The Ride Adults Fear Most (with Fish Heads & Crumbs)

What's the scariest ride at Disneyland Resort for many adults? Tower of Terror? No, that's in second place. We're talking about the good old Mad Tea Party. If you belong to the large percentage of adult humans who get motion sick when spinning wildly in circles, it can be a supreme act of courage to brave these jolly cups simply because your children don't want to ride alone.

Every day at Disneyland, that act of selflessness is carried out over and over again. It's kind of inspiring.

Mad "T" Party's House of Cards Bar

While I'm not the target audience for DCA's loud and bizarre Mad "T" Party, I do admire the clever design and overall high quality of the nighttime event. As mentioned before, I tend to treat it more as a walk-through attraction than a place to hang out.

The bar at the House of Cards stage offers both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Like everything else at the Burton-esque festival, it's a pleasure to look at, even when just passing through.

Mad Tea Party Magic

I was sorting through my Disneyland photos while listening to Christmas music, and the classic 1903 Victor Herbert song "Toyland" played as I came across this shot. I smiled at the line, "...once you pass its borders, you can never return again."

Victor Herbert never saw Disneyland, a place where adults eagerly hop into giant teacups to take a spin with their families and friends. No one feels ridiculous; Disneyland exists for moments like this. Sometimes you can return to Toyland, if only for brief, wonderful, fleeting moments.

Phineas & Ferb Keep Summer Alive at DCA

Christmas draws near, but in the world of Phineas & Ferb, every day is summer -- even though they've added a bit of Holiday music to their Rockin' Rollin' Dance Party. Here we see them dancing away their cares (backed by a chorus of helpful Fireside Girls) at the edge of Paradise Pier.

Phineas (in the striped shirt) looks almost frog-like from the front, which is why he's rarely seen from that angle in the TV show. All things considered, however, the characters translate to walk-around costumes surprisingly well.

It's still startling to see these two at first. Aren't they a bit tall to be ten-year-olds? Yes. Yes they are. The performers do such a great job of bringing the stepbrothers to life, however, that children buy into the fantasy instantly, and it only takes slightly longer for the adults in the crowd to get caught up in the fun.

The Rockin' Rollin' Dance Party, which has been a hit since the day it launched, must be an exhausting workout for the characters. I imagine they embrace the cooler days of fall and winter as a welcome relief after dancing through the show several times a day during the blazing heat of summer.

Fantasyland at Night

Disneyland's Fantasyland takes on a unique energy late at night. Because much of it's blocked off during fireworks (as the castle hosts some of the pyrotechnics), the last hours of park operation find the area bustling with relaxed, tired-but-happy guests trying to get in one last ride on a childhood favorite before closing time.

Riding the Skyway in 1975

Here we are in 1975. Tomorrowland looks great, even in this crummy weather. My teenage self, on his first independent road trip to the park (with best friend), has camera in hand. Ready for a ride on the Skyway?

One problem: the line on the Tomorrowland side is ridiculously long. Being Disneyland pros, however, we know there's never a long line at the Fantasyland station. So, we'll just dash over to the Chalet and start there. By the way, the above shot captures a great little detail for die-hard Disneyland fans. Can you spot it? I'll reveal it at the end of our ride.

Gliding out from the Fantasyland Skyway station, we see the Mad Tea Party in its original location before it got moved -- lock, stock & saucers -- to a new home by the Alice dark ride in 1983.

The original Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Even before the remodel that turned the front into a detailed replica of Toad Hall (and mixed in ideas from the WDW version), this attraction's always drawn a crowd. In pre-home video days, very few guests had ever seen the film Ichabod and Mr. Toad, but the ride stood on its own. Still does!

Please click below to continue the flight!

The Mad Tea Leaves

The Mad Tea Party and the Alice in Wonderland leaves -- can you get any more "Disney" than this?

In the park's early years, the teacups sat by the carousel, far from the whimsical fantasy foliage of the Alice in Wonderland dark ride. As part of the 1980's Fantasyland renovation, the Mad Tea Party found a new home directly in front of Alice.

The two rides, combined with the White Rabbit's house (home to the Mad Hatter shop) and the March Hare's house (part of the Tea Party) formed a terrific Alice mini-land within Fantasyland. The gigantic, swirling leaves of the dark ride's exterior now extended over to the teacups, tying everything together.

Sunday Signage: The Mad "T" Party

I don't fit the target age group for loud techno dance clubs, but I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to DCA's Mad "T" Party. The experience begins with this amazing animated pocket watch -- one of the most mesmerizing entry signs I've ever seen. It serves as a vivid preview of the wild visuals and lighting effects awaiting down the neon rabbit hole.

What I found upon entering made me smile. Well done. For others like myself, who usually aren't into this sort of thing, I suggest treating "T" Party like a walk-through attraction, if you can handle the music volume. Enter down the rabbit hole and proceed on through, admiring the bizarre sights and sounds within. Then head on back to Cars Land for some great 60's Motown tunes and a milk shake at Flo's.

If you're looking for a loud, surreal dance club themed around a Blade-Runner twist on Alice in Wonderland, you couldn't ask for a more effective, colorful (and well-performed) realization of that very concept!