Yesterday’s visit to Nickelodeon Universe at American Dream was a long time in the making. I originally planned to visit this new for 2019 indoor amusement park at the end of last year, long before Covid-19 shut the world down. I elected to wait, however, because at that time, one of the park’s coasters, Sandy’s Blasting Bronco, was not yet up and running. With only five coasters in the park, I wanted to go once everything was good to go.
Little did I know that a few months later, the park, the mall, and the rest of the world would be dealing with this never ending, pandemic. For a while now I was scared that I might not ever get to visit this park. I wondered if the mall or park would be able to rebound or reopen. If I didn’t get to ride these rides, especially TMNT Shellraiser, I would have been one sad enthusiast. Thankfully that turned out not to be the case. I finally got out to this park with its full coaster line up available.
Sam & Greg Join Me
On Thursday, November 19, 2020, Sam and Greg joined me in visiting Nickelodeon Universe for the first time. All three of us would be landing five new credits each. I would be getting more than one new credit in a single location for the first time since last year. Needless to say, that made me quite happy.
Anyhow, let’s get into this visit and take a look at not only their coaster line up, but an overview of their flats, and even a little ratings list of the park’s coasters from each one of the crew who attended.
The Coasters
Nickelodeon Slime Streak
The tamest coaster in the park is easily Nickelodeon Slime Streak. If you’re heading to this park, this is where you’ll want to take the little ones. Since Sam with us, that’s exactly what we did too. Sorry Sam!
One thing that I really enjoyed about this overall tame coaster was how it maneuvered its way above, around, and between so many of the other park’s rides. While a couple of the park’s other coasters, that I’ll be talking about in a bit, do the same, Slime Streak interacts with a lot of the flat rides too. It’s a great way to bebop around the park while enjoying a ride at the same time.
Even Greg, who as you’ll soon see, listed this coaster as his least favorite of the five, still enjoyed the ride nonetheless. He said, “Slime Streak, although at the bottom of my list, was still fun to ride. That first drop and little bunny hills really get you if you’re in the back and not paying attention.”
I noticed the same about the first drop while in the back during our first ride. It pulled us with a little more zing than I expected, much to my delight. Later on when we rode in the front, I didn’t experience the same sensation. So yeah, ride this one in the back.
Sandy's Blasting Bronco
For months on end I have been wanting to visit Nickelodeon Universe for TMNT Shellraiser. In recent weeks, however, as other enthusiasts began hitting up this New Jersey park, I kept hearing how much everyone loved Sandy’s Blasting Bronco. I know Intamin can bring it with intensity, but these small footprint coasters are usually ones I ride a time or two while I focus on other larger offerings at parks. So yeah, my interest became piqued for this ride the closer this trip came on the calendar.
Everything that the other enthusiasts, who experienced this ride before me said was 100 percent true. The launch on this ride is pretty forceful, especially when you’re facing backwards for the second lap. There is some fun hangtime on this ride as you return to the station. And then, that rattle. Yes, that was true too and it’s surprising since the ride is so new. Portions of the track have the paint totally rubbed off in a few different spots. I’m pretty sure those are the same spots where you feel the rattle.
“Sure. There was a small rattle on Sandy’s, but I love myself a good launch nonetheless,” said Greg.
The rattle not withstanding, this ride was neck and neck for me as my favorite coaster at the park with TMNT Shellraiser. The entire ride home I kept thinking, “Which one was better?” “Could I really rank one of these small footprint coasters like Sandy’s over something like Shellraiser?” Guess you’ll have to read the lists below to find out if it did or didn’t upstage the park’s largest attraction for me.
“Sandy’s was super fun and the backwards launch was like nothing else I’ve ever experienced before,” said Sam. “It was so powerful and the turntable was fun too.”
The Shredder
The first of two spinning coasters at Nickelodeon Universe was the coaster that weaves in and out of TMNT Shellraiser about a million times. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but Gerstlauer, who designed both rides, had to have designed these together at the same time to occupy this space. At one point, while going up the lift hill, the three of us were even trying to see if the two rides shared any support structure. There are beams going every which way in this mess of track. I mean mess in a good way, though.
I’ll be the first to admit, spinning coasters aren’t my favorite coaster model. Sure, they rank above stand up coasters for comfort, but there are stand ups that I like better than every spinning coaster I’ve been on to date. So maybe I don’t like spinners more? I’ll have to think about this.
One thing I do know is that this coaster felt like it went on forever. I was surprised to see that the track length is only 2,247 feet on Roller Coaster Database (RCDB). It truly feels longer. We all commented during our first ride, how it just seemed to keep going and going.
“Shredder is good fun for anyone in my opinion,” said Greg. “It’s a long ride too.”
That first ride on Shredder was certainly fun, but the last ride we did on it later that evening left both Sam and I feeling some motion sickness. I didn’t feel like I was going to get sick or anything, but I needed a calmer ride before we hopped on anything extreme. I haven’t had that happen in ages and pride myself on never getting sick on a coaster or immediately after one either.
