You either love ’em or you hate ’em. There isn’t much middle ground when it comes to the Tea Cups. I categorize this attraction as a “Spin & Puke” ride so you can guess what camp I’m in. Actually, I will venture onto the Tea Cups just as long as my fellow passengers swear on their life that they will not turn the wheel inside the cups to make them spin faster. Usually the threat of wearing my recently consumed lunch is enough to make them keep their promise.
The Tea Cups are inspired by the Disney animated movie “Alice in Wonderland” which was released in 1951. Walt’s retelling of this famous story is based primarily on Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” with a few additional elements from “Through the Looking-Glass.”
The movie was not a success in its initial release. In fact, it was never rereleased in theaters during Walt’s lifetime. Animator Ward Kimball blames the movie’s lackluster performance on the fact that five directors managed the film and each tried to outdo the other. Walt believed the film failed because Alice had no heart. We didn’t care about her emotionally. And when you think about it, he was right. When I watch “The Little Mermaid” or “Beauty and the Beast” I really care what happens to Ariel and Belle. But when it comes to Alice, I’m not really concerned that the Queen wants to lop off her head.
Despite the movie’s poor reception, Walt still wanted the film represented in his new park, Disneyland. The Mad Tea Party was an opening day attraction, July 17, 1955. On June 14, 1958, a dark ride named “Alice in Wonderland” joined the park’s roster of attractions. Like other dark rides, an abridged version of the movie is presented in just over three minutes. The Alice in Wonderland attraction is unique to Disneyland and a favorite of many.
In the early years, not all of the teacups sported fancy designs on their exterior. This could be very disturbing to a young child scurrying for the prettiest cup. You might also notice that the early Tea Cups did not have doors. Instead, a loose rope was draped across the opening.
In 1983, Disneyland’s Fantasyland received a major facelift. The theme was changed from Medieval Tournament to European Village. During the remodel, the Mad Tea Party was moved from the heart of Fantasyland to an area directly in front of the Alice in Wonderland attraction. Having the two attractions together gave better continuity to the area. Even today, not all the cups have fancy designs, but at least the plain ones have a white stripe.
The ride itself is very basic and appeared in amusement parks long before Disneyland. Walt just took an old favorite and dressed it up and themed it after the Unbirthday Party seen in the movie. The ride system is quite simple. Within a large turntable (which turns counterclockwise) are three small turntables (which rotate clockwise). There are six cups on each of the smaller turntables which can be turned independently by rotating a large wheel located in the middle of each cup. It’s this last feature that can add a gut-wrenching element to the ride.
The Tea Cups appear in all five Magic Kingdom-type parks around the world. This is partly due to the fact that this is a popular ride. But also, in the scheme of things, this is a relatively inexpensive attraction to build and maintain.
When the Magic Kingdom opened at Walt Disney World, the Mad Tea Party, as it is called as in Florida, did not have a roof. However, the brutal Florida sun and rain caused the Imagineers to rethink this initial design decision.
Near The Mad Tea Party is a beautiful topiary of Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the March Hare. This is a great picture spot.
Near the topiary is a leaf with an inspirational message. It was written by Randy Pausch.
Randy (born October 23, 1960) was a professor of Computer Science and Human-Computer Interaction & Design at Carnegie Mellon University. In 2006, Randy learned he had pancreatic cancer and in August 2007 was told he had three to six months of good health left. On September 18, 2007, Randy gave a talk at Carnegie Mellon entitled “The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” Rather than being maudlin and morose, the lecture was upbeat and stirring. Randy discusses how he realized his childhood dreams and how he learned to be a better person. As it turns out, one of Randy’s young ambitions was to be an Imagineer with Disney – a goal he did achieve.
During his lecture, Randy asks the audience, who would you rather be, Tigger or Eeyore? He hopes you pick Tigger, who has a zest for life.
After the success of his lecture, Randy and Jeffery Zaslow wrote a book titled “The Last Lecture,” expanding on Randy’s speech. The book was published by Hyperion, a company owned by Disney.
So why are Randy’s words seen near the Mad Tea Party?
One of the curriculums Randy developed at Carnegie Mellon was called the Alice Program. This program advanced the idea that learning can be fun if presented in the right way. For example, instead of telling students they must learn a particular computer language, tell them their assignment is to make a movie – that requires the use of these computer skills. The students will then focus their enthusiasm on the movie and learn the computer language as a way to enhance their film. The Alice Program was an unqualified success. Disney chose to honor this courageous man next to an attraction that represents Alice.
Randy died on July 25, 2008 at the age of 47. If you are interested in seeing “The Last Lecture,” click here. The presentation is 1 hour in 16 minutes in length and definitely worth your time. Over 14 million people have viewed it on YouTube.
Recently, the Enchanted Grove, the refreshment stand next to the Mad Tea Party, underwent a name change. It is now called the Cheshire Café to tie the restaurant and attraction together and add better continuity to the area. The Cheshire Café is a wonderful spot to buy a refreshing slushy on a hot day and relax for a while. Even on the busiest days, the lines are manageable here.
At Tokyo Disneyland, the tea cups are called “Alice’s Tea Party. This attraction and the one in the Magic Kingdom are they only two versions of this ride to have a giant teapot in the center of the turntable.
At Disneyland Paris, the attraction is called “Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups.” With its glass roof, I think this version of the ride is the most visually appealing of them all.
At Hong Kong Disneyland, the ride is called “Mad Hatter Tea Cups.” It’s interesting to note, in Paris the name is possessive (Hatter’s) while in Hong Kong it is not possessive (Hatter). If you study the roof, you’ll notice the Hong Kong version matches the attraction covering in Tokyo.
I’ve always found this next sign at Hong Kong Disneyland to be interesting. Since they don’t serve alcohol in the park, do they really have enough people showing up schnockered that they must post this warning?
Although I have video of the Tea Cups in Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, and Florida, I felt sharing them all might be overkill. After all, once you’ve seen one tea cup spin, you’ve seen them all. So today you’ll just be seeing a two minute video of the Magic Kingdom’s version of the ride.
The duration of a ride on the Tea Cups lasts approximately one and a half minutes. To people like me, this seems like an eternity. But to teens, this interval is hardly enough – especially after waiting in a 30+ minute line.
Love ’em or hate ’em. How do you stand on the great Tea Cup debate?
Hi Jack,
I too have a love/hate relationship with the Tea Cups. I don’t mind if they spin slowly but…
What I do love most is that they are an original Disney ride from the “old” days and have not been tampered with for the most part.
I love that they are in every park all over the world and I will make sure I ride them when I go to Disneyland this spring. (oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!)
This is my daughter’s very favorite ride. No day at Magic Kingdom is complete with out a spin on the Tea Cups. But she will not ride the green cups because she almost got sick in one of them. I love to watch her face as she squeels “Faster daddy!” When her face suddenly turns green I know it is time to slow down.
Another great blog, Jack!
You said you categorize the ride as a “Spin & Puke” ride. We have a cuter name for this type of ride. We call it a “twirl and hurl”.
😀
How fitting that you also recognized Jeffrey Zaslow for his contribution to the book, as he died in a car accident on February 10. Perhaps Disney will also honor him in a small way as his books have influenced many people as well.
We just got home (today!) from WDW – my almost 4 year old insisted we go on the teacups every single time we passed this week, and sometimes if there was no line we rode twice in a row! He LOVED to spin as fast as possible, and I’ve got to oblige. 🙂 My husband isn’t as big a fan.
Love em!! For some reason, I was blessed with a strong stomach and I love to go as fast as possible and then look straight up as we’re spinning. My friends and I used to go to the Neon Cactus bar at the Disneyland Hotel and then go into the park for a couple of rides, and we’d always ride the teacups after a couple of drinks, so I was laughing at the sign in Hong Kong.
I have enjoyed the spinnning rides since I was a kid & went to Riverview in Chicago every summer.
I love to get the teacups spinning as fast as possible.
When I get off the ride, I’m spectacularly dizzy for a few minutes. What a rush – even at 65.
Hi Jack,
Thanks for another great article! I love reading your blogs about the history of the parks.
I also just wanted to thank you for showing the Randy Pausch quote, everyone should watch The Last Lecture and read his book sometime (especially the part about the salt and pepper shakers at Disney World when he was a kid..sums up the “Disney Spirit” perfectly!)
Thanks again and looking forward to checking out the teacups when we visit WDW in May!
Hi Jack!
Great article! Not a fan anymore! Guess I got too old! I used to LOVE this and would spin as fast as I can!
3 years ago I went on my own tea cup while hubby and son rode and spin by themselves while I held on to the wheel tight so it would not spin!
Last year I purposely avoided going near them. I get quesy on Dumbo & Astro Orbiter now! Something about going in circles! But give me a roller coaster anytime! 🙂
Looking forward to your next article!
LOVE! i was the kid who couldn’t even dream of riding the super cool roller coasters because i couldn’t even go down a hill in a car without getting sick, but i could spin! these “kiddie” rides are great equalizers 🙂 i’ll even admit to being the jerk that grabs the center wheel and spins it as hard as i can…much to my non-spinning husband’s dismay!
I, like you will ride the cups as long as no one is spinning them any faster. I find if I focus on one spot they are not quite as bad. And, like some of the other people commenting never had a problem with them when I was younger. My family will divide into the spin as fast as you can cup and the you better not spin it anymore cup. Everybody is happy that way!
Jack, yet another great blog. Thank you!
As someone who suffers from motion sickness, I am most definitely not a fan. Though my 2 boys (now 10 & 12) have always loved them. My husband used to venture on when they were little. Even watching them makes me nauseus!
My daughters & I are of the spin ’til you puke approach to this classic. We go full-bore all 90 seconds. No puking yet, though I have been close. Its a pretty intense workout.
My son & wife are in the opposing camp. They ride without adding spin at all.
Spin til you puke is way better.
Hi Jack,
I also feel the same as you do about the “Spin and Puke”. On our honeymoon, my husband spun our teacup so fast that I could barely walk when the ride was over…almost a deal breaker!
On a return trip a few years later though, our 3 year old daughter was asked by the Queen of Hearts to be her partner for a ride! They even held the ride so I could walk in and take pictures. Great memory!
Jack
I laughed out loud at the part where you make all of your fellow riders promise to swear on their lives not to spin the wheel. I must admit to feeling similar on my first venture on the ride. Much to everyone’s amazement it was me who began spinning the wheel!
Another informative and interesting blog. The Last Lecture video I will watch. What an inspiration that guy is.
Thank you again!
The one in Paris is really amazing. The glass roof and and the beautiful gardens around it make a big difference.
Hate ’em! I can’t even watch them! I have to face away from the ride when my family is riding it! Blah!
I tried the whole “promise me you won’t spin the wheel” thing with my family, but they thought it great fun to spin the wheel while I had my eyes tightly shut- which is the only way I can endure the Tea Cups!
Since then….no more! It is the only ride in all of WDW that makes me sick! 🙂
Great blog, as always!
LoL – I call it the “Spin & Puke” too! But I will not get on it even if I had folks promise not to spin. This is the one ride at WDW that I won’t venture on. Someone would have to sedate me and take a picture as proof that I went on it.
I will venture on Primeval Whirl (aka “Twirl & Puke” in my book). That one isn’t too bad with only a small spin cycle within a rollercoaster.
Thanks again for an interesting blog!
Hi Jack
Thank you for another informative post.
You mention that the Alice in Wonderland dark ride at Disneyland is unique to the park but did you know that there is an Alice in Wonderland dark ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach which is on the North West coast of England?
The ride, here in the UK looks very similar to the one on your photo and has been at the park for many years, I’m 48 and I remember riding it as a kid at the ages of around 8 and 9. This too lasts for around 3 to 4 minutes and tells the story of Alice in Wonderland, the ride begins as you travel down the rabbit hole.
All the best to you and keep up the great work!
Jack,
Thanks for the article. I truly appreciate your time and insights with your blog. You have a gift for writing with a sense of history/lore and putting a touch of good story telling in there too. I’m sure there’s a better way to say that, but then I’m not you. Your snippets of the “world” and its siblings are the little things that make my day a little more tolerable.
And for the record, my aging inner ear just says “no” to the Hatter and his Cups! Thanks again!
Richard
The tea cups also pose another health risk….shoulder injury! My mom, named Alice, hurt her shoulder so badly spinning the tea cups that she had to have weeks of physical therapy when we got home! lol
Just got back from WDW yesterday. Tea Cups are always a must-do for us. When I was younger, we’d spin as fast as possible. Now we spin at only fast enough to make our daughter happy! I’d love to know how fast you really can get going on the Cups…
I’ve always wanted to ride but I get terrible motion sickness. I suppose when my son is old enough, I’ll have to strap on the ol’ barf bag and take him on! 🙂
Jack,
You said that you either love or hate them. For me, it depends where. I get sick on the tea cups in Florida and don’t mind them at all in California. I think it must have something to do with the roof making me claustrophobic or something. (I guess I will need to travel out of the country to try the other sets of tea cups to see if that theory holds up.) Thanks for all your wonderful blogs.
I will be riding the Tea Cups for the first time on Leap Day as part of my ride ’em all goal for that day. I am not a spin and puke fan either but…. wish me luck!
LOVE UM
We always go on the tea cups and see who looks most white/green when we leave them!! Its an old classic and so much fun. In my opinion its a ride where everyone can have a good time as you have some control over the spin of the ride.
ITS NOT BAD IF ITS RAINING EITHER!! 😉
Dear Jack, Thank you so much for mentioning Randy Pausch on this article! I watched The Last Lecture and it was really amazing. Thank you for adding that bit to my life 🙂
Hi Jack,
I gotta say I used to hate the tea cups for the same reason as you. But when I went to Japan in 2010, my friend made me ride it with her and I gotta admit, it wasn’t as unpleasant as I had remembered it to be. In fact, me and my friend enjoyed the one in Ariel’s Grotto in Tokyo DisneySea more (sorry I can’t remember the name of the ride)! It’s smaller in size and the spins are crazier, but somehow, we enjoyed that one more! Go figure 😀 I’ve gotta admit I’ve become a fan of this attraction and I’ll definitely ride the tea cups from now on every time I go to a Disney theme park 🙂
Ahh…the teacups. When I was first learning about Walt Disney World in the 1990s, this was one of the few attractions I was familiar with, and along with Dumbo and Space Mountain this was one I really wanted to ride. I seriously thought Dumbo and the Teacups were the Disney headliners. Ironically, on my five Disney trips (all since 2003) the teacups and Dumbo are two of few rides on my “bucket list” lol. FWIW, I have absolutely have no desire to ride the teacups now-spinny rides make me naseous.
The tea cups are not a must do for me but I will ride if my kids are clamoring for them. I will not,however, ride them with my dad. There’s a famous story in my family of my parents visiting Disneyland years before they had kids and riding the tea cups with my uncle. Apparently, the CMs had never seen anyone spin quite so fast and were not surprised when my folks had to practically crawl off of the ride and then lay down on the nearest patch of grass for a half an hour. That is NOT how I want to spend my Disney day. 🙂
Jack, We love the Tea Cups and I am thankful that Florida has a roof over it as it really does cool it down. Nothing worse than hot plastic seats in the Florida sun. I will spin sometimes but mostly just enjoy the rotation without spinning the cups. This is a very traditional ride just like “Pirates” I know there are alot better but it is still a must do.
Hi Jack! I’m with you, not a fan. I always sit this one out. I just can’t do the spinning. I even get dizzy watching my kids spin…
Love/Hate relationship really. Remember it really being a favorite when I was younger so I love it for the nostalgia. However, now when I get off the ride, I walk crooked.
This is my daughter’s favorite ride. It is also the only ride that my fearless thrill-riding husband is “afraid” of due to nausea so I take one for the team each trip and ride with my daughter. Thankfully, she has not yet figured out that while it appears I am “helping” her spin, I am actually putting pressure on the wheel so she cannot spin it quite as fast! LOL. The one trick that enables me to survive this ride without puking is to stare directly into her eyes the entire ride – if I glance at my surroundings spinning by, it’s all over! Staring at something not moving inside the cup is the trick to surviving this ride.
Jack,
I enjoyed your article on a ride that is no longer on our “Must Do” list, (Thank God). As in life, many of things transverse the slope of “Likes” & “Dislikes”, and this attraction falls into the latter. My first three trips to WDW with my daughter. Begriming at the age of four, and right through the old age of seven, this was a staple. I believe if they nominated people for “Father of the year” I may have received consideration. Solely for having the gumption, to do this attraction at full speed. Fifteen years later, and a family trip with my brother and his two daughters and I’m getting the silly notion that we should revisit this attraction, one last time. With one caveat, “I’m in control of the wheel” (Not the Tower).
I worked as a custodial hostess in Tomorrowland/Toontown during part of my time in the College Program. Being able to tell the custodians at the school where I work that I had to clean up ‘protien spills’ on the teacups certainly builds comradery! They don’t shut down the ride… you have to clean as much up as you can when guests are loading and unloading… it spins under a teacup ‘lid’ cloth… then you run to clean up some more once the ride stops. I am not grossed out by much now! I loved working in custodial though. Being a super-greeter-with-a-broom was the best.
I loved the animated film! I first saw it when I was 6 (now in my 50s) and, years later, named my first 2 cats Alice and Hatter ih honour of the book/film (which has remained a favourite). Those cats have long since passed away and my present kitties are Dinah, Figaro, Lucifer and Belle. Heading to WDW in Oct with my sister and the Tea Cups is on the list for “first day” rides. Personally, I love spinning – sis is not too keen as it does tend to make her wobble and go a bit green – but, faster the better is my motto!
Ah-Ha Jack!!
I am the master “spinner” and am always in charge of the wheel 😉 Although my sister-in-law and I are the only ones in the family that’ll ride em’ 🙂
Jack, Sounds to me like the new Tea Cup seating in the re-vamped Disneyland Hotel lobby might be more your “cup o’ tea”!!
This was the first ride my family ever rode on at Magic Kingdom so I’d have to say love it! Even though, after the eighth time in a row riding it with my then 3 year old daughter I had to grab onto the railing to keep from falling over!
Although I’ve ridden and enjoyed teacup rides at other parks, I’ve never gotten around to riding them at a Disney park. Watching the split-screen segment of the video did make me a little queasy!
love the teacups, if you put your head back it makes you feel like you are spinning even faster! My husband waits for us on the sidelines!
I love the teacups! This was the one ride my Dad could tolerate riding with us (although we did get him on Thunder Mountain….once…lol), although Mom watched from the sidelines. In an amusing twist, I’m the one who rides with our kids as my husband waits by the sidelines…although he doesn’t watch us ride as it makes him ill! But he can handle any roller coaster… 🙂
My husband’s a spin and puker. I’m the one that tries to break the bolts on the thing by seeing how fast I can get it to turn. Needless to say if I want to make it twirl, we get seperate cups.
I love it. I know it’s a dumb, simple ride but it’s fun.
As a teenager I would spin them so fast my friends and I would stagger off the ride and maybe regain our balance by the time we got to Space Mountain. But a few years later my body just couldn’t take the spinning anymore and I avoid spinning rides like the plague now. Maybe I overdid it.
Alice is one my favorite films even if it is a bit uneven. I really enjoy it up until the Queen of Hearts section, for some reason I always run out of steam then.
Thank you soo much for this article! My grandmother took me to Disney world for the first time when I was five and we rode this ride. At the time I was mad at her cause she wouldn’t let me and my aunt spin the cup. Twenty years later, it’s a cherised memory!! I recently lost her this past October before we could go back and experience this ride together again. I know that every time I ride this ride now I will think of her. I hope that when I have kids, my mother and I will be able to make this a tradition. Thank you again for bringing back a wonderful memory for me!
This classic ride is my favorite of all time. I actually remember riding it when I was 6 years old. When I go now with my husband and daughter, my husband spins it ridiculously fast, so fast that my daughter and I can’t hold our heads up straight. I understand why others may feel queasy or sick on this ride but we love it. Other guests must get a good laugh watching us trying to get out of a tea cup and out of the saucer when we are dizzy and stumbling!
I LOVE the teacups! It always takes me back to being a little girl again. After nearly three years together, I finally managed to convince my (now) husband to ride with me for his first spin ever (both of us are 32 and have been to Disney dozens of times). I had to swear NOT to touch the wheel in the middle. He enjoyed it so much that he was the one spinning the wheel by the end!
Thanks for blogging about one of my favorite rides!! I didn’t get to visit a Disney park until I was 18, but I knew the Teacups would be the first ride I rode simply because I remember seeing it on t.v. while watching the Wonderful World of Disney. Alas, I am a solo rider since my hubby doesn’t care to spin either! Lol! Thanks again, Jack!!
Ever since a childhood visit when my cousins decided to use our teacup to replicate a centrifuge, sending me into a g-force hammered heap at the bottom of the saucer, I’ve had no qualms about passing it up. I DO enjoy walking by after dark and enjoying the illuminated Asian inspired “paper lanterns” scattered about the attraction site. Like many fair-style rides, I think it’s so much prettier all lit up at night.
Love ’em! Fortunately for me there is not a spin speed fast enough for my 3 year old and even my hubby is ok with that. I won’t ride with anyone who won’t spin as fast as humanly possible!
I’m almost 30 and have been to WDW 10+ times and my mom couldn’t believe I’d never ridden these. So, our last trip we finally got on them together. I think I was hesitant for the same reason as everyone else… I didn’t want to get sick! But my fears were put to rest and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Probably helps that I have the kindest mother on earth and she knew I didn’t want to get sick, so she was easy on the wheel 😉
We rode the teacups (again)in Dec. 2010. WITH ALICE!! She got off, I was very excited and mentioned that to her. (I am a kid at heart..like you 🙂
Alice, never missing a beat, always “in character” replied “Oh i do try to ride these at least once a day” , as she skipped away.
A great memory of our last family trip.
