“Tea Time”
Today, we will be taking a look at part of the history of Teacups attractions.Teacups are a type of amusement park ride, best known by their cup-shaped vehicles. The teacups spin around a surface, with many allowing guests to control the speed and direction of which they wish to spin. The teacups are attached to a floor, which also typically spins.
The teacup attraction first made the public rounds (no pun intended) with the debut of Mad Tea Party in Disneyland. The attraction opened alongside the park on July 17, 1955, and was made by Arrow Development. The attraction opened in the Fantasyland section of the park and was inspired by the classic tea party scene from the 1951 Disney animated film, Alice in Wonderland. The attraction is able to hold 18 teacups. Concept ideas for the original attraction included the teacups encircling the Mad Hatter’s dining table, and lantern decorations. For the first couple years of operation in Disneyland, the attraction had no brakes, so guests could spin it with no limits. The ride was originally located behind Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, before relocating to near the Matterhorn Bobsleds as part of the 1983 remodel. The remodel also incorporated the lanterns from the original ride concepts.
The Disney World version opened alongside the park in 1971, alongside the park. A giant teapot, encircling the teacups was added to this version in 1973. The Dormouse character from the Disney film can occasionally be seen popping out of the giant teapot. In 1992, lanterns were also added to this version.
Pictured Right - Walt Disney World’s Mad Tea Party, found within Fantasyland
Our next Teacups attraction is located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, entitled Turkish Delight. The ride can be found in the Festa Italia section of the park.. This section of the park is themed to a fair that honors Marco Polo’s return to Italy after his expedition to China. The teacups are inspired by trinkets that Marco Polo received during his adventure. Both the area and ride opened at Busch Gardens Williamsburg on July 7th, 1987, of which this blog is being launched the week of the 35th anniversary. The ride is a classic teacup attraction, however many guests have complained over the years at the difficulty of which to spin the teacups themselves. During the holiday season, the attraction gets a makeover and becomes the Peppermint Twist.
Visual of Turkish Delight
Located within Festa Italia, at Busch Gardens Willaimsburg
Our final Teacups ride takes us to Universal Orlando Resort. On May 28, 1999, the Islands of Adventure opened at Universal Orlando, and within it also opened Marvel Super Hero Island. As the name suggests, the land was themed to different Marvel superheroes. Universal had acquired the licensing rights to Marvel superheroes after a 1994 deal in which Marvel sold off the rights to their characters to multiple film studios. Universal’s owner at the time, MCA Inc. had a stipulation that their licensing deal would also include themed attractions. Thus, Marvel Super Hero Island was born.
Within the island is the Teacups ride, Storm Force Accelatron. The attraction is themed to the X-Men, a Marvel superhero team. It was originally set to open alongside Marvel Super Hero Island, however it was eventually delayed until May 28, 2000, exactly a year after the park’s opening date. The story of the ride is that Magneto, the X-Men’s arch-enemy, is threatening the world. As a result, Storm (a member of the X-Men) and Professor Xavier (a mentor to the team) invite riders into the Storm Force Accelatron, a device that will be used to beat Magneto.
Entrance to Storm Force Accelatron
Found within Marvel Super Hero Island at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure
The ride itself plays like a teacup attraction, however as opposed to the traditional teacups, the vehicles are designed closer to a futuristic pod. The pods are colored purple and yellow, after Storm and Xavier’s associated color designs. Within each pod is also a wheel. Guests can turn the wheel to control their speed, as the pods themselves travel in a circular motion. The ride is known for its relative ease to cause motion sickness if you are not careful with the wheel.
Visual of Storm Force Accelatron’s purple and yellow ride vehicles.
While the ride is moving, various sound and lighting effects generate above the attraction, to mimic an epic battle against Magneto. The ride has garnered mixed reactions, with many enjoying its simplistic design and short wait lines, while others feeling that it is one of the more generic attractions at the park, and can be skipped altogether.
Teacups are an iconic ride attraction found throughout a plethora of parks globally. While we couldn’t cover everything that falls under this type of attraction, we hope we have provided a greater appreciation for the simple, yet spinning sensations that are the Teacups rides.