PDA

View Full Version : Save the Teacups



Pages : [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

cemeinke
01-26-2004, 06:36 PM
In todays update was this noteworthy tidbit:


Changes may be on the way at the Mad Tea Party. A couple of weeks ago, a young guest suffered minor injuries when he fell out of a Teacup. “The cup was being spun so fast by family members, the child might have fallen out, or tried to get out because of being frightened,” said one cast member. “The guest was not seriously hurt; however, management has reacted to this by making it harder for guests to spin the teacups. The tables in the center of the cup are more difficult to spin. And there is even talk of installing seat belts!”

:eek:

I'm distressed at the thought that Disney might try to tone down this attraction, one of my all time favorites. We might have to organize a "spin-in" to protest. In the meantime, I'm going to have to get some good spins in while I can.

Cadaverous Pallor
01-26-2004, 06:39 PM
I'm in for the spin-in. :D

Too bad some people won't take care of their own kids!!! For goodness sake they obviously weren't paying attention to their child, either frightened or too small to hold his own in a very fast cup. Why oh why do we have to suffer because of it? :mad:

innerSpaceman
01-26-2004, 06:50 PM
management has reacted to this by making it harder for guests to spin the teacups.
It sounds like it may already be too late. Note the past tense used.

Over the years I have come to be a bit averse to a wildly spinning teacup, but I am so ready for a massive spin-a-thon now.

NirvanaMan
01-26-2004, 06:59 PM
I'll be there in spirit....teacups make me sick...

MonorailMan
01-26-2004, 07:46 PM
The tea party is just not as Mad without the uber-fast spinning. :)

PineapplePrincess
01-26-2004, 09:00 PM
On Sunday the teacups hardly spun at all. It was so sad as I LOVE spinnning very very very very very fast! I was hoping that it was just a passing thing, and that it would losen up, but it seems like my fears have been realized and my beloved teacups have been RUINED!!!
*mutters something about how one stupid person can ruin a great thing for everyone*:crying:

spaced mountain guy
01-26-2004, 09:39 PM
NOOOOOOOOOO they can't do that. That is the ONE attraction that my son loves!! When we go on it I always ask him if he want's to go slow, medium, fast, or GREEN. He has been asking for GREEN alot when we last year.

cemeinke
01-26-2004, 09:44 PM
Are they already unspinnable? It makes me want to go there to vomit in protest.

Yet another reason to go to Paris :mad:

HBTiggerFan
01-26-2004, 10:10 PM
Originally posted by innerSpaceman
It sounds like it may already be too late. Note the past tense used.

Over the years I have come to be a bit averse to a wildly spinning teacup, but I am so ready for a massive spin-a-thon now.

K, and I'll ride with you ;) though at this rate we'll need cemeinke to get any speed.

TP2000
01-26-2004, 10:11 PM
You haven't been able to spin the teacups for a couple weeks now. If you have a couple of big guys and work really hard at it, you can get it to sping a few times before you need to stop and take a break.

Mostly the cups just revolve on the big turntable, and the cups themselves stay where they are. Holding a "Spin-In" is going to be very hard to do. The music and lights are nice though.

Cadaverous Pallor
01-27-2004, 08:38 AM
I think this is truly a moment where we APs need to DO something.

We need to all go to the teacups and decide if we think they have slowed them down too much. If we are indeed disappointed, then we need to stomp over to City Hall, and each one of us fill out an entire written complaint.

I have had an AP for about 4 years now and I believe I have only complained at City Hall once - and that was due to the messed up audio on Haunted Mansion last year. I am not a frivolous complainer. If they have seriously altered this ride and turned it into the equivalent of the bumper cars at DCA <shudder> then we need to do something.

I know I'm going to do this the very next time I'm at the park.

dsnylndmom
01-27-2004, 09:19 AM
This bites my husband, little brother, cousin and oldest son love to "spin themselves sick" and no one has ever fallen out because of the mad spinning.

I know when I take my youngest(and when my oldest was younger)we would put them in between the adults or if there was just me I would sit by the door and pull my boys right up next to me and have never had a problem. :mad:

SzczerbiakManiac
01-27-2004, 09:47 AM
NirvanaMan wrote:
I'll be there in spirit....teacups make me sick...I will be standing right next to NirvanaMan, cheering you guys on. But alas, I will not be going on the ride. :yammy:

Not Afraid
01-27-2004, 09:51 AM
I've been a teacup fan since I was 4 and my Dad took me for a master spin. Now, I'm married to the Master Spinner who never ceases to give me a good ride (on the Teacups).

This is SO unfair! I am so sad! :crying:

cstephens
01-27-2004, 10:42 AM
The teacups have never been my thing, but when I read that bit in the DL update, it just really annoyed me. People have been abdicating responsibility for some time now, and unfortunately, things seem to be getting worse, not better.

