Reviews on Garden View Tea at Grand Floridian

[Northminnie]

hi everyone

I have an ADR for 2:05. I have not been there for many years and wondering if it is still good. My DH and I are staying at the GF for a few nights in Dec and thought it would be a nice relaxing thing to do while staying there. I'm a tea drinker but my dh is not. I do remember they had delicious scones and that's what I was really looking forward to getting with my tea. I looked at the menu and it looks expensive. I don't mind paying the price if it is really good. Any reviews would be great.

Thanks everyone!!!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Our Ratings of Afternoon Tea at Grand Floridian: (*rev 02/15/2015*)
. . . food price value: D
. . . food quality: C
. . . food quantity per serving: B
. . . food prep speed: C
. . . food selection: D
. . . seating quantity: C
. . . seating comfort: A
. . . eatery atmosphere: B
. . . eatery convenience: C
. . . staff friendliness: B
. . . staff attentiveness: C
. . . character interaction: n/a
.
Our Recommendations:
. . . appys:... n/a
. . . entree:.. Derbyshire Tea
. . . dessert:. n/a
.
NOTE1: The "Tea" is in a gracious atmosphere overlooking the pool and gardens of the Grand Floridian. A relaxing way to put a civilized break into your hectic park day. A negative for the true tea aficionado, is they serve only Pekoe (OP)grade for non-green tea. Reservations are almost a must. Casual "park attire" is fine, or you can "dress up".
.
You order packages. Anyone can order any package; except being no alcohol for the underage drinkers. Plan upon 1½-2 hours if you do it right and enjoy a relaxing respite. It may sound "stuffy" or "uppity", but not really. It's just people in a quite and sedate atmosphere. Hours: 2:00pm-5:00pm, except December when hours are 1:00pm-5:00pm. Now, you guys don't get discouraged or feel out of place (well, at least not TOO much). There are other gents that get-roped-into-going (I mean join their spouses). Actually, it is a pleasant experience for us dudes. After all, look at all the Englishmen that do it. OK so not the best example, but you WILL enjoy it.
.
NOTE2: This is not up to the par of either High Tea or the Afternoon Tea, but it is a good way to spend an afternoon. As an FYI, High Tea and Afternoon Tea are different. "High Tea" is a later-afternoon event with more food, including meats. Also note that the "clotted cream" isn't, and they charge for additional pots of tea. Yeah, I know, it it pretty cheap and cheesy. I actually prefer the Sunday Tea at Waldorf on property and it's less expensive than the WDW Tea, even for the better selections. We enjoyed "Tea" at The Savoy and The Claridge's. The GF Tea does not rise to the quality of either. Take a cab to The Waldorf on property; better pricing, better teas, better service.
.
NOTE3: No longer can you order ala carte. You MUST order a package. With package, you may add ala carte items. It seems lots of folks came and did not spend a lot of money. They would just do ala carte. In fact, some simply ordered tea and nothing to eat, or just a few pastries. Disney is in the biz of big revenue, hence the change. Dollars-per-chair-per-hour. The Afternoon Tea is not on the Disney Dining Plan. No sharing of plates to reduce the price per-person.
.
NOTE4: Disney changed the menu and prices, again. The prices are now OUTRAGEOUS; maybe the famous PT Barnum was put in charge of the menu & pricing. The prices are ridiculously high. I have taken The WDW Tea off my recommended list. We do not expect to return to it soon. I have even taken The WDW Tea off my recommended list for guests who come to my desk.

 

[MrsDuck]

There's no clotted cream... skip it.

 

[Aurora0427]

There's no clotted cream... skip it.

Wait. Really? No clotted cream? My mother is going to be so disappointed.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Friends who recently went had different experiences - one adr was 3:15 and one around noon

Noon was fresh and lovely
3:15 - was a bit dried out (sandwiches) and not nearly as nice

Apparently the sandwiches are all made at once. So by the time the later ADRs occur, they have been hanging around for hours

 

[Northminnie]

