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This was my 4th Roo, 1st time VIP. I went in expecting a little more, but was more than satisfied with the experience. I too was under the impression drinks (other than beer) were supposed to be free all weekend. Glad I didn't count on that and took my own.
My only complaints were for the slow delivery of food at the buffet and the fact that my wife got scalding hot showers. My showers were cold, but that was fine with me during those hot mornings. I also expected a bigger camping spot, but the space we had was just enough for our setup.
When you factor in the shirts, posters, food (albeit sometimes slow delivery) showers, gas saved by not waiting in line to get in, and quicker entry to Centeroo, the VIP tickets were a great deal. I will never go GA again at Roo.
this was my first year and we were in GA. i hope to go back every year, but i DEFINITELY want to do VIP from now on. our campsite was at least 2 miles away and it was hard for us to pace ourselves. we didn't end up seeing nearly as much as we wanted because we had to make sure and plan out when we would leave camp etc. maybe i'm a wimp, but it seems like it would almost be worth it for the location by itself.
Last Edit: Jun 17, 2008 16:55:06 GMT -5 by EAP - Back to Top
The showers on the fence opposite the VIP tent did not have temp regulators and I happened upon a scalding hot shower, too. Those closer to VIP did have regulators and were fine, but not as nice as the others. The proximity to Centeroo, air conditioned bathrooms and showers made it more than worth the price for us.
I've only been this year and last year, and I have little/no complaints this year. When we rode in the cars started on I-24 at exit 127 and were hardly moving all the way up to 112, 15 miles is rediculous. The check in worked flawlessly and they even told me about passing the food lion grocery store on the way so I could stock up on ice right before going in.
The food is food, but eating while NOT sweating was priceless. Those tents were a perfect sanctuary from the sun, last year there was no place to go when it was super hot out. The A/C in the tents helped for the 5 feet around it. Much better this year.
I was sad to see they didn't have any port-o-potties this year. That just helped out a little last year, because they were normally kept clean enough to use. I'm certainly not above sitting my toosh on one of those from time to time.
They need to get those food carts instead of catering next year. There was always extra food on those things in centeroo. It would be great, just walk up and get a meat on a stick, or a corn dog, or pizza. That would be sweet and those people knew how to pump out some food, I never saw a long line at any of the vendors. If they set up one of each of those, I think people would be happy.
But as many have said, I'll be back next year for the proximity and not waiting in line, everything else is just a bonus.
We felt like we were super VIP! One minute walk across the street to the Centeroo arch in Tent Only. Could go back to our camp at any time to get more drinks and eats... Sure, I wish I could get free food, but couldn't beat our location! (It was just kind of a pain in the ass to get the spot.)
Thursday night (around 8?), I walked into a tent and immediately reached for a plate in the food line--no wait, whatsoever. After eating, I looked for the free beer and assumed the longest line in the place was it-- asked the people in front of me to be sure and they said that they were waiting for food!!! I said "um--look over there!" they were obviously very happy.
I waited for a long time once and left the line to have chips and salsa at camp instead. It was a 3 minute walk so it wasn't a downer or anything.
As for the showers-- When I went at the butt crack of dawn (the showers NOT near the food tents), they were scalding hot. I went at night a few times and those were ice cold. and I mean ICE cold. So cold, it was physically painful on my head. I used a men's shower once (the womens were out of water) and it smelled like semen... I will be bringing a solar shower next year, for sure.
I loved the fact that it was close to everything-- I also felt extremely safe, being by myself and all. I would never in a million years consider staying in GA all alone.
My suggestions would be to erect some sort of permanant shower buildings with normal water temperatures and reconfigure the food situation. Maybe drop the price and serve late lunch/dinner only? Serve the food cafateria style where workers actually serve you spoon by spoon-- you can't take 16 boca burgers yourself?
All in all, it was worth the price and I'll definitely be back next year. Maybe in an RV...
oh-- I read about the Holiday Inn Express debacle and was pleased with the new check-in system. Wait time was 20 seconds at 11-ish am.
This was my third year in VIP. They changed afew things around this year. Some for the better, some not.
The check-in went nice and smooth and we had no problem rolling throught the gate 10 cars deep in our caravan.
