Storybook Dining at Artist Point With Snow White--Our Review

On December 16, 2018, Artist Point, a Signature Dining destination at Disney's Wilderness Lodge re-opened as Storybook Dining with Snow White.

We had an Advanced Dining Reservation for 6:00 pm on December 26, 2018, ten days after their re-opening.

Getting to Disney's Wilderness Lodge is relatively easy.  There are boats from Magic Kingdom, The Contemporary Resort, or Fort Wilderness and buses from all other theme parks.  We took a bus from Disney's Animal Kingdom.

If you take a bus, you'll walk up the path and into the lobby near the store.  If you do this, you are directly across the lobby from the Artist Point check-in desk.  If you come into the resort lobby via the main doors, walk through the lobby and turn left just before the windows.  If you are coming by boat, as you enter the main building, walk up the ramp and you are right there--the check-in podium for Artist Point will be at the top of the ramp.

Reservation check-in podium

Ramp down to the walk-way to the boat launch on the right.

Ramp into the restaurant.  Bathrooms on the left just at the top of the ramp before entering Artist Point.

We arrived prior to our reservation--Disney recommends giving your party 90 minutes of travel time, which we do, and therefore sometimes arrive early.  Artist Point opened at 5:00 pm and we were seated shortly after, although our reservation was for 6:00 pm.

When we sat down, our table had a tree in the middle that is used for presentation and lovely red napkins with apple napkin holders that have the character signatures on the reserve side to take home.  We moved the tree to the side of the table so that we could see each other over the table and talk.

The menu has a leather cover, similar to Tiffins at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  We were using 1 table service credit each for the meal from the Disney Dining Plan.

The story of the restaurant.

Character signatures on the apple napkin holder to take home.

The appetizers were served on three plates that exactly fit in the canopy of the tree that was in the middle of our table, but we moved.  Know that the tree spins, but is heavy to move--the weight stabilizes the tree.

We were eating winter squash bisque with a caramel lollipop, Hunter's Pie that included chicken and black truffle with a stone fruit preserve in the jar, and wicked shrimp cocktail.  The winner was the squash bisque.  The boy ate all of the shrimp in the cocktail.

Since an adult beverage is included in with the Dining Plan for those over 21, the husband ordered the Enchanted Apple with Skyy citrus vodka, DeKupyer pucker sour apple and white cranberry juice and I ordered The Antidote with Bacardi Gran Reserva Maestro, agave, ginger beer.  The Antidote tasted like cough syrup so I took the husband's drink instead.  He didn't like The Antidote either, so they took it back and he ordered a Dead Rogue's beer, which hit the spot.

The boy ordered In the Clouds, which can also be an adult beverage.  The small water glass was placed on the table with pink and blue cotton candy sticking out of it.  The waiter had a science beaker--think potion--of blue liquid that he poured over the cotton candy making it dissolve.  The beaker was empty and the small water glass was half-full of a blue colored liquid--$4 for that one!  

Shortly after we ordered our meals, Snow White appeared at our table, but not before the fanfare.  Click here for the video.

While we waited for our food, I noticed that the banquette seating extended all the way to the wall on both sides of our table--that's the neighboring table in the photo above.

And even though there was seating, there were no tables!  I asked our server if the tables and seating were the same before the re-theming to a character meal and he said "yes."  What a terrible waste of space!  Not to mention, our table was wobbly!

The boy ordered the Cottage Seafood Stew with shrimp, bay scallops, mussels, tomato, fennel.  This was a difficult meal to eat as the mussels had to come out of the shells and the shrimp had to have their tails cut off.  He had a few bites and gave up.

The husband and I ordered the Royal Prime Rib Roast with horseradish mashed potato, hay smoked carrots, popover, jus.  The "jus" was brown gravy that was covering up the raw meat.  The husband said that the cow was alive when we sat down.  

Our server did not anticipate our needs by providing us with steak knives and we had to ask for them.  I took one bite and realized that the meat was very under cooked and asked for it to be cooked longer.  So did the husband.  Our plates were taken away and returned with the meat turned over and more brown "jus."  I couldn't stomach it. 

We now had the attention of two servers--the one we started with and the one who we asked to bring us steak knives.  They could tell we weren't going to eat the meat, but I did try the other items on the plate--the carrots were very good.  They asked if we wanted something else and we declined.  I regret not allowing them to try.  At this point, our opinion of the restaurant and meal had already been formed.

Another sticking point, literally, was that the syrup used to coat the glass to make the cinnamon and sugar stick to the outside rim of the glass of my drink was running down the stem of the glass.  Every time I picked up the glass for a drink, my hand would be sticky.  I did tell our server this so that he could pass it on to the bar tender.

Grumpy was the next character, and last, to come to our table.  We were told when we checked in at the podium that Dopey "had worked all day and would not be joining us."

Dessert arrived at our table on the plates that fit on the top of the tree.  Selections included Miner's Treasures with green sponge cake, chocolate gems, and buttercream icing, Fairy Tale Gooseberry Pie, and white chocolate-apple mouse center "Poison" Apple.  We all tried all three and had no favorites.

Next our server donned white gloves and brought the black box (all smudged with fingerprints) to our table to serve us The Hunter's Gift to the Queen which featured crackled maple popcorn, ganache heart.  This was a tasty way to end the meal.

After paying our bill we made our way to see The Queen.  A Photopass Photographer was with her and he scanned our MagicBands after taking our photo.  

A stop at the restroom after we left Artist Point also told me that it was in need of an update/repairs.  There is another restroom just left of the main entrance into the lobby at Wilderness Lodge as well as one at the bottom of the ramped hallway that leads to the sidewalk that takes guests to the boat pier.

