Visit Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios, California
Image shot at the entrance of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Los Angeles California.
If you or your children are Mario Bros fans, you’ll definitely want to wear their cool hats to give you a little shade from the sun- these hats are also super comfortable to wear.
-Los Angeles, California (Airport Code: LAX)
Hotel: Sheraton Universal (The hotel is located directly across from the park, walking distance is about 8 minutes. Distance from LAX airport is about 30-minute drive without traffic)
Let’s get into all the amazing things about Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in California
Transportation: We rented a car from SIXT rental car service
Arrival to Los Angeles from New York’s JFK was a breeze. We boarded the flight at 10a.m., arrived in Los Angeles at 1p.m. We rode the shuttle bus from the airport to the rental car location, received the car and headed to the hotel. This was our first time renting with this company and we will continue to, they gave us a free luxury car upgrade! Riding around in style at no extra cost was amazing.
The Room: Sheraton Universal offers 1 King, 2 double or 2 queen guest rooms and Junior King Suites. Room options include the view of the pool view and balcony. We stayed in connecting rooms with the views of the mountains. The mountain view is incredible, watching the sunset and sunrise each morning and evening... There is a partial view of Minon land from the room window.
The Sheraton has a beautiful entrance and walkway. Vallet parking which we utilized, although guests can walk or take the shuttle directly to Universal Studios. The breakfast buffet located on the lower level was decent. Options for breakfast included French toast, bacon, eggs, sausage, cereal, fresh fruit etc. The staff at the restaurant and throughout the hotel were very friendly and hospitable. The restaurant also offers a dinner buffet. We chose to eat at the hotel, and we ate at Universal Studios.
Universal Studios Activities:
· Super Nintendo World
· Jurassic World
· Transformers
· Minion Land
· Harry Potter
· Production Plaza
· Springfield: Home of the Simpsons
· Water World
Traveling to Los Angeles, California is well worth the trip to visit Super Nintendo World which is the reason we went. Our son has been a Mario Bros fan since the age of 3!He can tell you anything and everything about Mario Bros and Super Nintendo.
The first evening in L.A. we walked to City Walk located on the same property at Universal Studios, we ate dinner at Margaritaville, explored the shops and bought Mario Bros merch from The Nintendo World Store. On Saturday morning we headed to Universal Studios for an early start at 9:30a.m. Super Nintendo world is located inside Universal Studios on the lower level. It takes about 10 minutes (and 3 escalator rides), maybe a little more to walk to the land. We purchased Express fast passes; these passes are worth the additional fee to skip the line on most of the rides and enter Mario land without a reservation when reservations are required (this happens when the park reaches its capacity). I recommend purchasing your tickets online, the price is a lot more expensive if you purchase at the park.
Most wait times for rides were between 1 hour 30 min and 2 hours. Fortunately, we bypassed the long lines and entered through the express lane. The Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge ride does not have an express lane. Entering Super Nintendo world makes you feel as if you’re inside Mario Bros World! There are a few picture stations where you can take a photo with Mario and Luigi, Toad and Princess Peach.
I will admit it was a bit difficult capturing a photo of Mario and Luigi. They come into Super Nintendo World for 10 min, maybe 15 min and leave. This happens all throughout the day from what we noticed. The workers are standing around them and ask that no one approaches as they are walking. Another cool feature our kids enjoyed was completing challenges and collecting coins with their own Power-Up Band. As they walked around Nintendo World there were many places to place their power-up band under the ever-popular yellow question mark.
There is one ride which is a virtual reality ride and be prepared to wait about 2 hours for Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. You will wear a V.I. headset, explore different tracks all while sitting in the 4-seater Kart does move and turn in circles. For Bowser Jr’s challenge you can retrieve the golden mushroom to win. This game is played in front of a big screen while standing.
Toadstool Cafe: We were able to make the reservation list which is mandatory to enter the restaurant. To secure entry into the café, we scanned the reservations QR code which is placed directly outside the entryway to the land. The best time to scan this code is early in the morning when entering the park. The code is only placed there for a few hours as reservations can only be made this way. The food is delicious! The Super Star Lemon Squash drink is our favorite, the perfect refreshing drink, a must try!
Here’s what we ate:
· Toadstool cheesy garlic knots
· Bowser’s Fireball Challenge (meatball)
· ? Block Tiramisu
· Mario Mini Burger Adventure Set
· Power-Up Spaghetti Mariana
Whether you’re celebrating a birthday or venturing out for a family vacation, the entire family is sure to enjoy Universal Studios. Be prepared to stand on your feet and bring a portable fan if you visit during the summer months. Overall, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from inside Universal and on The City Walk side of Universal. We also enjoyed pizza, nachos, and a giant donut from Lard Lad Donuts from Springfield Land (home of the Simpsons). Springfield land also features a variety of fun arcade games. Exploring the entire park for the weekend is possible, and worth the return for a future visit. Before you venture to the park grab a Mario Bros and LA hat for a little shade in the sun.
