Review: Storybook Dining
Our little mouseketeers adore meeting their favorite pals – in fact, I am pretty sure it is their favorite thing at Disney – so we include at least one or two character meals on each of our trips. Storybook Dining at Artist Point had been on our list for a while and recently reopened, so we jumped at the chance to try out this fan favorite. Advance Dining Reservations (ADR) for this spot are notoriously hard to get, so if this restaurant is on your to-do list we recommend trying to get ADRs as soon as your 60-day window arrives.
Storybook Dining is located inside Walt Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. If you have little kids and are staying at a different resort, we recommend going to Magic Kingdom first and then taking a boat over – but be sure to allow for some travel time. Between waiting for the boat to arrive, loading and unloading passengers, and the boat ride itself, it was about 20-25 minutes to get there from Magic Kingdom.
The dining experience is a three-course meal with appetizers and desserts shared family style and entrees selected individually. Let’s dive in!
Storybook Forest
When you enter there is definitely a “wow” factor and it feels immersive and unique. My children loved that it felt like we were eating in the forest with tree limbs and leaves appearing to grow out of the ceiling. There is no denying that it is a beautiful setting! My one complaint for the atmosphere was the lighting – it is dim. It is so dark that I had trouble taking photos, which is one of the major components of character meals! This led to many of my pictures being too dark, overexposed, blurry, and a medley of other issues. For the price you pay for the experience, this is a major letdown.
In keeping with the theming, each table has a Lazy Susan miniature tree with tiered leaves for various shared plates. At first I thought they looked cute and really added to the vibe, but then I sat down at our table. That little tree became a large nuisance very quickly. It is taller than both my children, so when my son sat across from me I could not see him the entire dinner unless I quite literally peeked through the leaves like some sort of creep. I couldn’t check on how he was doing, ensure that he was eating his meal, or see his reactions to the characters – it felt like I was missing part of the dining experience as a family. Moving seats wasn’t an option. At Character Dining the Cast Members tell you which seats are best for the children to have interactions and photos. Had he moved, our son would have been far from the characters and not had the exchanges he loves. Moving the tree wasn’t an option – there was not any room. Between drinks, coloring pages, and place settings – there just isn’t room to move the tree. Plus, the servers need to utilize it to serve the shared portions of the meal. I get it – without the tree there is not enough room on the table for the shared items. To me that just means maybe they need bigger tables.
Enchanted Dinner
First course includes shared options for the whole family while kids also get their own plate. Children receive an interactive platter, and let me tell you, my kids love these types of meals. At Storybook the kids appetizer includes a flower pot of veggie sticks, a roll, and a jar of honey butter served on a bed of Oreo cookie dirt with a mini shovel. The kids enjoyed this more than any other part of the meal. That said, both of them are picky eaters so neither ate the veggies. My preschool-age daughter mostly ate the cookie crumbs and played with the shovel, but she was very entertained. The main issue is that the honey butter is supposed to be shaken for one to two minutes, which in theory sounds fun but in practice is a long time for a little kid and is not manageable.
For adults, the shared appetizers include enough for each person at the table to have one of each. In theory, kids can eat these as well. As our kid are picky, like most kids under six are, they were engrossed in their interactive garden display, leading Dave and I to split these appetizers.
Wicked Shrimp Cocktail
I’m not a seafood person, but Dave loves shrimp. He says they were okay but nothing special. It’s just some shrimp in a jar with some garnish and seasoning.
Wild Mushroom Bisque
I love mushroom dishes, so this was wonderful. The soup is thick and not overly brothy with a very apparent mushroom flavor. Ingredients were finely minced and not chunky. This was our favorite of the appetizers, which was evident by us finishing off all of the little kettles they brought us!
Hunter’s Pie
The name is confusing here. It’s just a meatball in a puff pastry bowl. Based on the menu description, it’s possible some components were missing – I did not see cranberry or sauerkraut, but maybe they were inside the meatball? I wanted to love this, and I think I would have if it felt more finished. The puff pastry was overcooked, making it very crispy, crumbly, and difficult to bite. I made such a mess trying to eat this thing with bits of pastry flaking everywhere. The meatball itself was good – and I’m picky about meatballs so that says something – but it popped right out of the pastry it was set into. It was as if the two were not baked together as an item, which feels strange. Dave didn’t care for this one.
