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on July 14, 2020 · 3 Comments

Afternoon Tea At The Grand Floridian

Photo credit: Yvette Salas

It was our last full day in Orlando and all of us wanted to make the most of it. I wanted to do something special and memorable. Initially, we thought about relaxing at the house before leaving the next day. However, after I really gave it some thought, I knew there were better ways to spend our day. After speaking with my family, we decided to split up. All of the ladies in my family decided to spend our day having afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian. As for the boys, they made plans to enjoy lunch and spend the afternoon at the resort pool. It was the perfect way to end our vacation. Honestly, as much as I love the parks, I think this was my favorite part of the trip. I’m pretty sure all the ladies would agree. 

I have always been in love with the Grand Floridian! It’s on my top 5 list of resorts I would love to stay at. There’s a feeling of nostalgia, or going back in time, the moment you enter the lobby. It is so elegant and the atmosphere is calmer than the other Disney resorts. I could literally sit in the lobby listening to the piano music for hours. My first visit was back in 2000. My sister and I decided one morning to have breakfast at the Grand Floridian Café. We were both in love with the beauty of the hotel lobby, the friendly staff and our delicious breakfast.   

Afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian was the very first dining reservation I made for our trip.  Our reservation was for 12:50pm, but we headed over earlier so we could walk around the beautiful grounds and lobby. It was a cloudy day but the Grand Floridian was a beautiful background to play host to one of the most memorable days of our trip. 

After being greeted and welcomed by a Disney cast member, we made our way around the lobby. It smelled wonderful in there. Soft, live piano music was playing in the background. It was beautifully decorated for Christmas and the gingerbread house was almost complete! I wasn’t sure if we would be visiting too early in the season to see it, but I’m so happy we were able to. It was gorgeous and it was amazing to watch them put the finishing touches on it. When I looked around at my family, I could see all the smiles and felt all the feels.  

As we made our way over to the Garden View Tea Room to check in, everyone stopped to take photos of the beautiful Mrs. Potts and Chip, placed in the tile flooring right at the entrance to the tearoom. We only had to wait for a few minutes and then we were shown to our table to be seated. Even though the day was cloudy, I enjoyed being able to sit near the window taking in the scenery of the outdoors.  

I had a sneak peek at the menu prior to leaving for our tea, so I had an idea of what I wanted to order. The hardest part for me is picking out what kind of tea I want to try. My sister and I went back and forth, “What tea are you getting?” We ended up choosing one of the seasonal tea selections and neither one of us can remember the exact name of, of course. Everyone in our party decided on the Bedfordshire Tea.   

The Bedfordshire Tea offers two courses and the finale. It was the perfect amount of food and delicious desserts for one person; but, it could have been shared by two. Honestly, I don’t think anyone would have offered up a share of their portion that day – it was that good! For my choice of dessert, I went with the Mousse-Filled Swan. It was delicious and the perfect way to end our afternoon tea. 

Once we finished our time at the Garden View Tea Room, we all were so excited to explore the rest of the resort. There were several weddings going on that day. We really enjoyed watching the couples pose for their wedding photos inside the lobby and outside on the beautiful grounds. It was a fairytale setting! 

All of the ladies wanted to shop! We made our way from store to store and floor to floor. I had already made a note of what I wanted to take away as a souvenir – the Grand Floridian key chain! I love it! I love the delicate charms and how they truly represent the feeling of the resort. Although I do not carry any keys on it, I carry it with me as a bag charm for my purse. 

Spending the afternoon at the Grand Floridian was a highlight of our trip. There is something about that resort that just makes you feel happy. I truly can’t wait to go back and enjoy the experience again. 

Have you been to the Grand Floridian and the afternoon tea? I would love to hear in the comments below!