As an aside, I asked our server if he had worked at this location when it was Artist Point, before the transition.  He told us that he had worked there, for several years.  And, that in the transition, only  one new member of the restaurant team was hired as most members took the 3 week furlough (code for unpaid) while the restaurant was re-themed.

Pros:

• Location.  Wilderness Lodge is a Deluxe Resort that just underwent additions of Villas, Studios, and Cabins.  Adding a character meal to this location made sense as all other Deluxe Resorts, including the new Four Seasons at Golden Oak, have a character meal on site.
• Characters--the characters featured at Artist Point are rare and not easily found.  Snow White appears at EPCOT and in various Disney Princess meals in Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.  The Queen and Dwarfs are typically only seen at special events, parties, and parades.
• Price for the meal is $55 per person 10 years and up and $33 for children ages 3-9.  With the meal including appetizer and dessert the price comes in at a value. Beverages, adult or otherwise, are extra and rack up the total amount which is considered for tipping.  Our bill was $202.00.

Cons:

• Food.  We're not sure who this restaurant plans to serve, but with it being a character meal, children and families will be attending, yet the menu doesn't seem to cater to those tastes.  There wasn't one item that we left the restaurant wanting more.  In fact, we had another reservation for our trip in March and it was the consensus to cancel the reservation, which we did.
• Service.  Time wasn't the issue, but lack of anticipation.  Example, needing the steak knives or not realizing we had a sticky drink glass.  We did appreciate the offer to fix our food and again, I regret not letting them try.  There just wasn't anything else on the menu that was appealing or we would have ordered it the first time.  
• Lack of characters.  Not having the full set of characters to meet was disappointing.  The description of the restaurant indicates that guests will meet Snow White and a few dwarf and forest friends, plus a visit by the Queen.  Not sure who the "forest friends" are as we did not see any.
• Bathrooms adjacent to the restaurant need updated.
• Space wasted with banquette seating that doesn't have a table and the beautiful windows are not featured at night as the restaurant faces East.  And, the menu features liberal use of possessives-singular and plural.

Our recommendation--try, but with caution--and don't put this restaurant in ahead of any favorites.  It's the hottest reservation on Disney property right now, but there were empty tables all around us when we were there.  Not sure if some tables are held for the Wilderness Lodge guests to walk-up and get a table.  

This location, if it's going to be a character meal, would be a fabulous location for a breakfast.  The beautiful windows would be on full display in the morning.  That's our two-cents worth.

Let us know your experiences!

10 Out Of 11 Disney Princesses

10 out of 11 isn’t bad.  That’s how many Disney Princesses we met during our summer 2013 vacation.

I am so glad the boy and the husband enjoy meeting the Princesses.  Not all 10 year old boys would be accommodating.  I must also say, that the Princesses seem to enjoy greeting our boy and that definitely helps.

Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus in the Norway Pavilion in EPCOT was a Disney Princess haven.  We met 5 Disney Princesses here, including Aurora, Ariel, Snow White, Cinderella—on a rare appearance outside the Magic Kingdom, and of course the host, Belle.

Mulan and Jasmine were both found in EPCOT in their respective pavilions.  Mulan was in China and Jasmine, along with Aladdin was in Morocco. 

Merida and Tiana were both greeting guests in the Magic Kingdom.

Ariel was also found in her grotto greeting guests.  So, we were able to meet her with fins and feet!

Cinderella and Rapunzel were also in the Magic Kingdom at Town Square Theater on Main Street U.S.A. Note:  The Princess meet and greet location in Magic Kingdom in Fantasyland opens this week.

The only missing Disney Princess is Pocahontas.  The husband and boy caught a glimpse of her at Animal Kingdom while on the way to Festival of the Lion King, but alas, no picture and greeting.  We have met her, and Meeko, before though.  Sounds like we will need another trip!

We Met Merida!

When traveling to Walt Disney World, a priority list is necessary as it is nearly impossible to see and do everything.  Each of us has a “these are the things I really want to do” list for each of the parks.  For me, meeting Merida, was tops on the list for a day at Magic Kingdom.

The entrance to the Fairytale Garden

So just after park opening at 8:00 am for extra magic hours and meeting our Long Lost Friends—click here to read more, the husband and the boy headed to Tomorrowland Indy Speedway, grabbing Fastpasses to Buzz Lightyear on the way, and I made a beeline for the Fairytale Garden, next to Cinderella’s Castle, to wait for Merida.  The guys knew just where I would be and planned to join me after their ride.

Even though Merida would begin greeting guests at 9:15 am and it was about 8:45 am, there were already 3 families in front of me in the line.  No Cast Member was there yet, so we took turns directing other guests into the line.

The boy and husband arrived shortly and soon we were being counted off and sent into the garden.  Only a certain number of guests can enter the garden at a time. We were told to move all the way forward along the inclined path to make room for others. 

Merida greeted each guest with enthusiasm.  And those blue eyes!  They were nearly the color of her dress!.

Merida signed autographs, spoke with an accent, posed for pictures, and gave hugs all around.  A Photopass photographer was on hand to take photos. 

The Fairytale Garden, which we have seen through multiple transitions—Storytime with Belle (which is now embedded into Belle’s Enchanted Tales), a meet and greet area for the Tremaine’s (how fitting that it was just outside the Castle), a meet and greet area for Rapunzel, and it is now themed for Merida with archery equipment and beautiful tapestries.  The only thing missing. . . her brothers!

Our recommendation is to get in the line early, just as we did.  The line was nearly to the Castle even before the character meet and greet opened.  The line, though, is somewhat shaded.  Be sure to listen to the music and enjoy!