A theme park with small kids can be a bit overwhelming, but hopefully our Super Nintendo World review should help you navigate this portion of Universal Studios Hollywood a bit easier. To see our full review on our trip to Universal Studios Hollywood as a whole, you can check out this post here. This page will only be reviewing the new Super Nintendo World.
Highlights from our time at Super Nintendo World with kids! Consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel Here!
Making Dreams Come True
Entering Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood felt like making a childhood dream real. Our kids ages 7, 5, and 3 got the Nintendo Switch for Christmas a few years ago and since then have been obsessed with all things Mario. From our kids donning Mario, Luigi, and Peach costumes on Halloween to experiencing the real deal, this trip was destined to be an unforgettable family adventure.
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A Surprise Christmas Gift and SoCal Family Winter Break
Our exploration began with a surprise Christmas gift, we integrated Super Nintendo World into our Southern California family winter break vacation. As part of our road trip, we had just visited Santa Barbara. Before settling down in Hollywood, we made stops at Griffith Observatory and Beverly Hills.
Having visited Universal Studios Hollywood in 2013 when we lived in Santa Monica, Jamie and I were thrilled to discover the park’s significant upgrades in rides and attractions. Some new lands created in the last decade include Harry Potter, a Despicable Me section, and of course Super Nintendo World.
What is Super Nintendo World?
Super Nintendo World is a themed area within Universal Studios theme parks, designed in collaboration with Nintendo. It immerses visitors in the iconic worlds of Nintendo games, featuring attractions, a ride, and interactive elements based on popular franchises like Super Mario, Donkey Kong, and more.
The area is characterized by its vibrant and immersive environments, bringing to life beloved characters and settings from Nintendo games. Visitors can explore iconic locations such as Peach’s Castle, participate in interactive experiences, and enjoy state-of-the-art rides.
The opening of Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios Japan took place in March 2021, marking the first launch of this Nintendo-themed attraction. The expansion to other Universal Studios locations reflects the success and popularity of the concept. For now, Universal Studios Hollywood is the only host of Super Nintendo World in America. In 2025, Super Nintendo World is expected to be unveiled as part of the new Universal Studios Epic Universe in Orlando.
For the most current and detailed information on Super Nintendo World, including opening dates, sizes, and specific features, I recommend checking Universal Studios’ official website or other reliable sources for the latest updates.
Super Nintendo World Review
Universal Studios Hollywood Day Passes
When you book your tickets from Universal Studios Hollywood you will be asked to select a specific date for your reservation. These dates will be assigned a specific price based on how low or high season it is, a weekend, or holiday etc. Fortunately for us, we chose a weekday, however, it still had one of the highest price values assigned to it since it was the week of New Year’s Day. We selected Universal Express for our passes – more on this in a later post. This pass also includes “reservation-free entry into SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ when reservations are required to enter the land.” However, we didn’t need this feature during our day. More on that below.
Universal Studios Hollywood Day Pass Prices
A list of pricing as pf January 2024 is as follows:
1-Day Passes:
- General Admission:
- From $109
- Universal Express:
- From $209
- VIP Experience:
- From $379
2-Day Passes:
- General Admission:
- From $159
Early Access: The Key to Beating the Lines
Many ask is Early Access worth it?
Armed with a valuable tip from friends, we opted for early access tickets, ranging from $20 to $30 in addition to the park pass. Our Early Access Tickets, unfortunately, fell in the highest bracket of $30 each. This is in addition to your passes. The budget for the day will continue to go up as we found out so be warned!
What is Early Access?
Universal Studios Hollywood offeres early access to Super Nintendo World as a premium option for visitors. Early access allows guests to enter the theme park 1 hour before the general opening hours, providing them with the opportunity to enjoy popular attractions with shorter wait times.
Go Straight To Bowser
Our friends told us to go straight to the new and only ride in Super Nintendo World which was Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. This smart move helped us skip lines and jump right into the fun of Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. We had no wait for this but just 10 to 15 minutes after we got in line, the line jumped to over a 45 minute wait. By mid-day this ride got to over 2 hour long wait lines! That is insane! (and totally not worth the wait in my opinion.)