Our Ratings of Afternoon Tea at Grand Floridian: (*rev 02/15/2015*)
. . . food price value: D
. . . food quality: C
. . . food quantity per serving: B
. . . food prep speed: C
. . . food selection: D
. . . seating quantity: C
. . . seating comfort: A
. . . eatery atmosphere: B
. . . eatery convenience: C
. . . staff friendliness: B
. . . staff attentiveness: C
. . . character interaction: n/a
.
Our Recommendations:
. . . appys:... n/a
. . . entree:.. Derbyshire Tea
. . . dessert:. n/a
.
NOTE1: The "Tea" is in a gracious atmosphere overlooking the pool and gardens of the Grand Floridian. A relaxing way to put a civilized break into your hectic park day. A negative for the true tea aficionado, is they serve only Pekoe (OP)grade for non-green tea. Reservations are almost a must. Casual "park attire" is fine, or you can "dress up".
.
You order packages. Anyone can order any package; except being no alcohol for the underage drinkers. Plan upon 1½-2 hours if you do it right and enjoy a relaxing respite. It may sound "stuffy" or "uppity", but not really. It's just people in a quite and sedate atmosphere. Hours: 2:00pm-5:00pm, except December when hours are 1:00pm-5:00pm. Now, you guys don't get discouraged or feel out of place (well, at least not TOO much). There are other gents that get-roped-into-going (I mean join their spouses). Actually, it is a pleasant experience for us dudes. After all, look at all the Englishmen that do it. OK so not the best example, but you WILL enjoy it.
.
NOTE2: This is not up to the par of either High Tea or the Afternoon Tea, but it is a good way to spend an afternoon. As an FYI, High Tea and Afternoon Tea are different. "High Tea" is a later-afternoon event with more food, including meats. Also note that the "clotted cream" isn't, and they charge for additional pots of tea. Yeah, I know, it it pretty cheap and cheesy. I actually prefer the Sunday Tea at Waldorf on property and it's less expensive than the WDW Tea, even for the better selections. We enjoyed "Tea" at The Savoy and The Claridge's. The GF Tea does not rise to the quality of either. Take a cab to The Waldorf on property; better pricing, better teas, better service.
.
NOTE3: No longer can you order ala carte. You MUST order a package. With package, you may add ala carte items. It seems lots of folks came and did not spend a lot of money. They would just do ala carte. In fact, some simply ordered tea and nothing to eat, or just a few pastries. Disney is in the biz of big revenue, hence the change. Dollars-per-chair-per-hour. The Afternoon Tea is not on the Disney Dining Plan. No sharing of plates to reduce the price per-person.
.
NOTE4: Disney changed the menu and prices, again. The prices are now OUTRAGEOUS; maybe the famous PT Barnum was put in charge of the menu & pricing. The prices are ridiculously high. I have taken The WDW Tea off my recommended list. We do not expect to return to it soon. I have even taken The WDW Tea off my recommended list for guests who come to my desk.

Thanks rustyscupper!!!! I always enjoy reading your great reviews. I'm thinking that I may cancel my ADR.

Thanks again!!!!

 

[alix1979]

Honestly I wouldn't bother. My husband booked the afternoon tea for me as an anniversary treat and though the setting was lovely - the food was very average at best.
We were booked in for 4pm which I think is prime "tea time" but they had already started to run out of things. There was only one other couple left and they kept giving them first choice of petit four etc and thus we basically got left overs. None of the beautiful pastry swans left and no apologies that the selection was so limited.
Sandwiches were thick and on the dry side and there were only fruit scones available - no plain or savoury.
The comments regardin time are likely accurate, I'm sure at 12pm the sandwiches were fresh and cakes available but this is hardly "tea time"!

 

[scottygirl]

This really bums me out. I have an ADR for October with my daughter. May have to cancel and look into the Waldorf.

 

[loves to dive]

I go every time I'm at Disney and love it. I've never had problems with the food not being fresh and have been early in the day and late in the afternoon. The prices have gone up through the years and it was nice in the past to be able to order ala carte but I still enjoy it. I make a meal out of it, there is plenty of food for that for me. I usually get the package that has a glass of wine with it and get the GF blend of tea. It's a nice afternoon break from the parks and a peaceful time to sit in a nice atmosphere and relax. Of course, for me, it might just be a little nostalgia as well. When I was a little girl my mama and I would play grown up on Sundays, she would make a pot of real tea (not tea bags) and she and I would go into the "formal living room" and have tea and cookies. Sometimes it was just store bought cookies, sometimes she would make little sandwiches and home made cookies. Some houses we didn't have a formal living room so my brothers (youngest of 6, only girl) were banned to either outside or a different part of the house and we would use the regular living room. After I was grown she, my DS and I spent a week at the GF and she and I had tea there (we left the stinky boy at the arcade since he didn't want any scrumpets anyway). My mama died many years ago so having tea there brings a little of her back for me.

 

[rlduvall]

I have attended the GF Tea in early December every year since 2008, but have felt the quality slipping over the last few years and last year I didn't enjoy it at all. They discontinued using the beautiful Royal Albert Old Country Rose dishes, they now "pre-package" the trifle and strawberries and cream, they changed the scone to something with fruit in it and it wasn't nearly as good, they have increased the prices so dramatically it has become ridiculous and it always seems to be a long wait to get in even with an ADR. This will be my first year not going which does make me sad, but for that amount of money I can have a very nice experience somewhere else.

I know Rusty Scupper always mentions the Waldorf Astoria Tea which I would love to try, but it only takes place on Sundays. That never seems to work out for me.

 

[UnderTheRialto]

Friends who recently went had different experiences - one adr was 3:15 and one around noon

Noon was fresh and lovely
3:15 - was a bit dried out (sandwiches) and not nearly as nice

Apparently the sandwiches are all made at once. So by the time the later ADRs occur, they have been hanging around for hours

I thought the first seating was always at 2pm. ?

 

[rlduvall]

I thought the first seating was always at 2pm. ?

There have been several times during the year where they open at noon. Not often, but occasionally.