Trip Report: Afternoon Tea, Stock Cars, and Step Dancing

One thing I can definitely say about Walt Disney World, and I'm certain I've said it before and I am 100% sure that I shall say it again: there is something there for everyone.  This most recent trip to WDW, I feel, is one that really displayed that, as we went from one side of the spectrum, to the other, and then back again.

Our day began with a fairly early arrival at the Transportation and Ticket Center.  From there, we took a walk over to the Lost and Found, the location from which the Richard Petty Experience shuttle arrives and departs.  Once on board the shuttle, we had a pleasant chat with the driver, who had everyone fill out release forms for the experience and took us on our merry way.  Upon arrival, the folks behind the counter informed us that they were fairly solidly booked until the afternoon - we had not made reservations for the Experience, and we had lunch reservations elsewhere, so the brave soul in our party who was doing a stock car ride along (Tabby), decided to come back a bit later in the day.  We crossed back under the narrow tunnel below the track that serves as the entrance from the Magic Kingdom parking lot in the shuttle, and were taken to the Grand Floridian (According to our driver at the time, they are able to go anywhere in the Magic Kingdom area to pick people up/drop them off, though that may have been this particular driver being generous, so I would most definitely ask when you call to make your reservation for your driver - which, again, I highly recommend, so you can plan the rest of your day around it.

One of the Grand Floridian's glass domes

If you have never been to the Grand Floridian, the atmosphere is on the slightly opulent side.  One has a feeling of being slightly under dressed, but not in a terribly oppressive way - just in a way indicating that Disney did a good job recreating a late Victorian era beachside resort, when fancier dress was more the norm.  The immense lobby, with its beautifully elaborate glass domes, makes you feel a bit small, but never really loses the warmth that Disney is known for.  We had arrived for that quintessential upper crust experience: afternoon tea.

Tea!

The Garden View Tea Room provides the kind of experience one really desires when they think of afternoon tea - beautifully patterned china, a bowl of sugar cubes and tongs, finger sandwiches, and, of course, tea.  Going back to aforementioned feeling under dressed, many people showed up for the tea in clothes that would not look out of place at a summer Sunday morning brunch - shirts and slacks, sundresses, and the like, so if you're on the fashion-forward side, this may be something you'll want to consider when heading over to enjoy tea.  After we were seated, we were presented with our menus, and the experience began.

Pro tip: the higher you hold your pinky, the fancier you are.

The best values, and most full "experiences," are the prix fixe menus, which include a pot of tea, as well as a few courses of small food items, which vary depending on the service you select.  Mara, Ryan, Tabby and I all selected the Buckingham Tea, which was the lower end of the services, but held the most appeal for us.  First, our teas were brought out in individual pots.  There are a wide variety to select from, and we ordered the three Garden View signature blends - Mara and Ryan, the Mad Hatter, a flavorful tea with heavy fruit notes; Tabby, the Princess Breakfast, a decaf Rooibos blend with a light hint of strawberry; and myself, the Garden View blend, which was reminiscent of a lighter Early Grey.  All of the teas were quite good - and all but myself made use of the sugar cubes (I prefer my tea straight, which is definitely not for everyone), though Tabby also requested honey, which was brought to her in a tiny glass jar.

She really loved that tiny jar of honey

Nothing says tea like scones... except maybe "tea"

The first food items brought to us were a strawberry tart and that quintessential tea time item: a scone.  If you're from America, you're likely thinking "why, that's not a scone!  That's a biscuit!"  They're very similar, although from what I can tell, scones tend to be a bit richer, as they use cream in their recipes rather than buttermilk.  These particular ones also had golden raisins in them - not a favorite of mine, but not a deal breaker, either.  Accompanying these items were strawberry jam, clotted cream, and lemon curd.  My personal favorite of the three was the lemon curd, though the clotted cream added a nice, rich creaminess to the party.  The strawberry jam was good, as well, but with the strawberry tart alongside, it seemed like slight strawberry overkill. Tabby did, however, decide to put strawberry jam on her strawberry tart "just to see what would happen."  I was very afraid that this experiment might cause some sort of explosion, like dividing by zero, but, thankfully, it just made the strawberry tart strawberrier.  The tart was a very nice addition, the jam inside very thick and sweet to compliment the buttery crust.

Tiny sandwiches!