Timmy's Half-Pipe Havoc
Another spinning coaster, albeit one of the half-pipe variety. I liken this ride to the popular Disc-O flat rides, but I like those much, much better. Greg was really wanting us to get maximum spin on our first ride, but we got very little movement, much to Sam’s delight.
This ride was a one and done for Sam. She just didn’t care for it much. I could take it or leave it as I only rode it one other time before we left the park. Greg and I got a little bit more spin on that go around, but not much. After my ride on The Shredder, however, maybe it was best that we didn’t.
TMNT Shellraiser
Now for the reason I wanted to go to this park – TMNT Shellraiser, the Takabisha clone from Fuji-Q Highland in Japan. I always looked at that coaster in amazement, saying how much I wanted to experience it at least once. Now, here I am, about three hours away from a clone that made a slight tweak to its drop to give it the record for world’s steepest drop.
After three rides on this, I’m thinking I might went in with super high expectations that the ride just couldn’t live up to. Or, like with most other Gerstlauers, maybe it their coasters just do it for me. Let’s take a look at why.
The Good - Cowabunga!
One of the things I really loved about this coaster was the launch. It’s extremely forceful and even though it’s an indoor ride, the wind whips you in the face as you’re propelled forward along the wall.
I also liked, but didn’t love the heartline/Jojo roll early in the layout. I think I was expecting Hydra: The Revenge sensations from it and it just wasn’t the case. Hydra makes it twist oh so slowly, leaving you hanging upside down to think about it. That doesn’t really happen on Shellraiser. So it was fun, but not as fun as I went in thinking.
Then there is the vertical lift, followed by the brief hold while you look out the large windows at the New York City skyline. That was all cool. Then the beyond vertical drop was great! What came right afterward though… not so much!
The Bad - Shell Shocked!
This is where the infamous pothole I’ve been hearing so much about can be found. I heard numerous YouTubers and enthusiasts talk so much about this jarring element, but I kept hoping that they were just over exaggerating it. Well, they weren’t! It hurts and makes me wonder if anyone else notices this about Gerstlauer’s other coasters. Mystery Mine at Dollywood is one of the most painful head bangers I’ve experienced. That makes me sad as I love that ride’s theming. A couple of Eurofighters have also jostled me around a bit too. Is it just me? Thankfully with Shellraiser, it’s just that one spot that causes me pain. Hopefully it can be addressed.
Our first experiences with Shellraiser came on back to back rides. Both times I held my head back as most ride’s rules suggest that you do anyhow. As many enthusiasts know, however, some rides will give you less head banging if you lean your head forward a bit. I tried on our final ride of the night and… OUCH! Seriously, OUCH! Don’t do this!
Like I told Sam after that ride, when I held my head forward, that pothole shot a jolt of pain into my shoulders, up my neck, and into my head. She couldn’t believe it and it probably made her glad she sat that last ride out too.
“I thought the launch and view of New York City was amazing on Shellraiser, not to mention, my love of the Jojo roll,” said Sam. “It did make my head hurt after two rides on it though.”
While I do like this ride’s layout, if it’s this rough now, I’m scared to see how it will age. Luckily it doesn’t have to worry about weather elements, but I wonder if the fact that it’s bolted down right into solid concrete gives it that jolting aspect we all call “pothole?”
Greg, who faired a little bit better on the ride with the pothole, liked all the same elements that Sam and I enjoyed. He said, “The launch on Shellraiser was probably one of my all-time favorite launches. There’s just something about it.”
The Crew's Coaster Rankings for Nickelodeon Universe
Patrick's Rankings
1. Sandy’s Blasting Bronco
2. TMNT Shellraiser
3. Nickelodeon Slime Streak
4. The Shredder
5. Timmy’s Half-Pipe Havok
Sam's Rankings
1. TMNT Shellraiser
2. Sandy’s Blasting Bronco
3. The Shredder
4. Nickelodeon Slime Streak
5. Timmy’s Half-Pipe Havoc
Greg's Rankings
1. Sandy’s Blasting Bronco
2. TMNT Shellraiser
3. The Shredder
4. Timmy’s Half-Pipe Havoc
5. Nickelodeon Slime Streak
All in all, this park offers five coasters you don’t find at most amusement parks, especially in this region of the United States. I do feel that there is a steep jump going from Slime Streak and Timmy’s to Sandy’s and Shellraiser, however. I guess Shredder is that middle range coaster, but I’m guessing that most kids wouldn’t know which coaster is which the way Shredder entwines with Shellraiser.
Also, with a park themed to kids properties, seeing something like Shellraiser feels kind of out of place to me. I’m not complaining, however. I’m glad it’s there as an enthusiast and adult who craves those high level thrill rides. I just don’t know if the target audience is people such as myself. Luckily the park more than makes up for that with it’s selection of flat rides, which I feel, are a little more well-rounded without such a massive spike from mild to wild.
The Flat Rides
Theming, Theming, Theming
“Nickelodeon Universe has probably one of the best, if not the best, flat ride line ups I’ve personally experienced,” said Greg.
