First off, met a lot of great people yesterday.
@Jerroddragon Nice to finally meet you in person.
@Freak Sorry I wasn't able to find you. Perhaps you left after I was seated. I sat across from
@Dustin and JPLand's table.
@Dustin Great bumping into you again. Forgot to ask you but why did you and JP leave 3 togo boxes on your table when you left? I was about to steal some of your dessert that looked barely touched. Haha.
Jonathan Green who was also with @ParksAndCons.
Got to help film Jake from JSLand doing the Koopa Troopa POWer Punch for his video.
And many others who I don't think are on here.
Wow! Just Wow! Not much of a Potter fan, but that reveal when seeing Hogwarts Castle in person for the first time was surreal. As a huge Nintendo fan, this was even more emotional.
Got into the land just after 12pm. Went to 1-Up Factory and got my Power-Up Band within a minute. Try here if the line is long at the kiosks outside.
Lined up for MK and waited less than 30 minutes. It had that "new car smell." Just an incredible ride. AR is amazing. There's so much going on it can be overwhelming. But that Rainbow Road finale tho. Absolutely insane! Favorite scene of the ride.
Met up with the twin brothers behind Attractions 360° for a second ride. We got in just before they closed the ride for the day around 3:30. With no one behind us, they got some great shots without any people in it. Check them out @SoCal360 on Twitter. They recently went to USJ so it was great hearing about the differences between both SNWs.
Now I know why we have so much queue in the land. There's absolutely no upper level queue in the show building. After the two preshow rooms, you turn left to where they distribute the visors. This is the bridge that connects to the show building. You then walk down some stairs, turn right and down more stairs to the loading station. This makes me wonder why the building is as tall as it is. So yeah, those switchbacks in front of Bowser's head are permanent along with the shade sails. If you look at the anchor points, it was designed that way all along.
Wasn't as impressed with the AR binoculars. It looked kinda flat if that makes sense.
Didn't get to do Bowser Jr. battle since the Piranha Plant game kept breaking down. I feel like some of these mini games are one and done. Can't imagine me wanting to keep cranking a wheel every visit.
I was wrong about there being a third or middle level behind Mt. Beanpole. My eyes must have been playing tricks on me during the brief sighting of the opened doors from the tram.
I like how Toadstool Cafe is set up. You order and pay first, get a tracker and they bring your order to your table. They even give you metal silverware. I'm confused about the whole reservation thing. Before getting seated, I was asked if I had a reservation to which I said, "No, I just ordered." The girl then says nevermind.
Had the Mario burger. It was just ok. The bun was a little dry. Bacon was way overcooked. I don't mind crispy bacon, but it should be brittle and crumble with the slightest bite. It required a solid bite to break through it like hard candy. I love mushrooms and thought it could've used more mushrooms. Sauce is good. The patty's crust was dry, but the inside was good. Nothing mindblowing.
Seems the Power Bands had a hard time staying on. It would slowly open up and I was afraid I'd lose it without knowing it but seemed to have "broken in" after a few hours.
They need a Freestyle machine somewhere in the land. It's hard to get ice and water without waiting in line at Toadstool Cafe.
With all that said, my childhood dreams have come to life. Glad to finally experience it in person and look forward to many future visits.