Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White Review

When Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge became Snow White Dining I was thrilled. And a little obsessed. Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White became a must for our recent Disney World trip. I spent hours watching YouTube videos from beloved Disney Youtubers. I read countless blog posts. Nothing prepared me for the experience we had.

I spent over 3 months trying to get a reservation. Checking the Disney World Website and calling Disney World. When I finally got a reservation, it meant we had to change our plans, but that was ok. Everyone wanted to experience Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White. We have nothing like this at our home park which is Disneyland. We can see the Evil Queen at Disneyland but she roams and often will not stop to pose for pictures or sign autographs. We see none of the seven dwarfs either. So for us this was the most exciting table service reservation we had made.

We were staying at Wilderness Lodge and the reservation was on arrival day. We thought this would be the perfect way to start our trip. We had a later reservation at 8:50 PM. When we arrived, there was no one at the check-in desk. We wondered around and found a hostess. And then told her we here for Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White and had a reservation. She took our information and then told us to come back in 35-45 minutes. I was not given the option to cancel my reservation without being charged either.

We waited forever.

I will be honest with you that took me aback. I had never had heard of this happening at Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White.

Especially because we had a reservation. If the restaurant was busy but they could have called us. This is not a character dining buffet. Those are where people tend to linger. But an actual table service restaurant with a prix fixe menu. How can this be happening? People should order their food, eat it, meet the characters, and leave. The characters do not stay long. It was almost nine. It was arrival day. We had left the Magic Kingdom for this dinner. We cancelled Liberty Tree Tavern reservations to be there. I wish I hadn’t now.

We already checked in (they had not told us to come back until after she checked us in) so we had no choice but to wait. There was no lounge, no bar for the restaurant itself. So we had to sit in the Wilderness Lodge lobby and wait. When they sent me a text message that the table was ready at 9:25 pm everyone was starving. There was someone at the check-in desk and I complained about the delay. For which they gave me without asking a FastPass the next day.

I edited all of the pictures because it was so dark.

The server was super friendly. We ordered drinks and since it’s a prix fixe menu we placed our entrée order. Our drinks and appetizers came out fast. I was dining with my husband who is a human garbage disposal. He will eat pretty much anything. My seventeen-year-old was also eating with us and he will eat pretty much anything. Our youngest who is picky was also eating with us.

The youngest ordered the Transformation Potion. The presentation was great, but it ended up tasting like cotton candy. We will not order it again if we see it at a Disney park. It was too sweet and sugary. The youngest received the From the Garden appetizer. The presentation was cute, but the platter made little sense. There were slices of fruits and veggies on a bed of crushed oreo cookie. I do not get it. There was a string cheese. Stale like it had been sitting out. Your child could also make their own Honey Butter but once you see the oreo crumbs does the kid even care anymore?

They gave the adults a Mushroom Bisque. Which was positively reviewed elsewhere? It was cold and tasted terrible. It was disgusting even my husband who has eaten shark and liked it thought it was disgusting. My teenager hated it. This kid is super sweet and positive and if he hates it, it must be bad. Especially because this kid loves mushrooms and talks about them all the time. Even I could not stomach a third bite. This dinner was so expensive and wasting food goes against who I am. But even I could not force myself to eat it and I was starving.

The Hunter’s Terrine was also bad. The chicken sausage was not good. We tried the stone fruit preserve and did not like it. The pickles were butter pickles and not to our liking.

Now my husband loved the Wicked Shrimp Cocktail. There is miso, soy, avocado, Thai Chili, and some greens. He ate all three. I am not a fan of seafood and neither is my teenager. That appetizer was according to my husband the best of all three. I wish there has been a basic salad option. There are limited options for vegetarians or people who dislike shrimp or have allergies? How hard is it to offer a basic salad?

For me the entrees seemed nice enough, but I had learned that the adults could order the kids pasta. I am not a picky eater but none of the entrees called to me so I opted for that.

My husband ordered the Magic Mirror Slow-braised Pork Shank. While my teenager ordered the “Cottage” Beef Stew. We asked for youngest who was at this point starving if she could have chicken tenders? Which they had! It was not on the menu. The chicken tenders also came with fries.