They did away with the porto potties in VIP. The bathroom trailers are awesome, but they were a little bit of a hike. Last year there were portos in a few locations throughout the campsites, and I like having the option of hiking to the bathrooms or just using the porto right by my campsite.
There were some issues with the security at the VIP entrance to Centeroo, but they seemed to have gotten that straightened out by Friday night. I got patted down thursday night. They looked in bag Friday afternoon. After that I was able to just walk right in without a second look.
First Roo, first VIP, so I have no point of reference....but for us it was all about convenience.
We were thrilled to be able to check in and drive right in with limited traffic on Thursday morning with a short search. We were thrilled to be able to walk right in with no lines and almost no search - and the location made it nice if we had to run back to the camper for something.
Food was just ok and delivery was terrible - always running out - but much more convenient than bringing a ton of food and having to cook and clean up. Showers and bathrooms were just ok, but again, convenient. If I think about all of the time and energy saved by the location and availability of food, it's totally worth it. We will do it again next year.
...and being right next to TBam, we had the best neighbors. We met some very cool people in VIP.
Right on brother, you guys were a pleasure to camp next to, now that I'm not all grumpy from the heat, I'm sure I'll do it again next year.
Nothing was cheaper, and when asked no one had an answer and sort of said it wasn't their doing with a smirk on their face...also the vip viewing area had crappy snacks that didnt last
This was my 7th consecutive Bonnaroo, 5th consecutive time bringing an RV, and 3rd consecutive time going VIP.
I thought it was excellent. There is very little I would change. The only thing I would change, is that I would shrink it back down a bit, but as a business owner, I understand the bottom line, and I understand why it was bigger each of the last 2 years.
VIP is so SO worth it. I will never ever ever ever EVER *EVER* go GA again, and as long as there is a Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee, I will be there.
There were some definite plusses and minuses with VIP. Was it worth it? Not 3x the ticket price worth it, but I'm glad I did it.
Plusses: We checked in without hardly any hassle at all. Proximity allowed me to see a lot more I actually enjoyed watching Metallica on the mound and Gogol Bordello from the bleachers
Minuses: That was NOT a lot of camping space. We combined space with our neighbors. Ran out of food twice. And you had to wait a long time for more to be brought out. No discounted drinks REALLY pissed me the eff off. Showers were ridiculous. I got trickles, and there was NO room to change clothes
My worst VIP experience was going in to see Jack Johnson. I had a poncho, sunscreen, misty mate, guide, and 1 can of red bull in my camelbak. The security guy searched through every nook and cranny in my bag while the others around him were peeking in bags and letting them through. He seriously searched me for a solid 3 minutes. Then he took my freaking red bull. Relaxed security my ass.
Each VIP package includes: (2) VIP tickets VIP entrance Preferred parking and camping for one car* Special shower and restroom facilities VIP pre-event party on Thursday night Two VIP lounges with beverages and a full buffet plus snacks Exclusive viewing bleachers for the main and second stages Commemorative Bonnaroo package and other amenities
Didn't that say "Two VIP lounges with discounted beverages and a full buffet plus snacks" last year? Looks like they might have quietly shut that puppy down, this year.
Post by antsmarchn on Jun 18, 2008 13:02:12 GMT -5
This was my first time doing VIP and say that it was worth it. Now I cant compare it to VIP in prior years, it certainly was an upgrade from GA. I started going to roo in 2003 and things certainly have improved from then,but the convenience of VIP was great. There were certainly some things that made VIP worthwhile. It was nice to have our campsite clearly marked out and not have to do the free for all take up as much space as we need right after parking. We actually had plenty of space left after parking the car and setting up the tent and awning. Also the bathrooms and showers we used were pretty good compared to the regular port-o-potties (relatively speaking). The food was sub-mediocre at best. Who is the genius that decided on some of those dishes? Cream sauce on chicken? They know how many VIP tickets they sold, so plan on food for that amount of people. I would preferred basics like bbq, burgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches
There were some definite plusses and minuses with VIP. Was it worth it? Not 3x the ticket price worth it, but I'm glad I did it.