Express Passes are Not Valid for Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge
It is worth noting that as of now, Express Passes do not work for Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge because it is so new and popular. So don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ll be covered with an Express Pass. This is as of January 2024.
Universal Studios Child Switch Program
Unfortunately, our 3 year old Brynn was just one inch shy of being allowed to ride. Minimum Height of 40” is required. Because of this we utilized Universal Studios Child Switch Program. This enables one member of your group to wait in a designated area with any children who cannot or choose not to participate. After the remaining members of your party complete the ride the waiting individual can now enjoy the ride with one other person while the others stay with the children. They give you a printed ticket for this and you can use it to come back and use an express lane at a later time.
We Missed Out on Toadstool Cafe
After the ride, we went straight to Toadstool Cafe to make a reservation for lunch or dinner but unfortunately by 8:30am it was already completely booked for the day. If you want to try Toadstool Cafe, you will need to make a reservation immediately. You have to be in person to make a reservation so making a reservation might cost you the chance to ride Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge wait free.
Here is how to make a reservation for Toadstool Cafe from their website:
“Due to limited capacity and high demand, you must schedule a time to join the queue to dine at Toadstool Cafe*.
Time slots are only available for the same day and are limited in number and subject to availability. To schedule a time to join the queue, scan the QR code posted at the entrances to SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ and Toadstool Cafe.”
Very Crowded in the Morning
Even with the Early Access pass, the first hour we were there was still very crowded. We got to take a photo with Princess Peach but lines for all of the challenges and photos with Mario and Luigi were too much so we left Super Nintendo World and visited the rest of Universal Studios Hollywood.
So was Early Access Worth It?
Ultimately, Early Access will depend on your priorities, time, and budget. It also will depend on how crowded the park is on that particular day. For the foreseeable future, Super Nintendo World will very popular for the next several years as visitors are flocking to get a chance to see this new world.
For us, early access tickets totaled $150 for a family of 5. What we got was an extra hour in the park, a wait free ride to Bowser’s Challenge, and a pretty easy photo with Princess Peach. The park was ultimately too crowded for Toadstool Cafe, and the challenges in the morning even with the Early Access couldn’t be done without a significant wait.
Finding out that Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge had over a 2 hour wait later in the day, we definitely would not have rode this ride had we not paid an extra $150. It was a very steep price to pay, especially on top of the already expensive day passes, but knowing we won’t be returning to Universal Studios Hollywood anytime soon it was a cost we had to pay if we wanted to experience the state-of-the-art ride.
So for us, splurging on everything for maybe a once in a lifetime visit? Yeah, I’d say we won’t be missing the extra $150. We created some awesome memories in just that one hour and made some dreams come true for our kids.
If you live in LA, or visit California frequently. You might want to wait until the excitement for this portion of the park dies down a bit if you want to save some cash.
Virtual Line: Not Applicable to Our Day or Passes
It’s worth noting that we didn’t have to deal with the Virtual Line feature to reserve a spot to even be granted access into Super Nintendo World. I’m sure on weekends, holidays, or peak season days, you will need to reserve a time to get into Super Nintendo World. We also purchased Express Passes which would’ve covered us in the event that reservations are needed. And Early Access also covered us in the morning. *Note from Universal: “For SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™, the Virtual Line reservation is solely for entry into the land. Virtual Line reservation is not available for the Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge attraction.“
For more information on Virtual Lines: Check their website here.
Bowser’s Challenge: A Game-Changing Experience
Bowser’s Challenge turned out to be a game-changer, seamlessly integrating a headset visor with augmented reality to provide a life-sized Mario Kart experience while on a thrilling ride. It is a 3D & 4D ride. If you are a fan of the game Mario Kart on Nintendo, you will love this ride. It’s a bit crazy at first and I didn’t get the hang of it right away.
The only regret? Not being able to ride it more, as the lines later swelled to a daunting two-hour wait as mentioned above. I’d love to ride this more to get the hang of the game. Nevertheless, it was a fun and crazy few minutes of ride time. The kids loved how it individually kept score of the coins you collect while on the ride so it provided friendly competition amongst the family. It also keeps track of the overall high score from all the visitors at the park, which of course, we were nowhere close to reaching.
