Tell me about Afternoon Tea at Garden View Lounge

[bangzoom6877]

My mom, sister and I sat down last week and discussed places we want to eat on our July trip. We all agreed that we would like to try the afternoon tea at Garden View Lounge at the Grand Floridian. We will be a party of 10, including 4 children (2 boys ages 5 and 7, 2 girls ages 8 and 11). We didn't want to do the princess tea or the wonderland tea, but just a regular tea we could all go to together. I have some questions:

1. The hours are 2-4:30pm. Is it just one seating where everyone has to arrive at 2pm, or are these simply the hours you could arrive?

2. Do I make an ADR for the tea, 180 days in advance, just as I would for any TS restaurant?

3. Do they accept the TiW card?

4. How is the food? We are not picky eaters, but we do like good quality. All the adults except for my DH have been to afternoon tea before in other places, so we have a general idea of what is typically served...but is there anything specific that stands out?

5. For those of you who have gone with kids...how did they like it? The kids in our party have all been to a variety of restaurants, everything from a very casual diner to a fancy restaurant, and they are very well-behaved. I am more concerned about how much they would enjoy it...although from the looks of the menu they do cater to kids (as Disney always does).

6. Were you hungry enough for dinner that evening? I had an idea...that we wouldn't make an ADR for dinner that night, but instead we would just go to Epcot in the evening and snack around the World Showcase. That way, if someone is really hungry, they could eat a meal, the kids will be taken care of, and if someone just wants to grab a little snack they can do that. My mom and sister loved that idea.

7. This one is going to sound funny...but...do men typically enjoy this tea? I am asking because although my dad has gone to afternoon tea with my mom, my DH has never gone to afternoon tea, and he has no interest in going to one at home. However, I did mention this idea to him for our WDW vacation and he had no problem with trying it. I am just wondering how much he will actually enjoy it.

Thanks in advance!

 

[TDC Nala]

As to whether men enjoy it, I always see men there. Depends on the man. Some might think it is too girly. I would be thinking that it might bore the socks off of little boys though.

 

[Disney Princess]

My mom, sister and I sat down last week and discussed places we want to eat on our July trip. We all agreed that we would like to try the afternoon tea at Garden View Lounge at the Grand Floridian. We will be a party of 10, including 4 children (2 boys ages 5 and 7, 2 girls ages 8 and 11). We didn't want to do the princess tea or the wonderland tea, but just a regular tea we could all go to together. I have some questions:

1. The hours are 2-4:30pm. Is it just one seating where everyone has to arrive at 2pm, or are these simply the hours you could arrive? You make an ADR for times during those hours. People are in and out all afternoon. Some people relax and enjoy the experience slowly; some are speed drinkers. I don't know if they have a "last possible" time that is before 4:30. We always pick 2:00 when we go.

2. Do I make an ADR for the tea, 180 days in advance, just as I would for any TS restaurant? Yes, you make an ADR. A while ago you had to call for an ADR, but I believe that you can book this online now. Others will come along and clarify!

3. Do they accept the TiW card? ???

4. How is the food? We are not picky eaters, but we do like good quality. All the adults except for my DH have been to afternoon tea before in other places, so we have a general idea of what is typically served...but is there anything specific that stands out? We enjoy the food. We always order the Buckingham which includes tea sandwiches, scones, and your choice of strawberries and cream and ???? I always pick the strawberries! I think the scones are just heavenly. The fresh Devonshire cream is simply delicious. Those are my favorite parts. The sandwiches are 'fancier' varieties (watercress, shrimp salad, gorgonzol and pear, maybe chicken salad). My dad went with the Buckingham and should have ordered a la carte. He hated each sandwich, but he is picky and eats in a boring manner everywhere. My mom, my husband, and I LOVED each course.

5. For those of you who have gone with kids...how did they like it? The kids in our party have all been to a variety of restaurants, everything from a very casual diner to a fancy restaurant, and they are very well-behaved. I am more concerned about how much they would enjoy it...although from the looks of the menu they do cater to kids (as Disney always does). We don't have kids yet. BUT, we did this tea as a part of my sister's wedding celebration, so there were young children invited. They seemed to be having a good time. I can't give any personal experience examples though - sorry!

