Fun Find: Super Nintendo World Videos

It's Super Mario Day!!!  Each year, fans of Mario and Luigi celebrate the popular video game on March 10th... MAR 10... MAR10... MARIO... get it?

Photo Source

Since today also happens to be a Friday, I thought the best way to celebrate was to share a few videos from the newly opened Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood!  It just opened back on February 17th, so it's not even a month old yet!

I know that I usually post Disney parks related news, but as you know I have been trying to branch out a bit.  And I think this new section of the park deserves to be celebrated.  Just like the Harry Potter sections of Universal parks, this new land is top notch.  It looks like you're walking through the actual video game.  Universal has really brought a lot to the table lately, and the Harry Potter and Nintendo portions of their parks feel very Disney in essence.  (Disney definitely needs to keep up!)

The most talked about part of the new section seems to be the Mario Kart dark ride.  I should start off by saying that I love Mario Kart.  I'm not really a video game person, but I've been known to get my go cart on occasionally.  Jeremy, Eliot and I love to play it together, and Eliot and I have also played it a a few times with Sara and Elissa.  I might not be very good at it, but it's still a lot of fun.   (And I do occasionally win!)  

Photo Source

So when I heard about this ride, I had to know more about it.  I'm always so hesitant with Universal rides because there are so many I can't go on.  The video below shows a great comparison of the ride with and without the glasses.  I think it looks great without the glasses... and from that point of view, I might be able to ride it.  The images that the glasses create are amazing, but I'm afraid it might be too much for me.  I get motion sickness on rides pretty easily... so I'm not sure how I'd fare on this.  But it looks absolutely amazing!  It's like Test Track and Runaway Railroad had a Nintendo baby!

This entire addition looks incredible.  I'm so glad it's coming to Florida soon too!  I can't wait to go and take photos like I'm actually in the game.  I'm also going to have to try one of those burgers with the cute little hats.  And the MagicBand like wrist bands also look like a lot of fun.  I'm sure that I'll have a blast whether I can go on the rides or not.

Photo Source

Plus, I know that Eliot and Jeremy would absolutely freak out seeing this!  The three of us used to brainstorm ideas for a Nintendo theme park years ago.  We used to talk about making a "Rainbow Road" ride... so it's cool to see it as a reality now!  We will definitely have to go together to see this someday!  Happy Super Mario Day!!!  °o°

Results- Universal 2015 Trip Bucket List

As I mentioned the other day, Universal and KeyCon 2015 were awesome!  I had an amazing time with Eliot and my Key to the World family.  Not only did we have a great time, but I also accomplished most of my trip bucket list goals!  This is the closest I've ever become to completing a full list!  Here are the results: 

Melissa's Universal 2015 Trip Bucket List:

⚡️ Learn More About Universal Resort

I learned so much about Universal Resort this trip!  My Key to the World group stayed on site at the Hard Rock Hotel (which was awesome).  We had an entire presentation on Universal at our KeyCon meeting.  Our group also toured the other Universal Resort Hotels.  While on our tour, we saw one of the few Minion themed suites!  I loved seeing the other hotels and now I want to stay at all of them!  Finally, I used my three day tickets to explore Universal and Islands of Adventure!

⚡️ Meet New KTTW Travel Agent Friends

I met a lot of new friends!  It was great to spend time with my KTTW friends from last year, but I also enjoyed meeting new agents this year!  I finally got the chance to meet a few of my fellow Mainers!  I also had a great time getting to know Team Slytherin.

⚡️ See the Dragon Breathe Fire in Diagon Alley

This is so cool!  I had to wait quite a few minutes the first time I went to Diagon Alley, but it was totally worth it!  I learned that the dragon growls before it shoots fire so you can get your camera prepared if you're really quick.  It's totally worth seeing in person!

⚡️ Ride the Hogwarts Express

I had so much fun on the Hogwarts Express.  It takes you back and forth between Universal and Islands of Adventure.  The train compartments have "windows" to look out.  Each way you experience a different ride.  It's definitely my favorite ride there.  

⚡️ Go to the Hard Rock Hotel Pool Bar

Eliot and I finally got to a pool bar.  Sunday night after seeing the Blue Man Group, a bunch of us returned to the hotel and went to the pool bar for drinks.  We had a great time talking and laughing before shutting the place down.

⚡️ Go to Ollivander's Wand Shop

I did go into Ollivander's Wand Shop to buy a wand.  However, I still haven't seen the "show" where a wand chooses a wizard.  I'd really like to see that next time!

⚡️ Get Butterbeer in Souvenir Cup

I finally got my butterbeer in a souvenir cup.  In fact, Eliot got a frozen one in the other style of cup so now I have two cups!  I'm looking forward to enjoying many at home butterbeers in my new cups!