Plusses: We checked in without hardly any hassle at all. Proximity allowed me to see a lot more I actually enjoyed watching Metallica on the mound and Gogol Bordello from the bleachers
Minuses: That was NOT a lot of camping space. We combined space with our neighbors. Ran out of food twice. And you had to wait a long time for more to be brought out. No discounted drinks REALLY pissed me the eff off. Showers were ridiculous. I got trickles, and there was NO room to change clothes
My worst VIP experience was going in to see Jack Johnson. I had a poncho, sunscreen, misty mate, guide, and 1 can of red bull in my camelbak. The security guy searched through every nook and cranny in my bag while the others around him were peeking in bags and letting them through. He seriously searched me for a solid 3 minutes. Then he took my freaking red bull. Relaxed security my ass.
But hey, I got to poop next to Amy Grant.
Wait- what gate did you go through on Saturday when you got searched at all? Because I had ridiculously lax security through the VIP Bar every single time. Your experience, only if it was in that location specifically, was a complete anomaly as I've never seen anyone searched in that gate.
For us, it was worth it if only for the proximity, camping space, and bathrooms (and the sweet 5 minute ride in from the high school check-in spot through the special VIP entrance -- how awesome was that). They can keep the cold showers and food -- I'd rather pay a few bucks and not have to wait in line for what they had. Oh, and 4 hours of free beer was nice.
Next year I'm still going VIP, but I'm bringing a shower tent and showering device (solar shower or something with a battery-powered pump).
Last Edit: Jun 18, 2008 23:52:37 GMT -5 by John - Back to Top
Yeah....the VIP bar gate was the one you should have gone through...they even stopped me from UNZIPPING my bags on Sunday....said "Nah nah hon...don't even worry about it...just go on in..." Seriously. And I had a backpack AND a camera bag....
My main concern was the bathroom locations. Personally I try to avoid the port-a-johns at all costs, but the bathrooms were just far enough from my tent and from the what stage entrance that I was worried about pissing myself throughout the weekend! I guess this wasn't a problem in the past because 1. vip was smaller 2. my tent must have been closer to the bathrooms and 3. the vip What stage entrance had a couple port-a-johns. Worrying about this caused me to drink less (water & other)...which is probably not a good idea.
I think next year as someone else mentioned - there definitely needs to be more crossways so that people don't walk through other people's camps to get places quicker (we always stuck to the path, but my bladder didn't like it! )
Also I think there should be more bathroom locations esp. close to the vip What stage entrance
^^^^ I'm with you. Just a few portapotties, on the edges and in the corners, would have made all the difference. It's really no fun to do the prancy dance to the uber nice bathrooms in the cold predawn hours.
There were some definite plusses and minuses with VIP. Was it worth it? Not 3x the ticket price worth it, but I'm glad I did it.
Plusses: We checked in without hardly any hassle at all. Proximity allowed me to see a lot more I actually enjoyed watching Metallica on the mound and Gogol Bordello from the bleachers
Minuses: That was NOT a lot of camping space. We combined space with our neighbors. Ran out of food twice. And you had to wait a long time for more to be brought out. No discounted drinks REALLY pissed me the eff off. Showers were ridiculous. I got trickles, and there was NO room to change clothes
My worst VIP experience was going in to see Jack Johnson. I had a poncho, sunscreen, misty mate, guide, and 1 can of red bull in my camelbak. The security guy searched through every nook and cranny in my bag while the others around him were peeking in bags and letting them through. He seriously searched me for a solid 3 minutes. Then he took my freaking red bull. Relaxed security my ass.
But hey, I got to poop next to Amy Grant.
Wait- what gate did you go through on Saturday when you got searched at all? Because I had ridiculously lax security through the VIP Bar every single time. Your experience, only if it was in that location specifically, was a complete anomaly as I've never seen anyone searched in that gate.
I only had problems that one time, and it was by the main stage entrance. The entrance going into Centeroo I never had any problems.
What was so weird was that the other guys working security barely checked anyone else at that entrance. He went to town in my bag though.
I say, they did a good job this year. The traffic correction alone impressed me big time. Way to take the people's advise. I had really no problems. The only thing that slightly bothered me was, a group in a huge compound just down from us was having open fires in a portable fire pit. I feel rules apply to all. NO special privileges to those who have lots of money. Other than that, good job Bonnaroo we will be back.
