Garden View Tea at GF

[disneygirl76]

Hi All!

I just made a reservation to surprise my mom with the Garden View Tea at the Grand Floridian. The time is about an hour after the parade at Magic Kingdom. I have to decide if we are going to head back to the resort and grab lunch before the parade or head back after the parade and do the Tea. I have seen the menu but do you think it is enough to fill you up like a lunch? Or is it just small snacky food? My mom loves teas, but she also loves parades. So I am trying to just figure out which would be the best to do if we can't do both.

Has anyone done this? Any pics? Any info would be great!

Thank you!
:wave:

 

[Tiggerish]

I just did the afternoon tea last month with my mom. When we saw the plate of little sandwiches, we thought, oh my, we'll have to order another plate of those...but in the end, I was glad we didn't, because they would have gone to waste.

The tea sandwiches are small, but have hearty fillings. You get four sandwiches, one of each kind: cucumber/dill, egg salad, shrimp salad, and pear/(either cheese or walnut, can't remember!), and there is a small onion tart as well. We found the cucumber and egg salad to be delicious, the shrimp was only okay, and neither one of us cared for the pear (and I love pears!). They are each on a different kind of bread. I don't know if you could request only certain kinds of sandwiches (say, if you didn't like the marble rye that the shrimp salad is served on, or the pumpernickel that the pear sandwich is made with).

After that, we were given a scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam. It was delicious, and also filling. We had a choice of dessert: strawberries and cream, or two pastries. We chose the pastries. At the table next to ours (another mom and daughter), the daughter went with the strawberries and cream, and the dish was huge.

I sacrificed the afternoon MK parade for the tea, even though my mom loves parades (and one of her requests was to see every parade on property). I figured, the 3:00 parade at MK hasn't changed much since the last time mom was at WDW in 2005, so I decided on the tea. We did see the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade, and we both enjoyed that one very much.

I don't have any pictures of the food itself, just one of the empty tearoom (our ADR was for 2:00, which is when the tea room opens for afternoon tea, so we were the second party seated) and one of my mom.

 

[disneygirl76]

Thank you so so much for this info! I am so excited now! We are getting to WDW around 9 or 10 am depending on how the traffic and travel morning goes (we are driving from HHI). My mom had originally suggested we go straight to MK and then head back to the resort around 12:30 or 1 for some lunch and then head back to MK for the parade and the rest of the night. I personally don't think that is enough time - we would feel like we just got to MK and then we would have to leave to go to the GF. I would like to head back to the resort around 2:30, surprise her with tea around 3 and then get into our room and head back to the MK after that, skipping the parade. I think that is the nicest option.

Thank you again for the info and the great pics!! I really appreciate it! :sohappy:

 

[Tiggerish]

Sounds like a plan. I'm sure you'll have fun!

 

[NadieMasK2]

It is enough for lunch. I have had a late lunch/tea there twice, and it makes a very nice lunch, especially if you choose the strawberries and cream for dessert - it's pretty big! It's a lovely experience, have fun!

 

[DizneyPryncess]

Tiggerish - your post got me really excited for my first visit for afternoon tea in a few weeks! I was wondering about all the details too. My mom & I are visiting, and that sounds like plenty to fill us up!

 

[Tiggerish]

Tiggerish - your post got me really excited for my first visit for afternoon tea in a few weeks! I was wondering about all the details too. My mom & I are visiting, and that sounds like plenty to fill us up!

Glad to hear that! It's a great mother/daughter experience. About halfway through our tea service, a young couple was seated at the table on our left (i'd guess they were in their mid-20s), and the man looked like there were dozens of other places he would rather have been. :lol:

 

[disneygirl76]

Tiggerish - your post got me really excited for my first visit for afternoon tea in a few weeks! I was wondering about all the details too. My mom & I are visiting, and that sounds like plenty to fill us up!

I can't wait to hear all about your trip! Are just you and your mom going? My mom and I will be there in 25 days! I can't wait! :sohappy:

 

[mpoppins217]

I've also done this as a mother-daughter event (three times!) and it's lovely. Perfect time to catch up with mom!