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Filed Under: Disney Tagged With: Afternoon Tea, Disney, Disney Planning, Disney vacation, The Grand Floridian

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  1. Melanie says

    July 14, 2020 at 11:06 pm

    I would love to stay at the Grand Floridian sometime, though I doubt I’ll ever be able to afford it. I do; however, love going over for a visit. The piano player is always wonderful. Christmas time is fabulous with the giant Christmas tree and the gingerbread house. The smell is amazing! I also love the shops. I can always find something to buy there. I’ll have to try tea or one of the restaurants. We’ve never done that before. Glad you had a great time!

    Reply
    • Joann says

      July 15, 2020 at 12:57 pm

      Hi Melanie,

      I would definitely recommend you try the Afternoon Tea! I’m sure you would love it!

      Reply
  2. Christine Arnone says

    July 20, 2020 at 2:19 pm

    Hi Joann,

    The Floridian looks absolutely beautiful. I’m so glad you decided to go there & everyone had a great time.
    Wish I could have been there with you. Beautiful pictures, you all look great & well rested !!!

    Reply

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I'm Joann, a wife, a mom of twin boys (one of which is autistic and nonverbal), and welcome to my blog! Please make yourself comfortable, so I can share stories from my life, my mad addiction to beauty products and my love of all things Disney!

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lovealwaysjoann

Lovealways,Joann
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Good afternoon friends! Surprise! I'm excited to a Good afternoon friends! Surprise! I'm excited to announce my giveaway for reaching 400 followers here on Instagram! I am so grateful for your support and wanted to thank you all. I’m just a small growing blog and I surpassed my goal for 2020! I can’t tell you how many times this year I just wanted to give it up, but I kept going.  I just continued to remind myself the reason I started.  I just know my mom would have said, “Don’t give up, you go this.” My blog has really become such a passion and source of comfort to me as an autism mom.  So, thank you!
For those of you who have been following me for some time, you know of my deep love for the coastal town of Positano, Italy on the Amalfi Coast.  Over the last several months, I've shared in my stories one of my favorite YouTube channels, @Nickipositano and the Instagram account of @Bluestarpositano.  Both of these women have shared their life in Italy during the Covid lockdown.  Not only did they share one of the most beautiful places in the world, they created a digital E-book,  a cook book called, "Our Positano Cookbook." The cookbook features recipes that Nicki and Elisabeth have made throughout the lockdown.  Nicki shares her family's favorite recipes and Elisabeth shows you  how to make pasta from scratch, something she tried with her daughters while on lockdown.  To celebrate, I'm giving away your own digital copy of their amazing cook book, "Our Positano Cookbook."
To enter: 
Follow me here on Instagram 
Like this post 
Share this post for extra entry. That's it! Giveaway will end Saturday at Midnight! Winner will need to provide email address, as the cook book will be sent directly to your email account.  Please be sure to checkout Nicki’s YouTube channel and head over to see Elisabeth @bluestarpositano.  Go give them both a follow and enjoy their daily posts of beautiful Positano! 