The next course was finger sandwiches: a selection of five sandwiches and one small onion tart.  First on the plate was the quintessential tea sandwich: cucumber, watercress, and cream cheese.  This one was very light and refreshing - definitely an excellent way to start.  Next was egg salad, which typically I am not a fan of, as I dislike hard boiled eggs and mayonnaise, and, indeed, this was my least favorite of the set.  Not particularly bad, though - creamy with a somewhat strong kick of onion.  Following that was the smoked salmon: a very nice, creamy blend - not overly fishy, by any means.  Next was my personal favorite: curry chicken salad.  The flavors of this one were quite bright and full - if you're a fan of curry, this is definitely a great item.  The pear and Gorgonzola was the last sandwich on the plate.  The Gorgonzola had a very strong flavor, which was cut down somewhat by the sweetness of the pears.  It may come as a bit of a surprise, but the onion tart served as the palate cleanser.  The onions are caramelized to the point of being quite sweet, and it's a good close to the sandwich course.

Pineapple-mango trifle

The pastry tray

Chocolate eclair and Margarita swan

Finally, we arrived at most people's favorite course: dessert.  There was an option of a pineapple mango trifle, strawberries and creme, or two pastries from the dessert tray brought around by our server.  Mara, Tabby, and Ryan all opted for the trifle, which was quite large for a one person dessert, and I chose two pastries: a Margarita cream swan and an eclair filled with chocolate chantilly cream.  The trifles were delightfully fruity, and the eclair was largely what you would expect: creamy and a strong chocolate flavor - very good, but not reinventing the wheel.  The Margarita cream swan reminded me a bit of key lime pie, which was perfectly fine by me.

Our server - devourer of swans

All in all, I'd definitely recommend this experience for those who enjoy a slightly more refined experience (though you don't necessarily need to be particularly refined to enjoy your time there - in fact, it's probably a little more fun if you aren't.)  Our server also definitely had a bit of fun with us, and took our requests for the recipes for... well... pretty much everything.  (If you didn't know, when you dine at Disney and like an item, just ask your server if you can get the recipe.  Nine times out of ten, the answer will be yes, and they'll just ask you to leave your e-mail address and what recipe you want to request.  It may take a little bit of time, but it's a great way to get your Disney Magic on at home!)

From the Grand Floridian, we made our way back to the Richard Petty Experience, with Mara and Ryan departing to enjoy a little bit of Frozen Summer at Hollywood Studios, as well as take their first ride on the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, which was a resounding success.  Tabby checked in at the desk and went to suit up for her ride along.

Only the highest of fashion for Tabby

If you're planning on taking a ride around the track, closed toed shoes are required.  They have shoes you can borrow, but I am 100% certain you'll prefer wearing your own to borrowing the shoes there.

Shoes!

From there, we headed outside and waited in line for Tabby's turn on the track.  There's a large sign as you wait that shows the hand signals you can give your driver, in case you want to go faster or get a bit nervous and would prefer to slow down - definitely a plus for anyone who is questioning whether or not they can handle the higher speeds.

Once her turn was called, Tabby hopped in the car and sped off down the track for her three laps.  Even as the daredevil of our group, Tabby found speeding around the track a little bit intimidating, especially when the driver got close to the wall on the turns.

Feeling the need for speed

The driver put her at ease, however, by saying that any crash on the Experience track was likely to be a sideswipe into the wall rather than head on, and really wouldn't cause much damage at all.  When watching the video of the ride (an item you can purchase for an additional charge), I could see the exact moment when Tabby relaxed and was grinning for the rest of her time in the stock car.  Meanwhile, I was practicing my action photography...

Nailed it.

The car was moving at approximately 10 MPH at this point.

We departed from the Richard Petty Experience, Tabby with a bit more adrenaline in her system and myself with a deep shame at my inability to time photographs properly, and headed over to meet up once again with Ryan and Mara at Downtown Disney.  We took a brief walk around, being sure to stop in at the Co-Op to visit Centerpiece, at which I picked up a small "Aloha" Polynesian plate, which I'll be sure to use whenever I get around to making some recipes from the restaurants at that resort ('Ohana bread pudding, anyone?)  From there, we headed to Raglan Road, a trip that you can find a full review of here.

This particular day, I feel, really shows that not only does Disney have something for everyone, but people can enjoy a variety of things.  There are a lot of experiences that Disney offers - be sure not to limit yourself to those that you normally think you'd enjoy.  Break out of your comfort zone, like I did when I went for that hot air balloon ride!  Until next time, be magical, everyone!

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