GF Afternoon Tea

[princessjenna]

Can anyone tell me more about the afternoon tea? Can each person pick a different package?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Yes, unless one wants the "Tea For Two" package which is designed to be split (they would have to be very hungry for one person to eat the whole thing).

 

[disneygirlinnj]

They also have an a la carte menu where you can order whatever you want individually

 

[bangzoom6877]

How good is the afternoon tea? My mom, sister and I were talking about doing an all-girls-only tea the afternoon we arrive. Our whole party will be me, DH, our 2 little boys, my sister, her BF, her 2 little girls, my mom and dad. The 3 of us were talking about taking my nieces for their first afternoon tea experience. Is it worth going to? The menu on Allears looks good and the prices seem reasonable.

 

[princessjenna]

Which teas are everyones favorites? Also which pastries?

 

[Sandy321]

the search function is working on the DIS!! I searched and found the thread where a few of us posted pictures of the Tea!!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2228257&highlight=Grand+Floridian+Tea

its really a nice relaxing break from the parks!!

 

[princessjenna]

Thank you great pictures!

 

[Sandy321]

Thank you great pictures!

you're welcome!

DD is growing up so fast - and its a pleasure to share this 'time out' with her - dh enjoyed it too!! I think we were there for about 2 hours!! Really laid back and relaxed!!!

 

[MouseMomx2]

How good is the afternoon tea? My mom, sister and I were talking about doing an all-girls-only tea the afternoon we arrive. Our whole party will be me, DH, our 2 little boys, my sister, her BF, her 2 little girls, my mom and dad. The 3 of us were talking about taking my nieces for their first afternoon tea experience. Is it worth going to? The menu on Allears looks good and the prices seem reasonable.

The GF tea is definitely worth doing! It's a wonderful experience in a beautiful setting. Go...you won't be sorry!

 

[princessjenna]

Ok.. I have a question. When each person orders the tea package do they bring out just one plate of the tea sandwiches, scone and jam etc..

 

[MouseMomx2]

Ok.. I have a question. When each person orders the tea package do they bring out just one plate of the tea sandwiches, scone and jam etc..

Each person orders their own meal. If you order a combo that has tea sandwiches, scones, etc. you will get a plate of each for yourself. Anyone else who orders the same or similar will get their own plates. Some deserts are off of the pastry tray. The server will bring the tray over to you and have you make your selection(s) and serve it/them to you on your own plate.

 

[Sandy321]

(depending on what service you order) Each person gets their own plate - and dont be shy if you want to modify that order... for instance DD asked for only ham sandwiches - others have reported "instead of this _______ may I have 2 of these _____...

I will also add I am a very picky eater, but this is one place where I was able to don on my big girl hat, and "try it"! For instance, I am NOT a fan of onions - but the onion tart taste nothing like onions!!

 

[princessjenna]

I'm taking my mother in law to the tea for her birthday. I am not a big tea drinker more of a sweetened iced tea. What tea would you recommend I get?

 

[DisneeMommee]

You order from the menu, same as other table serve restaurants at Disney. Everyone can order something different. I have done the tea twice. It is very relaxing and a wonderful experience. The first time was back in 1997. I enjoyed it, but the rest of our family could have done without it. Now, our children have fond memories of that tea, and it is still a topic of conversation. One of the boys ordered Belle's tea and still talks about how good it was. The rest ordered the regular tea service. They didn't care for the sandwiches, but devoured the scones and loved the little jars of jam. (Our waiter even brought them several jars to take home.) We sat there for 2 hours, and only the 1 1/2 year old fell asleep. It was during Thanksgiving, so the Christmas tree was up in the lobby. There was music and it was very relaxing for all of us. They do not decant the tea, and after the 2 hours, my husband was going to finish the rest of the tea. Watching him take a sip was one of the funniest things we ever saw. (He eats "anything" and always finishes whatever the kids don't when we eat out.) The tea had been brewing the entire time and came out a bit syrupy. He thought nothing of it and when he took a sip, his face turned six shades of green. The kids still talk about Dad drinking his tea.
The second time was in 2007. I went alone a couple hours after we arrived while the boys went on the water sprites. I had the Eros tea - highly recommend it. I even ordered some from the supplier in Canada after I got home. They had a box of the various teas available you could smell before you made your choice. I didn't check them out, since I knew I wanted to try the Eros. I had the Buckingham Palace and an order of Sally Lunn bread (I wanted to try the bread, but it wasn't anything I would do again.). The sandwiches were watercress and cucumber, egg salad, chicken salad, shrimp, pear and cheese, and an onion tart. The white raisin scone came with devonshire cream and the little jar of red raspberry preserves. I also had a jam tart, white chocolate swirl and a cream puff swan. I don't remember any of the sweets tasting wonderful, just alright. It is a wonderful experience, and I highly recommend it. I go to tea often at tea houses here at home. I don't think the food is the best I have had, but it also isn't the worst.