⚡️ Wear my new Happily Ever Hatter Harry Potter IllusionEars

I wore my Harry Potter IllusionEars during our park touring day.  Team Slytherin loved them and we had them in a few pictures before it started to rain.  I couldn't wear my ears with my poncho (without choking myself) so I didn't get to wear them as much as I wanted.  But I did wear them when Eliot and I went back into the park after KeyCon.  I got a lot of compliments from Harry Potter fans and Universal employees.

⚡️ Try Butterbeer Ice Cream
Butterbeer ice cream is delicious!  I really enjoyed my butterbeer ice cream and I'm looking forward to enjoying many more in the future!

⚡️ See Kreacher at 12 Grimmauld Place

I saw Kreacher in the window at 12 Grimmauld Place.  I insisted we go look for him during our park touring day so Team Slytherin camped out and got our cameras ready!

⚡️ Exchange Money at Gringotts Bank

Eliot and I exchanged money to get $10 worth of wizarding money.  The bill is really cool and you can use it at any location in the Universal parks.  I'm definitely getting another one the next time we go!  I think I'm going to frame it or put it in my scrapbook!

⚡️ Dial 62442 (MAGIC) in the phone booth outside King’s Cross

While on our park touring day, I jumped into the phone booth with the rest of Team Slytherin and dialed MAGIC.  The recording told me that the Ministry of Magic was unavailable and the visitor entrance was closed.  It was pretty cool.  I don't think many people know about this trick so I made sure to spread the word.

⚡️ Explore City Walk

I can definitely check this off the list.  I've never spent much time in City Walk before this trip.  Now, I've been to the Blue Man Group, Margaritaville, Antojitos, Cowfish, Vivo, Menchies, and taken the water taxis to and from City Walk.

⚡️ Get a Margarita at Margaritaville

This was the first thing off my bucket list!  Once Eliot and I got settled at the Hard Rock Hotel, we met a few of my Key to the World friends at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville for a light dinner and drinks.

⚡️ Mail a postcard from the Hogsmeade Owlry

I mailed a new Diagon Alley dragon postcard to myself and one to my best friend Katie while Eliot went to ride Dueling Dragons.  Unfortunately, I forgot my stamps at home and that Universal makes you buy an entire sheet of them instead of selling them individually.  I'll make sure to remember next time!  But it was totally worth it to get the Hogsmeade postal stamp!  Maybe next time I'll write them with a quill instead of a pen!

⚡️ See Knockturn Alley

I explored Knockturn Alley with a few KTTW friends while the rest of the group was going on Escape from Gringotts.  It was dark and creepy and definitely felt like I pictured it from the books.  After a few minutes of exploring, I found the Vanishing Cabinet (complete with sounds of tweeting birds) inside of Borgin and Burkes.

⚡️ Order Ice Cream at Florean Fortescues 

Not only did I get butterbeer ice cream, but I also ventured to try a few other flavors from the menu.  The chocolate chili was good, but the after kick didn't sit so well with my sore throat.  However, the chocolate raspberry was perfection.

⚡️ Get an Interactive Wand

I bought my interactive wand on our last day when Eliot and I went back into the parks after KeyCon.  It's probably a good thing, because it was so much fun that it would have completely distracted us from touring the parks!  It was so much fun to "do" magic.  I can't wait to bring my wand back with me the next time we go to Universal!

⚡️ Explore the Wizarding Shops of Diagon Alley

I did get to explore the shops in Diagon Alley.  I really enjoyed Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.  It's so much fun.  The quidditch store was pretty cool.  I spent a lot of time in Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment, the store outside of Gringotts, while friends were on the ride.  The Gringotts money exchange was really cool.  I enjoyed asking the head Goblin questions.  I also explored the Magical Menagerie.  I didn't realize they made so many plushes of things from the movies!  And as mentioned before, I also went to Borgin and Burkes, Florean Fortescues and Olivanders.

⚡️ Get a picture with the Minions
This was the only thing on the list that we didn't accomplish.  Apparently, there isn't an area to meet the Minion characters at the park.  I heard you might be able to at a character breakfast, but we didn't have time for that this trip.  However, if there was something that I couldn't do this trip, this would have been my top choice anyways.

We also had a few experiences I wasn't expecting:

⚡️ Eat at Both Leaky Cauldron and Three Broomsticks in One Day
During our park touring day, we had breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron.  Then, later in the day, we had lunch at the Three Broomsticks.  This was a lot of fun.  It definitely made the Harry Potter experience feel more complete.

