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; exception
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 Tea at Waldorf Astoria 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 taken The WDW Tea off my
recommended list for guests who come to my desk.
