7 tips to prepare for and enjoy your visit to Super Nintendo World -.

The original Super Nintendo World in Japan was trickier to visit with the pandemic, but this summer we got a chance to visit the newer one at Universal Studios Hollywood and here’s a recap of our experience, with thoughts, recommendations and, of course, lots of footage of the whole thing:

7 things to keep in mind before heading to Super Nintendo World

1. Keep in mind your budget

Prices range from $109 to $149 for general one-day admission to the entire Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. This includes the Super Nintendo World but, as we explain in the video, entering this area is not guaranteed. Perhaps consider adding the early access ticket (starting at $20) to the cart to ensure you can make it. As long as you can get there by 8 a.m., that’s it….

Add to this the $40 per Power Up Band, the collectible NFT wristbands that allow you to interact more with many of the elements, ride and “mini-games.” Do you hear the coins popping out of your wallet?

2. Buy the Power Up Band

The wristband itself is nicely built and designed, and makes the question blocks and other interactive places work. There are vending machines where you can get yours. We got Yoshi and Toad, and joined the rankings of their respective characters in the app. Speaking of which…

3. Download and install the Universal Studios Hollywood app upon arrival

The free app, which connects to the free Wi-Fi in the park, includes a nice GPS map and a lot of features dedicated exclusively to the Super Nintendo World corner, almost like a mobile game in itself. You can collect stamps by completing various activities, check ranks, customize your avatar, see what you’ve done so far in the Super Mario World-like map … And book your virtual line:

4. Beware of the virtual line

When Super Nintendo World gets too crowded, it just closes its doors. It’s the very last corner of the entire complex, which means you get there after a 20-minute walk, including long escalators, and as long as you don’t stop in, say, Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, or The Simpsons’ Krustyland.

When this happens, only those who have booked an estimated time frame to enter Super Nintendo World via the virtual control feature in the app will be allowed in. And when the doors are closed, the feature isn’t even there, so you’re left wondering if you’ll actually make it in.

However, we were told that it normally reopens to all visitors as soon as it’s cleaned up a bit, and that’s exactly what happened. Had we known it was like this, we would not have walked all the way to the Nintendo area until it was open or until our previously booked slot. Yes, there were big red signs warning of this, but who reads red signs?

5. Don’t go on a Sunday when the Super Mario Bros. movie is still kicking around

It’s also true that we didn’t spend a full day (we arrived at 4 p.m.), we wanted to leave early (we had booked elsewhere for dinner) and it was a summer Sunday when Mario fever was still widespread because of the movie. If you’re on vacation and can pick another day during the week, now that the craze is over, and more so with the aforementioned early access, you’ll make the most of it.

6. Book at the Toadstool Cafe

The restaurant in the Super Nintendo World is one of the most fascinating spaces and perhaps the best experience for the whole family. The location itself, the way you select your meals, the themed food, the cooking Toads…. Everything smells and, well, tastes like you’re in the Mushroom Kingdom itself, and if you don’t book in advance, you’ll have a hard time getting a table.

7. If you miss the Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge ride, you miss half the whole experience

Finally, something that may not seem so obvious at first. The Mario Kart ride is very good with its fine AR gimmick and the “multiplayer” approach to the karts, where different riders can enjoy the experience in groups and teams and where you actually compete on a beautifully designed track.

That, of course, is the main hook of the whole Super Nintendo World other than the environment itself, but if you skip the ride for some reason, you should know that some of the very best indoor areas are built as part of the up to two-hour (!) queueing area leading to the ride. So if you don’t line up for the ride, you miss out on the rather fan-serving Yoshi’s Island’s scenery and Bowser’s Castle’s interiors, including a non-canonical but very cool and interesting Bowser’s Lab. The same or even more love and effort went into this than into the near-perfect exterior elements, and it really makes the time go faster because you’re amazed at every detail.

For more tips and impressions, please play the full video recorded at the gates of Princess Peach’s Mushroom Kingdom Castle.