On January 8th, 2023, I visited the Nickelodeon Universe in East Rutherford, New Jersey to get night rides on all their coasters. I have visited this park four times, and this is my second visit with all five coasters open. Since I purchased the twilight ticket, and the crowds were minimal, I rode all five coasters that evening. Here is my ranking of the coasters in the Nickelodeon Universe.
5. Shredder
The Shredder opened as the tallest free spinning coaster in 2019. It is 85 feet tall, and it has 2247 feet of track.
4. Nickelodeon Slime Street
My thoughts of this coaster has significantly changed from my rides in 2020 to my 2023 ride. It went from being my favorite coaster in the park, to recently being my fourth favorite. This coaster feels like a family coaster mixed with a monorail since it has some good airtime, and it travels all around the park. One other aspect of this coaster that I enjoy is that it is the smoothest of the five coasters it the park, and it goes through Timmy's Half-Pipe Havoc which I think is neat. The next few coasters are more intense and they have better restraints, and that is why this coaster is number four overall.
3. Timmy's Half-Pipe Havoc
Timmy's Half-Pipe Havoc used to be my least favorite coaster in the park as of 2020, but I enjoyed this coaster way more in 2023. The restraints were very comfortable, and unlike my 2020 ride, the vehicle spun even more. I also got some good airtime whenever the coaster was at the top of its spike, which really helped changed my opinion of this coaster. Although this coaster doesn’t have the best layout, it’s definitely worth a ride during your visit.
2. TMNT Shellraiser
TMNT Shellraiser is the world's steepest roller coaster. At an angle of 121.5°, this drop is super intense. In addition to having the world’s steepest drop, this coaster has a launch, a vertical lift hill, and seven inversions which is spectacular for any roller coaster. The coaster feels like two rides in one since the world’s steepest drop is in the middle of the layout, and both halves of the coaster would have made a great ride on its own. Unfortunately, this coaster has a rattle, and the over-the-shoulder restraints can give you some head-banging. Nevertheless, TMNT Shellraiser is still a great roller coaster that I highly recommend.
1. Sandy’s Blasting Bronco
I had a difficult time deciding if TMNT Shellraiser or if Sandy’s Blasting Bronco was better, but I gave the edge to Blasting Bronco since it has an incredible backwards launch. As a mentioned in a different article, Sandy’s Blasting Bronco has the best backwards launch I have ever experienced on any coaster! The backwards launch feels like a sucker punch but in the best way possible! Ironically, Sandy’s Blasting Bronco also feels like two coasters in one just like Shellraiser. This is because all riders get to experience this coaster both forward and backwards since there is a turntable that rotates the vehicle during every ride. All riders go upside down an incredible eight times since the layout has four inversions, and we go around twice. The restraints are also super comfortable and there isn’t any headbanging on this coaster. Sandy’s Blasting Bronco is the best ride at the Nickelodeon Universe, and it is worth the trip alone.
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