The NEW Hotel Restaurant Warning We’re Issuing for Disney World

The Grand Floridian’s Garden View Tea Room, a long-shuttered Disney venue, is about to reopen, and it may lead to some issues…

After spending nearly six years shuttered, the Tea Room — set inside the renamed Garden View Lounge — is set to reopen to guests on March 19th, with reservations available beginning February 19th. People are excited. Maybe even a bit too excited.

Afternoon tea has been a part of the Grand Floridian for decades, which makes sense given the hotel’s Victorian era theme. For years, the space hosted the two events daily:

• An afternoon tea party, which was mainly geared towards adult guests. This elegant dining experience included teas, finger sandwiches, desserts, and even Champagne, with prices ranging from $35 per adult guest, up to a $150 for two for a special Berkshire package that included caviar.
• In addition, Disney also offered the “Perfectly Princess Tea Party”, a roughly $300 event for younger children and their parents, which offered guests a special appearance by Princess Aurora, music, dancing, and a parade, a “My Disney Girl” 18-inch doll in a matching gown, a silver-link princess bracelet, a fresh rose, a tiara, and a “Best Friend” certificate, and a menu of apple juice “tea” and finger sandwiches for children, and tea, finger sandwiches, and cheese and fruit platters for adults.

Both daily events were hugely popular with guests, often selling out months in advance. Like the rest of Disney World, the parties shut down in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. However, when the Grand Floridian reopened that September, the tea parties were noticeably absent, and have remained so… until now.

The new tea room experience will be “a proper British afternoon tea experience” featuring “premium Twinings tea selections paired with delightful scones, small bites and exquisite pastries” all themed to Alice in Wonderland.

The full menu, which costs $79 per adult, plus tax and gratuity, includes the following.

Teas:

• London Strand Breakfast
• Spicy Chai
• Orangery of Lady Grey
• Blackcurrant and Lavender herbal tea

Tea-Based Cocktails:

• Mint Tulip: featuring Old Forester 1870 Original Batch Kentucky Straight Whiskey, Twinings Refreshers Peach Mango Tea Instant Beverage, and mint
• Mar-TEA-ni: with Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin, Twinings Earl Grey Tea, lemon, and honey.

Non-Alcoholic Speciality Teas:

• Curiosi-TEA: with Twinings Refreshers Strawberry Raspberry Herbal Tea Instant Beverage with a touch of shimmering magic
• This Way, That Way: with Twinings Refreshers Peach Mango Tea, Herbal Tea Instant Beverage, and mint

Food

• Curried Chicken Salad Playing Card Tart: Savory curried chicken salad filling topped with cherry gelée
• Footman’s Feast: Wonderland Salmon Crisp with a salmon rillette on a miso brown butter crisp
• Tweedledee Egg Salad Sandwich: A traditional egg salad on beet bread
• Caterpillar Cucumber Roll: A delicious combination with butterfly pea-infused cream cheese and cucumbers on pumpernickel

Desserts:

• The Matcha Mad Hatter: Sponge cake with apricot jam and yuzu buttercream
• Tea Party Tart: Vanilla tart, coffee custard, and chantilly cream
• Flamingo Croquet Choux filled with passion fruit cream and a raspberry crunch
• Painting the Rose: Earl Grey-flavored teacake painted tableside

There are also additional enhancements available, including a Seasonal Cheese Selection, Royal Osetra Caviar with Mini Chive Biscuits and Traditional Accompaniments, along with a plant-based menu option as well.

For younger guests, there’s a $49 Children’s Afternoon Tea featuring savory snacks like the Queen of Hearts Cheese Toastie, a Fanciful Turkey Wrap, and a Sunflower Seed Butter and Jelly Bun. For dessert, kids can try the Cheshire Cat Raspberry Macaron, the Chocolate Brownie Branch, and the vanilla White Rabbit Cupcake.

So, what’s the issue? Well, between the nearly six-year closure and the exceptional new menus, there’s a great demand for the Garden View Tea Room experience, and reservations are sure to go FAST. That’s why we’d recommend getting online and logged into your Disney account early so you’re ready to jump on reservations as SOON as they’re available.

So how can you best try to assure getting reservations once February 19th comes and the window opens? Whip out the calendar and figure out exactly 60 days until your arrival at Disney World, as that’s the first day you can begin making reservations, beginning at approximately 6:00 AM EST (though you can start refreshing at 5:45 AM EST) online and beginning at 7:00 AM EST over the phone.  Plus, if you’re staying at a Disney World hotel — including the Grand Floridian itself — you’ll actually be able to book for the whole duration of your trip (up to 10 days), so you could conceivably book up to 70 days out.

After nearly six years, an afternoon tea experience is returning to the Grand Floridian, and it’s sure to be a popular addition to Disney World’s itinerary of offerings. Stay tuned to AllEars for more on Disney’s newest offerings.

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Are you planning to check out this new experience? Let us know in the comments below.

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