Review of Disney's Grand Adventures for Kids - Wonderland Tea Party
Written: Oct 06 '09 (Updated Oct 09 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: great time with Alice & the Mad Hatter, fun experience
Cons: lunch isn't served, only a cupcake!
The Bottom Line: Little girls will enjoy Tea with Alice & the Mad Hatter
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| marytara's Full Review: Walt Disney World - Wonderland Tea Party |
My daughter is a little diva princess who from about the age of two has liked to play "tea parties". So, when I learned that Disney offered special girly tea parties that you could book during your visit, of course I looked into it. There are two different tea parties that you can book, both are at the Grand Floridian Resort. The first is for a parent/child to enjoy together called the "My Disney Girls Perfectly Princess Tea" and is a tea party with Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and is $200 (ouch!), the other is an hour long drop-off tea party - the Wonderland Tea Party with Alice in Wonderland and it is $40. I booked this one for my daughter.
Info
The Wonderland Tea Party is held on weekdays at 2pm and must be booked as far as 90 days in advance at 407-WDW-DINE. It is $40 ($42.60) with tax and paid at the door. You do give a credit card when reserving the tea party and will be charged a penalty fee if you do not cancel 24 hrs ahead or no-show. It is for children 4-10 years old (must be potty trained) and mostly attended by girls though boys are welcome. There is a maximum of 25 children for the tea party per day.
Our Experience
My daughter is 4 1/2 and was very excited to attend the Wonderland Tea Party. I told her that she would get to meet Alice in Wonderland and she watched her Alice in Wonderland DVD over and over in anticipation. I went on eBay and got her a handmade Alice in Wonderland dress for her to wear to the tea party. Many of the little girls attending will wear fancy dresses, this is a tea party after all - and you'll also see some who have gone to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and are dressed as their favorite princess, you'll probably also see a few little girls dressed as Alice - and yes, some kids come in 'plain clothes' too - anything goes here.
Arrive at the Grand Floridian 15 minutes early to get checked in for the Wonderland Tea party. It is held in the 1900 Park Fare restaurant which is closed for lunch. When you check in, you will pay and then give them your cell phone number for where they can reach you during the tea party. You are given a "claim ticket" with your child's first name on it that you need to keep in order to get your child back at the end of the tea party. Your child is given a sticker with their name on it and introduced to the Cast Members who are in charge of the party.
**This is important for anyone with children attending - you cannot stay with your child for this event. My daughter goes to preschool and is used to being away from me, so we had no detachment issues. The day we went (in late Sept '09) it seemed that the parents were the ones who were have the detachment issues more than the kids, anyways.
They do require you to stay for the 15 minutes or so until your child is led into the 'party room' (park fare restaurant). During that time they have the kids sit criss-cross applesauce on the floor in a circle and the cast members ask the kids questions about their favorite rides, favorite princess and such as an ice breaker. The day my daughter attended there were about a dozen kids - 2 alices including my daughter, all the attendees were girls. My daughter said "there were some big girls and some little girls like me. The big girl who sat next to me was nice." There ya have it.
So, at 2pm they line the girls up and lead them into the room. They ask for parents to follow in and get your child seated. The table is done up all fancy for tea with a Alice in Wonderland and Mad Hatter centerpiece. Each place setting has a cupcake in front of it with little condiment cups of frosting, sprinkles, etc. The cast member reminds parents to leave their child's autograph book with your child (be sure their name is in it) and that if your child doesn't have one you can get one in one of the Grand Floridian shops quickly or not worry because "the special guests" will sign a special photo for all the children. I left my daughter with her autograph book and pen, and I'm glad that I did. If your child can work a camera, you could also leave a camera with them - I didn't as I wanted my daughter to be enjoying herself and not playing with a camera!
At this point they have the kids raise their hand up over their heads and tell them to wave "good bye" to all the parents and tell them to leave. The cast members threaten that the last parent out of the room has to do all the dishes! You are directed to come back at 3pm to retrieve your child (or they could end up in the Small World exhibit Ha!)
So now you have a child free hour to yourself to do as you wish. There are a lot of shops and restaurants and pretty sights to take in at the Grand Floridian Resort and most parents didn't stray far. I got something to drink and enjoyed the quiet. I also had a little birdie tell me to not stray real far away because sometimes, not all the time - the kids will come out into the lobby of the Grand Floridian or go out into the courtyard. The Mad Hatter is known to do crazy things like one time he got into the giant birdcage and Alice yelled at him. Apparently it is all up to the Alice & Mad Hatter and that they don't always do it the same way each time. I figured I would hang around not so far in case I could catch any glimpses. I didn't see anything but oh did I hear. The Mad Hatter is a HOOT and oh how I respect Alice!
At the tea party your child will enjoy special "Apple Tea" (Juice) and get to decorate and eat a cupcake. My daughter said she didn't like the frosting but she liked her "muffin" (Alice called it a muffin). There is no lunch served at the Wonderland Tea Party at this time. I didn't know this when I booked in in June 2009 and was told that the kids would have finger sandwiches and chicken nuggets. Apparently Disney has done away with the food menu and it is cupcakes and juice now. I think for the price, they should feed them something!
The castmembers lead the kids in a craft activity which is one of those "create a mug" crafts. Your child colors an Alice in Wonderland coloring page and then they snap it into a white plastic mug. This craft is chintzy but my daughter enjoyed it.
The kids are joined by Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter. My daughter told me about the conversations that she had with Alice and how the Mad Hatter has a silly nose. She was also quick to tell me that he burps a lot and that he likes to throw grapes. She told me that they played games - hide and seek, simon says and follow the leader. They also had a storytime at some point during the hour - I am not sure of the details. A disney photographer takes a picture of your child with Alice and the Mad Hatter that is given to you at the end of the tea party (and it is autographed). They also signed my daughter's autograph book.
At 3pm when I returned to pick my daughter up, they wait til all the parents have arrived and then a cast member comes out. The room is very quiet and the lights are dark. They tell you that the Mad Hatter and Alice have gotten all the kids to agree to take a nap. When I entered all the kids heads were down on the table and then on cue the kids all popped up and said "surprise" and held up a tiny bouquet of flowers for a "gift". We enjoyed the flowers (in a water glass) in our resort room for the duration of our stay.
My daughter thoroughly enjoyed her special tea party with Alice and also loved that she was dressed just like her. She left the tea party glowing and told me some really funny stuff about the Mad Hatter. Little girls who enjoy Alice in Wonderland will be all over the Wonderland Tea Party. Moms and Dads who need an hour to re-charge while kids are safely having a good time will also appreciate this and other "Grand Adventure for kids" events offered in "The World".
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
marytara
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 in Education, Kids & Family |
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Member: MT
Location: Jersey Shore
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