A note on wait lines: I love rides and theme parks as much as anyone else but I just don’t see the point in waiting in a line more than 30 minutes to an hour for any of these rides even if they are state-of-the-art. With young kids that can become impatient easily, time is of the essence so anything you can do to limit wait time is worth it for me. More on the Express Passes in a later post.
The Power Bands: Adding an Extra Layer of Adventure
For an added layer of adventure, we invested in the recommended power band, priced at $40. These bands not only tracked our Mario Kart coins, challenges, and power-ups but also allowed us to compete with fellow visitors through the Universal Studios app. Following advice from friends, we opted to share a single band among the family, resulting in both savings and some inevitable sibling squabbles all day long for who gets to wear it.
The only downside of sharing a band is that it won’t keep your individual scores, you may be asked to use a generic park band for challenges, and if you achieve access to the final Bowser Jr. Battle, one band is only good for 4 total people. So for us, as a family of five, we had to sit one parent out for the final Battle. Luckily, we did this twice so both Jamie and I got to participate eventually.
Tip: You don’t need a band to enjoy Super Nintendo World but it does add some more excitement. If you think you will win some challenges, you cannot enter the final battle with Bowser Jr. without a power band. Again, if you are only doing this once and want to make the most of the entire day, you probably want to spend the extra $40 on a band to get the whole experience.
Meeting Characters and Capturing Memories
Our day was further enriched by meeting and taking pictures with beloved characters like Peach and Toad. Unfortunately, the lines for Mario and Luigi grew too long, reminding us of how popular this was.
Return to Super Nintendo World at Night When the Crowds Die Down
As mentioned above, the crowds even during the Early Access hour were overwhelming. We left Super Nintendo World in the morning to enjoy the rest of Universal Studios Hollywood. We almost didn’t return but in the final hour before the park closed we ventured our way back to Super Nintendo World in hopes to finally get to experience and participate in the challenges. The challenges were the one major thing we didn’t get to do all day.
I’m not sure if the crowds always lessen towards the end of the day but for us they did a lot. The park closed this day at 9pm and by 7pm the crowds were starting to die down. The weather also played a factor as it was starting to get pretty chilly for Southern California being that it was January. We entered into a relatively empty Super Nintendo World for our final hour in the park.
Bowser Jr. Battle: A Highlight of Teamwork and Key Challenges
Nintendo World boasts four Key Challenges spread throughout the area, requiring a blend of athleticism and skill. The Key Challenges are: Goomba Crazy Crank, Koopa Troopa POWer Punch, Piranha Plant Nap Mishap, and Thwomp Panel Panic. Some of the challenges require some adult help to actually win the key. I had to step in an do the Goomba Crazy Crank and the POWer Punch for the kids so we could make sure we were collecting all the keys. The Piranha Plant Nap Mishap and Thwomp Panel Panic are really fun teamwork games that the whole family can participate in all at once. The others are individual games.
Winning three Keys out of four Key Challenges with our power band granted us the opportunity to face Bowser Jr. himself – an exhilarating experience we enjoyed not once, but twice! (You must win the challenges again to try Bowser Jr. again) The pinnacle of our adventure was the Bowser Jr. Battle. The challenges seamlessly brought the magic of Mario into the real world.
Again, in high crowded times these little challenges could take hours to complete because of wait times. Going late at night allowed us to try them all a few times in a single hour.
If it weren’t for our experience during the final hour of the park. I would’ve probably said that Super Nintendo World was kind of a bust at least from an adult perspective. The kids were having fun regardless but our budget for the day and the crowds really put a damper on the majority of our time in Super Nintendo World. That is, until the final hour when we returned and were able to play all the challenges with little to no waits! It really capped off our entire day nicely and made up for the overwhelming crowds earlier.
A Paradise for Nintendo Enthusiasts
In conclusion, Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood is a paradise for Nintendo enthusiasts. However, brace yourselves for the crowds, especially considering the novelty of this newly transformed world. While I don’t want to think about all the money we spent here, it really was a day that will never be forgotten by us or our kids. We truly made memories that will last a lifetime and for that I will say that going here was completely worth every penny.
For the full review of Universal Studios Hollywood with kids in its entirety check here!