Tigertail777
01-27-2004, 10:48 AM
well, I guess that scratches THAT ride off my list of to do's when I go... spinning was honestly the funnest aspect to that ride. Geez if I can be more entertained at the county fair, where they DO have spinning rides, something is terribly terribly wrong... I guess I wouldnt be so against "seatbelts" (except the loading and unloading capacity time will go up drastically making for longer lines) if they just kept the spinning. Spinning is what MAKES the ride... without it... well forget it without it I will go to the county fair for that kind of ride I guess. Disney just keeps constantly proving me wrong in thinking they have reached their highest peak of stupidity.:rolleyes:

Matterhorn Fan
01-27-2004, 10:49 AM
Originally posted by Cadaverous Pallor
We need to all go to the teacups and decide if we think they have slowed them down too much. If we are indeed disappointed, then we need to stomp over to City Hall, and each one of us fill out an entire written complaint.Do this as a BIG group, and someone might actually take notice.

Morrigoon
01-27-2004, 01:54 PM
stupidly slow spinning is what always annoyed me about Roger Rabbit... now they've ruined the cups too? :(

Mortimer
01-27-2004, 03:41 PM
I wonder if the child opened the door to the teacup? I always thought it was strange the doors did not have a locking mechanism.

Some type of restraint would have taken care of the issue as well, (without the need to slow the cups down). The teacups are all about speed, i can't imagine them slow :crying: .

sediment
01-27-2004, 04:06 PM
Teacups are always off my to-do list.
They are fun to watch, though. Watch the actual pattern of a cup as it goes around. Make a spirograph in my head.

Cadaverous Pallor
01-27-2004, 05:52 PM
Originally posted by Mortimer
I wonder if the child opened the door to the teacup? I always thought it was strange the doors did not have a locking mechanism. That's the weird part. It's the centrifugal force that keeps the door closed. If they were in fact spinning really fast, there should be no way a small child could open the door.

When I think about the two possible scenarios presented, I see red. Either way, the parents were not WATCHING THEIR CHILD.

a) The adults in the cup were too busy spinning super fast to pay attention to a child that was too small to stay seated.

b) The adults in the cup were too busy spinning super fast to realize they were scaring their child to the point where the child tried to escape.

Morons like these ruin all the fun of living, I swear to God. :mad:

spaced mountain guy
01-27-2004, 06:31 PM
Originally posted by Cadaverous Pallor
Morons like these ruin all the fun of living, I swear to God. :mad: No Kidding there, it all falls onto my main pet peeve..................... STUPID PEOPLE SHOULDN'T BREED!!! Thank you to another moron who messed up the fun for the rest of us that actually obey and listen to the spiels. Well ok most of us here have them memorized :p


[Moderator's note: vB code fixed around quote. -- Lani]

Moonliner
01-27-2004, 08:35 PM
Gosh! It sure would be a shame if some poor dad dislocated his shoulder while the kids cried faster Faster FASTER Dad!

bubsy
01-28-2004, 09:00 AM
When I was very very little, my Dad was spinning the tea cups so fast, and I was so small that I smacked my head on the walls of the tea cup. I was dazed for a bit.

But anyway, I love the teacups. no spinning = less fun.

leaf
01-28-2004, 08:36 PM
Well, let me first say that I love spinning the teacups as fast as I can (and hence friends refuse to ride in the same cup).

Disneyland's Teacups have an older ride mechanism (as far as I know) than Disneyland Paris or Tokyo Disneyland. (Paris & Tokyo have the larger turntables with more cups.) The main difference in safety is that the walls on Disneyland's Teacups are lower than those at Paris or Tokyo. (I have never been to WDW, so I can't comment on their system.) Hence, it is much easier to slip out of the Disneyland Teacups due to the centrifigal force (if you're spinning really fast).

The Teacups at Paris & Tokyo seem to spin easier, and (if I remember correctly), they use silver-colored, perfectly shaped discs, instead of the white, sometimes mis-shapen discs at Disneyland. But the ride operator (or possibly the automated system) at Tokyo Disneyland would periodically slow things down.

Disneyland's Teacups are probably quite old-- many of the white discs that you turn are lopsided, or have a thin, somewhat pointy edge that is harder on your hands. And not all of them spin equally, as everyone probably knows. My personal favorite was the darker red teacup (redish-purple, not the rose logo one) that was mistakenly placed on a pink saucer. Disneyland's Teacups were a bit more challenging to spin than Disneyland Paris', but the challenge made it fun.

I don't think Disneyland should need to change things, but here are some possible solutions:

a) Replace the cups with ones with a higher side wall.
b) Seatbelts (this would really slow down loading/unloading, maybe reduce ride capacity to 3 per cup)
c) Empose a height requirement (hate to do that-- but smaller kids are much easier to slip out, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE NOT SITTING DOWN COMPLETELY.)
d) Post numerous warning signs about the dangers of spinning.:D
e) Install a speed limiter (NOOOOOO!!!!)