The first time I rode a teacups ride, it was at one of those traveling carnivals. You know the kind I’m talking about, the ones where you look at the rides and wonder how many times they’re been taken apart and put back together as they travel from carnival to carnival.
Teacups rides are known for spinning riders frantically and making them throw up. There’s no gentler way to describe them. While I don’t throw up on rides and have never been on one where anyone has, a spin on the teacups always leaves me a tad bit wobbly afterward.
At Disneyland in Anaheim, CA the teacups ride is known as the Mad Tea Party and it’s been spinning riders around since the park opened in 1955, so it’s a true Disneyland original!
The ride itself is themed to the Unbirthday Party scene in the movie Alice in Wonderland and is situated next to the Alice in Wonderland Ride and Matterhorn Bobsleds in the Fantasyland section of Disneyland Park.
Like all teacup rides, the cups spin on a rotating turntable and you can add additional spinning by turning a wheel inside the cup. The faster you spin the wheel in your cup, the faster your cup spins. If you don’t like spinning rides, this one may not be for you! Even if you don’t spin the wheel in your own teacup, the ride still spins.
There’s no roof over the attraction, so when it rains, the ride shuts down as water impedes the ability for the ride to spin. However, above the ride are hanging Japanese garden lanterns that when lit at night, makes an awesome backdrop for a photo!
While the Mad Tea Party ride at Disneyland is the original, there are versions of the ride at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Park in Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland.
If your stomach won’t let you experience a teacup ride for yourself, check out this 4K HD video I took on the Mad Tea Party ride at Disneyland in California and be sure to comment and let me know if you’re a “yes” or “no” for this type of ride.