Grand Floridian Afternoon Tea

[Nemo32]

Has anyone ever had the Afternoon Tea service at the Grand Floridian? How is it? Any pictures? I'm curious because I work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where we offer an Afternoon Tea service as well.

 

[Hollymom1229]

We have done it a few times, it is a wonderful and elegant experience. They use Royal Albert Old Country Rose china for the service. The selection of teas is varied and all the ones I have tried have been lovely. The sandwiches are good, I have had better at other teas. Their scones are my absolute favorite anywhere, I just wish there was more clotted cream given. For dessert I would get the trifle or the strawberries and cream, I have found the pastries to be pretty, but kind of overwhelming as a flavor profile.

 

[hailbug]

We have done the tea every trip. It has always been very nice. The tea, pastries, and sandwiches are all good. The service is good as well. My DD(8) loves to go to the tea! I would highly recommend going.

 

[TomorrowlandFamily]

Hi, would it be appropriate for my 5 year old daughter and me? I'd love to do a grown-up elegant dressy thing like this for the 2 of us. Is their an age minimum?

 

[Seahunt]

Has anyone ever had the Afternoon Tea service at the Grand Floridian? How is it? Any pictures? I'm curious because I work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where we offer an Afternoon Tea service as well.

I love the GF Tea and always drag my DH along - not really, he loves it too.

My all time favorite trip report review (with pics) of the GF Tea was done by DISer oybolshoi in 2006 - look at the middle of post #222. There's even a picture of the Cinderella Slipper dessert they ordered separately as a special treat to be served at tea)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1265884&highlight=gf+tea+pictures&page=15

Hi, would it be appropriate for my 5 year old daughter and me? I'd love to do a grown-up elegant dressy thing like this for the 2 of us. Is their an age minimum?

Your daughter would love it! I do hope you wouldn't be disappointed as (jmo) it's not exactly an "elegant dressy thing" though (it's WDW and everyone's on vacation, so most are dressed casually ) but it is "classy" and fun.

Per allears menu your DD would probably like the Mrs. Potts Tea:

Mrs. Potts Tea - For the young tea lover in your party, we offer a variety of tea sandwiches, tuna salad, ham and cheese, peanut butter and jelly on white bread. We serve our magical dark tea (chocolate milk), followed by a choice of two pastries. $12.00 per guest

http://allears.net/menu/menu_gft.htm

Also for a extra special GF tea experience for your DD (and if you don't mind spending big $$$) have you read about the My Disney Girl's Perfectly Princess Tea? Tea with a Princess, ooooo:

http://allears.net/din/girlstea.htm

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I have done both.
2) My comparison
. . . the Met has better views (can't beat Central Park)
. . . the Met has better tasting sandwiches
. . . the Met pricing is usually better
. . . the scones and sweets are about the same
. . . the tea choices and quality are about the same
. . . the GF has better waitress costumes
. . . the GF is far more intimate

Our Ratings of Afternoon Tea at GF: (rev 6/14/11)
. . . food price value: D
. . . food quality: B
. . . food quantity per serving: C
. . . food prep speed: C
. . . food selection: B
. . . seating quantity: D
. . . seating comfort: A
. . . eatery atmosphere: B
. . . eatery convenience: C
. . . staff friendliness: A
. . . staff attentiveness: B

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 a hectic park day. The negative for the
true tea aficionado, is they serve only Pekoe (BOP or OP) for
non-green tea. Reservations are almost a must.

NOTE2: Prices were increased in July 2011 and the Sally Lunn
was discontinued. This makes the eatery overpriced compared
to other Afternoon Teas in the area. Even the Ritz is cheaper.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

The Tea is ok...it is worth it because you are in a pretty cool/ unique spot.

My wife is an afternoon tea junkie and it can be had at a million places that are probably "better"

But its cool and worth it nonetheless.

As is all afternoon teas though...don't walk in within the last half hour...because often the service goes south and they rush you outta there

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

We've done it twice. Both times I ordered the Buckingham and it was really good! Last time we also ordered Sally Lunn bread and had pre-ordered an anniversary cake - that ended up to be way too much food! Our server was very nice and packaged up the included mini-pastries for us to enjoy later.

