TAAGLAA: Super Nintendo World

TIGER’S AWESOME ADVENTURES IN THE GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA

100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608. Open 8 AM-10 PM Friday-Monday, 9 AM-9 PM Tuesday & 10 AM-6 PM Wednesday-Thursday

Ticket Prices: $109-$149

Extended off of the Lower Lot of Universal Studios Hollywood, Super Nintendo World illuminates in the sun and the night lights of Los Angeles. Opening on Friday, Feb. 17, the kinetic glow of Mario and Luigi’s universe outshines any attraction.

Elsie, Michelle, Kahlen, and I began our quest in anticipation, waiting for Jayden at a nearby Starbucks before filing into the backseat of Elsie’s mom’s SUV. By 9:40 a.m., we arrived at the intersection of Harry Potter, The Simpsons, Despicable Me and everything in between. With a cold brew in hand, we made our way down the citywalk into the park.

After a slight detour to Revenge of the Mummy, we neared the entrance of Super Nintendo World, until we were faced with a detrimental factor: The Virtual Line. The rush of newcomers to the park called for a virtual waitlist, an aspect that, evidently, none of the other guests had anticipated. Using the Universal Studios app, parties were allotted a time slot to enter the land.

In a panic, we frantically tried to book a reasonable time slot. The only available time (that we ultimately booked) was 8:40 to 9:00 p.m. Frustrated, we made our way to Jurassic World: The Ride, until a new time slot had appeared for our oddly numbered party. We immediately rushed out of the line, and at about 11:00 a.m., we had finally made it into Peach’s castle.

As we waddled through an iconic green pipe, we were greeted with an almost aggressive array of vibrancy, walking straight into a Nintendo video game. Everywhere I turned, I was faced with an entirely new plain of color and pure joy. Making our way through the park, we followed a list of priorities, starting at Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. We waited, surrounded by detailed set pieces resembling components of Mario Kart, ranging from racing suits to an accurate and incredibly elaborate Bowser’s Castle.

After roughly an hour-long wait, we put on our Mario headsets, waiting while listening to an instructional video on the logistics of the ride. The attraction is an innovative and comprehensive combination of a traditional ride and virtual reality.

Riders, wearing VR goggles mounted onto the headsets, dive into the world of Mario Kart, hitting virtual cars and characters, collecting coins along the way as they battle against other guests. While Kahlen and Jayden racked up over 100 coins each in the same kart, I basked in my nostalgia, stacking up an astounding 72 coins.

After the 4D Rainbow Road extravaganza, we headed over to the Toadstool Café where we eventually agreed to receive a reservation card for the restaurant, prompting us to return between 6:45 and 7:00 p.m. Hesitantly, we left the land hungry and tired, but with a full heart.

We made our way back up to the Upper Lot, stopping by Cletus’ Chicken Shack in the The Simpsons rendition of Springfield, Illinois. Kahlen and I split some questionably hard chicken tenders while the others ordered their own takes on the classic chicken sandwich.

After lunch, we explored the rest of the Upper Lot, taking on Krustyland and the Wizarding World where Michelle took a long-awaited sip of fresh, cold butterbeer. After being suspended mid air when Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey broke down, we found ourselves in line for Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, giggling about Jayden’s resemblance to Agnes and Elsie’s apparent lack of Despicable Me knowledge.

While waiting in line, we were able to reserve a spot at Super Nintendo World once again, this time from 4:15 to 5:15, about an hour and a half before our dinner reservation. After converting from human, to Minion, to human once again on Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, we headed back to the Lower Lot to reunite with Yoshi and Toad once more.

Once we were back in the park, with an hour and a half left to spare, we played more mini games, stacked up more virtual coins, and explored the 1UP Factory. When it came time for our dinner reservation, we made our way into the Toad-themed interior. After Jayden’s indecisive back and forth between two types of soup, we ordered our food and were seated inside.

Upon entering the main dining area, cartoon wood styled seats and tables were surrounded by elaborate “windows” and Toad displays throughout the restaurant. All five of us ordered the Super Star Lemon Squash, a honey lemon soda decorated with popping boba and star jelly.

The citrus soda was a balanced pairing with the sweet popping boba and star jelly. Jayden and I both ordered the Mario burger, a classic hamburger served with bacon, mushrooms, American cheese, tomato, and lettuce served on a soft and buttery brioche bun with a side of truffle french fries that eluded a scent of truffle that almost seemed to sneak in.

Michelle ordered the Fire Flower Spaghetti & Meatballs while Kahlen had the kid’s meal rendition of the dish. The classic marinara spaghetti was accompanied with classic meatballs, eluding a home-made atmosphere accompanied with the homey nature of the park. We all then shared the Mt. Beanpole cake, an adorable recreation of the iconic landmark of the game. Although a bit dry, the cake was the perfect conclusion to the meal. As the night came to a close, we rushed to go on Revenge of the Mummy and Transformers: The Ride-3D before making the trek home back to South Pasadena. Ultimately, the disordered day was the perfect occasion in the midst of the second semester, a plan that none of us had expected to make it out of the group chat.