After a six-year closure since 2020, the Garden View Lounge at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort has finally reopened, featuring a new menu and refreshed interior. Fans of the afternoon tea experience are thrilled by its return. The lounge opened at 11 a.m., welcoming guests with reservations, though there was no special celebration. Currently, there is no Walk-Up Waitlist, so all dining requires advance reservations via the Disney World website or the My Disney Experience app.
You Need Reservations
The dining room wasn't full after all the 11 a.m. reservations checked in, creating hope that Disney might open up some availability after the initial day, once they assess actual demand and capacity, though honestly, reservations have been extremely hard to come by since they opened on February 19.
Reservations are available 60 days in advance, beginning at approximately 6 a.m. EST online and 7 a.m. EST by phone, with guests staying at Disney World resort hotels able to book for the entire duration of their trip up to 10 days in advance, beginning 60 days before arrival, potentially booking up to 70 days out.
The Alice in Wonderland Theme Is Perfect for the Grand Floridian
The experience has been reimagined with an Alice in Wonderland-themed menu featuring whimsical dishes and eight different teas along with specialty cocktails that incorporate tea, offering unique twist on traditional British afternoon tea.
Disney worked with Twinings to hand-select premium tea blends that offer something for everyone, including Orangery of Lady Grey, which is exclusive to Walt Disney World Resort, Nutty Chocolate Flavoured Assam, London Strand Breakfast, Spicy Chai, Exotic Mango & Ginger, Redbush Caramel Velvet, Lemongrass & Peppermint, and Blackcurrant & Lavender.
Expertly trained cast members serve as tea guides helping guests select teas and customize them by choosing aromatics added during steeping, creating educational elements where guests learn about tea varieties and preparation methods which honestly elevates the experience beyond just ordering tea from a menu.
The Food Looks Amazing
The menu includes a selection of Twinings teas plus guests will be able to savor three tiers of food following the traditional afternoon tea format. The savory selections include Curried Chicken Salad Playing Card Tart with savory curried chicken salad filling topped with cherry gelée, Footman's Feast Wonderland Salmon Crisp with salmon rillette on miso brown butter crisp, Tweedledee Egg Salad Sandwich with traditional egg salad on beet bread, and Caterpillar Cucumber Roll with butterfly pea-infused cream cheese and cucumbers on pumpernickel.
The sweet selections include The Matcha Mad Hatter sponge cake with apricot jam and yuzu buttercream, Tea Party Tart with vanilla tart coffee custard and chantilly cream, Flamingo Croquet Choux filled with passion fruit cream and raspberry crunch, and Painting the Rose Earl Grey-flavored teacake painted tableside which honestly sounds like the most Instagram-worthy item on the menu.
The Grand Floridian Cocktails Are Genius
The beverage menu offers more than just traditional tea with two special tea-based cocktails that honestly sound incredible. Mint Tulip combines Old Forester 1870 Original Batch Kentucky Straight Whiskey and Twinings Peach Mango Tea Refreshers herbal tea garnished with mint, while Mar-TEA-ni is made with Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin, Twinings Earl Grey Tea, lemon, and honey then topped with edible violet flower which is gorgeous.
The New Grand Floridian Kids' Menu Is Way More Affordable
The $49 Children's Afternoon Tea features adorably delicious bites including Queen of Hearts Cheese Toastie, Fanciful Turkey Wrap, Sunflower Seed Butter and Jelly Bun, Cheshire Cat Raspberry Macaron, Chocolate Brownie Branch, and vanilla White Rabbit Cupcake.
The children's pricing makes the experience accessible for families rather than being exclusively adult-oriented, addressing feedback that the previous Perfectly Princess Tea Party was prohibitively expensive at roughly $300 per child which was honestly insane.
Originally the Grand Floridian's afternoon tea catered mostly to adults while the Perfectly Princess Tea Party was special event for children and their parents featuring interactive elements and gifts, with both experiences being extremely popular and frequently sold out making their absence noticeable. This return fills the gap left by the shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 with the new experience priced at $79 per adult and $49 for children.
After the COVID-19 closures in 2020 while most experiences in the parks reopened within 6-20 months a handful didn't return until years later, making the Garden View Lounge Tea Experience one of the longest COVID-related closures at Walt Disney World.