I say, they did a good job this year. The traffic correction alone impressed me big time. Way to take the people's advise. I had really no problems. The only thing that slightly bothered me was, a group in a huge compound just down from us was having open fires in a portable fire pit. I feel rules apply to all. NO special privileges to those who have lots of money. Other than that, good job Bonnaroo we will be back.
Was that the people on the main drag across from the food tent? What was with that compound, that thing was huge and I never really ever saw anyone in there. They had loads of space, a ton of 50 gallon water drums and countless other supplies that seemed to go totally unused. Then they pulled out pretty damn early on sunday. I was curious what that was about the whole entire weekend.
It's not hard to cook for a couple of thousand people when your job is say, to cook for a few thousand people. It's not like they have uncle cletus working the grill, they hire pro caterers. It's also not the first year of bonnaroo, they should have this down by now, but it seemed worse than 2006. The only positive was they didn't have corn with every meal like 06, I guess it's too precious a commodity now.
Yes someone picks up all the trash and recycles, they should, but even greener is to not have all the trash to begin with.
Taco Bell, yeah that probably would be diarhea city, I just threw it out there since they had Pepsi and those two brands used to be joined at the hip. What i'd really like to see is this bad boy parked next to the vip tent. www3.johnsonville.com/bigtastegrill/
I beg to differ. It is and will always be hard to cook for a couple thousand people. Manchester isn’t a large city and I imagine that they don’t see crowd that large that often. Even if they hire caterers from Nashville or other surrounding cities then they are working in conditions that they are probably not used to. Personally I like to give these people maybe some benefit of the doubt because it is A LOT harder job then many think it is.
The big reason I’m trying to defend these people is because I saw a lot of people being VERY mean and rude to these people throughout the weekend and it annoyed me.
Have some karma though for the sake of good discussion.
right on cindyroowho (sorry couldn't help myself I still read Dr. Suess to my son alot) I mean it sounds like the food was less than desirable but there is no reason to lose your common decency and treat the people who are trying to get food out to you disrespectfully. Indeed these people you are encountering had nothing to do with logistics they are more than likely just hourly employees. On the other hand, I understand how tempers can flare when you are hungry its only human and after all you paid for it. The caterer should have had it together better...bottom line.... I have been a professional chef and cooking in kitchens for the last 20+ years and know what it takes to do most types of events. I have also done a little festival vending over the years, some really big ones, and some really small ones and realise the logistical problems that ensue when not IN a kitchen. Over the years I've probably split my time between fine dining restaurants and catering and while the events I've planned were not (what was the number for VIP 3000 or so?) usually close to that size as far as catering goes anyone who has been doing it for awhile should be able to handle the numbers. Seems like bad choices were also made on food items cream sauce? bit hot for that. Someone said No hot dogs or burgers? seems strange how about...burrito/ taco bar, I mean any number of different wraps come to mind, was there breakfast stuff? french toast, pancakes hell scrambled eggs, BBQ sandwiches, pizza, diffent themes Indian, Mexican, Italian Mediterranean, cold salads pasta, couscous any number of different grains, mixed greens and veggies I mean hell I could come up with a million tasty dishes for the masses I personally ate a few different wraps West Coast Wraps chinese chik wrap was quite scrumptious had it twice over the weekend and the Samosas chick and tofu with ginger aand curry spice tasty fillings.... nice. Otherwise it was my Smart start and granola with soy apple, banana in the morning, balsamic pasta/veggie salad I made at home, PBJ, chips salsa guac (homemade of course), snacks nutragrain bars, a few snickers, vitamin water, water, water I drink lots of water I was not in VIP this year and really lucked out with a great spot in Axl Foley with some good folks I met waiting on line to get in (I flew solo to my first). But it is appealing and who knows maybe next year...but that food thing will have to be taken care of ...now that I am thinking about it maybe I should just do the food next year ;D It would actually be kinda cool and I'd love to cook for the hungry VIP's at Bonnaroo....something to think about........
I don't care what you say about me, just spell my name right---P.T. Barnum "As I was walking up the stairs I met a man who wasn't there He wasn't there again today I wish to God he'd go away."
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and realise the logistical problems that ensue when not IN a kitchen. Over the years I've probably split my time between fine dining restaurants and catering and while the events I've planned were not (what was the number for VIP 3000 or so?) usually close to that size as far as catering goes anyone who has been doing it for awhile should be able to handle the numbers.