Leveling Up: Our Family’s Experience in Super Nintendo World at Epic Universe
- Kristin McCartney
- May 28
- 6 min read
If you’ve ever dreamed of stepping into a video game—mushroom power-ups and all—Super Nintendo World at Universal’s Epic Universe is the place to do it. We took our three kids (ages 11, 9, and 4) through the warp pipe and into the chaos of coins, Koopa Troopas, and questionable wait times. Here’s what it was really like, from ride reviews and stroller flow stops to our daughter calling it “Donkey Honk Country” all day long.
Spoiler alert: it mostly lived up to the hype.
First Impressions: The Portal Entrance Experience
Walking into Super Nintendo World is exactly what you hope it’ll be—colorful, kinetic, and absurdly fun. You enter through a warp pipe (via escalator or elevator) and exit inside Peach’s Castle, where you’re instantly surrounded by the sights and sounds of the Mushroom Kingdom.
Families with strollers or mobility needs are routed to an elevator, but even then, there’s a mini warp pipe at the top, so nobody misses the magic completely. A nice touch.
The land itself is two levels, and when you first emerge, you’re actually on the second floor—with Bowser’s Castle ahead to your left, Yoshi’s Adventure across the way, and Peach’s Castle behind you. It’s bright, loud, and completely immersive from the start.
We visited both during the day and at night and trust us, the land is stunning at night. The lighting design alone is worth coming back after sunset.
Land Design & Immersion: Like Stepping Into a Game
Every single pixel was clearly obsessed over. We even learned that Universal had to repaint the red elements in the land because the original shade wasn’t Nintendo-approved enough. If that’s not commitment to the theme, I don’t know what is.
Between the punch blocks, interactive sound effects, and that instantly recognizable soundtrack, it really does feel like stepping inside a Mario game. But immersion only goes so far and unfortunately, the team member interactions didn’t live up to the high bar set by the theming. More on that below.
Rides Recap: Our Take on the Attractions
Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge
This one’s for the gamers in your family, especially the ones who think they’re good at Mario Kart. You wear a visor that overlays interactive gameplay on top of physical sets, and you’re supposed to “steer” and shoot shells as you race. In theory? Cool. In practice? Kinda confusing.
It’s slow-moving, hard to follow, and a little underwhelming especially considering the wait time to get on the ride. Our kids still had fun and we loved the detail in the queue, but it wasn’t a must-do twice. Make sure you get the photo of your group in the visors.
Pro Tip from Sam: It is a very confusing ride at first, but you get smarter the more you ride it. This is the same ride as the park in Hollywood and I learned that you have to actually look at the targets you want to hit. Once I had a better understanding of what I was doing, the ride was a little more fun. Plus, as a 30-something year old, I grew up on Mario Kart and it really was like living my childhood over again.
Yoshi’s Adventure
A slow, scenic ride perfect for younger kids (or just taking a breather). It reminded us of the PeopleMover in Magic Kingdom but with dinosaur eggs. Bonus: amazing views of the Mushroom Kingdom from up high.
Pro Tip: if you don’t have a smaller kid, I wouldn’t wait longer than 15 minutes for this ride unless you really just want a break or a good view.
Mine-Cart Madness (Donkey Kong Country)
Think Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but jerkier—and somehow with less shade. It’s a fun, bouncy ride that mimics jumping broken tracks (don’t worry, you don’t actually fly off the rails).
Our youngest was scared but brave, and later said she wanted to ride again. Addison calling it “Donkey Honk Land” might’ve been the highlight of the day.
Power-Up Band Gameplay: Cool Concept, Confusing Execution
The Power-Up Bands connect to the Universal app and unlock interactive games around the land. You can collect keys, stamps, and coins and if you collect 3 of the 5 keys, you unlock Bowser Jr.’s Challenge, a final mini-attraction.
Some of the challenges were a hit. Others… not so much. A few were hard to understand, poorly explained by team members, or required precision timing and coordination which was tough for little kids. One cool detail: doing the same challenge more than once makes it harder, which is a nice bonus for repeat players.
