USH Mummy & VanHelsing Revisited-Improvements [Spoilers]

Having been disappointed in both Mummy The Ride and the VanHelsing Maze I returned to USH for a few hours today to meet John "jomo" Nava, who was on his way from San Jose to for the holiday weekend [and to celebrate his birthday...Happy Birthday, John!].

--MUMMY--Overall the ride has improved but there are still tweaks needed. On the plus side, the coaster portion of the ride was pitch-black, making the [still cheap looking] Mummy illuminations a bit more effective. Also, a slatted curtain has been added between the last room and the loading station, which means those about to board can no longer see the last scene.

However in addition to some technical difficulties -- the projection on the large video screen in the second room malfunctioned and the guards in the third room never appeared before the launch -- that last room still does not work at all. Because the train rotates counter-clockwise riders, out of curiosity, naturally look over their left shoulder. Because the fog envelops the train way too late the slatted curtain and the station on the other side can be easily seen. There is nothing to focus rider's attention to the front of the train, or if there normally is it wasn't working.

My opinion: as soon as the train stops in this last room the train should be immediately enveloped in fog so that NO turning motion can be detected. This would create the illusion of entering the room backwards and magically finding yourself facing the station when the fog clears. I'm sure this is what Universal wanted to achieve but as the effects in the room are programmed not it does not work.

--VAN HELSING MAZE--Many more monsters inhabited the maze this time and it was much more enjoyable than my previous visit. Having a group of screaming teenage girls behind you helps, too ;-)

Thanks to John for an enjoyable afternoon!

*** Edited 7/3/2004 3:10:31 AM UTC by Mamoosh***

Thank you Moosh for hanging with me last Friday, had a great time too bud! And for the B-day lunch and everything else, really enjoyed the hospitality!

I also agree with the above, especially Van Helsing! I did enjoyed my ride on ROTM for what it is, but being a fan of the series, I found it somewhat strange that if there is suppose to be a storyline, it was completely incomprehensible to me. Still a fun ride coasting around in the dark, but won't be knocking Indy off my #1 spot for best themed thrill ride.

jomo - still wondering if Captain America really stuffs!

You're welcome, John! I'm still waiting to hear about your time in San Diego. Oh, and I saw Cap'n America at the urinals...he does ;)

Hey, I was at the park that Friday as well. I had friends in town that wanted to go. Mummy broke down 3 times for us that day (single riders lane each time). We waited it out the first time, left the second, and were on it when the breakdown happened the third time. I still have yet to see the warrior's appear on the launch. I also agree that the fog is way too late to be effective. I guess you're supposed to look up at Imhotep on the ceiling, but like you, my eyes are always drawn to the direction of motion.

I'm still disappointed on how short the ride is, but at least when it's moving, it's a rather good ride.

Any plans to hit up the Orange County Fair?? *** Edited 7/9/2004 10:05:47 PM UTC by Blaster_1578***

Too bad we didn't know guy, could have met up with you out there! The place was pretty crowded, so we only stayed a few hours anyway.

Thanks to the pass Moosh had, we walked right up to the front of the line, and got a front row seat. So what are the warriors on the lauch suppose to do? I thought I heard there was suppose to be some warriors dropping down from the ceiling (or is this only on the FL version?). Is it on the launch where this is suppose to happen? Just curious, I feel like I missed out on alot of the effects, but it's still a pretty new ride that obviously needs a bit of tweaking. I'll be back in the Fall to check it out again, hopefully all the effects will be working reliably by then.