Ranked: The Top 8 Attractions at Nickelodeon Universe – American Dream

Welcome back to another “Ranked” article here on Laughing Place. Last week, while visiting New York City, I had the chance to cross the border into New Jersey to experience one of the newest theme parks in the country: Nickelodeon Universe at the American Dream mall.

This is a park with quite a troubled history, taking well over a decade from conception to completion. Taking inspiration from the Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America, this park delivers on the Nickelodeon fun and thrills, but perhaps doesn’t quite have the charm of the original. Now without any further ado, let’s countdown the Top 8 attractions at Nickelodeon Universe!

8. Aang’s Air Gliders

We begin with a ride that I’m surprised that I actually rode, and that I also immediately regretted riding. I’m not one to typically feel nauseous following a thrilling ride, but this thing did it for me. Themed to Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aang’s Air Gliders is a Zamperla Air Race attraction. From off ride, Aang’s Air Gliders is a marvel to watch, but on board, it’s just a disorentating mess. Do yourself a favor, and just watch this one from afar.

7. Dora’s Sky Railway

Dora’s Sky Railway is a simple monorail-type attraction that provides a calm and scenic ride through Nickelodeon Universe, weaving through and over many of the park’s attractions. This is definitely worth a ride simply for the views it provides, and can be a nice relaxing break from some of the more intense attractions in the park.

6. Skyline Scream

Skyline Scream is marketed as the world’s tallest indoor drop tower. Similar to Doctor Doom’s Fearfall at Islands of Adventure, this ride first shoots you up all the way to the top before dropping you back down, providing some fun pops of airtime. While quick, the incredible views of the New York City skyline provided from the top of the tower can’t be beat.

5. Nickelodeon Slime Streak

Every park needs a roller coaster for families, and the Nickelodeon Slime Streak excellently fulfills this requirement. While a relatively short ride, it does provide some thrills for thrill seekers, including a good pop of airtime off the first drop, if you sit in the back row. As with Dora’s Sky Railway, this coaster provides some great views of the rest of Nickelodeon Universe. One issue I had were the relatively small trains, but I suppose that’s to be expected for a family coaster.

4. Timmy’s Half Pipe Havoc

Timmy’s Half Pipe Havoc is a Fairly OddParents-themed Intamin Half Pipe coaster that could be familiar to some Disney Parks fans as RC Racer at various international Disney Parks. The only difference here is that the seats spin as the coaster navigates the half pipe track. That makes this somewhat similar to a Zamperla Disk’O, but this is a lot more intense. You really feel the hangtime, and the scary factor gets amped up by just how close you come to the ceiling!

3. The Shredder

Another family coaster here, is one of two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed coasters–The Shredder. This is a spinning coaster, and a long one at that. What I find pretty incredible is how interweaved this coaster and another further down this list are. Aside from different track colors, you never know where one ends and one begins. The Shredder, while not too thrilling, provides enough to satisfy both families and thrill seekers. Add to that the extremely long track length, and you’ve got a great ride.

2. Sandy’s Blasting Bronco

I had heard good things about Sandy’s Blasting Bronco prior to riding for the first time, and let me say that I was not disappointed. This shuttle coaster themed around Sandy from SpongeBob Squarepants begins with an intense launch before going around the relatively short track of a few inversions and airtime moments. But where things get really crazy is with the second half, as the entire station rotates and you do the whole ride again, but backwards! If you thought the launch was intense going forwards, wait until you experience the backwards one! It was a sensation unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced, and that alone was enough to put Sandy’s Blasting Bronco up to #2 on this list.

1. TMNT Shellraiser

The most impressive roller coaster at Nickelodeon Universe actually wasn’t originally created for the park. TMNT Shellraiser is a clone of Takabisha at Fuji-Q Highland in Japan, and takes the record from that coaster of the steepest drop on a roller coaster, going .5 degrees steeper at 121.5 degrees. This is another long ride that begins with a slow heartline roll straight out of the station, which then leads into an intense launch to propel you through the first half of the ride. After going through several large inversions, the ride hits the brakes and proceeds up a vertical lift hill to a height of 141ft. You are then held at the top for a few seconds, what feels like eternity, as you take in a magnificent view of the New York City skyline. From there, you drop down the 121.5 degree drop and through the rest of the inversion-filled layout. This ride has a lot going for it, and aside from some bulky over the shoulder restraints, it really delivers!

I hope you all enjoyed this ranking of my Top 8 attractions at Nickelodeon Universe at American Dream. If you want to see some more theme park rankings, feel free to check out some of my other “Ranked” articles listed below: