At a Glance
Duration: 1 minute, 30 seconds
Look Out For: motion sickness and spinning
Opening on October 1st, 1971, Mad Tea Party is a whimsical spinning ride set to the theme of Alice in Wonderland. But how scary is Mad Tea Party? Let’s take a look at the stats:
1. Ride Length
Mad Tea Party has a ride duration of 1 minute and 30 seconds. Like Alien Swirling Saucers, you may spend longer waiting for the ride to begin than on the actual ride. These loading delays are common but necessary to make sure everyone makes it on and off the ride safely.
2. Height Requirement and Warnings
Mad Tea Party has no height requirement or official warnings from Disney. This could make it a great choice for the whole family – as long as no one in your party is prone to motion sickness.
3. Ride Vehicles and Restraints
The Mad Tea Party ride vehicles consist of individual cars (or teacups) that seat up to 4 guests. There is no lap bar and each vehicle has a small wheel at its center that allows its riders to control how fast it spins.
4. How Does Mad Tea Party Work?
Mad Tea Party works like many other spinning flat rides – rotating the cars around a fixed path and allowing for quick spinning if the passengers so desire. With its control wheel, guests can decide how fast or slow to spin – but regardless, the cars will still orbit around the center like a carousel, turning slowly to face the center even without interference from its passengers.
5. Is Mad Tea Party Scary?
Mad Tea Party is not intentionally scary whatsoever. With its lack of any spooky theming or dark settings, this could be a great choice for even the most easily frightened riders.
6. How High is Mad Tea Party?
Mad Tea Party does not involve heights. Like many other spinning flat rides, you and your ride vehicle will never leave the ground.
7. How Fast is Mad Tea Party?
Mad Tea Party does not go fast on its own. However, with the extra dynamic of guest-controlled spinning, the teacups are certainly capable of reaching a pretty dizzying speed. It’s important to note that the actual baseline movement around the track is about as fast as any carousel, so if you do not wish to experience any fast spinning, you don’t have to.
That is, of course, as long as no one else in your party commandeers the wheel.
8. Does Mad Tea Party Have Drops?
Mad Tea Party does not have drops. As a carousel-like flat ride, there are no thrill elements to speak of – unless, of course, you intentionally spin your teacup very quickly.
9. Does Mad Tea Party Cause Motion Sickness?
Mad Tea Party will definitely cause motion sickness for some riders. With its potential for very fast spinning plus the baseline carousel-type movement, this attraction could be a recipe for disaster. However, the spinning can be minimized by not touching the control wheel – although the cars will still spin slightly to face the center teapot as it follows its carousel-like path.
While definitely a classic ride, I would not particularly recommend this attraction to anyone prone to motion sickness – especially if you can’t trust others in your party not to take the wheel.
10. Is Mad Tea Party Claustrophobic?
Mad Tea Party should not feel claustrophobic for most riders. With its outdoor setting, good air flow, lack of any restraints, and very short ride duration – there really isn’t much time to feel confined before the ride comes to an end.
However, it is worth noting that the long loading times can have you waiting in the ride vehicles for a bit longer than you bargained for. If the anticipation of waiting for the ride to start might cause you some anxiety, just be prepared for it before hopping on this attraction.
11. Are There Animatronics on Mad Tea Party?
There are no animatronics on Mad Tea Party. However – like Dumbo the Flying elephant – there is an easily-missed mouse character that rises from the top of the center teapot from time to time. Aside from being very cartoonish with limited movement, many guests will miss him altogether.
Mad Tea Party Queue Walkthrough
The queue entrance is located outside in the Fantasyland section of Magic Kingdom. Once entering the line, you will simply wind around the outside of the attraction until you get to the loading station. This queue is very similar to Alien Swirling Saucers in Hollywood Studios and does include some slight cover from sun. Even so, I would not recommend spending too long in this line on an especially hot summer afternoon.
Mad Tea Party Ride Walkthrough
When its your turn to ride, you will pick a teacup and wait for everyone else to board. It’s worth noting that there can be pretty significant delays on this attraction while other guests get in and out of the ride vehicles. Often, you will spend more time waiting for it to begin than riding the actual attraction.
Once you start moving, the teacups will simply follow a circular, carousel-like movement around the center teapot, turning slightly to face the center as it rotates. As I mentioned before, every car has the power to spin however fast or slow they desire – leaving the thrills entirely in your hands. The whole experience lasts for about a minute and a half (again, much like Alien Swirling Saucers or Dumbo the Flying Elephant) and then comes to an end – allowing for the next guests to begin boarding.
That’s it! Remember, everyone’s riding experience is a little bit different and only you can decide whether to hop on that ride vehicle or not. I just hope this guide helps you be prepared and enjoy every second of your Disney experience!
So what do you think? How scary is Mad Tea Party? Leave a comment to help keep this guide up to date!
For a full visual of the ride and queue, be sure to check out this video from Magical Quest Adventures:
