Celebrate Your Child’s Unbirthday at the Wonderland Tea Party

by Fancy Free Diva

I love the Walt Disney World celebration buttons. When you wear one, people seem to go out of their way to wish you a “Happy Anniversary” or a “Happy Birthday.” But what if it’s not your birthday? Well, then, it must be your Un-Birthday! And you should celebrate your Un-birthday at 1900 Park Fare’s Wonderland Tea Party – that is, if you’re not too old!

Diva tip: The Wonderland Tea Party is only available to guests aged 4-12. No parents allowed!

This very merry tea party is held Monday through Friday from 2-3 pm in the Grand Floridian’s 1900 Park Fare restaurant. As teatime approaches, parents and children check in at the restaurant’s main desk. Parents are asked to fill out paperwork with emergency contact information and to sign a waiver. Once the paperwork is complete, the tea-party-goers say goodbye to the grown-ups and head into the restaurant, but only after saying the magic words: Merry Unbirthday!

Once the children are whisked into the party, there are no grown-ups allowed. For the record, all of the information included in the rest of this article comes directly from Fancy Free Daughter and the Fancy Free Nieces. In addition, all of the photographs of the party come from Memory Maker.

Diva tip: If you plan to have your little one attend this party, Memory Maker is a must-purchase! It’s the only way you’ll be able to “see” what happened and “look back on” the memories of that day.  Check out Dopey Diva’s Memory Maker Tips, too!

The party is set up in the middle of the 1900 Park Fare Dining room, and all of the partygoers are seated around one long table. This is a rather small affair, as only 25 guests are invited to each tea party.  Because the guest list is so limited, advance reservations are a must!

Once the party gets underway, the partygoers are served “tea” (apple juice) in their own little teapot and teacup. The teacakes are actually vanilla cupcakes that they get to decorate themselves using frosting and sprinkles. Each child is given his or her own plate of frosting and sprinkles to decorate with, so there should be no concerns about germs or sharing.

Diva tip: When I asked at the check-in desk, I was told that allergen-free snacks are available, but they should be pre-arranged at the time the reservation is made.

Soon after the party got underway, two mystery guests appeared: Alice and the Mad Hatter! Fancy Free Daughter was so excited to meet them, but after the party, she said she was “scared that the bad girl would come to take my head off.” Fortunately, the Queen of Hearts did not make an appearance, all of the guests got to keep their heads, and the girls had a wonderful time playing games and doing crafts with Alice and the Mad Hatter.

Diva tip: If your child is old enough to keep track of it, make sure that he or she brings an autograph book along to the party. Fancy Free Daughter, age 4 at the time, did not have her autograph book with her, so Alice and the Mad Hatter both signed one of the crafts she made at the party instead.

The three girls who went to the party, ages 4, 5, and 7, all reported having such a good time being creative, joking and sharing stories with the characters, and playing games.

The crafts consisted of making a teapot picture frame using craft foam and foam stickers and creating a flower bouquet using fresh flowers secured with brightly colored ribbons.  The girls also reported playing croquet with flamingo croquet mallets and hedgehog croquet balls, just like in the movie. In addition, everyone got to take home a teapot shaped bath toy water squirter, too.

When the girls emerged from the tea party, they were all grinning from ear-to-ear and brimming with excitement. All three of them had stories to tell and fun anecdotes to share. It was clear that all of them had a great time at this whimsical tea party event.

This is something we will definitely do again. Fancy Free Daughter and the Fancy Free Nieces had so much fun, and the grown-ups got to relax and shop a little bit, all the while knowing that the kids were safe and being entertained. If you have little ones who enjoy character interaction, this party is really a wonderful opportunity. It lasts for an hour, and because the guest list is limited to 25, each child really does get to spend some quality time with the characters in a fun-filled environment.

Reservations for the Wonderland Tea party can (and should) be made 180 days in advance by calling (407) WDW-DINE or (407) 939-3463. The cost per child was approximately $50 (as of July 2015).

 

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