Th13teen & Motion Sickness: What to Expect
Th13teen looks like a family coaster through the woods, and mostly is one, until the crypt: inside a dark building, the entire track section your train sits on free-falls 16.4 ft, a vertical drop track built into the coaster itself, followed by a backwards run in the dark. Two rare triggers, one mid-sized ride.
Alton Towers · Coaster with indoor drop track · Visitor-reported motion-sickness risk: mixed: commonly reported by motion-sensitive riders.
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
Risk levels summarise what passengers and riders commonly report, not measured testing.
Key facts
- Th13teen is at Alton Towers, in Alton, United Kingdom.
- Ride type: Coaster with indoor drop track.
- Visitor reports place it in the moderate band for motion sickness.
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Why Th13teen can trigger motion sickness
The drop track is pure unanticipated free fall: your eyes, in darkness, saw no edge, so the fall arrives as vestibular shock rather than a read event. The backwards segment that follows compounds it, travel with no visual preview through dark scenery. The outdoor coaster wrapped around these tricks is genuinely modest, 41.6 mph with no inversions, which is why reports on Th13teen split so cleanly: fine until the crypt, then a spike, then fine again.
- The 16.4 ft free-fall drop track, unannounced, in the dark
- The backwards run through darkness immediately after
- Anticipation nerves in the crypt for riders who know something is coming
- Stacking it with Alton's bigger rides on a sensitive day
Going on Th13teen? Set it up first
Queue time is the good time to sort this out. The ten minutes after a ride is not. Dizzout is a drug-free app that plays precisely calibrated audio through any headphones you already own, wired or Bluetooth, with relief in about 90 seconds. Free to try.
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What helps on Th13teen
- Decide on spoilers: for drop-averse riders, knowing the floor falls in the crypt converts terror into one manageable exhale
- Head back against the rest for the whole indoor section, so the fall and reversal catch you aligned
- Exhale as the room drops; it's over before the breath finishes
- For the backwards stretch, eyes on a fixed point in the car rather than craning to see behind
- It's a fair drop-track introduction: shorter and slower than the freefall towers, wrapped in an otherwise gentle ride
Wristbands, ginger, breathing: for which of those hold up under testing, see the remedy verdicts. Anything you take before a park day is a question for a pharmacist or doctor.
Planning the whole day? The full park guide covers the roughest rides, the calm zones, and a survival plan: Motion sickness at Alton Towers.
Frequently asked questions
What actually happens inside Th13teen's crypt?
The track section holding your train free-falls 16.4 ft in darkness, a vertical drop track built into the coaster itself, and the train then runs backwards through the dark before rejoining the outdoor course. It's seconds of genuine free fall plus reversal, deliberately unannounced. Knowing it's coming, which you now do, defuses most of its power.
Does Th13teen cause motion sickness?
Mostly no: the outdoor coaster is modest, 41.6 mph with no inversions, and the crypt's two tricks are brief. The riders who report queasiness are those hit hardest by unanticipated falls and backwards travel in darkness, both of which the crypt delivers in concentrated form. The head-back, exhale approach covers both.
Is Th13teen suitable as a first thrill ride for a nervous stomach?
It's a reasonable stepping stone: gentle open-air coasting bookends one contained surprise. Ride it knowing the crypt drops, use the exhale, and you've sampled free fall and backwards travel in their smallest park doses. Comfortable here suggests Alton's mid-tier is open; shaken here says keep to the gardens and gentler rides.
Other ride motion-sickness guides
Sources & further reading
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Based on publicly reported visitor experiences, official park signage and classifications where cited, and each attraction's documented ride system, as of September 2026. Attractions change; check the park's official guidance on the day. Ride, park, and character names are trademarks of their respective owners; Dizzout is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Motion-sickness sensitivity varies by person: this is informational, not a review of any attraction or a substitute for a doctor's advice.