Royal Teddy Bear Tea

The Royal Teddy Bear Tea is a dream day for a little girl.
When I first joined Unilocal I never expected that I would be writing a review of an event geared towards those who love Dora, Diego and American Girl Dolls. But here I am and I will do my best to describe the event from the perspective of a little girl.
Omg dad. There’s like a Santa and Mrs. Claus and a bunch of randos in furry costumes. It’s like a furry convention or something, but with hot chocolate. Ok. Apparently the getting into character part of the review isn’t working so I will resume using my own voice.
As others have mentioned the tea is pretty expensive. Taking my crew would’ve been well north of $ 100, but thanks to Unilocal I scored free tickets. I found the hotel parking lot, but it was booked for guests only. That meant parking a block and a half away which wouldn’t normally have been a big deal, but walking with two kids down Bourbon Street meant dad’s head was on a swivel. This is par for the course when visiting the quarter so I won’t hold it against the tea folks.
Inside we were brought to a room with Sanata for photos. The photos were viewable immediately then printed and handed over before the tea. This was a very nice touch.
The ballroom where the tea was held consisted of a stage, tables and Christmas themed decorations throughout. Each table heald around 10 – 12 and everyone was served the same food based on their age. The food for kids was typical frozen fare with a PBNJ uncrustable. Adults were given some sort of tea sandwiches one of which contained cucumber. That sandwich was put on to a neighboring tray because cucumbers are revolting. For the price the food was very disappointing. I would imagine if it had been set up buffet style the quality of food could have been increased while maintaining profitability.
The show was very entertaining for the children in attendance. There was a sing a long, story telling, pictures with Mrs. Claus plus the characters came around to each table to scare the adults and make the kids smile. Even though this is not something I would normally like, the looks on my children’s faces made the whole thing worthwhile.
If you have little girls and disposable income, I recommend you check out this event.

I brought my 5 year niece to this event. It was our first time. While we had a nice time, I didn’t feel the event was done on the level that it should’ve been done considering that the price is $ 85 for adults, and $ 65 for kids.
The Good:
Really pretty room and decorations
Everyone was so nice! When my phone died, one of the servers used his phone to take a couple of photos, and then texted them to me. All of the characters were really friendly and fun!
Great take-​aways including tea cup and saucer, light up tiara, teddy bear, photo with Santa.
Characters did a great job of making sure to interact with each child.
The event flowed in an efficient way, and kept the kids’ attention.
The Bad:
Finding parking was confusing. I pulled up to the front of the hotel and waited, but a valet person never came out. Finally I stuck my head inside and asked someone who directed me to their garage, which was around the corner. They should have some sort of sign at the front of the hotel that indicates this. Other Unilocalers never figured out the parking situation, and had to find street parking.
While everyone was really nice, I didn’t find the service to be as polished as it should be for afternoon tea. There was much waiting on refills on drinks.
The food was not very good. With the regular price, and with it being at a nice hotel, I expected more. The cookies were just cookies that you’d buy in a grocery store. The sandwiches were just mediocre, and some of the bread was stale.
For the kids’ food, it was just standard frozen and packaged stuff. I’m all about giving kids what they like, like chicken nuggets and mac and cheese. But for an event of this price and caliber, it should’ve been homemade and not the same frozen stuff we buy in the grocery store. The peanut butter and jelly should’ve been homemade, not prepackaged Uncrustables.
I found the character’s outfits to be worn looking.
I did have a nice time spending time with my niece, and she seemed to have an good time, but in reviewing in all fairness, there’s no way I would spend $ 150 for this event. It’s just not worth that. $ 160 once you add in parking.

I had heard of the Royal Teddy Bear Tea, but had never gone until this year (thanks to Unilocal). Pricing was always part of that… like Niki mentioned, it’s a little expensive, and I didn’t want to drop that kind of money not knowing what to expect.
First — parking. I never did find it. Part of that was me just wanting to get away from Bourbon St to avoid hitting Falcon fan pedestrians, so I didn’t loop around the block. Apparently it was along the side of the building. Who knew.
I found a not-​quite-​legal spot on Canal and walked a few blocks. No ticket, so it’s all good, but a sign or some sort of directions would probably be helpful for the Royal Sonesta parking in general.
Second — the characters. They were all great, and totally in character. Santa was enthusiastic, Mrs Claus was kind & gentle, the Sugar Plum Fairy was nice, and we also got to hang out with Rudolph and Frosty. Bonus points for photos with Santa, since that means I didn’t have to go stand in line at the mall this year (woo!).
Third — the food. The grown up spread was alright. A little too full of cream cheese and mayo with the sandwiches for my personal liking, but they put some effort into it. The kids food looked like someone went to Costco and just loaded up on fried stuff, and uncrustable Smuckers sandwiches. My kid, who generally LIKES that junk (she isn’t normally allowed to have it), didn’t even touch it. The cookies and whatnot were pretty good, though.
Overall, my 5 yr old daughter had a great time and wants to go back next year, so that’s definitely a 4-​star rating right there.
I wish parking were easier, I wish the food was a bit better, but as far as kid-​friendly Christmas entertainment, it was good, and again, the Santa photos almost make it worth the price of admission since I don’t have to visit the mall.

On the first day of Christmas my awesome CM said to me, «Do you want to go to the Royal Teddy Bear Tea?»
I have always wanted to do this. ALWAYS. It’s been on my Nola bucket list for a while now. This time of year we get so busy but when the opportunity presented itself I knew. Go… or regret not going.
The Royal Teddy Bear Tea at the Royal Sonesta is an experience you or your child won’t soon forget. We sang, we ate, we played. My little girl was in good company with other little ones.(#miniyelpers)
The food was yummy and the kids were treated like royalty. It was so much fun! Thanks Morgan and thank you, Royal Sonesta! You gave us a cherished memory for life.