6. Were you hungry enough for dinner that evening? I had an idea...that we wouldn't make an ADR for dinner that night, but instead we would just go to Epcot in the evening and snack around the World Showcase. That way, if someone is really hungry, they could eat a meal, the kids will be taken care of, and if someone just wants to grab a little snack they can do that. My mom and sister loved that idea. We always pick the 2:00 ADR and eat it as our "lunch". We eat a late breakfast and are hungry enough by 2. We think it is very filling as a meal. I haven't done it, but I suppose if you do tea later in the day then it could count as early supper and snacks should suffice as the evening progresses. Of course, we have "snacks" as meals at Disney a lot!

7. This one is going to sound funny...but...do men typically enjoy this tea? I am asking because although my dad has gone to afternoon tea with my mom, my DH has never gone to afternoon tea, and he has no interest in going to one at home. However, I did mention this idea to him for our WDW vacation and he had no problem with trying it. I am just wondering how much he will actually enjoy it. Obviously every man is different. I went most recently with my mom, my dad, and my husband. It was my mom's birthday, and she really wanted to go. Of course, the men were cooperative. My husband loved it and will go back with me any time I want. My dad enjoyed the scones and strawberries, but didn't lke the sandwiches. He enjoyed the experience though. He would go back, but he would order in a more informed manner.

Thanks in advance!

If you get to go, I hope you have fun. It is a wonderful, relaxing experience - one of my favorite splurges at WDW!

 

[bangzoom6877]

As to whether men enjoy it, I always see men there. Depends on the man. Some might think it is too girly. I would be thinking that it might bore the socks off of little boys though.

I don't think DH necessarily thinks that afternoon tea is too girly, but more that he wouldn't enjoy the food because it is too fancy for him. He loves going to fancy restaurants...we do at home...but he usually orders something hearty like a big steak...I think he is worried that the food at afternoon tea is more pretty than edible and tasty.

I don't think my boys would be bored...they will also have their cousins with them, and they have all been to fancy dinners that take more than 2 hours, with no problems and no complaints of boredom.

If you get to go, I hope you have fun. It is a wonderful, relaxing experience - one of my favorite splurges at WDW!

Thanks so much for the details! It sounds great! I did notice that they have the a la carte menu too, so if someone is not into all the things in one of their specialties, they could just put together something they want from the a la carte section.

I'm still curious as to whether they take the TiW card...anyone?

 

[edisneydreaming]

We did this (we do it as a girls thing so my dd, my mom and I go). We really enjoyed it (do dress up for it). They take the Tables in Wonderland card. You can reserve on line now.

 

[bangzoom6877]

We did this (we do it as a girls thing so my dd, my mom and I go). We really enjoyed it (do dress up for it). They take the Tables in Wonderland card. You can reserve on line now.

Sounds great...an added bonus that they take the TiW card! I always dress nicely for tea...what is appropriate for this particular one? I figured that since it will be summer, polo shirts and dress shorts for the boys and the men would be acceptable, and nice sundresses on the girls and the women would be fine. And I am so glad it can be reserved online...very convenient! Thanks for the info!

 

[disneybound31]

I will tell you that I just made our ADR online for October 22nd and a 4:50pm time was available so I took it...I am sure it is the very last seating for the day and we will use it for our dinner.

We did the tea a few years back and DD7 and I loved it. She got the Mrs. Potts tea, but they let her sub a real pot of tea for the choc milk...she also did not like the tuna salad sand so they brought her an extra pb/j. Also, when it was time for her to pick her 2 pastries from the cart our CM gave her a wink and told her to pick 3...a small thing, but very magical for DD.

I got the Grand Tea and loved every part of it except the champagne...tasted like nail polish- and I do love a good glass of wine or champagne, but this stuff was really unpalatable to me. I also got the English trifle when given the choice between that and the strawberries/cream. I figure I can get good strawberries and even good cream (altho I have neversince had cream as good as the cream here) but I may never have a Trifle as delicious. It was the absolute best thing about my tea experience.

 

[bamagrlnga]

I had tea with a friend last December and we saw all demographic groups. The food was delicious. We had tea prior to attending MVMCP and later only ate the cookies and apples offered at the party. I thought it was very filling and a good value for Disney.

 

[PoohsFan1]

My girls (they are 8 and 10) and I love doing this. We have made it a thing for just us girls to do while DH has to find something else to do on his own. I always get the Buckingham Palace package while the girls get the Mrs. Potts package. The packages fill you nicely without overfilling you for later. You and your party are going to enjoy this little jewel of a restaurant....enjoy!!!