 

[Nemo32]

1) I have done both.
2) My comparison
. . . the Met has better views (can't beat Central Park)
. . . the Met has better tasting sandwiches
. . . the Met pricing is usually better
. . . the scones and sweets are about the same
. . . the tea choices and quality are about the same
. . . the GF has better waitress costumes
. . . the GF is far more intimate

Our Ratings of Afternoon Tea at GF: (rev 6/14/11)
. . . food price value: D
. . . food quality: B
. . . food quantity per serving: C
. . . food prep speed: C
. . . food selection: B
. . . seating quantity: D
. . . seating comfort: A
. . . eatery atmosphere: B
. . . eatery convenience: C
. . . staff friendliness: A
. . . staff attentiveness: B

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 a hectic park day. The negative for the
true tea aficionado, is they serve only Pekoe (BOP or OP) for
non-green tea. Reservations are almost a must.

NOTE2: Prices were increased in July 2011 and the Sally Lunn
was discontinued. This makes the eatery overpriced compared
to other Afternoon Teas in the area. Even the Ritz is cheaper.

It really is a small world! I work in the Patrons Lounge at the MMA...interesting to hear your comparisons. The Grand Floridian definitely seems like it has a great atmosphere and definitely a nice break from the parks.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I went in 2008 with my mother, my sister-in-law, her mother, her daughter, and my daughter. The youngest was 4 and the oldest was...a secret While it was enjoyable I would not go again with a 4 year old or any child that could not contain themselves for the time. I was very worried the little one was going to break something and we had to keep her from running amok. It all ended up fine but it was more effort for me and I didn't really get to enjoy myself. I think 4 year olds going are FINE by the way! But if I were to go again, I would make sure that the people I'm with didn't need constant watching. My daughter was 6 when we went and she was fine.

As for the experience and the food - the service was not the best it could have been. The food though was fun and the tea and pastries were especially great. If my grandmothers were alive, I would take them in a heartbeat - they would have really enjoyed themselves.

 

[Nemo32]

So far, it's sounding like a nice try it once for the atmosphere type thing. I was contemplating bringing my Dis stepmom (hoping joyken4492 isn't lurking here) and Dis sister as a nice mid-afternoon break. Anyone know if they have vegetarian options? Can you pick your tea sandwiches? Salmon paste doesn't sound so good to me...

 

[Cin]

We went in Jan. and loved it. We had very comfortable seating and a wonderful view out the window. The food was very expensive for some sandwiches, a pot of tea, and some strawberries, but it was a wonderful environment and we had a really nice lingering meal in a relaxing quiet spot. Your daughter will love it and there was a family seated near us with a young lady, about 6, who had brought her Dad and Mom along for tea. Dress was casual. Some people were dressed up to the nines such as the bridal shower party, and others were casual, and although it was elegant it was also very casual and relaxed and we enjoyed very much and would definitely return. Our entire meal took about an hour and a half, so it isn't a quick little coffee break kind of thing. These were taken about 4 weeks ago.

 

[kneedeep]

We have gone the past two years, the first when our DDs were 5 and 7. They like to dress up a bit and practice their "fancy" manners. However, most people are in casual "park" attire. We enjoy it so much that we booked it again for our July trip. It is a nice break from the parks and we usually schedule it as a late lunch on an MK day and just take the monorail over. (This would be problematic for the next few weeks with the monorail construction.)

It is a bit pricey, but the TiW discount helps. Also, we learned the first year that our girls do not like the fruity tea served with the Mrs. Potts tea. (It tasted a bit like cough syrup to me.) But the server was happy to substitute black tea.

IMHO, it's worth doing at least once if you like the afternoon tea experience.

 

[PoohsFan1]

I can't compare the Afternoon Tea at Grand Floridian with any other Afternoon Teas, but I can say is that my girls and I really enjoy the one at Grand Floridian. We have made it a must do each time we are in WDW while DH stays back at the resort and does his own thing. We like to get gussied up and have our tea, finger sandwiches, and pastries for dessert (DD8 loves the strawberries with cream instead of the pastries). The atmosphere is so elegant there, and it is well worth it to try it out.