For dinner we each selected an entree for ourselves as this part of the meal is not shared. Unlike most character meals, the menu here is not geared towards children. Picky eaters will struggle as there is almost nothing “basic” to select. Ultimately, the kids opted for the grilled chicken with a double side of macaroni and cheese (they get to choose two sides). Despite my best efforts, they did not eat any of the chicken and focused mostly on the cheesy pasta. In retrospect, I would probably ask if they could just get a plate of the mac and cheese on its own. Disney is usually very accommodating and I’m sure they’ve gotten this request before. I was mildly concerned when I saw that the pasta was not the traditional Disney mac and cheese, but my kids were fine with it…this time. If your kids are picky about what shape of pasta or what cheese sauce is used, you may want to prepare them ahead of time for the difference or select something else. (Coming from a mom whose kids wouldn’t eat the four-cheese pasta at other Disney restaurants because it tasted funny.) Overall, the kids enjoyed their dinners and ate a fair amount of it. However, they filled up on and enjoyed their appetizers more.
I ordered the Royal Prime RIb Roast. For temperature, I prefer my steaks in the rare range and this one was perfect. The prime rib was juicy, delicious, and tender. The potatoes were lovely and flavorful. The menu did not list this as coming with a Yorkshire pudding, but I received one. I had only recently had my first taste of this and have to say I am not a fan. If you like the eggy taste of Yorkshire pudding you may enjoy this surprising addition to the meal. With another course coming, I decided to avoid it and save room for dessert.
Dave ordered the vegetarian dish, A Stroll Through Nature. It was enjoyable but not amazing – definitely not a memorable, standout meal from the vacation. He also ordered two cocktails – the Antidote and Enchanted Apple, both of which were tasty. Their drink menu had a lot of fun sounding options which were difficult to choose from.
Fairy Tale Gooseberry Tart
Miner’s Treasures panna cotta
“Poison” Apple Mousse
For dessert, the meal switches back to shared family plates with one of each for each person, including the kids. The options include a Fairy Tale Gooseberry Tart, Miner’s Treasures, and “Poison” Apple. The tart was just as it says – tart. The shell was very crisp and difficult to break through. This was the least favorite at the table – I’m not sure that anyone finished even the one they had tasted. The Miner’s Treasures cookies ‘n cream panna cotta was my favorite of the selection. It was cool, creamy, and chocolately – a perfect end to the dinner. The kids loved the chocolate rock gems and Dopey’s hat on top the best. Dave’s favorite was the “poison” apple, which was a very rich dark chocolate mousse. I didn’t care for the apple aftertaste, but otherwise this was a decent dessert.
An additional surprise appears from your waiter who carries a mysterious box – The Hunter’s Gift to the Queen. (They really love extravagant names for things here.) Once opened, dry ice eerily flows out to reveal treasure of chocolate hearts and gems. This presentation alone was exciting for the kids. These chocolates are much like what you would see in a candy shop with assorted fillings. While Dave and I enjoyed them, the flavors were much too rich for our children. The chocolates were a nice touch, but I was glad they were served in addition to the others and not on their own.
Final Ratings
Character Interaction – 4.5
When we went, the character interactions here were distanced, but they did stop at each table to chat with you and pose for pictures. Characters include Grumpy, Dopey, Snow White, and the Evil Queen. This is the best part of the whole experience and the characters truly do a wonderful job. They made our children giggle and even poked some fun at the grown-ups. The smiles and laughter were plentiful. We were able to meet most of the characters multiple times throughout our dinner.
Adults Meal – 3.5
Food here was good but not outstanding. It was better than buffet fare and definitely enjoyable. We walked away feeling like we had a good meal, but the food is not the main reason you dine here.
Kids Meal – 2
If you have picky eaters, you will struggle here. Kids will like the interactive appetizer as it’s fun to play with, but they may not actually eat much of it or anything else. Storybook Dining is too fancy to the often simple tastes of little ones.
Price and Value – 3.5
This is one of the more pricey dining experiences at Walt Disney World at $60 per adult and $39 per child, not including tax and gratuity. For the family of four of us (two adults, two children), the total was over $250 and it is a two-hour dining experience. It is at the high end of character dining, but the value comes in the form of good food and rare character meets.
Atmosphere and Theming – 3
It feels immersive, unique, and magical. Kids will enjoy the fantastical sight of trees growing inside and the larger-than-life storybook photo op. Lighting is a concern for photos, but may not impact the enjoyment of the overall dining experience. The tiered trees on the tables have utility but feel like an obstruction when you have small children.
Overall Rating – 3.5
This dining experience falls short in food for kids but excels in magical moments. Most of the characters featured here you cannot see elsewhere, so if my children really want to see them again it would bring me back. However, I can’t see us heading here again for quite some time as there are other character meals that offer food just as good or better (especially for kids) at a greater value with excellent atmosphere. Personally, I would rather have a buffet as part of the Character Dining experience as it offers many options to fit a variety of palettes – notably, picky eaters like kids.
— Jennelle