My Opening Day Experience at American Dream's Nickelodeon Universe - New Jersey

I was able to get to the opening of Nickelodeon Universe on Friday, Oct 25. This was my experience!
Also be sure to follow New Jersey Coasters - he was the reason I was able to be there last week!
/ @acceleratedcreative

[@glennncoco]

Yiiiikesss I was under the impression that the all access ticket would be $50 indefinitely.. raising it to $80 is a bit ridiculous for a small indoor park when you can go to any other amusement park with tons more rides for the same price

[@BrandoMan]

Yeh, idk bout this one

[@NickyD]

but six flags isnt opened from jan to april whcoh people will go when its snowing out speically to a water park

[@BrandoMan]

@@NickyD you bring up a good point, I live in Florida and have to remember than not all parks operate year round, so sad. Also forget that snow exist. But I see what you mean, I still think 80 is too much

[@benxyb2791]

@@BrandoMan You forgot that snow exists xD

[@glennncoco]

Nicky D that's true. People will pay it so they can have something to do during the winter months. I just personally don't think it's worth it and would rather wait til spring/summer to spend my money on the bigger parks

[@Canwehitsubscriberswithn-zp4pz]

TMNT Shell raiser should have been called ‘Firey Fist O Pain.’

[@translucenc3lol482]

Honestly though

[@athenaclark2567]

Such a missed opportunity

[@DoswarePictures]

It’s strange how it took until the late 2000s for a coaster to be themed to spongebob, considering the many other coasters with Nickelodeon themes opening up. And to this day, not a single kiddie coaster in these areas have been themed to Dora or Blue’s Clues, but instead the show created by Bill Cosby!

[@mitchellries256]

Funny, I said the exact same thing about the Rock Bottom Plunge at Nickelodeon Universe in Minnesota. But seriously, whose going to want to ride a roller coaster with the word pain in its name.

[@calebreese2311]

Are ppl still on that?

[@nathandroppedoff]

The mall looks beautiful, the park looks like a bomb shelter

[@APerson_]

Lol yh

[@jkattack2640]

yikes, $80 just for shellraiser

[@Sam-il5yw]

Jordan Klein if the lines were walk-ons, and if shredder was open, I don’t see a problem,.

[@wondermentpuppettheater7095]

Jordan Klein rich people get to have all the fun

[@chloedoggie8803]

I believe it’s actually 59

[@ajs4287]

Looks awesome but $80? Jeez I can go to Carowinds for half that price

[@DoswarePictures]

AJ S I can go to Adventure City for a fourth of that price, which has another unique Gerstlauer for the area.

[@benfrankog6111]

A fool and his money are soon parted.

[@sportsygirl8]

Same here, can go to Del Grosso's for $20 and that place gives you a water park with a kids playground, water slides, lazy river and wave pool, plus mostly flat rides. This place looks awesome, but for the size it's not worth $80.

[@thugroundss]

It does seem bare bones but this was more of a soft opening and they're still doing construction on the mall and park, it should be all good in late december/early 2020

[@DoswarePictures]

Shofu It could be worse, it could be Universal Studios Florida.

[@NickyD]

more like march since its all around stories rumors are the water park most likey wont be ready until late december and pictures i seen i can see why its nowhere near ready

[@ashleyburbank3129]

Dosware Pictures dude universal is the best when did you last go?!

[@DoswarePictures]

Ashley Burbank sadly never, though my mom has been to USH. I’ll probably go as soon as Super Nintendo World opens. Either that or if they open a Balto ride.

[@liamprattley1851]

@@DoswarePictures Balto? That movie's from 1995! Sad to say, but I don't think Universal will be doing a ride like that, at least for a while. They're more focused on bringing hip and current franchises into the Hollywood park. And annoyingly, their Florida park too.

[@brianmacdonald7297]

I'm only a couple of hours from there, so I thought I'd stop by at some point in the next couple of months, but $80 for Saturday tickets, $60 for weekdays? That's bonkers. This isn't a Six Flags or Cedar Fair we're talking about here. I was at Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America earlier this year, and the prices weren't anywhere near that high. "Steepest coaster" or not, I think I'll have to rethink my plans.

[@gregcharles3240]

You also have to take into account that it's right next to the Meadowlands and it's going to attract people from the NYC/Newark area.