The food is more than filling, especially when you consider the amount of tea you'll be drinking as well. We've done the B__________gham Palace which comes with what's mentioned by Tiggerish. We've also once added on the trifle which is delicious! I am allergic to shrimp so I can't comment on that sandwich but the other 3 are delightful. In contrast to Tiggerish my mom's and my favorite is the pear and gorgonzola. The trifle we were served was enormous and too good for words. And the pastries at the end are so delicate you won't want to eat them. I love getting the swan just because of how beautiful it is!

For teas my personal favorites are Eros and Nobo Whole Fruit. Eros tastes just like an orange dreamsicle!

Have fun and remember to stick your pinky out while you sip!

 

[disneygirl76]

Garden Tea was amazing! We got the B__________gham - so it was the 5 sandwiches - cucumber, egg salad, chicken curie, shrimp, and pear Gorgonzola. It also had the caramelized onion tart. 2nd serving was a scone with devonshire cream and jam, and a jam tart. We opted for the pastries for our 3rd serving - I got the tropical mousse swan and the raspberry, apple, lemon bar. YUM! And we couldn't go with out the strawberries and cream. I had the Princess Tea and it was delicious! My mom had the Nobo Whole fruit and she love it. It was a mother - daughter event through out the entire room - all the tables were mom's and daughters with the exception of 2 tables - one of which had a son and husband who looked MISERABLE!

I recommend this for every mother and daughter or as a girls trip. It was such fun and my mom was THRILLED with her surprise!!! :sohappy:

 

[unkadug]

I cant believe that we aren't allowed to say Bukcingham. And here I thought this was a British site. :lol:

 

[dave&di]

Glad it went well and your mom loved it! We will be staying at the GF next year but the tea isn't my type of meal but the room did look lovely when we stayed on 2008.

 

[DizneyPryncess]

Garden Tea was amazing! We got the B__________gham - so it was the 5 sandwiches - cucumber, egg salad, chicken curie, shrimp, and pear Gorgonzola. It also had the caramelized onion tart. 2nd serving was a scone with devonshire cream and jam, and a jam tart. We opted for the pastries for our 3rd serving - I got the tropical mousse swan and the raspberry, apple, lemon bar. YUM! And we couldn't go with out the strawberries and cream. I had the Princess Tea and it was delicious! My mom had the Nobo Whole fruit and she love it. It was a mother - daughter event through out the entire room - all the tables were mom's and daughters with the exception of 2 tables - one of which had a son and husband who looked MISERABLE!

I recommend this for every mother and daughter or as a girls trip. It was such fun and my mom was THRILLED with her surprise!!! :sohappy:

Hey! I am glad you loved it there, my mom & I did as well! It was just the two of us, 3 if you count my little girl on the way.

We also did the B__________gham and loved it. Ours was almost the same, but instead of Chicken Currie, we had some kind of Watercress & cream cheese sandwich. They were wonderful w/me being pregnant, as I can't have shrimp or soft cheese. 3 of the 5 ended up not being good for me, so the chef came out & talked with me. He substituted so I had chicken & egg salads.

The tea we had was a Vanilla-Strawberry decaf tea, and it was so good. After the sandwiches came the tart & scone. I had the strawberries & cream for the last course, and my mom had some kind of cake. Both were delicious, but I think the berries & cream are a must have. All in all I highly recommend it for moms & daughters. Can't wait to take my little girl there someday! Sorry these pics are so huge, I'm having trouble resizing them on here.

 

[disneygirl76]

The pics are so cute!! And congratulations on your Disney Princess!!! :sohappy: It was really cute, all the little girls there. Such fun for a mother and daughter to do! I'll post my pics as soon as I can.

 

[DizneyPryncess]

Thanks!! Can't wait to see your pictures. =-)

 

[heartodisney]

This sounds like a GREAT opportunity for my wife and mother-in-law for a "girls afternoon"...while I try to get the 4 y.o. to take a nap so we can go back out later in the evening!

 

[disneygirl76]

This sounds like a GREAT opportunity for my wife and mother-in-law for a "girls afternoon"...while I try to get the 4 y.o. to take a nap so we can go back out later in the evening!

Yes! It would be perfect!!!! :sohappy:

 

[heartodisney]

Yes! It would be perfect!!!! :sohappy:

I have been buying Disney gift cards every payday, thinking to use them here or there..then having my wife and mom-in-law go out for a night of dinner and shopping while my DD and I just "chill" at the WL...swim..dinner..watch the water parade...so the Tea party would be a GREAT way to start there time together!