My all time favorite place to go for a tea party is the Garden View Tea Room inside Disney's Grand Floridian Resort! It is the most charming place to gather with your friends to indulge in an afternoon of leisure and yummy treats!
Tea cup with tea pot under a tea pot cozy to keep it warm
Assorted finger sandwiches, berries, cheese, and lavosh
Scone and jam tart
From left to right: English trifle, strawberries and cream, and selection of pastries
(The English trifle and the strawberries and creme appear very similar, but there is my lovely friend Susan showing off the strawberries in the strawberries and creme in the second picture so you can see the difference!)
For $45.00/person (+tax/tip), there was a package called The Derbyshire Tea that includes everything in The Bedfordshire Tea plus a glass of Venue Clicquot Champagne.
For $48.00/person (+tax/tip), there was a package called The Cheshire Tea that includes everything in The Bedfordshire Tea plus an additional course of exotic fruits and imported cheeses.
For guests ages 3 to 9 there is a package called Mrs. Potts Tea which includes one pot of "special dark tea" (chocolate milk) and three courses of food. The first course is assorted tea sandwiches including tuna salad, ham and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly on white bread. The second course is a jam tart. The third course is a selection of pastries. The cost for this package was $16.00/child (+tax/tip). For three dollars more, you can choose to add a pot of real tea.
I am always very pleased with the variety of teas there are to choose from. Actually so much so that I usually have trouble deciding which one to order! One thing that is nice about everyone getting their own pot of tea is that you can all choose a different type of tea and then try each others, making it a little easier to choose!
{I will say that all of these prices and information about the packages have been consistent each time I've gone, however they are subject to change at any time!}
To me, everything at the Garden View Tea Room is so extravagant, yet somehow the atmosphere is very relaxed. The Cast Members that work there are friendly and informative. They're very patient as well and never make you feel rushed. There is a lot of time allowed between courses so that you can really enjoy each dish completely before going on to the next. I also love how they are quite accommodating to larger parties. A few times when I've gone with a lot of friends, we would have two servers so that they could take their time with each of us individually explaining things and listening to our questions without it taking a ridiculously long time. I have gone when they've split my party into two large tables nearby each other so that we'd have a lot of space and I've also been there when they've put multiple tables together so that we could all sit together. Both ways were fine!
The setting goes along with the theme of the entire resort, which is Victorian-style elegance! Take time to appreciate the details of the architecture and in the decor! The pictures do not do it justice, but the tea room has a very lovely view of the flowers and greenery growing outside the resort (hence the name!) Because of the big windows along the entire back wall, the space is very bright and cheerful! The other side of the room is quite open and views out to the main lobby of the resort which is absolutely stunning itself!
Here are a few helpful notes about the experience:
The tea room is located at the rear of the main lobby on the first floor. I recommend preparing some time either before or after your tea party to explore the resort because there are plenty of things to do! You can visit the gift shops or outside areas, have some photos taken because surely you'll be dressed up for the occasion, and a lot of the time there is even live music to enjoy right there in the lobby!
Before ordering, ask your server what type of sandwiches they are preparing that day. Last time I was there, my friend wasn't very excited about one of the sandwich options, so our server allowed her to choose two of one that she did like, or instead, replace it with one of the children's sandwich options without the package price changing at all. I'm not sure if it is something that can be done anytime, but it definitely seemed like it wasn't an issue. So it doesn't hurt to ask!
You are supposed to arrive 10 minutes before your reservation, however you cannot check in until everyone in your party is present. This is why I suggest telling all of your guests an earlier meeting time just in case someone ends up running late!
There is 18% gratuity added to parties of six or more. There is also a charge for additional pots of tea.
Reservations can be made up to 180 days in advance (online for parties of 12 or less or by calling (407) 939-5277 for bigger groups) and are highly recommended.
