Not Gonna Lie, I'm Worried About the New Super Nintendo Land at Epic Universe

No one is more excited about May 22nd than me. I’ve literally been counting the days ’til I can run through the portal at the brand-new Epic Universe at Universal Orlando and enter the world of Super Nintendo Land (it’s less than 100 days, by the way).

Super Nintendo World in Epic Universe concept art ©Universal

But when I look at the concept art, I’m starting to get a little nervous.

I’m a wheelchair user, and while I’ve had fantastic experiences at Universal Orlando in the past, the new Super Nintendo Land looks a little, uhm, stair-y.

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Super Nintendo World in California offers guests opportunities to use their Power-Up Bands and collect coins throughout the land, just like Mario! Wheelchair users are able to go up to these mini-games, just like everyone else, and collect their coins. There’s even an elevator to the top of Bowser’s Castle!

Nintendo Land at Universal Studios Hollywood

The only ride at Super Nintendo World in Hollywood is Mario Cart: Bowser’s Challenge. While mobility devices can go through the queue, there is no wheelchair-access vehicle, meaning guests have to transfer into the vehicle instead of strapping their wheelchairs into the ride. This works well for some users who can transfer easily, but for some, getting out of their wheelchairs is not an option.

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But Florida’s Super Nintendo World is bigger, better, and newer, right?

Florida’s Super Nintendo World will have Mario Cart and Yoshi’s Adventure, a copy of the ride in Universal Studios Japan. In Japan, this ride has a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, so you can roll right onto the ride without transferring! I’m hoping the new Nintendo World has this amazing feature when it opens in May. We’ll even have Mine-Cart Madness, and while I am so excited to hop tracks with Donkey Kong, roller coasters typically aren’t accessible.

©Bioreconstruct

Looking at some of the new aerial views of Nintendo World, there seem to be a lot of stairs, specifically at Peach’s Castle. I can see two major staircases right up to the castle’s door. While I’m sure there’s a way to the top without stairs, I’m wondering how far out of the way my wheelchair route will be. Will I miss any power-up stations? Will there be a cool photo opportunity?

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Universal hasn’t released accessibility information about the other new lands in Epic Universe yet, but we’ll be ready when they do! Keep up to date with AllEars to learn everything you need to before your next theme park vacation.