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Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups Accessibility Overview

Updated

Ride Overview

  • Park & Land: Disneyland Park – Fantasyland
  • Ride Type: Spinning teacup ride with rider-controlled spin speed
  • Height Restriction: None
  • Ride Duration: Around 1.5–2 minutes
  • Suitable For: Families, children, and guests who enjoy playful spinning rides. Not recommended for guests sensitive to motion sickness or dizziness

Accessibility Overview

SEN Suitability

Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups is a whimsical, colourful spinning ride inspired by Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. Guests sit in oversized teacups mounted on rotating platforms, with the option to spin their teacup faster using a central wheel.

  • Noise Level: Moderate. Background music plays throughout, and there is general ambient noise from guests and the ride machinery
  • Visual Effects: Bright colours, patterned floor, and movement from multiple spinning teacups create a busy visual environment
  • Movement: Continuous rotation of the ride platform, with optional extra spinning from inside the teacup. Speed can be controlled by guests
  • Storyline: None, the focus is on the ride’s movement and the surrounding décor
  • SEN Tips: Guests prone to motion sickness or vestibular sensitivity should avoid fast spinning and may prefer to keep the teacup still for a gentler ride

Mobility Suitability

  • Wheelchair Use: Step-free access to the boarding platform is available via the accessible entrance
  • Boarding:
    • Requires transferring from a wheelchair into the teacup vehicle
    • A small step up is needed to enter the teacup
    • Cast Members are available to assist with transfers
  • Storage: Wheelchairs and mobility aids are left with ride attendants and returned at the end of the ride

Priority & Easy Access Card Information

Guests with a Priority Card or Easy Access Card can use the accessible entrance to bypass the main queue.

How to Access It:

  1. From the main Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups entrance in Fantasyland (near Alice’s Curious Labyrinth and close to the Cheshire Cat cut-out), locate the designated accessible entrance directly beside the main queue
  2. Follow the flat, smooth pathway to the accessible waiting area
  3. Present your Priority or Easy Access Card to the Cast Member, who will guide you to the boarding area when it’s your turn

Queue Conditions:

  • Outdoors with shaded areas under the decorative canopy
  • Wide, flat pathways with smooth flooring suitable for mobility devices

Ride Experience

Guests board brightly coloured teacups set on three large rotating platforms, which spin slowly around a central axis. Inside each teacup is a wheel that guests can turn to spin their cup faster, creating a personalised experience from gentle twirls to rapid spinning.

  • The ride is accompanied by playful, upbeat music
  • The colourful environment and movement create a lively, energetic atmosphere
  • The ride ends with the platforms slowing smoothly to a stop

Practical Tips

  • Best Time to Ride: Early morning or late evening for shorter waits
  • Closest Accessible Toilets: Near the entrance to Alice’s Curious Labyrinth or behind Pizzeria Bella Notte
  • Quiet Rest Area: Shaded seating near the Fantasyland gardens and benches by the Storybook Land Canal Boats
  • Bag & Medical Equipment Storage: Small bags can be kept in the teacup; larger items should be left with a non-rider or ride attendant

Fun Facts

  • Opening Date: April 12, 1992 (Disneyland Paris opening day)
  • Design Inspiration: Based on the famous “Mad Tea Party” scene in Alice in Wonderland
  • Unique Feature: The ride’s ornate glass canopy is exclusive to the Paris version, adding shelter and enhancing the attraction’s vibrant aesthetic
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