Typically I will order the starting package called The Bedfordshire Tea which comes with one pot of tea and three courses of food. The first course is assorted finger sandwiches, berries, cheese, and lavosh. The second course is a scone and jam tart. The third course is your choice among an English trifle, strawberries and creme, or a selection of pastries. The price for this package last time I was there (which was early last year believe it or not - I'm due for a visit!) was $30.00 per person plus tax and tip.
Tea cup with tea pot under a tea pot cozy to keep it warm
Assorted finger sandwiches, berries, cheese, and lavosh
Scone and jam tart
From left to right: English trifle, strawberries and cream, and selection of pastries
(The English trifle and the strawberries and creme appear very similar, but there is my lovely friend Susan showing off the strawberries in the strawberries and creme in the second picture so you can see the difference!)
For $45.00/person (+tax/tip), there was a package called The Derbyshire Tea that includes everything in The Bedfordshire Tea plus a glass of Venue Clicquot Champagne.
For $48.00/person (+tax/tip), there was a package called The Cheshire Tea that includes everything in The Bedfordshire Tea plus an additional course of exotic fruits and imported cheeses.
For guests ages 3 to 9 there is a package called Mrs. Potts Tea which includes one pot of "special dark tea" (chocolate milk) and three courses of food. The first course is assorted tea sandwiches including tuna salad, ham and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly on white bread. The second course is a jam tart. The third course is a selection of pastries. The cost for this package was $16.00/child (+tax/tip). For three dollars more, you can choose to add a pot of real tea.
I am always very pleased with the variety of teas there are to choose from. Actually so much so that I usually have trouble deciding which one to order! One thing that is nice about everyone getting their own pot of tea is that you can all choose a different type of tea and then try each others, making it a little easier to choose!
{I will say that all of these prices and information about the packages have been consistent each time I've gone, however they are subject to change at any time!}
To me, everything at the Garden View Tea Room is so extravagant, yet somehow the atmosphere is very relaxed. The Cast Members that work there are friendly and informative. They're very patient as well and never make you feel rushed. There is a lot of time allowed between courses so that you can really enjoy each dish completely before going on to the next. I also love how they are quite accommodating to larger parties. A few times when I've gone with a lot of friends, we would have two servers so that they could take their time with each of us individually explaining things and listening to our questions without it taking a ridiculously long time. I have gone when they've split my party into two large tables nearby each other so that we'd have a lot of space and I've also been there when they've put multiple tables together so that we could all sit together. Both ways were fine!
The setting goes along with the theme of the entire resort, which is Victorian-style elegance! Take time to appreciate the details of the architecture and in the decor! The pictures do not do it justice, but the tea room has a very lovely view of the flowers and greenery growing outside the resort (hence the name!) Because of the big windows along the entire back wall, the space is very bright and cheerful! The other side of the room is quite open and views out to the main lobby of the resort which is absolutely stunning itself!
Here are a few helpful notes about the experience:
The tea room is located at the rear of the main lobby on the first floor. I recommend preparing some time either before or after your tea party to explore the resort because there are plenty of things to do! You can visit the gift shops or outside areas, have some photos taken because surely you'll be dressed up for the occasion, and a lot of the time there is even live music to enjoy right there in the lobby!
Before ordering, ask your server what type of sandwiches they are preparing that day. Last time I was there, my friend wasn't very excited about one of the sandwich options, so our server allowed her to choose two of one that she did like, or instead, replace it with one of the children's sandwich options without the package price changing at all. I'm not sure if it is something that can be done anytime, but it definitely seemed like it wasn't an issue. So it doesn't hurt to ask!
You are supposed to arrive 10 minutes before your reservation, however you cannot check in until everyone in your party is present. This is why I suggest telling all of your guests an earlier meeting time just in case someone ends up running late!
There is 18% gratuity added to parties of six or more. There is also a charge for additional pots of tea.
Reservations can be made up to 180 days in advance (online for parties of 12 or less or by calling (407) 939-5277 for bigger groups) and are highly recommended.
I so want to do this
ReplyDeleteYes! It is so much fun! :)
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