My entrée was the Prince and Princess Pasta. I hated it. First off, it came with broccoli and it stank. The red sauce was terrible. I hated it. But I ate what I could at this point we were in too deep. We had to eat something. My teenager did not like the “Cottage” Beef Stew at all. I was because it had cheese and spaetzle. My husband tried it and said it was all right. Honestly, if it did not have cheese and spaetzle, they would have loved it. I did not get a picture of it the “Cottage” Beef Stew. Sorry. The Magic Mirror Slow-braised Pork Shank was the best entrée. The pork was so tender it fell off the bone. My teenager also dug in. My husband ending up sharing with our son and they loved the pork.

The chicken tenders and fries were standard Disney fare. My youngest liked them so that was all that mattered.

The desserts were all received differently. I can eat Sweet Tarts for hours and I felt the Fairy Tale Gooseberry Pie was too tart. My husband who won't eat sour candies loved the Gooseberry Pie. The kids did not care for it. The Poison Apple a white chocolate-apple mousse with a sour center was not good. The Miner’s Treasures was the winner. A sponge cake with chocolate gems that remind me of Sixlets and a Perry Panna Cotta was the best dessert. The kids also loved it. The Hunters Gift to the Queen was awesome. This dessert is all about presentation. I liked the caramel corn but did not care much for the white chocolate apple mousse. My family did not care much for it either.

The food was a total hit or miss. The youngest since she had the children’s menu to order from did not get any food she did not care for. My husband and the youngest were the only two to walk away with full stomachs. My husband at all the shrimp, most of his pork, and all the Gooseberry Pies.

My husband and I each ordered the Enchanted Apple drink which was very sweet and we enjoyed it. I would recommend this cocktail if you want to order it.

Although the food was not good, we had better luck with the character experiences. The atmosphere was wonderful but also the biggest drawback. The atmosphere is dark the lighting is terrible for photos. I wish that you could have met all the characters at a lighted location like the queen. It would be better to meet characters while waiting for a table. In fact, some characters came to the table fast, and it made it harder to eat. A cast member called away us to meet the queen. She summons you. You cannot line up to meet her. Our entrée’s came while we met the queen. My pasta was lukewarm by the time I could eat it.

But, the queen is the highlight of Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White. The Queen was delightful. She was full of sass and we enjoyed her. It was fun to meet Snow White. She is not a rare character. Dopey and Grumpy are for us though but they did not talk. It was the queen who we found to be entertaining.

I hate to say this but if they changed the menu, I would consider going back. Specifically, for the quality time with the Evil Queen. Until they offer some better appetizers or the option to order a salad and a tasty meatless dish, I won’t return. I am not a vegan or vegetarian. But I was not in the mood to eat meat. I knew asking for the kids pasta was the vegetarian option. Which is why I ordered pasta. But the pasta was not good.

A prix fixe menu is a great idea but only if the restaurant can use it to their advantage. First, we made reservations and checked in. They know how many tables need appetizers and the number needed. With a limited selection of appetizers that course should come out fast. And it did. With little variety that should make the kitchen run efficiently. There was no discernible explanation for the delay in our seating.

My husband is a server, and we spent a good hour discussing the delay. There is just no excuse. It did not appear people were hanging out and waiting to meet characters again. In fact, Snow White came out twice while we were there and skipped our section. Also, the appetizer portions are so small. I cannot see this being a restaurant it takes hours to eat at. I do not understand the long wait.

Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White is a restaurant you visit for the experience. Mainly the characters. Overall, most people like the food when you glance on Trip Advisor or Yelp. However, if you look through those reviews, there are bad ones. Especially from those who have special dietary needs or food allergies. You will also hear most people say the character experience makes it worthwhile not the food. I agree wholly.

Being a Disney Blogger or Vlogger can be hard. Many Disney fans do not take kindly to negative reviews. I am sure this review will get a “I just ate there and the food was excellent” comment. But the truth is I had a different experience which does not discredit theirs. Some bloggers like The Points Guy are honest and say we did not like everything. I wish more Disney Bloggers and Vloggers did. Because I would have gone to Liberty Tree Tavern Instead. And had a wonderful filling dinner without the wait or hassle.

Here is the overall takeaway. We did not care for most of the food that Artist Point served. The server was great. Some restaurant staff was not. However the Evil Queen made this worth all the hassle. We left feeling disappointed in the food. Meeting is the Evil Queen and getting an autograph is almost impossible otherwise. If we had not used the dining plan we would not pay out of pocket for this experience. Sorry Evil Queen, we still love you though.