Credit: Frank Phillips, FlickrAfter six long years, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will reopen its afternoon tea experience on March 19, 2026. This beloved Garden View Lounge Tea Experience, which has been closed since March 2020 due to the pandemic, is eagerly anticipated by Disney guests. Reservations became available on February 19 and are in high demand, prompting guests to book early and stay alert for last-minute openings.
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 a unique twist on traditional British afternoon tea.
The Disney Tea Selections
Disney worked with Twinings to hand-select premium tea blends that offer something for everyone, including loose-leaf selections such as London Strand Breakfast and Spicy Chai, as well as unique flavor combinations. Orangery of Lady Grey is a light and fragrant black tea with bright citrus notes of orange and bergamot, offering a refreshing twist on classic Earl Grey inspired by sunlit English orangeries and exclusive to Walt Disney World Resort. Nutty Chocolate Flavoured Assam is a rich Assam black tea that combines the flavors of smooth chocolate and roasted hazelnuts, inspired by the timeless pairing of tea and chocolate.
London Strand Breakfast offers bold and malty Assam black teas with golden-tipped leaves for richness and full-bodied finish, while Spicy Chai is a blend of African black tea and Rooibos with fragrant spices for rich and delicious chai. Exotic Mango & Ginger is a rich, fragrant blend of mango and ginger layered over a base of green tea, while Redbush Caramel Velvet is a vibrant copper-red herbal infusion made from South African redbush leaves flavored with caramel and safflowers for a smooth, comforting cup.
Lemongrass & Peppermint offers a refreshing lemongrass blend with sweet peppermint, creating an uplifting, smooth herbal citrus infusion, while Blackcurrant & Lavender is a rich, fragrant herbal blend delivering the essence of autumn with fiery golden leaves, vibrant holly berries, and fields of amber harvests. Expertly trained cast members serve as tea guides, helping guests select teas and customize them by choosing aromatics added during steeping, and creating educational elements where guests learn about tea varieties and preparation methods.
The Food Offerings
The three-tier tea tower offers substantial savory options like Curried Chicken Salad Playing Card Tart featuring 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 delicious combination of butterfly pea-infused cream cheese and cucumbers on pumpernickel.
The sweet tier includes 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 with choux pastry filled with passion fruit cream and raspberry crunch, and Painting the Rose Earl Grey-flavored teacake painted tableside, adding an element of theater. Guests start with Orange-Cranberry Scone, combining classic English elements with the fun of Alice-themed touches for a balanced afternoon dining experience.
Additional enhancements are available for purchase, including Seasonal Cheese Selection and Royal Osetra Caviar with Mini Chive Biscuits and Traditional Accompaniments, allowing guests to upgrade their experience with premium add-ons similar to how the previous Berkshire package offered caviar at higher price points.
The Cocktails and Specialty Beverages
The beverage menu offers more than just traditional tea with two special tea-based cocktails. 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. These cocktails use tea as a key ingredient, enhancing the afternoon tea experience beyond traditional service.
For those who prefer non-alcoholic options, the menu features specialty teas with fun names relating to the Alice in Wonderland theme, offering options for guests who do not drink alcohol or prefer non-tea beverages. Champagne and sparkling wines are also available, helping create a festive atmosphere for special occasions and allowing toasts and celebrations during afternoon tea.
The Children’s Experience
The $49 Children’s Afternoon Tea features adorably delicious bites, including savory items like Queen of Hearts Cheese Toastie, Fanciful Turkey Wrap, and Sunflower Seed Butter and Jelly Bun, as well as desserts such as Cheshire Cat Raspberry Macaron, Chocolate Brownie Branch, and vanilla White Rabbit Cupcake. The children’s pricing and menu make 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.
A plant-based menu option is also available, ensuring guests with dietary restrictions or preferences can participate in the afternoon tea experience without being limited to just bread and vegetables, while others enjoy the full menu, demonstrating Disney’s commitment to accommodating various dietary needs.
The Historical Disney Context
Originally, the Grand Floridian’s afternoon tea catered mostly to adults, offering teas and treats at varying prices, while the Perfectly Princess Tea Party was a special event for children and their parents, featuring interactive elements and gifts. Both experiences were extremely popular and frequently sold out, making their absence noticeable to fans who had enjoyed them before the pandemic closures.
This return fills the gap left by the shutdown of both the traditional afternoon tea and the Perfectly Princess Tea Party during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, with the new experience priced at $79 per adult and $49 for children, offering families a chance to enjoy this elegant tradition. After the COVID-19 closures in 2020, while most experiences in the parks reopened within 6-20 months, a handful did not return until years later, and, believe it or not, there are still a handful that have not returned.
The Disney Reservation Details
Reservations opened February 19, 2026, with guests able to book 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, including the Grand Floridian able to book for the entire duration of their trip up to 10 days beginning 60 days before arrival potentially booking up to 70 days out. That extended booking window for resort guests provides an advantage in securing reservations for what will likely be a highly sought-after experience, given the six-year absence and limited daily capacity.
The tea experience takes place in the Garden View Lounge at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, a space known for its elegant Victorian-inspired design with large windows overlooking the resort’s lush gardens and grounds. The location offers natural light and garden views, creating an appropriate atmosphere for afternoon tea and complementing the Alice in Wonderland theming through its connection to nature and whimsy.