Teresa
My family is taking our first trip to Disney World in June. My teenagers can’t wait to spin and spin and spin and spin. I will be looking for a separate cup with my husband!
I love them, and they are the only “spinny” ride I can go on – as long as no one turns the centre wheel! I grew up in Canada watching the Wonderful World of Disney on TV and the teacups were featured in the opening to this show. I wanted to ride them so badly. I didn’t make it to Disney World until I was 38 years old, and the teacups were the first ride I went on. Maybe the 30 plus years of emotional baggage I carried into my teacup kept me from feeling sick. Anyway, I love them and I ride them every time I go to Disney.
hey jack
when it comes to the tea cups, like you i am not a fan of the spinning which is why i hardly go on this ride anymore. at one point in my life this was an enjoyable experience but now i just stick to other attractions. can’t wait for your next blog and as always keep up the great work.
Not a fan of the tea cups, although one of my favorite home videos from my childhood was when my (brave) father decided to film my sister and me while ON the ride with us. Pretty much its a minute and a half of the two of us giggling like crazy with a (very very) blurry background behind us. I honestly don’t know how he didn’t get sick because I get a little bit dizzy watching it.
I completely agree with Gloria about how Disney mixes in footage from Walt Disney World & Disneyland–there’s a “Good Life” promo running right now that is probably about 95% Disneyland footage followed by an endpage with Cinderella Castle.
On a side note when the All-Star Game was in Anaheim in 2010 we had to use some of the stock footage Disney sent us [MLB Network was airing the All-Star parade and we needed it for a segment we were doing] and I got to use the Mad Tea Party shots–I can’t imagine riding the tea cups in the middle of the day without a roof!!
I’m not a huge fan of the teacups, as it makes me queasy. I have, however, been on 4 of the 5 worldwide versions. Still have yet to hit Paris. But,
like you, I don’t like to spin, spin, spin.
Hong Kong’s use of the word sober is interesting. I think in this case, they mean “sedate and rational” and not necessarily inebriated.
Anyway, thanks for another fine article. I absolutely love all the details you include.
Can’t wait for the next one.
Ooh, no love here. My cousins went to Disneyland when I was very young and brought me back a book about the park. I read it over and over and dreamed of going on the teacups one day (among other attractions). Fast forward to college, when I was in California with my choir and got my first visit to Disneyland. I went on the teacups with a couple of mischievous classmates. I did not lose my lunch, but I had a headache for the rest of the day. Needless to say, that didn’t work out the way I had imagined all those years! Have never tried them again.
Thanks for the backstory on the Randy Pausch quote! I saw that when we were there this summer, but I didn’t make the connection to the Last Lecture.
Love ’em! We like to see how fast we can get that thing spinning!!
Loved ’em!
When I was young, I used to LOVE The Mad Tea Party at Disneyland. I remember those days with the white cord “holding” you inside. I am still a huge fan of the Alice in Wonderland dark ride at Disneyland. I really wish they would plus it down here in Florida.
I share your current status with the idea that I’ll go on the The Mad Tea Party as long as the center wheel is left alone. Since more times than not, I’m at the park by myself, if I go on The Mad Tea Party, I’m in complete control. Bwa ha ha… I do love the fact that The Mad Tea Party at Magic Kingdom, Florida has a roof.
I still enjoy the original animated Alice in Wonderland feature, mostly for all the characters other than Alice. Sometimes I find Alice down right obnoxious, but I love Ed Wynn, and Jerry Colonna and their performances in the film.
I have to say though, that I thoroughly LOVE the remake by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp. I also love the treatment of the Alice character. She isn’t a “victim” in this film.
I can somtimes ride them depending on what I’ve had to eat that day. What drives me nuts is when you see commercials for Walt Disney World, and the show people on the Disneyland teacups. (no roof)
Jack’s Comment:
Disney has a bad habit of using clips from both parks when advertising one in particular. They also often use out-of-date clips. This really drives me up a wall.
Hate ’em!!!
Mind you – I could say that about all but the the mildest of the rides – I can just about do Big Thunder Mountain (but only once). When my husband and 2 daughters go on the “big” rides I people watch, go and see a show or look out for the Disney photographers and get my picture taken in picturesque places or with a chracter or two – doesn’t cost anything – unless you want to buy the picture afterwards – and you can look at them for free on your laptop later on (just to show the rest of the family that I was having fun too!)!!!
Hi Jack,
My husband has never been on the Teacups because he feels the same way you do about the Spin and Puke…however my daughters and I always enjoy this classic.
5 days and counting!
Wendy