It’s been almost two weeks since Nemesis took its final riders along the OG tracks & since the firework spectacular happened. Crazy how fast that time has flew by, right? So, here is my belated trip report from our evening visit to Alton Towers!
Before we get into this blog posts. Today Merlin Annual Pass have launched their Black Friday sale! Here’s some information regarding that;
When? – 14th of November to 1st of December
Sale Details – You can save up to £60 on Merlin Annual Passes, find the pricing below for this sale:
Discovery Pass – now £69 (saving £20)
Silver Pass– now £119 (saving £40)
Gold Pass – now £179 (saving £40)
Platinum Pass – now £239 (saving £60)
Monthly Membership Deal:
£0 sign up fee +…
Silver Membership: £9.99 pm (saving £39.99)
Gold Membership: £14.99 pm (saving £49.99)
Platinum Membership: £19.99 pm (saving £59.99)
Also brand new for 2022 is Merlin Annual Pass gift cards with options for Christmas, Birthday & General cards.
To purchase yours today follow the link .
Pre-Show:
I quite enjoy the fact this is a thing now. I’m the kind of person who likes to secure a spot for any show a little bit before the start time, I guess that’s the anxiety side of me as to why. Having a pre-show does help time fly. However, I love the show with the cast singing & dancing. But the DJ set just doesn’t work I feel. It’s more of a Thorpe Park vibe, not Alton Towers. It’s something I hope does change and instead more in-house entertainment on the stage. But other than that it’s an incredible way to get people prepared for the display.
The Drones:
We have previously watched the Disneyland Paris pre-show drones. But quite honestly Alton Towers did a much better job. It was one of those moments where you feel wow. Who knew drones could even do what they did? I certainly didn’t. A highlight for me was the rollercoaster with the actual carriage moving on the track. The way they even did the countdown in the sky. It was truly remarkable & something I hope we see more off in future shows. It’s nice to see something that unique within the UK theme park industry too.
The Fireworks:
The fireworks have a respectable time of around 20 minutes. This year’s theme was celebrating the rollercoasters which therefore meant each of them had its segment with music & characters to represent them. The whole show was a lot of fun. A few standout moments for me was how incredible Rita’s section was. A drag queen for Rita is just a genius touch and I truly hope we see that kind of re-theme, just imagine it. Nemesis section was fab also. I love the use of lights to create the colours that signal these rides. But the return of Dr for The Smiler was a moment! Altogether it was a great year with so much love shown for their rollercoasters and it felt amazing to see each of them have their moment. The lighting, audio & fireworks themselves were all great as well.
Announcement from The Phalanx:
I had hoped for the announcement to declare the opening of Sub Terra. Yeah, that didn’t happen. However, the entire atmosphere built for this announcement was phenomenal. The helicopter sounds and lights to then see The Phalanx take over the lawns. The entire marketing surrounding Nemesis refurbishment has been *chefs kiss*
Nemesis Under Investigation:
Entering Forbidden Valley it was very apparent that The Phalanx had full control over the beast herself. The small added bits of theming did create this atmosphere that is almost unnerving but extraordinary for us geeks. They were roaming around swabbing people randomly & the creature like things around like the rocks etc. Nemesis queue was all the way pass Sub Terra on the walk way from Duel. It was insane to see such a turnout for the old gal. There were even additional sounds coming from the monster itself! 
Nobody can fault the throughputs from the team because I have never seen anything so immaculate in my entire time of being an enthusiast. A queue which on paper should have been way over 2 hours took us 60 minutes tops. The trains were loaded and prepared to dispatch before the second train even got to the downward Helix. The team truly blew my mind with their brisk operations. They all should be so proud of themselves.
Back to The Phalanx. Around the typical fast-track merge the point, we were given a wristband. To show The Phalanx. At this point, Ant was in his little world and didn’t realise to then get screamed at by The Phalanx and he then jumped out of his skin (gave us a lot of entertainment).
What a ride we had! I felt so emotional a lot more than I had ever guessed myself to feel. Yes, I know it’s not gone forever. But we won’t ever ride Nemesis on that track or in that way ever again. It did feel sad and knowing that’s it for the OG Nemesis will always be a tough pill to swallow. But so grateful we got to be a part of the closure and final day of operations. The atmosphere filled with love for this ride was so special. 
But the entire marketing that has happened surrounding Nemesis closure has been insane. The team have smashed it out of the water & should be proud of themselves. I can’t wait to see what happens during the opening year in 2024.
Overall:
What an amazing evening we had. It did spark this love in us again for this hobby. Having a moment to truly appreciate every little bit of Nemesis during that the ride was extraordinary. I never anticipated feeling so emotional when hitting that break runs for our last ride. As for the fireworks, I think in all honesty I preferred last year but this year was fab too. Altogether it was a lovely way to close off our wedding weekend and see Nemesis off. Nothing will quite beat the vibe that was happening around Nemesis in all honesty. I’ll always feel truly thankful & appreciative of the fact we were there to experience it & for the team at Alton Towers for making it such an extraordinary evening as well.
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What did you think to this years Fireworks? Was you there to see off Nemesis?
Thank you so much for reading & be sure to purchase your Merlin Annual Pass in the sale for your own year of EPIC!
