My best friend Audra (and the maid of honor in our wedding) lives in Orlando, and every time I visit, there is never a shortage of things to do. Even better, she used to work for Disney and has tons of connections, so when we wanted to do formal tea at the Grand Floridian last minute, she made a phone call and made it happen.

We arrived early to walk around the hotel. For those who haven’t been, Disney’s Grand Floridian is styled after Victorian era Florida. At the time, the railway was just being built in Florida and Henry Flagler was pioneering the Florida East Coast Railway. This made it much easier for New Yorkers to travel south for the winter – and by “south,” I mean “all the way to Key West.” That’s right, the train traveled from Jacksonville, and over water to Key West. Those of you who frequent Palm Beach or the Breakers may know the Flagler name. Palm Beach exists because of Henry Flagler.

The Grand Floridian is on the Disney monorail line, and so the hotel is modeled like a Victorian train station hotel. Both entrances – upstairs by monorail and downstairs by car – are exactly the same, and bring you into the grand lobby. Off the lobby are amenities any long-stay traveler would need – a salon, several restaurants, separate men’s and women’s boutiques, a gentleman’s lounge, afternoon and evening entertainment from a jazz orchestra, and a tea room.

People in Victorian times traveled often and collected souvenirs from exotic places, and the lobby is reflective of that traveler lifestyle. The furniture and lamps feel very “collected;” no two pieces are the same, though they all coordinate. You’ll see many birdcages that flock the lobby. Apparently, people in that era loved birds, and would travel with their pets, so the birdcages were something that would be packed up along with the rest of their belongings as they traveled from one place to another.

Formal Tea at the Grand Floridian, held in the Garden View Tea Room, is something every Disney-goer should experience. They do a fantastic job at replicating the formal teas I’ve experienced in London, and the atmosphere is elegant and refreshing.

This weekend was our “Goodbye Weekend” since I won’t see Audra until she visits England this summer. My husband Martin joined us (he’s British and loves tea!). We decided to go all out with our formal tea; we all ordered Veuve Clicquot and added on the fruit cheese plate to the traditional tea package. It was celebratory and festive and a ton of food.

For my tea, I selected apple and elderflower. I absolutely love the taste of elderflower. It’s refreshing and light and perfect. Martin ordered the strawberries and cream for dessert, perfectly topped with the Grand Floridian logo. My favorite dessert ever is a French macaron, so I opted for the pastry selection. The eclair was a swan! Of course it was, because #Disney.

Travel tip: If you can get to Disney the week after New Year’s, do it. The parks tend to clear out after the holidays and hotel rates go down.

Fashion note: This dress was my first ever Lilly Pulitzer purchase. I found it on eBay and it transformed my life. I love the travel map print, called X Marks the Spot and style it with or without a belt to change up the look. It’s the perfect piece to transition between seasons.

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer, similar here. Sunglasses: Tiffany & Co. Handbag: Michael Kors.

On Audra, dress: J.Crew, also here. Elephant Pendant: Kate Spade.