Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is reviving afternoon tea on March 19, 2026, after a nearly six-year hiatus since March 2020 due to COVID-19. The Garden View Lounge will feature an Alice in Wonderland theme, and reservations opened on February 19, quickly filling up as fans have eagerly awaited this return.
The new experience costs $79 per adult plus tax and gratuity, with a $49 option for kids, making it more reasonable than the previous Perfectly Princess Tea Party, which was around $300 per child. The original afternoon tea was priced between $35 and $150 for a fancy Berkshire package, both of which sold out quickly before the pandemic.
The Grand Floridian Alice in Wonderland Menu Is Creative
The three-tier tea tower offers a variety of savory items, including the Curried Chicken Salad Playing Card Tart with chicken salad and cherry gelée, the Footman's Feast Wonderland Salmon Crisp with salmon rillette on a crispy miso brown butter base, Tweedledee Egg Salad Sandwich on beet bread, and Caterpillar Cucumber Roll with butterfly pea-infused cream cheese and cucumbers on pumpernickel. These finger sandwiches are carefully crafted and not just given whimsical names.
The sweet tier features The Matcha Mad Hatter sponge cake with apricot jam and yuzu buttercream, the Tea Party Tart with vanilla tart and coffee custard, Flamingo Croquet Choux filled with passion fruit cream and raspberry crunch, and Painting the Rose Earl Grey teacake, which gets a special painting done at your table. This tableside presentation adds a fun element that makes for a great photo opportunity, appealing to guests paying $79.
Before the three-tier tower arrives, you get an Orange-Cranberry Scone with traditional accompaniments, providing a classic British afternoon tea experience that adds authenticity to the meal, beyond just Disney-themed snacks.
Premium Twinings Tea Partnership
Disney worked with Twinings to hand-select premium tea blends instead of just using whatever generic tea bags they could get in bulk. The options include London Strand Breakfast, Spicy Chai, Orangery of Lady Grey which is exclusive to Walt Disney World, Nutty Chocolate Flavoured Assam with smooth chocolate and roasted hazelnut flavors, and Blackcurrant and Lavender herbal tea for people who don't want caffeine.
Expertly trained cast members act as tea guides helping you select teas and customize them by choosing aromatics that get added during the steeping process. That's a nice touch that makes it feel like an actual proper tea experience instead of just getting a pot of Lipton dumped in front of you.
Tea-Based Cocktails and Specialty Drinks at the Grand Floridian
Two signature tea-based cocktails are available: Mint Tulip with Old Forester whiskey, Twinings Peach Mango Tea, and mint, and Mar-TEA-ni with Drumshanbo Irish Gin, Earl Grey Tea, lemon, and honey. These incorporate tea as a primary ingredient instead of just being random cocktails served at a tea party, which shows they're actually thinking about the concept.
Non-alcoholic specialty teas include Curiosi-TEA with Strawberry Raspberry Tea and “shimmering magic” which probably means edible glitter, and This Way, That Way with Peach Mango Tea and mint. Champagne and sparkling wines are also available for people who want to make it a celebration.
The Kids Menu
The $49 Children's Afternoon Tea includes Queen of Hearts Cheese Toastie, Fanciful Turkey Wrap, and Sunflower Seed Butter and Jelly Bun for savory items. Desserts are Cheshire Cat Raspberry Macaron, Chocolate Brownie Branch, and vanilla White Rabbit Cupcake. The lower pricing compared to the $300 Perfectly Princess Tea Party makes this way more accessible for families who want to do afternoon tea without dropping rent money on it.
Booking Is Competitive for the Grand Floridian
Reservations opened February 19, and you can book 60 days in advance, starting at approximately 6 a.m., EST online and 7 a.m. EST by phone. If you're staying at a Disney World resort hotel you can book for your entire trip up to 10 days beginning 60 days before arrival, which means you could potentially book up to 70 days out and have an advantage over people trying to snag day-of reservations.
Given how the previous afternoon tea experiences sold out months in advance before COVID shut them down, getting reservations for the March 19 reopening will be incredibly competitive. If you want to do this, book as soon as your 60-day window opens, or you're probably not getting in anytime soon. After six years of being gone, afternoon tea is finally back at Disney's flagship resort, and people are ready to throw money at it.
