At Disney World's Magic Kingdom theme park, you really get to see a lot of imagination at work with their myriads of attractions. Some of them are truly unique in design and premise, while others are simply very generic, local carnival-type attractions dressed up in the theme of one of Disney's classic films (animated or live-action).
One such very generic ride is located in the Fantasyland area of the park, and is based on the classic animated tale "Alice in Wonderland", that ride being the Mad Tea Party. Located on the border between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, its very simple premise is that you are attending the Mad Hatter's tea party, and so in typical wacky Mad Hatter fashion, he has you riding in a large tea-cup. The twist, is the large wheel in the center. As the ride starts up and gets going, if you grab and turn the wheel, it makes your entire tea cup spin faster and faster.
During the course of the ride, note the teapot in the center (the hub from which the ride's three turntables - each holding 6 individual teacups - rotate) as the Mad Hatter's pal, the dormouse will pop its head out from time to time. Other than that, there really isn't much else to this attraction, which lasts a grand total of a minute and a half.
Most little children seem to love this attraction, which makes it very popular and a ride that typically has a long wait. Unfortunately, it's NOT a fastpass attraction either, so if you get on line, the wait will be something to deal with. Little kids love to spin and make the teacups go as fast as they can, so a word of caution: if you have motion sickness or are prone NOT to handle spinning rides very well, do yourself the favor and do not ride.
For me, personally, I don't have motion sickness or get sick on rides, but I do tend to walk on by the Mad Tea Party simply because it's a generic and "mehh" kind of ride. I have other favorite attractions in the park I would do multiple times before taking the jump to wait on the long line for something as generic and simple as this ride. On the other hand, if I happen to be with little kids who "really, really" want to ride, sometimes it's worth it just to make them happy. In the end, however, what you see when you look at the Mad Tea Party, is exactly what you get. No surprises. Take it or leave it.
