{"id":23427,"date":"2023-05-18T00:01:08","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T00:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/?p=23427"},"modified":"2023-05-06T13:01:26","modified_gmt":"2023-05-06T13:01:26","slug":"super-nintendo-world-part-1-cary-in-the-mushroom-kingdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/2023\/05\/18\/super-nintendo-world-part-1-cary-in-the-mushroom-kingdom\/","title":{"rendered":"Super Nintendo World Part 1: Cary in the Mushroom Kingdom"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>So you know how the Mario Bros. are plumbers and they fell into a pipe that led them to the Mushroom Kingdom?\u00a0 Well, I work in the plumbing department of a major hardware store, so I guess the same thing happened to me!\u00a0 So in this four-part blog series, you\u2019ll read all about my adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom, and how I was able to defeat Bowser three times in one morning.\u00a0 Take that, Mario!\u00a0 So yeah, I went to Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood a few weeks ago, so here\u2019s my detailed account and experiences of the whole thing.<\/p>\n

So you may be wondering why on earth would I even go now?\u00a0 The Super Nintendo World in Orlando is supposed to be built in a couple of years, and will probably be better than the one in California, as it usually tends to be.\u00a0 One reason is that I haven\u2019t been on a vacation since 2019.\u00a0 Yeah, in three years I haven\u2019t been more than two hours away from my house, and even those times that I was, it was only a time or two.\u00a0 So I was really ready for a vacation.\u00a0 Also, a lot of things have happened in the past three years.\u00a0 We had the pandemic, my mom got and recovered from breast cancer, and I won\u2019t even go into all the personal family things that have gone on.\u00a0 So who knows what the next two years will bring?\u00a0 I may not even be able to go then.\u00a0 All I know is that I had the money NOW, and I had a chance to do it NOW, so I did it!\u00a0 Plus, I used to take my dad with me to E3 and PAX all the time, and we\u2019re both getting older and may not be able to do that kind of thing much anymore, so I wanted to take him on this trip, too, since it may be one of the last times we get to do this together.\u00a0 So that\u2019s why I went now.\u00a0 And even though it was expensive, I got a really good deal on the hotel and flight.\u00a0 The only thing I didn\u2019t like was how much the tickets were to get into the park!\u00a0 Seriously, how are families supposed to afford to do stuff like this?\u00a0 Anyway, let\u2019s take a look at my adventures there!<\/p>\n

We got there super early in the morning, about an hour before they opened, and I bought a special pass to get into Super Nintendo World an hour early, so I recommend doing that if you go.\u00a0 The front entrance was advertising the heck out of Super Nintendo World!<\/p>\n

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So here\u2019s me entering the Warp Pipe to Super Nintendo World.<\/p>\n

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And if you ever wanted to know what it looks like inside a warp pipe, here you go:<\/p>\n

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So the first thing you\u2019ll want to do in Super Nintendo World is buy one of these special bands called Power Up Bands.\u00a0 They fit on your wrist like a slap bracelet.\u00a0 I\u2019ve heard some complaints that they fall off too easily, but I didn\u2019t have that problem.\u00a0 Only time it almost did was when we played a mini-game that made you move your arms around a lot, and even then the employees suggested you hold the bands in your hand for that.\u00a0 The bracelets are expensive at 40 bucks a pop, but they are very nice and even act as amiibo when you get home, and as an avid amiibo collector I was all about that.\u00a0 Here are what the bands look like.\u00a0 I got the Toad one for myself and the Luigi one for my dad, since those are my favorite Mario characters.<\/p>\n

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So the bands can be bought at the gift shop in Super Nintendo World.\u00a0 But they can also be purchased at another Super Nintendo World gift shop outside the park.\u00a0 Right beside the park is Universal CityWalk, a collection of restaurants and shops that you don\u2019t have to have a ticket to get into. In fact, when my dad and I used to go to E3 a lot, we\u2019d eat dinner at CityWalk nearly every night we were there.\u00a0 Anyway, if you can, I\u2019d suggest going to CityWalk the day before you go to the park and pick up the bands if you want them.\u00a0 One less thing to worry about at the park.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the front of that shop:<\/p>\n

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And sorry to go on a tangent, but here\u2019s some of the things they sell in the shop.\u00a0 They all have a Mario theme to them.\u00a0 My only problem is that they ONLY sold Mario stuff.\u00a0 I would\u2019ve liked to have seen other Nintendo properties you could buy merchandise of here, like Animal Crossing or Kirby or Zelda or Metroid, etc.<\/p>\n

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I was glad to see Luigi get a lot of love in these shops, though.<\/p>\n

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And there was a lot of Mario Kart stuff, since there was a ride based on that.<\/p>\n

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The shop in Super Nintendo World proper was called 1up Factory, but it wasn\u2019t much of a big deal since every other shop had the same Mario stuff in it, too.\u00a0 But at least this one had a bit of a factory theme.<\/p>\n

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Anyway, sorry to go off topic there.\u00a0 So what do those Power Up Bands do?\u00a0 Well everything you do in Super Nintendo World can be recorded onto an app when you do something.\u00a0 Everything from hitting a block with coins in it, to finding special keys to open a secret area of the park.\u00a0 Here\u2019s some screens of the app you used.\u00a0 Since I got a Toad bracelet, I was on Team Toad.<\/p>\n

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You get stamps for doing things at the park.\u00a0 It\u2019s kind of like game achievements.\u00a0 Pretty neat idea.<\/p>\n

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You can tap the stamps to see how you got them, or see what you need to do to get them.\u00a0 Some are impossible to get now, like one where you visit the park on opening day!\u00a0 I tried to get stamps where you can see secret Pikmin and Rosalina, but they said you had to use some binoculars to find them, and I didn\u2019t see any of that at the park.\u00a0 And I scoured the whole area!\u00a0 I don\u2019t think they had them out that day, personally!<\/p>\n

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You can also see your scores and rankings on the Mario Kart ride.<\/p>\n

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And view a pixel map of the park.<\/p>\n

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So that\u2019s what the bands do.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like how expensive they were, but at least they were well-made, came in a nice box, and even though you don\u2019t HAVE to have them to enjoy the park, you\u2019ll really get the full enjoyment out of it if you do.<\/p>\n

So now here\u2019s some general pictures of the Super Nintendo World area.\u00a0 They had a tall mountain with lots of moving objects.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s another shot of that from a different angle.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s a shot of a desert area in the distance.\u00a0 I like the small details, like the Pokey moving about on top.<\/p>\n

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Lots of mushrooms, with little toad\u201dstools\u201d you could sit on to rest.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t provide much shade, though.<\/p>\n

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More mushrooms.<\/p>\n

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Bowser\u2019s Castle looms up high.\u00a0 This is where you entered the Mario Kart ride, which I\u2019ll go over tomorrow.<\/p>\n

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And here\u2019s Peach\u2019s castle on the other end.\u00a0 You entered and exited the Nintendo area through here.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s me inside Peach\u2019s castle.<\/p>\n

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I wonder how many Mario 64 fans entered Peach\u2019s castle here and looked up at the ceiling.\u00a0 You know I did!<\/p>\n

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And here\u2019s a painting from Mario 64.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t try to jump into it!<\/p>\n

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So far, all the pictures I took of Super Nintendo World makes it look pretty big!\u00a0 But that\u2019s one of the problems I had with this area is that it\u2019s actually really small.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a shot I took from high up before entering Bowser\u2019s castle for the Mario Kart ride.\u00a0 What you see here is pretty much all there is!<\/p>\n

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And here\u2019s another shot from above.\u00a0 It may look empty now, but that\u2019s only because I took these pictures first thing in the morning.\u00a0 An hour later and this area was wall to wall people.\u00a0 And I went during what I thought was an off season!\u00a0 I wish they could\u2019ve spread it out a little bit more, as it would\u2019ve helped with crowd control.<\/p>\n

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I did like some of the small details, like the \u201cCaution Wet Floor\u201d signs were banana peels from Mario Kart!<\/p>\n

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Of course I got my picture taken with Mario and Luigi!\u00a0 And yes I am wearing an Animal Crossing T shirt while everyone else was wearing Mario stuff.\u00a0 Heck, the day before I wore my Mega Man shirt.\u00a0 I even got comments about it.\u00a0 I’m such a rebel.<\/p>\n

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The cool thing about the costumed characters is that they could talk with some pre-recorded phrases!\u00a0 Like \u201cSmile and say \u2018Luigi\u2019\u201d and whatnot.\u00a0 Their eyes also blinked!\u00a0 I even have proof of that.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you hate it when you take a picture and someone has their eyes closed?\u00a0 Well that happened here.\u00a0 Oh Luigi!<\/p>\n

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And let it be known for the record that I\u2019M the one who rescued Princess Peach, NOT Mario!\u00a0 Peach had pre-recorded voice clips, too.\u00a0 I thought it was really cute when a little girl would go up to get her picture taken, and Peach would say, \u201cOh look, another princess!\u201d<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

And that\u2019s all for Part 1!\u00a0 In the next three parts, I\u2019ll go over the three times I defeated Bowser at the park!\u00a0 Next time we\u2019ll go over Mario Kart: Bowser\u2019s Challenge (the ride), and then Bowser\u2019s Fireball Challenge (the restaurant), and finally we\u2019ll take a look at the secret area: Bowser Jr.\u2019s Secret Lair!\u00a0 Be sure to check back then!\u00a0 Later!\u00a0 –Cary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So you know how the Mario Bros. are plumbers and they fell into a pipe that led them to the Mushroom Kingdom?\u00a0 Well, I work in the plumbing department of a major hardware store, so I guess the same thing happened to me!\u00a0 So in this four-part blog series, you\u2019ll read all about my adventures […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":23405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miscellaneous"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23427"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23431,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23427\/revisions\/23431"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}