⚡️ Celestina Warbeck
We didn't have a great view, but Eliot and I did catch a glimpse of Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees while we were enjoying our butterbeer.

⚡️ Tale of the Three Brothers
Eliot and I did see the Tale of the Three Brothers from a closer vantage point.  I'd heard this was a must see if you were able to.  The puppets and props were really cool.  I really enjoyed the show and thought it was a great way to tell the tale.

⚡️ Picture with the Knight Bus Conductor and the Shrunken Head
I knew I could get a picture with the Knight Bus but I didn't realize the conductor and the shrunken head would be there for a photo op as well.  Simon the conductor was very nice and it was a lot of fun to interact with him and the shrunken head!

⚡️ Try on Robes at Madame Malkins
During our park touring day, those of us from Team Slytherin who didn't want to go on the Escape from Gringotts found ourselves exploring the shops in Diagon Alley.  I suggested we go take a photo in Slytherin wizard robes and the next thing we knew, one of the ladies at Madame Malkins was helping us into robes.  She was in perfectly in character and it was a fun experience.  I'm saving my Galleons up so I can buy some robes the next time I visit!

⚡️ Menchies Frozen Yogurt
This probably sounds ridiculous to most of you, but I think it's worth mentioning!  I didn't realize a place like Menchies existed; we don't have them in Maine.  After our group split up on park touring day, I went to Menchies with my friend Ryan and we got frozen yogurt.  I got the cake batter and it was delicious!!!  I'm already trying to figure out the closest store to Maine.  Must get more yummy!

As you can see from our bucket list, Eliot and I had a fantastic time at the Universal Resort.  In fact, we're already planning to add a day at Universal to our trip next fall.  I'd really love to go back to the Harry Potter sections and spend more time playing around with my interactive wand and pretending I'm a wizard! ⚡️o-o⚡️

Coast to Coast

Well, this past month has been a complete whirlwind.  It definitely lived up to being the most magical month Eliot and I have experienced thus far.  It's been a wild ride from Disneyland, to buying a house, to Universal, KeyCon and Walt Disney World.

I've spent the past few days reflecting upon our coast to coast adventures.  Eliot and I have been incredibly blessed to have experienced all of these things- not to mention doing it all within a one month span.  I'm aware many people don't ever get the chance to go to a Disney park once, let alone going to both parks in the United States within this timespan.  We are very fortunate.  I'm incredibly thankful to have had this opportunity.  I never thought I'd go to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World within anything short of a six month span.  Now that I have, it's an experience I wouldn't trade for anything.  You see things you didn't see before.  You experience things you didn't before.  This whole month just reaffirms what I already knew, Disney magic is real.

Walking through the park Walt built, seeing his dream realized, was magical.  I was so thankful to be able to take part in Disneyland's 60th anniversary celebration.  I feel like a small piece of the park's history, and it's a great story to be a part of.  Before I even finished unpacking from California, we were whisked away to Walt's second big dream, Walt Disney World.  It's amazing to see the similarities and the differences.

Disneyland definitely has the charm.  It's like you're walking right through Walt's imagination.  It still feels like Walt is there, watching over it.  There's something special knowing he was there, that he actually rode those rides himself and that he also experienced the magic Disneyland has to offer.

Walt Disney World is another story.  It's not only enormous, but it's the realization of a different dream.  Walt set out to make another version of Disneyland, but with a lot more land.  Walt's signature isn't on most of Disney World since he wasn't alive to see it come to life.  In fact, most of what we see today was built long after Walt.  However, I still sense his influence with it's similarities to Disneyland.  Eliot and I rode the Walter E. Disney train at the Magic Kingdom the other day and it made me feel like Walt was there smiling down on us, even if we weren't walking in his actual footsteps.

The first time I went to Disneyland, it was such a whirlwind trip that I didn't fully appreciate it.  I'm grateful this past trip gave me more opportunity to explore and really discover all Disneyland has to offer that Walt Disney World cannot.  Can you compare one park to the other?  Sure, there's plenty of things to compare.  There are pluses and minuses to both and there are benefits to visiting one over the other.  But for me, both are two pieces of the complete puzzle.  Both both parks were created by the same man with a dream.  After this past month visiting both, one doesn't seem complete without the other.

Eliot and I have a dream of visiting all of the Disney parks across the world.  Someday, I hope our coast to coast adventure becomes an international one.  Walt Disney World will always be my happy place.  It's where I grew up and it's where the magic of Disney started for me.  However, I truly love Disneyland and walking through the park that Walt built.  This month long coast to coast adventure is one I won't soon forget.  °o°

KeyCon 2015

Hello Friends!  Eliot and I are officially back in the "real" world.  We returned to Maine mid-afternoon on Monday, before falling into bed from exhaustion.  We had an amazing time at Universal, Walt Disney World and especially at KeyCon 2015!