I agree 100 percent. This park didn’t pack itself with the same generic flat rides you see at every park. And where they did, they more than made theirs stand out with their Nickelodeon theming. Even ride signage throughout this park becomes an attraction in itself. Just look at the pendulum ride above, Kraang Prime Pandemonium. The park could have just as easily stuck a small, standard pendulum down and called it a day. Not so, however. I can’t even begin to describe the level of details on the ride and its surroundings. There are light packages galore too. I didn’t expect this level of detail and pictures probably don’t even do it justice.
Without going into the same level of detail on the rest of the park’s flat ride collection, I will say that three of us experienced most of the park’s offerings throughout the day. Greg and I rode the Skyline Scream drop tower and while it wasn’t the most forceful, it too gives views of New York City’s skyline when you reach the top. A nice touch.
Some of our Favorite Flats
Aang’s Air Gliders got to me a little bit, but we rode these minutes after getting off of Shredder. I had never rode one of these types of rides and really wanted to try it, though. When I got off the ride I told Sam that some of the flat rides she won’t do are much less forceful than these air gliders and I meant it.
Another fun ride for the three of us was Jimmy Neutron’s Atom Smasher. I’ve never ridden anything like this before, with the closest thing I can think of being the Knoebels classic Looper ride. Atom Smasher, however, is a much more modern “spin,” pun intended. You have a joystick and can control how much spin you want to experience. Riding with Sam, I figured we’d do very little. What I got was quite a lot. She had fun making us fly and flip over and over. No complaints from me! Oh yeah, and this thing is all decked out with lights too. Honestly, I think all of their rides are.
Hands down my favorite flat ride was the Kraang Prime Pandemonium pendulum, Like I said, the theming was on point. That ride though! Wow! Seriously, wow! This much smaller pendulum goes 360 degrees and has near miss encounters with the roof and a large ceiling fan. You don’t want to miss this.
We Also Rode the Rest
Not to be overlooked, we also got in a ride on Dora’s Sky Railway, Bikini Bottom Crosstown Express, and Sponge Bob’s Jellyfish Jam. Sadly, due to Covid, the Legends of the Hidden Temple Challenge was closed. Greg and I were both eyeing that up. It’s so massive and looks to have a spot where you can repel back down to the floor. If I go back and that’s open, I’m giving it a go for sure.
Nickelodeon Universe: Our Advice
Overall, I’m glad I finally got to experience this indoor park. There are some good times to be had by visiting, but there are some things you should know before you go. I didn’t feel right not including them here, but by no means are these meant to deter you from going. On the contrary, I want to tell you these things so you don’t get blindsided by them and have your experienced hindered.
Admission Price
Cost $60 on a non-peak day, which got us access to the park from 12 – 8 p.m. If you go on a peak day, however, the cost goes up to $85 and it looks like you can only stay in the park for four hours – either 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. or 4 – 8 p.m. Save your money and get a longer experience by going on non-peak days. This is probably my least favorite thing about this place as it stands now. It’s too expensive. I’d never in a million years go on a weekend! Our $60 rate felt high. The peak hours price is outrageous.
Parking
Parking right now is free. From what I’ve been told, that won’t always be the case. When you park, try to park in lot A as it appears to be the closest lot to the park. We parked in lot B and had to find our way through part of the mall.
Re-Entry Policy
Currently, due to Covid, there is no re-entry to the park. Bring what you need (no food/beverages, however) and do what you have to do before entering. I was told this wasn’t the case originally in 2019 and won’t be once the Covid Pandemic passes.
Food Limitations
No re-entry also means you can’t go out into the mall to eat. While there is the smallest of selections to chose from for food inside the park, it’s rather expensive and lacking many standard park options (at least right now). We decided to eat before going to the park knowing this ahead of time and ate when we left. The only thing we bought while inside were a few sodas and some $11 nachos that barely had any nachos.
Loose Articles/Lockers
When you enter the park, you’re given a wristband featuring computer chip. That chip is used at lockers found all around the park. Scanning them opens a locker for you to use, or unlocks it when you return. The park asks it guest to put loose articles in the lockers and thankfully, they’re free for the first hour (ahem, Six Flags Great Adventure!).
Just be sure to pay attention, however. We were about five minutes late getting back to our lockers and both Sam and I had put our wallets in our lockers. If Greg hadn’t kept his wallet, I don’t know how we were supposed to pay to re-open them. We decided to share one locker after that just in case it happened again. Going past the hour is $5 for every 30 minutes over. That meant we had to pay $15 in total between the three of us, but would only had to pay $5 had we all shared one locker instead. Learn from our mistakes.
(Note: While they ask everyone to use the lockers, every ride was letting people put phones in cubbies and baskets. I found that odd if they force you to use lockers.)
CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): Nickelodeon Slime Streak, Sandy's Blasting Bronco, The Shredder, Timmy's Half-Pipe Havoc, TMNT Shellraiser
Sam
Commander
New Credit(s): Nickelodeon Slime Streak, Sandy's Blasting Bronco, The Shredder, Timmy's Half-Pipe Havoc, TMNT Shellraiser
Greg
Lieutenant
New Credit(s): Nickelodeon Slime Streak, Sandy's Blasting Bronco, The Shredder, Timmy's Half-Pipe Havoc, TMNT Shellraiser