An additional note, Power-Up bands are currently $45 plus tax each (with discounts available for some Annual Passes), but you don’t really need more than one unless you’re a very competitive group and want to track everyone’s gameplay closely. The bands can only be used in the Super Nintendo portal, so the $45 price point is very high for what they do in our opinion.
Characters & Photo Ops
We met Princess Peach (short wait, adorable interaction), saw Mario and Luigi from a distance, and skipped the line to keep our day moving. Plus you are able to meet Toad and Donkey Kong, although we didn’t see them. The entire land is incredibly photogenic—expect bold colors, clever details, and plenty of social-media-worthy backdrops.
Accessibility: Stairs, Strollers & Shade (Or Lack Thereof)
Let’s talk logistics.
There are stairs everywhere. Especially when moving between attraction queues and levels.
Elevators exist, but there’s limited signage, and we often had to ask where to go.
Stroller users and wheelchairs will experience a lot of “flow stops”—those moments when your group has to split or pause to access alternate routes.
Shade is scarce. There’s a giant mushroom at the top level with a few little toadstools to sit on, but otherwise, you’re basically stuck in that one level from Super Mario Bros. 3 where the angry sun chases you around and dive bombs you for sport.If you’re visiting during summer, good luck outrunning it. Florida’s rainy season? Even worse. The sun tag-teams with Lakitu and a thundercloud.
Crowds & Wait Times
We visited on a soft opening day with only 7,000 people in the entire park and still, most rides in Super Nintendo World had 2+ hour waits until the evening.
Pro tip: Hit this land early, late, or during cooler months. With so little shade and cover, midday crowds in the summer or during rain? No thanks.
Food & Drink (Or Why We Skipped Toadstool Cafe)
We didn’t try any of the food or drinks inside Super Nintendo World, but that was by choice. Our agent Sam had visited earlier and warned us about long waits and underwhelming food at Toadstool Café. So we opted to eat in other Epic Universe portals instead. We’ll loop back with Sam’s review in a future update.
Sam’s Feedback: Toadstool Cafe is adorable as you watch the mini Toad’s prepare your food and the weather changes in the Mushroom Kingdom, but as Kristin mentions above, the wait was terrible. It took over 45 minutes to get our food once we ordered it. We got the garlic knots, the Luigi Burger, and Bowser's Fireball Challenge. They were all good, but not worth the long wait.
What We’d Do Differently Next Time
Start with Donkey Kong Country when crowds are low—Minecart Madness gets slammed fast.
Pack cooling towels and a poncho. Lack of shade = sweaty and soggy. Lack of cover = even soggier if it rains.
Eat elsewhere. Unless you’re dying to try Princess Peach cupcakes, you can probably do better.
Top Tips for Families with Young Kids
If you bring a stroller for preschoolers, I would recommend parking it in a designated stroller parking area and exploring the entire land without it. The land is small enough to comfortably walk around for a while and you don’t have to constantly worry about rerouting to elevators. It’s also small enough to quickly grab the stroller if your little decides they’ve had enough of your millennial excitement.
Use the Universal app to link Power-Up Bands.
Prepare for sensory overload. The lights, sounds, and crowds can be a lot. Build in breaks.
Don’t overdo the challenges. Some are tough, even for grownups. Focus on the fun, not perfection.
Wander around the land if you have time and see what you find (there are hidden gems everywhere). You don’t have to have a set purpose other than collecting coins and laughing.
Final Verdict: Does It Live Up to the Hype?
For our family? Yes. Even with the confusing gameplay, sparse shade, and some team member hiccups, Super Nintendo World was a hit especially for our Mario-loving kids. Addison (4) called it her favorite land, and watching her light up with every POW Block punch and Yoshi sighting made it all worth it.
Plus, we’ll be calling it “Donkey Honk Land” forever now, and that’s a core memory.
Stay Tuned…
Check out our Epic Universe coverage for tips on the other portals (Dark Universe, Celestial Park, Isle of Berk, and Ministry of Magic.
Have questions about visiting with kids? Drop them in the comments or shoot us a message! We love helping families level up their park days.
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