[@brianmacdonald7297]

@@gregcharles3240 I agree that the NYC metro area is more expensive in general, so I'd expect it to be more than Mall of America, but $80 is a lot more of a price hike than I figured. Great Adventure attracts people from that metro area, its single-day ticket is $82, and it's a much larger park (plus, there's always sales and discounts off of the gate price). If there are readily available discount tickets, or an ACE discount, that makes a difference, but I haven't heard of any yet.

[@chase7624]

It's New York/New Jersey man. Don't expect any less. Everything is expensive over here

[@protegee2]

You can get a unlimited ride pass for ALL rides for $45 at MOA. Plus parking is free.

[@Spiderific]

@@protegee2 True, but Minnesota and the New Jersey/ New York area are much different in prices for just about everything.

[@dallascimini3619]

Dang Didn't expect that legends of the hidden temple rope course

[@jaspeesauna]

They better make a “Firey Fist O Pain” It’s a classic.

[@carissacurlutu9506]

This reminds me of a theme park/mall that we will see videos of it completely abandoned and falling apart in 30 years

[@michael_dv9225]

My thoughts exactly! Haha

[@mitchellries256]

I can't begin to tell you how wrong I hope you are.

[@StamfordBridge]

Nice! Glad you love Shellraiser! That’s the first feedback I’ve heard on that coaster. I’m looking forward as I live very close by.

[@williammanthey6763]

Also, the whole park looks stale and dull. Dark corners everywhere. As someone said earlier, it really does look like they built a warehouse, put some skylights in it and plopped some rides in there and said, here ya go! If I were in charge, I'd fire the person who made the calls on what the park should look like! Ugly is all I can say!! I live 20 min from MOA, the only thing I'd like to see added is Shellraiser, other then that, nope!

[@joshstorms3953]

Keep in mind, this was a soft opening and not everything was functional and put into place at this point. Like the video said, all the dull space is probably going to be filled in with stores and decor later on when the mall/park is ready for a real opening. I work at the Nick Universe Park in Mall of America and we get constant updates as to whats going on. The American Dream does have alot more work to finish before it can officially open, but its getting there.

[@johncantatore7986]

Honestly I was there today and I think it looks great but the amount of rides closed was unacceptable, none of the coasters opened all day

[@aidanomalley8521]

Airtime thrills I’m am your biggest fan! I love the video you did with El Toro Ryan! Your videos are so good. You are my favorite coaster channel.

[@DoswarePictures]

You are my Coaster channel?

[@aidanomalley8521]

Meant to say favorite lol

[@AirtimeThrills]

Thanks!

[@aidanomalley8521]

Omg thank you so much for replying! 😀

[@Brandon-qd2lb]

They can’t run two trains on slime steak lol? Come on man! Do love the hidden temple thing!

[@colinhenderson8945]

I live in Minnesota and go to Mall of America quite often. The all access tickets are $40 here. Also, a number of the rides seen here are re-skinned versions of existing rides at Mall of America. Also, this looks very lackluster in presentation, while the one at Mall of America is very nice.

[@gpcoasters7824]

Can't wait to hit this spot next spring! The Euro Fighter looks amazing. Great video as always!

[@MrJamieBattle]

I went on Saturday but did try to visit Friday and yes they closed the park after 5 or so right when i got to NYC. Now i glad i went because now they want $80 in mid November?!?! I’ll come back when the ski slope opens.

[@alantrotter2077]

ShellRaiser is on the 2020 bucket list to hit up. It looks good. Nice video!

[@crowbarmark]

Shellraiser was awesome... also the free snacks and drinks were a bonus as well. This park gets points for having a Ren and Stimpy themed ride, as I feel like this cartoon was an underrated masterpiece.

[@TylerCocci]

Looks epic! I really wanna get down there this winter!

[@klaudiakidsshow424]

We had a great time at Nickelodeon Universe. There is so much to do we almost spent a whole day there! Great coverage of the theme park!

[@erikdaniels6006]

These are extremely close to the rides at MOA. Almost identical

[@AirtimeThrills]

The rides are mostly unique but the style is very similar. The only difference is instead of a powered mine train, the new park has an Intamin launched looper.