bangzoon6877 - It is a really fun experience with little ones. Be sure to prepare them ahead of time for expected behavior. You can pull some tea etiquette tips off the internet. (Some of the old ones are pretty funny and a great topic for discussion.) Have some other topics planned for discussion and be sure to include your nieces in your "grownup" conversation. We also have played games of "eye spy" and mimic (one person makes a silly face and everyone else has to mimic it. Only play this if you can keep the laughter under control.) We also like to discuss what another guest might do in their real life. A child's perspective on this is usually very interesting. If you are seated by the windows, people are usually passing by on the sidewalks. We have also tucked small sticker/activity books in our bags.

Princess Jena - Eros is my favorite tea and none of the pastries I have eaten have been so outstanding that I would recommend them. The cream puff swans are beautiful and the strawberries always look delicious.

 

[Jeanieblue114]

We love going here.
Even my hubby and our friend, another male, love going here.

It feels RELAXED! we usually spend 90 minutes to 2 hours there.

We have gone for just tea and to split a pastry a la carte. (ends up about $15 bucks total).

We have also gone several times and had the full tea.
The price for the full tea is about the same as the price for a sit down meal at Disney.
it is NOT on the dining plan.
It is more filling than you would expect.

You can sub out some of the tea sandwiches for the ones that you would like more if there are some that you don't like.

We like to ask for extra whipped cream and strawberry jam for the scones.
My favorite tea is the princess tea..yummy.
I ADORE the cheese plate and often get this plus my tea instead of the full tea. My hubby gets the full tea and we just share everything.
You can get ANY tea iced!
You can get a to go cup to take a leftover cup of tea with you (each person gets a full pot of tea-probably a bit less than a quart.)

I agree that the pastries are pretty, but don't taste that special. I enjoy the trifle as my dessert option (layers of pound cake, custard, strawberries, and whipped cream). I think they charge a bit of an upcharge for it now, but it is very very good.

I think this place really has that old Disney quality and service feel to it.

Tell Jean at the front podium and Dottie, a server from latrobe pa (she remembers all about us every year), that the people from Pittsburgh send their love!

 

[jlw29]

How fancy do people dress for this? If DD12 wants to "dress up" (cocktail type dress, not princess type dress-up) will she look incredibly out of place? She has a few fancy dresses that she wants to get some use out of and we only have one signature restaurant planned.

 

[MouseMomx2]

How fancy do people dress for this? If DD12 wants to "dress up" (cocktail type dress, not princess type dress-up) will she look incredibly out of place? She has a few fancy dresses that she wants to get some use out of and we only have one signature restaurant planned.

Most people either wear resort casual attire or regular park clothes. I've never seen anyone get really dressed up, but that doesn't mean you can't. As long as you know going in that you'll probably be the only ones that dressed up you'll be fine. If she feels uncomfortable with that perhaps she has a nice sundress she could wear.

 

[Singinglizzie]

How fancy do people dress for this? If DD12 wants to "dress up" (cocktail type dress, not princess type dress-up) will she look incredibly out of place? She has a few fancy dresses that she wants to get some use out of and we only have one signature restaurant planned.

If DD12 wants to dress up, I say dress up. We tried to dress up (limited to what we were able to pack in a carry on bag) and absolutely loved the tea. It is very lovely way to spend an afternoon at the GF!!!! Enjoy

 

[NuttyDisneyMom]

I did a mini review, with pics, on the dining reviews forum. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2276739 Hope it helps