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| SUPER NINTENDO WORLD Entrance |
Upon first entering the land, I was experiencing sensory overload but in the absolute best way possible. I didn't know where to look first! The land is full of interactive elements, with so much movement, color and a ton of great photo opportunities.
SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ is best experienced with an interactive Power-Up Band that you can use to collect digital coins and keys located through the land. Although you can still enjoy the area without a Power-Up Band, I highly recommend purchasing one to get the full experience. You can purchase your Power-Up Band at a variety of retail locations at Universal Studios Hollywood and in SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™. I suggest purchasing your Power-Up Band at a retail location before you arrive in the land so you can hit the ground running.
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| Toad Power-Up Band |
Power-Up Bands are themed to six different characters and you'll join the character's team for whichever one you purchase. Characters available are Mario, Luigi, Toad, Yoshi, Princess Peach, or Princess Daisy. You can link your Power-Up Band through the Universal Studios Hollywood app to collect digital stamps and coins, complete Key Challenges, track your score on the Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge attraction, and more throughout SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™.
The Key Challenges were a ton of fun! Located throughout the land you'll find four Key Challenges; Goomba Crazy Crank, Koopa Troopa POWer Punch, Piranha Plant Nap Mishap, and Thwomp Panel Panic. You need to collect at least 3 of the 4 keys to unlock the final challenge, Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown. The lines for the challenges can be a little long so be prepared to wait. Also worth noting is that the lines are outside without much shade so make sure to wear sunscreen!
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| Queue for Bowser Jr. Shadow Showdown |
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| When in SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, you gotta dress the part! |
In between Key Challenges, you can search the land for Punch Blocks to collect digital coins and stamps. There's also character meet and greets with Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach where you may receive enhanced experiences while wearing your Power-Up Band. You can track your score by visiting a checkpoint in the land or in the Universal Studios Hollywood app. You can track your family's, friends' and team's scores throughout the day as well. If you're competitive or just like collecting digital stamps, you may end up spending all of your time at Universal Studios Hollywood in SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™!
If you're looking for some food, look no further than the Toadstool Cafe™. (You can't look any further being it's the only dining location within SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™!) As you can imagine, with only one dining location, the Toadstool Cafe experiences high demand for its limited capacity. Reservations may be required to join the wait line to dine and are only available for the same day of your visit. Read our full review of Toadstool Cafe here.
The main attraction of SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ is the one and only attraction, Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge. As I mentioned in Top 10 Must Do's at Universal Studios Hollywood, I am not sure how to adequately describe this attraction. The best I can do would be to say it's stunning, amazing, one-of-a-kind and truly remarkable. (Even with all of those adjectives, I don't think I've over sold the amazingness of this attraction!) The ride features cutting-edge technology for your battle with Team Bowser on the iconic Mario Kart courses. You'll wear special goggles as you ride alongside Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and the rest of the Mario Kart crew. If you have a Power-Up Band you can collect digital coins throughout the attraction as you throw shells to win the Golden Cup.
You can visit the 1-UP Factory™ store for all your SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ souvenir needs. This super-fun store is where you can find all sorts of items from the Mushroom Kingdom, including the Power-Up Bands. I saw so much cute merchandise that it was hard to contain myself.
Thinking of visiting SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ in the near future? Here are some important things to know before your visit:
- Depending on crowd levels, Virtual Line reservations may be required to enter SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™. Virtual Line reservations can be made through the Universal Studios Hollywood app after buying your park ticket and arriving onsite. Reservations are not always required to enter the land, but it’s important you check on the day of your visit so you don’t miss out.
- Guests with Universal Express and/or VIP privileges will have reservation free entry once per day (after 3pm for Platinum Pass members) when reservations are required to enter the land.
- You can get a head start on your day one hour before the theme park opens by adding the SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ Early Access Ticket to your theme park admission. Be warned that availability is limited and this Early Access Ticket can sell out so if you want this option, make sure to purchase early!
- If you want to dine at Toadstool Cafe, arrive early and head straight for the QR code outside the entrance/restaurant. Keep scanning and refreshing your screen, even if it says they are fully booked for the day and you may just get a spot on the wait list!
- No matter what the posted wait time says, DO NOT MISS Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge. Trust me, it's worth it.
SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ is a must visit for fans of SUPER NINTENDO and theme parks in general. It's a groundbreaking land that levels up theme park design! (See what I did there?!) If you can't make it out to Hollywood to visit, you'll need to wait until 2025 when SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ makes it's East Coast debut at Epic Universe at the Universal Orlando Resort. I know I can't wait to see what they do with this land in Orlando!
Have you experienced SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ at Universal Studios Hollywood? Let us know what you thought in the comments.
Ashley is a Hufflepuff who loves rollercoasters and thrill rides. You can email Ashley at ashley@kingdomkonsultant.com.
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