[@tumbleweed8342]

Thank god iv.. here great reviewers about this place 😀😀😀😀

[@LiLTailormade]

YIKES!😬 I think is the popular term I’ve been seeing down in the comments LoL but no yeah I went to the original one in Minnesota @ the Mall of America several times and yes it’s AMAZING!! So I know that this new park in New Jersey will be even better seeing that it has a plethora of new rides in all can’t wait to visit (I’m from Chicago) Great Vid BTW!

[@Rct3master44]

Passed by the mall on the way back from Great Adventure and Shellraiser looked so cool through the window.

[@YuukiTakemoto1996]

Did you ride Cyborg: Cyber Spin?

[@liamkarch8637]

How come shrek is only in a few shots and doesn't get his entire park I mean just look at that pure masculinity.

[@ladystardust9707]

I live 25 minutes away from here, but I just didn't want to deal with crowds on opening day.

[@darealpapajon]

Dude you should see route 3 always packed and busy

[@jasontodd9302]

Can’t wait to take my boys here! I’ll wait a few months until everything is up and running at full capacity.

[@ilisle3653]

can't imaging paying $80 for that. pricing seems pretty steep.

[@johncantatore7986]

I was really surprised by how fun the ren and stimpy drop tower was, packs a great punch

[@TheKurtsPlaceChannel]

Great video. Thanks for posting this. Have a nice day.

[@bradmcknight5485]

I actually work on this project for 2yrs & the Friday tickets were actually for workers on the site to bring their families.

[@jkattack2640]

T A K A B I S H A C L O N E in the US! HYPE!

[@NickyD]

until you see the 80 buck price to get into the park

[@HangtimeThrills]

I am your biggest competitor LOL your name inspired me. Thanks for the great content!

[@aidanomalley8521]

Hangtime Thrills lol

[@harrisonschneider8333]

Why not replace your logo with that of Hangtime at Knotts Berry Farm?

[@PatoSwag]

Looks so cool can’t wait to get out there

[@DoswarePictures]

Now when will Cartoon Network do something similar?

[@MrOrlandodh12]

In 15 years probably

[@YuukiTakemoto1996]

I hope they have a Toonami themed ride if so!!

[@DoswarePictures]

Yuuki Takemoto IDK, Toonami is more associated with Adult Swim nowadays and they would wanna appeal to family audiences.

[@westep4273]

I hope it doesn't become another abandoned mall 10 years from now

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

I look forward to your in-depth review of Shellraiser. It looks like it'll be a fun park once everything is up & running, even if it is a bit pricey.

[@missybarbour6885]

Still can't believe they missed out on calling their coaster which required a specially raised section of roof for its lift hill The Fiery Fist O' Pain

[@NorCalCoasterMedia]

For sandy's blasting bronco i believe they were testing the rotating platform

[@melstion1838]

My dad: He just turned 1! Me: dad i’m 15- dad:

[@SuperMario911]

Looks like a hot mess. There are too many brands and not enough thematic consistency. I recognize that they can't divide the park into multiple lands like at Disney/Universal due to space limitations, but some kind of overarching theme would have been nice.

[@KristinYo69]

This makes me miss Nickelodeon land at King’s Island ☹️

[@ZeroCreditsRemaining]

Super informative. I'm gonna hold off on going until they get it together, but man does TMNT look awesome. Seeing a Legends of the Hidden Temple climbing course makes me really want a highly themed interactive Mayan temple like from the show.

[@DoswarePictures]

I just thought of something. If Eejanaika, Do-Dodompa, and Flying Dinosaur were like arcade games, then X2, Maxx Force, and Tatsu are like the slightly inferior home console counterparts, which would also make Shellraiser an arcade perfect port.

[@Chapter7Certified]

How to doom any attraction: Make it Nickelodeon themed

[@EarthySmerky]

Can’t wait wait for an Illinois park!

[@peternguyen4042]

This Nickelodeon Universe looks somewhat similar to the one at the MOA. Especially the coasters. Rock bottom plunge is my favorite at the MOA.

[@surferjohnny123]

Looks like a fun place. Too bad some of those rides weren't open when you went. I would have loved to have seen your reviews on them. Thanks for trying.

[@AirtimeThrills]

I'll get back out there likely in July to try again

[@johncantatore7986]

Just bought tickets for friday I'm praying all 5 coasters are open, so excited!!