I had so much fun last week.  KeyCon 2014 was an incredible experience and KeyCon 2015 definitely lived up to it's predecessor.  Once again, I found myself home alone (while Eliot was at work) going through my 100+ Facebook notifications.  They were mostly posts from my KTTW friends from the trip.  The biggest difference between this year and last?  This year I'm not feeling so lonely post-trip.

Don't get me wrong, I already miss my Key to the World family.  In fact, I missed them as soon as I said goodbye.  But this year, they don't seem so far away.  A few of my new KTTW friends live here in Maine.  There are a few more agents in New England and we're planning to get together sometime.  A few of my closest KTTW friends live near Chicago, and I'm hoping to meet up with them while Eliot and I are attending a wedding there in December.  Plus, the year in between KeyCon 2014 and 2015 went by incredibly fast.  I'm counting on KeyCon 2016 to arrive in a similar fashion.

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun it was.  Not only did we enjoy each other's company during our scheduled meeting times, but we went out to dinner and hung out together every single night at Universal.  I also had breakfast at Be Our Guest and dinner at O'Hana with a few of my closest KTTW friends at Disney.  We all had so much fun together last year that we planned our trip so we could spend a little bit of extra time together at Disney World.

The official KeyCon meetings were awesome.  I had a blast exploring Universal and Islands of Adventure in our "houses".  I had a great time with team Slytherin.  We embraced our evil sides and shared a lot of laughs.  We really enjoyed our tour of the Universal Resorts.  I learned a lot from our Universal presentation.  We had a great session on the Disney Cruise Line and Disneyland.  I especially enjoyed the social media session from Shannon of WDW Prep School.  The quiz sessions were so much fun.  Team Slytherin really got into the competition and while we might not have won the House Cup, we did win overall in the quiz sessions.  My favorite part of KeyCon was experiencing all of this with friends who feel more like family.

I'm so grateful to Heather and Jeff for starting Key to the World Travel and for welcoming me aboard their team two years ago.  Jeff, Heather and Cheryl have created an amazing company that's not only great to work for, but it's also incredibly fun.  I love helping people plan their dream vacations and I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work with.

I'm also thankful for my amazing KTTW family.  Eliot was sick during most of KeyCon and everyone continued to ask me how he was feeling.  When Eliot was finally feeling better, he joined us for dinner and drinks and was welcomed with open arms.  He fit right in and really enjoyed meeting everyone.  Honestly, I think he's just as excited as me for our next KeyCon adventure.

Which brings me to next year... KeyCon 2016, or rather SeaCon 2016, is only 357 days away.  The countdown to the next KTTW adventure has officially begun!!!  °o°

Here We Come Universal & WDW

Today's the day!  This afternoon, Eliot and I are traveling down to Orlando to soak up some sun, attend wizarding school at Universal with Harry Potter and have a magical visit with our favorite mouse and his friends!  We're on our way to Universal and Walt Disney World in a few hours!!!  Castles, and magic and trains, oh my!!!

If you see us, feel free to come say hi!  If you aren't visiting Harry Potter, the Minions and Mickey, you can still virtually follow along from the comfort of your own home:

If you aren't already, follow me on Facebook for pictures, posts and updates.  I'm also on Instagram as MyDisneyLifeBlog if you want to follow the photo fun there!  In the past, I've been more active on Instagram during our Disney trips.  I like to post a lot of photos "live" from the parks.  Don't have an Instagram account?  If you follow this link, you should be able to see all of my photos online.

I've also recently joined Periscope.  Periscope is a live video streaming app for both iPhone and Androids.  This allows the viewer to watch live video feed from anywhere in the world.  I've watched a lot of Disney parks footage since joining a few months ago.  I didn't get a chance to "scope" from Disneyland, but I'm going to try to from Walt Disney World.  If you'd like to follow along on Eliot's and my video adventures, download the app (iPhone or Android) and follow @MyDisneyLifeBlog.  The app will alert you when I'm live.  You will be able to watch my videos up to 24 hours after the live broadcast ends.  (Read more about Periscope here.)

I joined Snapchat before Disneyland but I couldn't figure out how to use it!  Elissa gave me a quick tutorial and I think I've got it figured out a little better.  I really want to use the awesome Walt Disney World location frames.  If you'd like to follow my story on Snapchat, my username there is melissajocady.

