water, first aid kit, and stuff in it.

Here are some more tips

• take a picture of the teens before you enter the park so you know what they have on. We saw a young child get lost and although these are teens they are still my big babies
• they checking for weapons at the gate. I had my taser in my pocketbook and they confiscated it…I had to buy a new one cause I was not walking back to the car
• You do have to pay for parking be prepared for that
• they do have rides for younger kids to ride but not many
• Take a bookbag and pack it with water, an extra change of clothes, a towel, an umbrella (pop up showers are a thing in Orlando), a first aid kit, snacks, and chargers for teens cause they be worried about their phones dying, and patience pack that
• try the butter beer it was really good. It’s 10 bucks for a little ass cup though
• You can leave the park and re-enter it later if you need to go take a break. I only recommend this if you are staying close to the park.
• I didn’t get a lot of pictures as I actually lived in the moment for a change so what you see here is all I got

I hope I answered some of your questions and if you have any please feel free to leave them below. I will tell you the real deal even if this was a sponsored trip which it is not.