A special thank you to @Nickipositano and @Bluestarpositano for allowing me to offer their cook book as a giveaway! 
Thank you again and good luck! 
Giveaway is not sponsored by Instagram #giveaway #positano #autism #autismdad #autismmom #autismlife #specialneeds #mommyblogger #iloveitaly #amalficoast #italy🇮🇹
Lights out 2020! I never make New Year's Eve reso Lights out 2020!  I never make New Year's Eve resolutions, mainly because they never work.  Instead, I create new goals for the new year, it just works better for me. .  Everyone has had a different journey this year.  For many it's been very difficult and some were able to find moments of joy and happiness.  As you enter 2021, leave behind the battles of 2020 if at all possible.  Move forward  with an open heart.  Embrace whatever comes your way.  Learn, grow and most of all love one another always! ❤️ Wishing you all a Very Happy and Healthy New Year! Love always, Joann xoxo 🎉❤️😘🍷🍷#newyearseve #goodbye2020 #lightsout2020 #welcome2021 #lovealwaysjoann 
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Story time- I started dating my husband in October Story time- I started dating my husband in October 1998.  When he asked me about celebrating the new year with him , I was so excited, of course I said yes! We decided to go into NYC.  No, we did not stand for hours in the freezing cold in the middle of Time Square, but instead decided to go to  a party at a night club we both loved.  I was very excited to spend it with him and to be in NYC even better! A few weeks before I suggested we make dinner reservations, but Gabe said, “Don’t worry about it, it’s NYC, we have so many places to choose from, it will be fine.” I didn’t want to be a nag and insist but I wasn’t sure if he was right about that.  When that ball dropped it would be 1999, and since everyone would be out celebrating that one, I knew the city would be crowded.  Well, as we drove into the city, we talked about what kind of food we wanted.  We started out at a few of the places we had been to before.  As we made our way inside, the host asked. “Do you have a reservation?” Ah - no.  Next place, “I’m sorry, you need a reservation.” Next, “Do you blah, blah, blah..” And again, “No we don’t.” After trying every single restaurant in NYC, (lol) he turns to me and says, “I guess you were right.” We ended up having two hot dogs and a large non alcoholic orange drink from @grayspapayanyc , a local hot dog place.  So, was I mad or upset? Absolutely not! We both laugh about that now and we always agree,  it was the best New Year’s Eve dinner we ever had!  I love that we have a story to share about our first time spending NYE together! We had such a great time that night.  That was the night I knew I would marry him.  After all, as the saying goes, the one you kiss at midnight is your one true love.  Maybe not for everyone but it worked for us. 🥰❤️🤪#grayspapayanyc #newyearseve #1999 
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#sensoryprocessingdisorder 
#mommyblogger #autismblog
As we get closer to the end of the year, how would As we get closer to the end of the year, how would you reflect on 2020? How has this year changed you? For me personally, I feel that as hard as this year has been, it could have been worse.  In the beginning of March during the first weeks of the  shut down, I was not equipped mentally or physically to handle it.  I remember thinking and evening posting repeatedly, today was hard, today was rough, today was awful. Little by little, month by month, as I let go of so much that was weighing me down, things felt better.  Once I started focusing on my reactions to stressful situations, things felt calmer.  I can look back on it now and see how far I've come.  I can see how this year has helped me in adapting to change and reacting to it in a better way.  I've grown so much as an autism mom and feel more confident in my ability to parent more effectively.  It's made me more aware of the little things, the true importance of family relationships, and learning how not to sweat the small stuff.  I've never been able to accept my son's autism diagnosis.  And although, I may never get to a place where I can comfortably say, "It's okay that Michael has autism," I can say that I'm definitely in a more peaceful place.  The push and pull, the fight and flight aspect of my every day life as an autism mom, has just become something I am better at responding to.  My friend Blair @blairblogs posted her word of the year for 2021.  It really had me thinking and I finally figured out my word of the year.  My word is "Bloom." I have chosen this word because I've grown so much this past year as an autism mom, a wife, in faith and as a blogger.  I want to continue to grow, flourish and BLOOM!! #word #wordoftheyear #bloom 
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#autism #autismmom #autismdad #autismfamily #autismawareness #autismacceptance #autismstars #specialneeds #specialneedsmom #specialneedsfamily #autismlife 
#littlestoriesofmylife #asd 
#sensoryprocessingdisorder 
#mommyblogger #autismblog
On this day 7 years ago, I watched you take your f On this day 7 years ago, I watched you take your final breath.  Every day since then, I’ve tried to do my best to make you proud.  I’ve done my best to keep your memory alive in sharing stories all about you with my boys.  I’ve done my best to live a life filled with love, faith and honesty just as you did.  I feel so blessed that God gave me a mom as wonderful as you.  I miss you every day and  I wish I could hug you just one more time.  The warmth of memories with you fill my heart with love and glimpses of the joy that lives  in my heart knowing we will meet again.  Until then, I ❤️you mom. #imissmymom #grief #griefjourney #angelinheaven #moments #memories
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