During my wedding week, I hosted a Bridal Tea Party at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. I was hopeful they would be able to accommodate me just as well as my non-vegan guests. I was really excited to experience this and see what was new from Melissa’s last review from 2018.
We arrived and were seated immediately after check-in. The Garden View Lounge is located straight back from the main lobby of the resort. If you have never had the chance to visit the Grand Floridian, I recommend making the trip just for the ambiance alone.
We were seated at a round table next to a window and had beautiful garden views. Our server greeted us and had the note I was vegan. I had called ahead two months prior to make this reservation and let them know about my dietary needs. She gave us an overview of the experience, went over the menus, and said the chef would be coming out to speak to me. We decided on which teas to order in the meantime.
For this service you have a few different options. There are three different tea services with varying prices and the best one for vegans is ‘The Bedfordshire Tea’ which includes the traditional afternoon tea experience, a medley of finger sandwiches, traditional scone with accompaniments, and a choice of dessert (the higher level options include cheese plates and Caviar).
The chef came out and let me know he would be making me finger sandwiches with vegan cream cheese, cucumbers, avocado, roasted peppers, pears, and beets. For the scone replacement he was bringing a spice cake with fruit jam and for the dessert he would bring fresh fruit.
Our table was served the tea and finger sandwiches first. I had a plate of five different sandwiches each with the vegan cream cheese base. My favorites were the roasted pepper and one with layered roasted pear and beet slices. I can’t remember the last time I had finger sandwiches and they were all really fresh and fun to eat.
I ordered a pot of the Budding Meadow Camomile tea which paired perfectly with the sandwiches. We were served dessert next and I was given two loaf slices of the spice cake (Erin McKenna’s Bakery) with raspberry jam and both were really good.
My fresh fruit was sliced strawberries and pineapple. My non-vegan guests were served more as far as the scone and dessert portion (they had super cute pastries in the shape of swans) but, I was happy with my alternatives.
This was a really special experience I shared with people close to me and we all really enjoyed it. I think for the tea service experience it is worth the cost ($35). They also have a tea service for kids called ‘Mrs. Potts Tea’ (Ages 3-9) so you can enjoy this with your tiny humans as well ($23.79). With the right occasion, I would do this experience again.
Price $$$
Review from October 2019