Universal Studios Hollywood’s new attraction, Super Nintendo World, contains excellent theme-ing, a terrific ride that needs to be experienced more than once, and mini-games that can be played to earn coins/points on a connected wristband.
I would highly recommend visiting except for one other element: it’s extremely crowded and noisy.
What Super Nintendo World Feels Like
To reach this new experience, visitors have to go down four escalators (yes, four) in Universal Studios Hollywood to reach a small tunnel that leads into the land of Mario and Luigi. It’s a wonderful way to walk inside a life-size re-creation of a video game.
Inside Super Nintendo World are the four mini-games plus a ‘dungeon’ area for the final battle, a meet and greet area for the video game characters, a gift shop (of course), the Toadstool Cafe, and the main attraction, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. The ground is decorated as well, and video game props serve as umbrellas and seating.
Visitors must enter a virtual queue for Super Nintendo World to receive a time to enter. Without that reservation, there is little hope of getting inside. (There was one exception, I’ll get to that later.) You would think this would keep the crowd inside the attraction limited enough to enjoy being there but you would be wrong.
It is crowded and because the walls are so high, the noise reverbs. This is a bad place for those with sensory issues. There’s not enough shade on hot days for everyone. The wait for Bowser’s Challenge hit 150 minutes while we were there. The Toadstool Cafe was booked by 8 a.m. that morning and reports were that they ran out of several of their signature food items.
Riding Mario Kart Bowser’s Challenge
There is a solution to the wait on Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge and it involves throwing money at the problem.
We were a party of four: myself, my husband, my grown twins (23). I calculated that we would need those two days to see everything on our own because I expected Super Nintendo World to be incredibly crowded. I did the math on admission for two days with express passes for each day. The math told me it was only about $300 more to purchase a one-day private V.I.P. experience for us. Given we’d also have to buy lunch during our days at the park, and how much less stressful it would be, I went with the V.I.P. experience.
Best. Choice. Ever.
We had a guide all day (10 a.m. until 4 p.m.) to answer all our questions, especially about Super Nintendo World, and, the key part for that world: the V.I.P. experience is currently the only way to skip the line on Bowser’s Challenge.
Instead of waiting up to two hours for one ride, I rode three times: once with everyone, and once with each twin. The ride is awesome, even the first time, but repeated rides allow you to improve the score, and that will not be possible for those waiting in line unless you want to do that all day.
The ride takes you through some incredible theme-ing, as shown in the video. The video also does an excellent job of showcasing the noise level. Again, those with sensory issues, be wary. The first step on the ride is a briefing room that shows a short video of how to play the game on the ride. (It’s decent but it makes much more sense after you’re ridden….) From that room, riders pick up visors and proceed to the loading.
I’ve been in 3D rides in the past which use cumbersome 3D visors that completely cover the eyes. But Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge solved that problem with the clear plastic eye covers. Riders get in, clip these covers magnetically to the visor they’ve already acquired, and are ready to go. It’s a quick and ingenious process. This is not a thrill ride, in that there are no drops and very few spins. Instead, it’s a 3D tour through a lifelike video game. Riders control the direction of the car to the right or left, and have shells (like in the game) to toss at things to win coins. Score over 100, you beat Bowser and Team Mario wins. Less than that, Bowser wins.
The first two times, I scored 83 and 86. The third time, I scored 145. My son, with a faster learning curve, scored 148 on his second ride. It’s really fun and I’d ride it over and over but, again, without the VIP entry, that would hardly be possible.
My son also benefitted from our VIP guide’s advice on the mini-games in Super Nintendo World and the final challenge inside the dungeon. However, this took about 90 minutes and required help from the husband and the guide to win the final challenge. Those planning to try the mini-games are advised on how much time it will take.
The Rest of the V.I.P Experience at Universal Hollywood
We had a private V.I.P. tour which was in the $2,000 range. I had to call a month ahead of time to book it so if you’re planning on going this summer and want any kind of V.I.P. tour, I highly recommend calling the park ASAP. The day starts with a breakfast buffet on the second floor of where you enter the V.I.P. experience at the front of the park. It’s a pretty good spread, so I’d recommend showing up a good 45 minutes early if you want to take advantage of the free food. (Or, rather, the food that comes with the expensive experience.)
Lunch was at Hogsmeade in the Harry Potter section of the park and, again, was so much easier on the V.I.P. tour. Usually at theme park dining, we skip desserts because the price just balloons way beyond what I consider affordable. Here, we were waited on privately rather than having to stand in line. The lunch included four entrees, four desserts, several appetizers of choices, and several kinds of drinks of choice. (This means we indulged in two Butterbeers each.) The food was brought to our table. (Yes, we tipped the waiter.)
The rest of the day, our guide brought us to the front of the lines for Jurassic Park, the Studio Tour, the Simpsons, and several Harry Potter rides, and got us terrific seats for the Waterworld stunt show. I was skeptical of the stunt show but it’s absolutely fantastic with some incredible work by the stunt people involved. I would say this show is a must-see and we might have skipped it except for the guide’s advice.
After, my husband and daughter had enough and went back to our hotel, the Hilton Universal City, a five-minute walk to Universal Studios Hollywood. My son and I, however, made sure we hit every single ride at the park, staying almost until closing at 10 p.m. That’s when we discovered a possible hack for Bowser’s Challenge: after 8 p.m., the wait time for Bowser’s Challenge was down to 50 minutes. Super Nintendo World itself was less crowded, and cooler. The noise levels had decreased to tolerable levels. I can’t say whether this will hold true all summer but might be worth a try.
I realize we were privileged to afford the V.I.P. experience. In years past, we would not have been able to do it but, then, we wouldn’t have been able to spend ten days in California either. But if you can afford it, I’d highly recommend it.