 

[TDC Nala]

If your husband likes pate, have him get the "meat tea" (Prince Edward's Tea) and then he will get meat and a scone and not a lot of frilly sandwiches. comes with a glass of port, too.

I usually get that because it seems a lot of the sandwiches have mayonnaise in them and I don't do mayonnaise. Princess Kate's tea looks pretty good too - it's new - except that I am not sure what "potted shrimp" is.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Answer in red

My mom, sister and I sat down last week and discussed places we want to eat on our July trip. We all agreed that we would like to try the afternoon tea at Garden View Lounge at the Grand Floridian. We will be a party of 10, including 4 children (2 boys ages 5 and 7, 2 girls ages 8 and 11). We didn't want to do the princess tea or the wonderland tea, but just a regular tea we could all go to together. I have some questions:

1. The hours are 2-4:30pm. Is it just one seating where everyone has to arrive at 2pm, or are these simply the hours you could arrive?

There are seatings between 2 and 4 I believe. For example, we have an ADR for 3:20pm next week.

2. Do I make an ADR for the tea, 180 days in advance, just as I would for any TS restaurant?

I wouldn't say 180 days in advance necessarily. But, if you want a specific time, the earlier the better. I booked our Oct 4th tea about a month in advance, but the only time available was 3:20pm.

3. Do they accept the TiW card?

Yes, they do.

4. How is the food? We are not picky eaters, but we do like good quality. All the adults except for my DH have been to afternoon tea before in other places, so we have a general idea of what is typically served...but is there anything specific that stands out?

We always order the Grand Tea. It consists of a tea of your choice, served hot or iced, a glass of sparkling wine with a strawberry, assorted tea sandwiches (chicken salad, shrimp salad, egg salad, pear and gorgonzola and cucumber with arugula were the types on my last visit (Sept 2010). You also get a slice of duck pate, an onion tartlet, a jam tart, scones with devonshire cream and preserves and then your choice of: strawberries with whipped cream, trifle, or 2 mini pastries. Everything is very tasty. In fact, I have been to many teas and enjoy the food here the most. I have heard recently that the chicken salad changed to a lightly curried chicken salad and there may be a smoked salmon sandwich as well.

5. For those of you who have gone with kids...how did they like it? The kids in our party have all been to a variety of restaurants, everything from a very casual diner to a fancy restaurant, and they are very well-behaved. I am more concerned about how much they would enjoy it...although from the looks of the menu they do cater to kids (as Disney always does).

They do cater to kids as well and we have always seen kids at the tea. They give them chocolate milk, which they call magical dark tea, as well as more kid-friendly sandwiches.

6. Were you hungry enough for dinner that evening? I had an idea...that we wouldn't make an ADR for dinner that night, but instead we would just go to Epcot in the evening and snack around the World Showcase. That way, if someone is really hungry, they could eat a meal, the kids will be taken care of, and if someone just wants to grab a little snack they can do that. My mom and sister loved that idea.

You leave feeling comfortably full, but will likely be hungry again within 2 or 3 hours. We have a later dinner reservation (8pm) the day we have our tea. I think snacking around World Showcase would be a great option.

7. This one is going to sound funny...but...do men typically enjoy this tea? I am asking because although my dad has gone to afternoon tea with my mom, my DH has never gone to afternoon tea, and he has no interest in going to one at home. However, I did mention this idea to him for our WDW vacation and he had no problem with trying it. I am just wondering how much he will actually enjoy it.

Typically the tea is mostly women. But that being said, every time we have been (more than a dozen times now) there have been men present and they all seemed to enjoy themselves. They do have Price Edward's Tea as an offering geared more towards men: A delicious array of duck and cherry terrine, chicken and pork roulade, country pate en croute, and , and English Blue Stilton, the "King" of English cheeses. Served with marinated fresh berries, and Cumberland sauce. We then offer our delicious fresh-baked scones served with rich Devonshire cream. Your choice of our tea with a glass of our Fonseca Bin 27 Character Port. $24.50 per guest. Cockburn 20 yr Tawny Port $2.00.

Thanks in advance!

 

[bangzoom6877]

If your husband likes pate, have him get the "meat tea" (Prince Edward's Tea) and then he will get meat and a scone and not a lot of frilly sandwiches. comes with a glass of port, too.