[@SiebayPlays]

I for one am pretty hyped to come here once the park is fully complete. I do hope the prices don't stay at $80 as that's a steep price. It's justifiable, but still astronomical for being a park aimed towards families, not just thrill seekers. Unless they continue a system where cheaper prices means less access. I'm willing to work with that.

[@patmjr22]

They got a Ren and Stimpy ride??? I’m sold

[@johncantatore7986]

It was really fun

[@XscreamThrills]

I think I'm glad that I waited to go. I was hoping to get all the credits so I'll hold off a few weeks. Thanks for the info!

[@GarryDKing]

Despite having only half the coasters and rides open, this lil park looks real amazing, The shellraiser looks even more awesome than I thought it'd be, a vertical drop i expected, but going beyond that makes me real interested. If this park was in Florida, i betcha these coasters could be up there as some of the best, up with the ones at Seaworld and Busch Gardens. This park may be indoors and small, but they did very well with the coaster designs from my first impression looking at the vid

[@johncantatore7986]

They didn't have any of the coasters open today

[@ashpee2008]

A lot of the rides look exactly like the ones here in Minnesota. Like they literally copied them just had different names.

[@johncantatore7986]

Its the same company you dunce it's not copying

[@sarabarrezueta4604]

Ashley H the same person that made the mall of America, made the American dream. Get over it.

[@ashpee2008]

@@sarabarrezueta4604 I wasnt complaining about it. I didnt know there was another one being built.

[@Wintersoxfan77864]

The Space Madness ride looks pretty cool

[@themikeygshow1271]

Today, not a single coaster was open. Shellraiser had an incident this morning where a ride piece broke and was down all day.

[@AirtimeThrills]

Thats brutal. Hopefully paying customers got a comp ticket

[@NickyD]

@@AirtimeThrills from photos i saw looked to have lifthill problems not minor either this park is a diaster so far and that drop tower isnt even gonna spin yet promoting it as a spinning one

[@NickyD]

@@AirtimeThrills probally not i bet they didnt refund anyone

[@Spiderific]

@@NickyD Dude, you seem to really be hoping for the failure of this place. Any reason for that?

[@themikeygshow1271]

Nicky D They did they gave us a ticket to use for another time

[@KoriDawn]

So much more expensive for an all day pass than it's counterpart in Minnesota. I believe the cost was 40 dollars.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

1. It's new thus demands a higher price 2. NJ taxes suck

[@KoriDawn]

@@AdamSmith-gs2dv NJ born and raised, so I have strong familiarity with the cost of living in the state... HOWEVER, Practically twice the price? That's just plan ridiculous.

[@kingoftheyouth]

This park looks a lot like galaxy land at west Edmonton mall

[@Spiderific]

It's built and owned by the same company. They also did Mall of America too.

[@themikeygshow1271]

The staff was able to adjust much better overtime.

[@johncantatore7986]

Honestly alot of them seemed pretty incompetent today

[@maxx0988]

I hoping for a annual pass/ticket of some sort like they do at Disney because it’s very accessible for me living just about 20 minutes away in Newark I can see myself hanging out there often

[@StrawberryDuck5]

I'm going on the 16th of November!! I can't wait. We already have the tickets too🤭

[@bunnibait2560]

i love how they copied minnesota 🥱 and actually that green coaster is the exact same in the nickelodeon universe in minnesota. the sponge bob one. rock bottom plunge.

[@tylerm770]

The green one is basically the Pepsi coaster and the shell one is rock bottom plunge

[@leareed3749]

True lol I live in Minneapolis too

[@rouge1823]

Do you realize that both malls were created by the same owners? Triple five group.

[@cliptrashbin2389]

I'm going to say this park looks like an ugly mess

[@s0aftheloaf]

Hmm imagine the traffic Rutherford, NJ is going to have when people want to go football games, but at the same time giants fuckin suck at the moment and jets, idek.

[@bluedrago505]

@@s0aftheloaf Isn't the whole mall going to be shut on Sundays because of the Blue Laws there?

[@Bb-jm2xl]

What’d u expect jamming an “amusement park” into a building...

