Alton Towers Resort has once again expanded its VIP experiences, this time with the new for 2025, and much-anticipated, Hex: The Legend of the Towers Behind the Scenes Tour. TowersTimes were kindly invited to experience it as part of the Content Creator Programme, and Adz went along to check it out.
The package is priced from £70 per person, and includes a lights on guided walk through of the attraction, as well as exclusive access to the Drum room and Operator Cabin. Included in the price, you also receive a one-shot Fastrack for Hex, Express Parking, and a limited edition pin badge. The experience is currently set to run on Wednesdays and Sundays after park close, and it should be noted that guests must be at aged 12+, and that anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian aged 18+ throughout the experience.
Our experience began about 45 minutes after the park closed, with our meeting spot right next to the attraction entrance in Fountain Square. Our tour group was led by Ash, Bailey, and Jake, who were clearly experts on the attraction and could answer any questions we had. We started with a quick safety speech and signing of the tour terms and conditions. They then handed us a beautifully illustrated document with photos from the Alton Towers archive, showing the plans and construction of this iconic attraction. Next, we headed to the entrance for a briefing on what we could expect inside and how the tour would work.
Our tour began in the internal queue line, and initially progressed through the first Preshow, Cinema and Octagon, stopping in each section to listen to our guides point out interesting facts about certain show elements and theming found throughout. For example, the covered figures in the queue are old waxworks from Madame Tussauds, and with the exception of one item (can you guess which?), none of the props or theming in the interior queue are original pieces from the Towers, and instead were added by the Tussauds Studios team. I won’t spoil any of the other details given as part of the tour, as this deep dive into the attraction is a core part of what makes this experience so special.
One fascinating and unique part of this tour is how, before moving on from each section, the attraction is put back into show mode, and the show is then run as it normally would during the attraction’s daytime operation. Through this tour, there is a newfound appreciation for the technical complexity of each scene, and seeing it immediately after having the tour is a nice touch.
After each receiving an attraction lock out key, we got to venture into the real behind the scenes areas! We had access to the operator’s cabin and the Drum building. While we couldn’t take any photos in the cabin, we were free to explore and take photos inside the building that housed the ride system itself. This part of the tour really gave us a glimpse into the massive scale of the attraction. From the outside, you can see how huge and complex the vault is. Our tour guides were super knowledgeable and shared a lot about how the ride works and even told us about the work that happened during the extended closure and refurbishment.
Finally, we were led into the vault itself, in full show lighting, and after having the vault show sequence performed without the ride system moving, were allowed to explore and take as many photos as we wished. This is one of the most impressive themed spaces in the whole of Alton Towers Resort, and being able to take time to appreciate it and explore is a very unique and special finale to this tour. Before departing, we were each gifted a certificate and an exclusive Hex behind the scenes pin badge.
Whilst this was a gifted experience courtesy of the Alton Towers Resort Content Creator Programme, I’m confident in recommending this tour to anyone with an interest in it. £70pp is a worthy price for such an in depth and extensive tour, in my case lasting well over two hours. You can find more details and booking links on the official Alton Towers Resort website. You may also be interested to check out Craig’s round-up of the Nemesis Reborn Behind the Scenes VIP Experience from April.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this review,
Adz