Stay tuned for lots of Universal and Walt Disney World photo and video spam over the next few days... See ya real soon friends!!!  ⚡️o-o⚡️ °o°

Universal 2015 Trip Bucket List

I can't believe we're leaving for Universal in two days!!!  I'm so excited to see my fellow Key to the World travel agent friends again!  KeyCon 2014 was amazing and I can't wait to see what KeyCon 2015 has in store for us!!!

Of course, that means it's time to get my trip bucket list in order.  This is actually the one year anniversary of me starting my bucket lists!  I originally started to make them for my October 2014 KeyCon trip.  I was traveling alone and I wanted to give myself goals for the trip.  I had such a good time with the list, that I've made one for every Disney trip I've taken since then. (Here's the links for our January 2015 WDW trip and for our recent Disneyland trip during the Diamond Celebration.)

Yes, this isn't a "Disney" trip for the first half, but I'm also a huge Harry Potter fan.  I haven't seen the new Harry Potter Diagon Alley section and there's a ton of things I want to experience there.  Here are my goals for the Universal portion of our trip:

⚡️ 1.) Learn More About Universal Resort

⚡️ 2.) Meet New KTTW Travel Agent Friends

⚡️ 3.) See the Dragon Breathe Fire in Diagon Alley

⚡️ 4.) Ride the Hogwarts Express

⚡️ 5.) Go to the Hard Rock Hotel Pool Bar

⚡️ 6.) Go to Ollivander's Wand Shop

⚡️ 7.) Get Butter Beer in Souvenir Cup

⚡️ 8.) Wear my new Happily Ever Hatter Harry Potter IllusionEars

⚡️ 9.) Try Butterbeer Ice Cream
⚡️ 10.) See Kreacher at 12 Grimmauld Place

⚡️ 11.) Exchange Money at Gringotts Bank

⚡️ 12.) Dial 62442 (MAGIC) in the phone booth outside King’s Cross

⚡️ 13.) Explore City Walk

⚡️ 14.) Get a Margarita at MargaritaVille

⚡️ 15.) Mail a postcard from the Hogsmeade Owlry

⚡️ 16.) See Knockturn Alley

⚡️ 17.) Order Ice Cream at Florean Fortescues 

⚡️ 18.) Get an Interactive Wand

⚡️ 19.) Explore the Wizarding Shops of Diagon Alley

⚡️ 20.) Get a picture with the Minions

I think it's going to be an amazing trip!  I'm so excited!  And stay tuned... I'll be posting my Walt Disney World Bucket List in the next few days! ⚡️o-o⚡️

Most Magical Month

The end of August is here... and that means Eliot and I are gearing up for the most magical month of our 2015 year!!!  (Haha... that rhymes!)  In fact, this might shape up to be our most magical month ever!!!  Not only are we leaving for Disneyland in a few days, but we also have plenty of other fun events and surprises in store!

Eliot and I will celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary on the September 20th.  Our Disney Wedding was incredible; I can't believe it's already been three magical years!

Towards the end of the month, we head for Universal's Orlando Resort where I'll attend my second KeyCon conference with Key to the World Travel!  I'm pumped to see my fellow travel agent friends again!  I'm also pretty excited about all of the new Harry Potter magic there is to see in Diagon Alley!

The last day of September, we head over to Walt Disney World for a few magical days at our favorite place!!!  It's going to be a blast!  In fact, we leave for Disneyland on September 4th and our last day at Walt Disney World is October 4th.  It really is going to be the most magical month ever!!!  °o°

Countdown to KeyCon 2015

I really can't believe it's August already.  It doesn't surprise me though- things have been extremely busy around here!  Not only are we gearing up for Disneyland, creating new Happily Ever Hatter designs, and launching IllusionEars, but we're also getting ready for KeyCon 2015, Universal and Walt Disney World!

KeyCon 2014 was incredible.  I had so much fun meeting my fellow Key to the World travel agents.  I made some great friends who are more like family.  KeyCon 2015 is shaping up to be bigger and better.  It will be like a big Key to the World reunion at Universal!  I can't wait to see everyone again!

I'm really excited to be going to Universal this year.  (I haven't been to Universal since our wedding trip in 2012.)  I'm so excited to see the new Harry Potter Diagon Alley section!  I really want to see the dragon and to try some butterbeer ice cream!  We're also staying at the Hard Rock Hotel!  It's going to be awesome!!!

If that's not amazing enough, after KeyCon is over, Eliot and I are going to Disney for a few days!  We already had our annual passes so it made sense to use a few more days before they expire!  We've also got dining reservations with a few of my Key to the World friends!

So now, we wait for our epic September adventures.  Only 33 days until we leave for Disneyland and 56 until we leave for Universal and Walt Disney World!!!  Woo!!!  °o°