[@Verminity]

Well neat but messy

[@chloedoggie8803]

bluedrago505 no, only the shopping

[@user-yq9mq5vf7b]

That Pandemonium ride looks cool, but I still think the one in Minnesota, where I live, is much better. They did, unfortunately, get rid of the Danny Phantom Ghost Zone, my favorite ride, and replaced it with a TMNT ride, which now they have two. But, the best amusement park in my opinion, is Valleyfair in Shakopee. I was just there on the 27th, there last day until next season.

[@dylc3474]

I want to go for my birthday

[@samisnotonfire6117]

Jeez the fact that the price is comparable to a Dollywood or Cedar Point scale park seems crazy to me. I know TMNT is very different than anything we have in the US, but I wouldn’t consider the park as a whole to be anywhere near the level of a major chain outdoor park.

[@floridamaddogg]

I'm definitely not going to go against your saying the tickets were pretty steep in price, but maybe the fine line that would help make you feel better about all this is you got three rides on TMNT Shellraiser and I thought I saw that was ranked like #16 on your overall rankings list. May be it was #21, but bottom line, you got 3 rides on an elite roller coaster. I would be able to live with that, but having all the rides going for opening weekend would have been ideal and would have made an excellent first impression. You only ever get to make ONE first impression.

[@p00pie]

bruhh i love this its so depressing

[@malespincarlos]

We had a group of 25 going , made it a football team trip. Unfortunately it was a very small park for the money and the tickets will get more expensive. Food was outrageously expensive not a lot of variety. Will not come back again. Our kids just kept going on the same rides.

[@edwardjones1482]

I was supposed to go to American Dream for a school trip but my teacher said they didn’t have any dates for us to go and one of my friends works there

[@epgymguy]

It’s actually been in the works for 23 (TWENTY-THREE) years. Since 1996 NOT 17 years.

[@BruceWNY]

Friday it was free. but not publicly announced. we walked in just to look and we walked into the ticket booth to buy tickets for another day and the rep was like "the park is free today just go in" she gave us wrist bands and we walked in for free.

[@kadedubose6843]

I love coasters I love your vids

[@sportsygirl8]

It looks kind of neat and it has some nice looking roller coasters, but definitely not worth the price of admission. I was thinking of coming here someday, but I don't think I will.

[@CatastropheCatherine]

Oooh I live by that

[@craze_lilbroomstick9174]

I live by this place

[@cjtucker4451]

They should try going for the first ever indoor RMC for their next coaster.

[@zcvxs]

Mall of America 2...lol... Who goes to a mall ? Hope theres at least few bars...and clubs...

[@northstarcoasters]

I grew up in Minnesota and have been to the Mall Of America multiple times. and this park is very similar but a bit better

[@ProducerTyler__]

Yeah, but the Nickelodeon Universe at the MOA is a much better value and they have a log chute.

[@zachspop1934]

Do you have any POVs

[@AirtimeThrills]

Nah, for one my ivues are busted, and the park didnt want any povs taken during the preview

[@NickyD]

@@AirtimeThrills they failed there is one of the eurofighter alreday they should also have them by now to promte the place they arent doing a good job at all the website is also a joke

[@zachspop1934]

Nicky D do you have he link to the eurofighter I can’t find it

[@StamfordBridge]

Is fifty bucks going to be the regular price?? Seems rather stiff. Hopefully, that was just an opening day special fare? EDIT: And PLEASE tell me the all-day fare of eighty dollars is not a long term thing. 😳

[@acceleratedcreative]

All day tickets are $80 😬

[@AirtimeThrills]

Yeah unfortunately 50 bucks was the discount price

[@StamfordBridge]

Airtime Thrills Thanks for the two replies. I was adding an edited question about the 80 bux price when you two were replying about it. Is this really going to be the long-term price??? $80?! That really seems to me to be a price that will keep crowds away. Surely, it’s a short-term rate during the grand opening.

[@acceleratedcreative]

StamfordBridge it will include lockers and drinks

[@StamfordBridge]

New Jersey Coasters So does that mean you really think the 80-dollar rate is their long-term admission price?

[@djsugarc1075]

Nice vidddd

[@benfrankog6111]

Great, just what New Jersey needs, another mall.....

[@MrKillerRC]

New Jersey sure ain’t cheap.

