Victoria High Tea at the Empress Hotel Excursion Reviews

Beautiful gracious old building in perfect setting, a taste of days gone by. Introduced by host and then served strawberries & cream before she poured our first cup of tea. The array of foods went from savoury treats to scones, jam & cream , to sweet goodies. Very generous helpings and bottomless tea cups.

Provider: Holland America Line

We didn't have High Tea, but we had Afternoon Tea at the Empress. Before we went, I asked on the Boards for some advice as to whether we should do this or the Butchart Gardens since we could not get an excursion to do both. The votes were probably pretty evenly split. However, those who favored the afternoon tea were pretty adamant about it. Now having done both, and I can explain how we eventually managed to do it, I would vote for the gardens. People advised that afternoon tea at the Empress was a once in a lifetime experience and in that regard they were correct -- I will never again in my lifetime pay $160 (tip incl.) for two people for afternoon tea anywhere.But was it worth it -- hell no! Yes it is one of the grand old hotels from the days when the gentry did this sort of thing and there is a degree of ambience there. But no way can this possibly carry a value of $160. The sandwiches, scones, pastries etc. were all typical of what I have had at teas elsewhere for significantly less money. There are many places in Victoria that do this just as well for a lot less, including Butchart Gardens. While we could not get an excursion to do both the gardens and the tea while we were there with the ship, we had planned to rent a car and drive to Vancouver for a few days. We decided to take one of those days and go back to Victoria to see the gardens and we were so happy that we did.

Provider: Independent Operator

Save a bundle, take the shuttle to town and get your own high tea at the Empress. Then walk into town and enjoy one of the several Irish and Scottish pubs, many with live music.

Provider: Independent Operator

5 adults and 3 children went to High Tea. It was very nice. We all felt like honored guests. However, the price is the same for the children, and they hardly ate a thing. I would not take a child under 10 in the future. We enjoyed the food and tea very much.

Provider: Independent Operator

Received a wide assortment of scones and danishes. Tea was the highest quality blend of 4 different teas. The atmosphere was elegant. Empress provided boxes to take left overs with you back to ship. Also, we each were given a box of Empress tea with 30 tea bags to take home.

Provider: Independent Operator