There was a collective gasp when Alton Towers revealed that the price of an exclusive Nemesis Reborn VIP event was going to be £120 but as the curtain closed on the first event of its kind we asked the question, was it worth the money? The very quick response to that question is…. yes, yes it was!
Pricing
So before your VIP event began the package came with a Gold Fast Pass (£75 value) which allows you to ride 13 attractions at Alton Towers once and once only, these include:
Wicker Man, Oblivion, Rita, TH13TEEN, The Smiler, Galactica, Spinball Whizzer, Gangsta Granny: The Ride, The Curse at Alton Manor, Marauders Mayhem, Battle Galleons, Rapids and Runaway Mine Train.
Park tickets were not included but given the fact that the majority of people who attend these events are already Merlin pass holders the decision to not include them is understandable.
We were also given a fast track for Nemesis Reborn separately as this is not included in the standard Gold Fast Pass (it’s only included in the Platinum).
With that in mind, we’re currently at around £83 worth of fast-track value with the event taking up the remaining £37.
I think this is where most people had an issue because if they’d charged the lower amount (minus the fast pass cost) it would have been a much more affordable affair.
Not everyone cared about Fastrack, not everyone was on the park that same day and only attended the event, some went to the event who didn’t even use the fast pass in the day, and so on.
Arriving on a Saturday on a May bank holiday weekend we wanted a day on park and we were met with queues that never dipped below 60 mins for any ride on the park, with the fast passes though however we breezed through most queues with the longest queue we had to endure being just over 30 mins with our fast pass.
The pass was an absolute lifesaver! As someone who hates queuing, it already felt like the VIP experience had begun before the event had even started and I think that was the idea behind it, have a day on park where you feel special before the real festivities began.
Nemesis Reborn Event
As we gathered in the conference suite at the Alton Towers Hotel we picked up our custom-printed VIP lanyards (something that was severely missing from the Oblivion and Wicker Man track walk experience) and instantly jumped into a photo-op meet and greet with John Burton, Bianca Sammut and John Wardley himself.
Coming face to face with John Wardley, a man who had only just recently listed Lift Hills and Thrills in his most recent book Life After Nemesis (now available on Amazon) had my mind racing about what I would say to him as I stood in line.
It didn’t matter.
The second he saw me he grabbed my arm with a beaming smile and said “SEAN!” not only did he recognise me but he was beaming, so happy and so joyful, like a family member I hadn’t seen in years and we just were there exchanging pleasantries. I thanked him for including me – “You absolutely deserve it Sean, here come stand next to me, let’s have this photo!”
I’m not sure exactly what happened at that moment, I can’t quite process it and the second it happened I went straight to the bar for a much-needed pint (or 4). Not only was I recognised but he was praising me and the channel (and this website).
The sit-down discussion was in-depth and contained lots of never-before-seen material including concept art and documents that will never be shown in public again outside of these VIP experiences.
What was intriguing to me was an alternative design for a ride to replace Nemesis, yes that’s correct, at one point in time Nemesis was on the chopping block to leave, for good!
Thankfully a massive U-Turn from the powers that be prevented that from happening and Nemesis Reborn was created.
With John Wardley oozing charm and cheeky chappy humour, John Burton emotional about his childhood dreams coming true before his very eyes and Bianca Sammut acting as interview co-ordinator it worked well with no lulls or dead spots. Every fan in the room was hooked from start to finish.
The discussion concluded with rapturous applause and then the autograph signings began.
From books to clothing, the three all signed everyone’s lanyards along with signed photos of John W, John B and Bianca that were handed out. Fans were also getting all sorts of other goodies signed along the way.
This part of the event felt like a comic con with three rockstars just signing everything under the sun. This took the longest time as people were getting multiple items signed but there was no rushing and no ushering people along.
It was incredible just how much time everyone was getting with them and the event did run over time by quite some margin but it didn’t matter, the staff and everyone in the room were happy to be there.
Nemesis Reborn Behind the Scenes Tour
Speaking of staff, when we got to the Nemesis Reborn area there was a talk about how the eye was designed along with the teeth and how they’re controlled but once again, no rushing. It was relaxed and felt very laid back as to how long you could be in the area (despite an obvious curfew, eventually).
Everyone had so much time to give and no one seemed put out of place. No one seemed bothered they had been at work all day and just wanted to go home, I think that’s quite telling of a park where the staff are genuinely enjoying their jobs and their time at the resort. After all, what a place to work in, right?!
Phalanx operatives were scattered at various points (the station, maintenance bay and lift hill) to provide information about the ride but what was great about the experience was that at each station was an expert who could tell you the most information about the area you were in.
A ride operative was by the ride booth to give you all the details, an engineer was in the maintenance bay along with marketing and PR staff on hand to discuss the giant inflatable balloon that stood atop the queue line seen for the first time since the Nemesis Reborn PR stunt at Cannock Chase.
The balloon is weather dependent and it was touch and go whether or not it would be ready for the VIP event and if weather isn’t on its side this may be the only other time the balloon is inflated. Here’s hoping they can do it again for the next VIP event guests in June but it was a nice little touch as we learned about the marketing stunt with this giant eye watching over us all!
Wandering around the place at night is cool enough but going into areas I may never step foot into again was a very cool experience. There were 200 people at the event and when we got to the ride area the group sizes were dealt with perfectly making the experience even more intimate and personalised.
Staff were all having a laugh with us and each other, there was a good vibe in the area as this giant family gathering (that’s what it felt like) was enjoying all things Nemesis Reborn.
This was certainly a stand-out event for Alton Towers, I can’t quite put into words how special it was and how appreciative we are that we now have a park that is open to having these events bringing fans closer to the park than ever before.
I can’t thank John Burton, John Wardley and Bianca Sammut for their time and for agreeing to do this event.
With the benchmark set from this event, there’s only one way we go from here and that’s up, and that’s with a Curse at Alton Manor guided tour which fans have been CRYING out for since Alton Towers first announced the return of these exclusive VIP experiences.
For more VIP events from Alton Towers you can visit
https://www.altontowers.com/tickets-passes/extras/vip-experiences/
