Disney Turned Its Grand Floridian Tea Into an Alice in Wonderland Party
Disney’s most refined afternoon tea just fell down the rabbit hole. In a review published July 17, 2026, the Disney Parks Blog revealed that the Garden View Lounge at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa now serves a reimagined, Alice in Wonderland-themed afternoon tea, complete with a three-tiered tower of savory and sweet treats, eight Twinings tea selections, and playful nods to Wonderland on nearly every plate. If you thought a “spot of tea” at Disney World was a quiet, buttoned-up affair, this reboot is here to change your mind.
Here is what matters right now: the tea is available to reserve today through the official Walt Disney World site, it is served in a “reimagined” version of the lounge following the venue’s reopening, and the menu leans hard into whimsy without losing the elegance the Grand Floridian is known for. Below, we break down every course, the tea program, and why we think this is one of the more interesting dining refreshes Disney has rolled out this summer.
What Changed at the Garden View Lounge
According to Disney’s official review, the Garden View Lounge experience has been “reimagined” rather than replaced — Disney describes a renovation of an existing venue rather than a brand-new restaurant. The result is a full Alice in Wonderland overlay applied to the classic afternoon tea format.
The signature of any proper afternoon tea is the tiered stand, and Disney confirms this one arrives as a three-tiered tower:
| Tier | Course | What’s on it |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom | Savory | Curried Chicken Salad Playing Card Tart, Footman’s Feast: Wonderland Salmon Crisp |
| Middle | Sandwiches & rolls | Tweedledee Egg Salad Sandwich, Caterpillar Cucumber Roll |
| Top | Sweet | Flamingo Croquet Choux, Matcha Mad Hatter cake, Painting the Rose (Earl Grey teacake), Tea Party Tart |
Scones anchor the middle of the experience — Orange-Cranberry Scones served with butter, Devonshire cream, and preserves — and Disney notes that additional scones are available on request. There is even a hand towel service with rose water described as a “theatrical flourish,” the kind of small, tableside moment that turns a meal into a bit.
The Tea Program Is the Real Star
The food gets the Wonderland names, but the tea itself is where this experience earns its “afternoon tea” title. Disney’s review confirms eight Twinings tea options, each prepared in an individual teapot for the guest who ordered it, with refills included. That per-guest teapot detail is a meaningful upgrade — it means a table of four can each drink something different rather than sharing one pot.
Disney also calls out an Orangery of Lady Grey blend described as exclusive to Walt Disney World Resort, and notes that Stephen Twining — the tenth generation of the Twinings tea family — personally visited when the reimagined restaurant reopened. Asked about his own tea preference, his answer, per Disney, was simply: “Depends on which tea.” It is a small quote, but it signals the level of partnership Disney is putting behind this program.
Our Take: A Smart, Underrated Refresh
We think this reboot is quietly one of the more clever dining moves at Disney World right now, and here is why.
First, themed afternoon tea is a format that rewards detail, and the Alice in Wonderland lens gives Disney’s chefs a license to be playful with names and presentation without gimmick-ing up the food itself. A “Curried Chicken Salad Playing Card Tart” is still, at its core, a curried chicken salad tart — the theme sits on top of a genuinely composed savory course rather than replacing it.
Second, the eight-tea, individual-teapot structure signals that this is being treated as a serious tea service, not a photo-op. For guests who want a slower, seated, air-conditioned break from Florida’s summer heat, a multi-course tea with unlimited refills and on-request scones is a strong value proposition compared to grabbing a snack on the go.
Third, the location matters. The Grand Floridian sits one monorail stop from Magic Kingdom, which makes the Garden View Lounge one of the easiest “special occasion” dining experiences to slot into a park day without renting a car or booking a long transfer.
A few practical notes before you get too excited: Disney’s review does not list a price, exact service hours, or an end date for the Alice in Wonderland theme, so we are not going to invent those numbers. Disney directs guests to reserve online through the official Walt Disney World site, and given how tea services at the Grand Floridian have historically booked up, we would treat a reservation as essential rather than optional.
Should You Book It?
If you are the kind of Disney World visitor who plans a dedicated table-service experience into every trip — a character breakfast, a signature dinner, a lounge afternoon — this reimagined Garden View Lounge tea deserves a spot on your shortlist. It is themed enough to feel like a Disney experience and refined enough to feel like a genuine afternoon tea, and that combination is rarer than it sounds.
For the full first-party review and photos of every course, see Disney’s official write-up on the Disney Parks Blog.
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