I usually get that because it seems a lot of the sandwiches have mayonnaise in them and I don't do mayonnaise. Princess Kate's tea looks pretty good too - it's new - except that I am not sure what "potted shrimp" is.

He does enjoy pate, and this sounds perfect for him!

I looked at the menu on All Ears with my mom, and she said the Princess Kate's tea looked good...I'm not sure what potted shrimp is either, but once my mom sees shrimp on a menu she is sold! That is...assuming it isn't fried shrimp...she doesn't do fried foods.

 

[Tink2312]

He does enjoy pate, and this sounds perfect for him!

I looked at the menu on All Ears with my mom, and she said the Princess Kate's tea looked good...I'm not sure what potted shrimp is.

The best way to describe it is a shrimp pate or spread. In the UK we have potted salmon and meat too - they come in tiny jars and we put them in sandwiches or on toast.

 

[plutolovr]

I had the Princess Kate tea a few weeks ago. The potted shrimp is very tiny shrimp in some kind of sauce and it's served cold. They give you small bread slices to put it on. It was very good.

 

[bumbershoot]

4 of us did the tea in the last 2 weeks and it was AMAZING. We were on a budget, so we went a la carte for the adults (the Mrs Potts tea for the 4 year old, was a bargain at $12).

I got the strawberries with the earl grey (I think) tea, and my cousin and aunt got some other tea, and got the trifle as well. We all loved our choices. My cousin's daughter had chocolate milk in a teapot, which basically created a cornucopia-of-beverage effect for her, with Patrick-from-NewOrleans coming by every so often to pour her more tea (taking the pot to a great height which astonished and amazed her). She was able to switch sandwiches for what she wanted/could have, and while she didn't like the cucumber/watercress sandwich, she scarfed down the others she got (ham/cheese and tuna, I think? she can't have peanuts so didn't have the pbj).

Our reservation was for 3:40, we were late, and we sat there for WELL over an hour, with many other people dawdling over their tea, and the servers never complained or gave us funny looks at all. It was relaxing and lovely.

We also had the bonus of seeing a bridal couple roaming the GF and its grounds, having their pictures taken, even right in front of the windows where we were seated.

Anyway, it was marvelous. My aunt and cousin were being iff about it, and my cousin didn't really want to go, but later thanked me for having made the reservation (and I should mention that we have a No Passive-Aggressive rule on our trips, so when I told her that she didn't have to go if she wasn't feelin' it, we both knew I was being truthful and real) and thanked her husband for encouraging her to go.

 

[mariamouse]

If we have a 3:40PM tea time and 7:30PM dining ressie at Cali Grill that same evening, do you think we will still be stuffed from tea once dinner rolls around? Should we just order a la carte to avoid being full?

 

[TDC Nala]

I would not do the tea at all if I were going to have a major dinner within a few hours.

 

[PoohsFan1]

I would not do the tea at all if I were going to have a major dinner within a few hours.

When I was deciding on when I should make my ADR for the Afternoon Tea with both my DDs and I, I had a choice to have my DMIL come along which was also the day we are going to Cali Grill (7:25pm ADRs) or wait until after the DILs leave and have it be just my 2 DDs and I. I decided to go with the latter because in May we did the Tea at 2pm and then had dinner reservations for Narcoossee's for 6pm. Even though I ate everything on my plate at both places, I did feel full the rest of the night. I didn't want to do that again. FYI...I made our Tea ADR for 3:40pm and leaving the evening open for wherever we are going to be at that night (we are going on a non-park day).

 

[mariamouse]

Is it allowed for one person to order tea and one item a la carte (i.e. a scone) and for another person to order the Buckingham Palace for both to share? Or can only the person who orders the Buckingham Palace eat those food items? It seems like a lot for one person...

 

[bumbershoot]

I would not do the tea at all if I were going to have a major dinner within a few hours.

Heck, just from the sheer quantity of TEA, let alone the food, I was full for pretty much the rest of the evening!

Is it allowed for one person to order tea and one item a la carte (i.e. a scone) and for another person to order the Buckingham Palace for both to share? Or can only the person who orders the Buckingham Palace eat those food items? It seems like a lot for one person...

We only had the "package" for a child in our party, but all of us passed around tastes of our food. And when the 4 year old wouldn't eat the cucumber watercress sandwich, we ate it, without any looks from the servers.

It should be noted that the food items aren't *huge*.