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Theme Park Body

Sam

Sam

TS Member
We've all had it. That nauseating feeling of sickliness that descends like a black cloud even after the best days at a theme park. It has many individual symptoms and cures but we know it as one illness: Theme Park Body (TPB).

Symptoms include: Indigestion, headache, windburn, exhaustion, soar throat, 'theme park face', blisters, muscle ache, nausea, chapped lips, stitch, heartburn and hayfever.

Causes include: walking all day, lack of sleep, physical exertion of rides, outside all day, drinking fizzy pop constantly, fatty fast food, exposure to the elements, snacking, poor bathroom facilities and unclean cold water from wet rides.

What can you do about it?

  • Be prepared with medicine. Bring allergy tablets, indigestion tablets, paracetamol and aspirin. Don't forget suntan lotion if it's summer!
  • Avoid fizzy drinks. Try and buy fruit juice or coffee when on park, or take a bottle and refill it with water wherever possible.
  • Ensure you get at least eight hours sleep the night before a trip.
  • Plan a sensible route around the park to minimize pointless criss-crossing.
  • Look up the weather forecast and bring a sensible number of layers, but try and keep your carry-around bag as light as possible.

What can the parks do about it?

I'd like to see the parks play a much more active role in preventing the onset of TPB, which must affect the general public just as much as enthusiasts. Here are my recommendations:

  • Make sure all bathrooms are modern and warm inside.
  • Water fountains with clean drinking water available park-wide.
  • Increase healthiness of food on offer, always include fruit or salad.
  • Clean water system for all wet rides.
  • Build more indoor rides. Make as much of the queue for outdoor rides indoor as possible.
  • Build smoother rides.
  • More benches and better seating areas. More seated indoor shows to allow people to rest and relax.
  • Increase size of medical/first-aid centres, catering to more minor ailments.
  • Smoking banned in queuelines.
  • Disney style 'misting areas' on very hot days.

So what are your top-tips for avoiding the onset of TPB? What do you think the parks could do better to help you have a healthier and more comfortable day's rollercoaster riding? :)
 
I always bring Vitamin C tablets for multiple day trips.
 
You forgot to include neck ache for those that venture onto the Wild Mouse at PBB :p
 
This is all so true and my goodness is it irritating when you're trying to have fun with your friends! Only a few months ago I've started bringing water bottles and extra food in my bag for visits just in case, especially in the case of nasty weather be it hot or cold, because of how dehydrated and starved I get.

Really people should start taking/buying water bottles alongside snacks to at least combat a bit of this but of course the excuses are 'Eh, not needed, I can survive' and 'They're too cumbersome to carry around'. Loads tend to avoid bringing bags aswell because they're too faffy, admittedly I carry too much in mine *overprepared*, but it would stop the complaining at least!

:p
 
I get none of thee symptoms aside form a headache after ten goes on Jubilee Odyssey - I read about this sort of thing by the 40-50-year-olds on Theme Park Review so thought it was a later life thing :p
 
I strongly advise against the caffeine advise. If you're already suffering then artificial stimulants can be quite detrimental to TPB
 
Given that on 94% of meets, I haven't been to sleep the night before, caffeine cannot be avoided! :p

I find that keeping cleanshaven can help with theme park face.
 
Tbh, I would disagree with the clean shaven part... Tbh growing a beard and shaving it off after a meet, is almost like shaving off your theme park face...

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Rowe said:
This is all so true and my goodness is it irritating when you're trying to have fun with your friends! Only a few months ago I've started bringing water bottles and extra food in my bag for visits just in case, especially in the case of nasty weather be it hot or cold, because of how dehydrated and starved I get.

Really people should start taking/buying water bottles alongside snacks to at least combat a bit of this but of course the excuses are 'Eh, not needed, I can survive' and 'They're too cumbersome to carry around'. Loads tend to avoid bringing bags aswell because they're too faffy, admittedly I carry too much in mine *overprepared*, but it would stop the complaining at least!

:p
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I do the same! My friends try their best to bring really small bags with them only for them to moan about wanting some snacks or drinks (where I come in to 'save the day' lol!)
 
Sorry for the double post! Wanted to also add that when my friends suffer from aches and pains from the rollercoasters, it's very difficult to lift up the mood and have fun.
 
Although I've never experienced TPB, I definitely agree with those suggestions for the park. On my visit to Florida, the weather was so hot, and the misting zones and queue line water fountains were refreshing. At the Universal parks (possibly the others, I can't remember) they have fans spraying light water vapour which are awesome. Disney sell handheld versions of the fans, which on a hot day would give a way to prevent TPB.
 
I get extremely bad headaches to the point of crying when I ride Rita near the back of the train because of headbanging. Apparently I also go a grey colour. Now I always try and get front row or ask very nicely. It's really annoying when it happens because everyone goes a bit quiet and it puts a bit of a damper on the day.
 
The worse thing for me the next day after being at a theme park is how much my feet and legs hurt after walking around miles and miles during the day.
 
djtruefitt said:
The worse thing for me the next day after being at a theme park is how much my feet and legs hurt after walking around miles and miles during the day.
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It's a literal pain when you get up as well, it's a bit remindful of a fawn's first steps. Lovely exercise at least! Can't complain about that!
 
Sorry to drag this topic back from the grave.

But I think Alton Towers' recent trial of unlimited all-day hot drink refill is a massive step forwards in finding a cure for TPB. Fizzy drinks all day make you feel bloated, gassy and cold. If you're drinking tea or hot chocolate all day, it can only do your body a world of good on a cold October day. Not so sure about coffee.
 
Originally this was going to be a post about Theme Park Face, a term even my mum now uses when I'm having a whinge about blotchy, sore, dry skin. But I decided there might be other ailments associated with theme parks (there certainly are for me!) so here we have an all-encompassing topic.

Does anyone have a tried and tested theme park face treatment? My lips were so bad after last weekend it looked like I'd been French kissing for a week. I decided to numb the pain using Germolene - oh god I nearly cried it stung so badly. Felt better afterwards, but still dry and horrible. 'Simple' moisturisers and even E45 cream did nothing to alleviate the dryness and redness. It's only just starting to look normal now.

I would say this is a particular problem for women - we could wear heavy moisturiser to the park but this plays havoc with makeup. On the second day of coastering theme park face means an even heavier application of foundation is needed to cover the blotches. First world problems, eh.
When I go on theme park holidays I always feel I look awful in the photographs as I am makeup free - maybe I need to invest in some of those huge sunglasses that cover my entire face.


Some other ailments I suffer from will make you wonder why I go on rollercoasters at all! They include dizziness and nausea (I'm a glutton for punishment) usually alleviated by Stugeron (cinnarazine) tablets - however these make me very tired. The tiredness is alleviated by Pro-Plus and energy drinks which then cause a sore tummy and frequent need to wee (no good when stood in 3 hour queues).

I often find when I return from a day of theme parks that I feel like I am 'still riding' meaning I close my eyes and still feel like I'm spinning around, leading to a lack of sleep. I've not yet found any relief from this really horrible after-effect of coasters. I often end up being sick all night (as I was last weekend).

Last year returning home after three rides on The Smiler my GP diagnosed me with concussion.


So I was wondering what other ailments might be caused by a love of theme parks? I've seen comments on the board about bruised arms and crushed genitals - all things we have to suffer for our hobby. My dad once got 'trapped' by the lapbars on a ride in Futuroscope...
 
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