Afternoon Tea…..Ritz Style….

This weekend I am heading down to London for afternoon tea at the Ritz to celebrate my mothers-in-law 60th birthday.

What a perfect way to spend a very special birthday celebration, seems we may be a little lucky with the weather too.

The Ritz offers an extensive selection of 18 different types of loose-leaf tea with finely cut sandwiches followed by freshly baked scones with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry preserve and an assortment of pastries. I have been once before for afternoon tea at the Ritz. My sister and I took our parents a few years back to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Was a fantastic day one we will always remember especially when my mom spilt a whole pot of tea on the table, just hoping this doesn’t happen on Sunday!

You can’t beat a good afternoon tea and have been lucky enough to sample a few on different ships. Think the one that stands out for me was on the luxury Crystal ship. White gloved service, a classical choir in the background and an array of sandwiches and pastries made it a very special a memorable experience.

Most ships offer an afternoon tea experience, here are a few examples:

Holland America – offers two different afternoon tea events, each occurring once during 7- to 10-night sailings: Royal Dutch Tea and Indonesian Tea. You’ll head to the dining room for each event. Additionally, a regular, more casual afternoon tea service takes place every day.

PRINCESS – Princess serves up ‘British-style afternoon tea’ everyday, across the whole fleet. Complete with special touches – white tablecloths, hot water served from Samovars, and tea boxes filled with herbal and specialty teas. Your finger sandwiches, cookies, biscuits and cakes are served to you by white-gloved waiters in smart, formal attire – to really give you a sense of occasion.

CUNARD – Tea is held daily, with the exception of embarkation day, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in various locations across its fleet, including its crystal chandelier-clad ballrooms and intimate Grill lounges.

OCEANIA – Teatime every day at 4 p.m. in Horizons, an observation lounge with dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows that afford inspiring, panoramic views. Waiters transform this venue into a traditional tearoom with linen-topped tables, fine china and silver. A classical string quartet plays discretely in the background.
P&O – During the complimentary daily tea, P&O waiters serve a wide selection of finger sandwiches, traditional homemade British cakes, biscuits and fruit tartlets, as well as plain and flavoured scones with jam, butter and Devonshire clotted cream. You’ll also enjoy toasted teacakes and warm English crumpets. Twinings specialty loose-leaf teas are served, including traditional afternoon, English breakfast, Earl Grey, assam, darjeeling and lapsang souchong.