[@Spiderific]

Thank you for this info. Tried to get tickets but they were sold out. I was thinking of going next weekend, but I'll call before to make sure all the coasters are running. That's a lot of money to spend to not get to ride what I came to ride. Although some of the flat rides looked pretty cool.

[@johncantatore7986]

They wont all be running, none of them were running today

[@Spiderific]

@@johncantatore7986 NONE of them?! That can't be good. I wonder wtf is going wrong. Thank you for telling me though. Saved me some money and being really pissed off. Did you at least get your money back? Or some kind of discount? Did they have any reason posted for all the coasters being out of service?

[@KnlMohawk13]

It looks cool! Reminds me of when Kings Island had the Nick rights to the kids area. But 80$? A kings island gold pass is barely more than that.

[@harrisonschneider8333]

Bye bye Chris Cristie, hello this guy.

[@AirtimeThrills]

Maybe its better for politicians if you DONT know their names

[@DoswarePictures]

What’s Obama’s last name?

[@MrMatteNWk]

Christie would have had to do the walk of shame on each coaster.

[@eminecraft1115]

The lockers, I believe, are permanately free. The machines and permanent signs say so, and due to the locker placement in the park, I would imagine they will remain free.

[@johncantatore7986]

They arent, there is free one time use lockers for the ropes course tho and they were very accommodating w leaving your stuff in bins or in the exit

[@eminecraft1115]

@@johncantatore7986 I see, the signs I saw were for the ropes course, so it must only be for those. Thanks for letting me know! -e

[@Same_ol_jee]

I’m 30 min away I’ll give it a try . I was really excited seeing the progress of it driving by on the highway . However I feel like 80 bucks is a bit much . You’d expect that kind of admission at sixflags or other parks . Idk just my thoughts LOL

[@Vuugip]

The place looks just like a mall when it is a indoor amusement park 😂😂

[@ProducerTyler__]

I don't think this mall will succeed. The reason the MOA is successful is because there is nothing to do in the entire region during winter. This helped the MOA become the main hotspot in MN for large celebrity meet and greets and other events. This is right near NYC so they will face a lot more competition. Unfortunately, if this fails the MOA will used as collateral and may shut down.

[@darealpapajon]

@tcbobb16 the mall is in a bad location just go down 17 boom you have 3 other malls

[@protegee2]

If American Dream fails it wouldn't shut down MOA .. although Triple 5 did use it's 49 percent stake to secure the loan for AD. This is what I read if AD were to fail: "A 49 percent stake wouldn’t shut down the Mall of America. The lender would take over revenue from the tenants.” I'm happy this wouldn't be the case because I keep hearing a lot of negativity about AD and I would hate to see MOA shut down due to a failed business venture elsewhere.

[@ProducerTyler__]

@@protegee2 yeah that sounds about right.

[@reeseleonard8079]

So basically they tried to copy Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. A couple things are literally the same thing. I’m very defensive of my territory.

[@Amyellison4973]

They mortgaged the farm for this thing... I hope it works out!!

[@InvisiblePlumber]

They had construction on Shredder done in Spring, no? Were they really unable to get final approval to run the coaster before then? I'm planning to head to New Jersey this holiday if everything works out, and it would be a shame if these issues kept happening. It would be almost as bad as the closure of Jungleland Express, formerly at Six Flags Great Adventure.

[@NickyD]

some rides didnt get state inspections done yet the sandy intamin is waiting on parts from overseas no surprise there givien its a intmain but shredder and that drop tower or halfpipe didnt get inspection by the state yet and the eurofighter lift alreday broke so expact it to be down for a while

[@Kimberlypellot]

I'm going to apply for part time work maybe.

[@trollcop4504]

$80 for general admission! Pretty sure BGTs is only $60

[@NBFGrimReaper]

no water rides or anything? iom not paying $80 for dry rides. ill wait till april or may just to go to holiday world where i can get free soft drinks.

[@rockncoop665]

Wow it opened on my bday!

[@fandomfancy2450]

You can tell it's been in the works since 1996. The theming is very dated no modern shows

[@YuukiTakemoto1996]

No, this park was announced in 2016. Reason? Turtles, which debuted in 2012.

[@fandomfancy2450]

@@YuukiTakemoto1996 turtles came on in the 80s and the park was planned in the 90s. Im sure a quick google search can show you that