Greetings once again everyone! We are back at it with another info drop from Universal about Epic Universe. Super Nintendo World is probably the “least revealing” of all that has been shared thus far, if for no other reason than the fact that it already exists in two other parks. Having said that, this video did offer some juicy stuff to dig into. So with that, I will say that what excites me the most is Donkey Kong Country. It’s almost like Super Nintendo World 1.5 based on this preview. I love the look of the show building and what a great visual to see the runaway mine cart “jumping” over the entrance. Brilliant design work there. I’m also excited for the Super Mario Kart ride, and though I feel like the videos I’ve seen online have been a bit underwhelming, I also know that said videos don’t show how the attraction looks or plays with the augmented headset feature so I’m going into it pretty pumped up. I have a freshly-minted three year old and even though she hasn’t reached the age of video game playing yet, this land looks vibrant and full of enough activities to keep her occupied and happy. I welcome your thoughts as always…
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I'm pretty intrigued by Mine Cart Madness, but I'm concerned that Universal is having trouble making it work right, and that the optical illusions are either not convincing or just not that impressive for what appears to be a pretty tame attraction. I'm generally a pretty competitive person (MIB is still one of my favorite attractions in the world), so the Power Up bands and Mario Cart really play to my personality, but I'm really worried that crowds and lines are going to kill my enthusiasm for this aspect of the land.
I do agree that the potential for over-crowding and lack of smaller attractions to help fill out this portal make it most likely to be the first choice of “skippable” on my first few visits if I do indeed have to skip one or two lands. I hope that DK mine trains offer a substantial ride and more than just a plussed kid coaster on par with slinky dog at DHS.
What excites me the most about Super Nintendo World is the ability of the land to act like a crowd sponge, absorbing the bulk of the demand at the park and leaving the other three portals less busy for my enjoyment.
In all seriousness, being local to USH and having gotten the chance to visit the original land at USJ, there simply is very little here that I haven't done before, hence why it's the least exciting part of the park for me. Mine-Cart Madness is definitely novel, but I've got some serious concerns about a ride that is said to be half the length of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and with a capacity under 1,000 riders per hour (a friend who works at UC told me to think of it as Epic Universe's Flight of the Hippogriff/Trolls Trollercoaster to avoid disappointment). I can say that the area itself will definitely be very high quality, but it's something that I'd probably save for a second day rather than make a priority (especially for my first visit).
Also, for those that haven't experienced Super Nintendo World before, I'd caution thinking of this as a normal theme park land. The area is more like a mini theme park than any other themed area I've visited, and in order to fully experience everything you really need to be willing to dedicate at least half your day to just this one area. Because certain attractions benefit from (or in one case, even require) completing other attractions first, much of the value is lost if you simply drop in, do something, then head off elsewhere.
Coming from Hollywood, definitely Donkey Kong, as that's new.
Videos do not do Mario Kart justice, and once you've gone a couple times, it's worth riding without the AR just to enjoy the practical details as a nice dark ride. But I also like getting a relatively slow day to do all the Key Challenges again without the long waits. Just hunting around the land for Power Up Band touch points is fun, too.