My party of 2 spent $200 to dine with Snow White at Disney World, and it's worth it even without kids
- I'm a theme-park journalist who's been visiting and dining at Disney World for over 3 decades.
- My party of 2 spent $200 at Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White without children.
Artist Point is located at Disney's Wilderness Lodge.
Story Book Dining at Artist Point is located inside Disney's Wilderness Lodge, a deluxe resort in the Magic Kingdom area.
The Story Book Dining experience includes a multicourse dinner and character appearances from Snow White, Dopey, Grumpy, and the Evil Queen.
It's only open for dinner, and it costs $60 for adults and $39 for kids (3 to 9).
Character-dining reservations at Disney World can be hard to land, and this is one of the toughest. After trying for weeks, we were able to secure a table for two adults at 4:10 p.m.
It wasn't an ideal dinner time, especially for a group without children, but we made it work.
Upon checking in, you can admire Disney art.
Leaning into the artist theme, Disney art lines the walls of the check-in area, including "Snow White"-inspired pieces that are available for purchase.
I was first struck by how beautiful the setting was.
Artist Point is elegant, with large windows looking out on the resort's lush scenery.
It used to be a traditional table-service restaurant, but in 2018, it rebranded to become a character-dining experience.
Elaborate details were added to the restaurant to transform it into an enchanted forest. The result is pure whimsy, but it still feels upscale.
The menu is prix-fixe and includes appetizers, entrées, and desserts.
When we arrived at the table, I first noticed a multi-leaf stand, which would later be used to hold plates of food.
The themed dining experience is prix-fixe, beginning with shared appetizers. Guests can then pick one entrée and a selection of three shared desserts.
We began our meal with wine, for an additional charge.
For a family-friendly dining experience, I was impressed with the wine selection. It featured highly rated pours from Oregon and Washington, fitting for the Wilderness Lodge setting.
We selected the Dusted Valley "Boomtown" merlot from Washington, which cost $49 for the bottle.
The restaurant also serves craft beers and a number of specialty cocktails, including Evil to the Core and the Smoking Mirror (topped with smoked rosemary).
First up we enjoyed the shared appetizers.
The shared-appetizer course had a gorgeous presentation.
Selections included hunter's pie, wild-mushroom bisque, and wicked shrimp cocktail.
The hunter's pie featured a turkey-and-chicken meatball with black truffle, cranberry preserve, and crispy sauerkraut. It was a delicious mix of savory and sweet.
The wicked shrimp cocktail with bloody-mary vinaigrette, seaweed salad, and spiced house-made seasoning was also delicious and playfully plated.
All three were fantastic, but my favorite was the wild-mushroom bisque. It was rich and creamy, and similar to the fan-favorite smokey portobello soup served at the previous incarnation of Artist Point.
For my entrée, I went with Brother's Grimm herb chicken.
I usually don't order chicken dishes at Disney because they can be uninspired. But I'm happy to say this wasn't the case at all here — it's one of the best chicken-based entrées I've had at Disney World.
The dish featured cauliflower purée, roasted vegetables, and chicken jus, and the lean piece of chicken was very large and juicy with a distinct herb flavor.
Other selections include a sustainable fish, slow-braised pork shank, and a royal prime-rib roast.
My friend went with the plant-based option.
My dinner guest selected the plant-based dish, which was surprisingly delicious. Although both of us are meat eaters, we enjoyed it just as much as the chicken dish.
Disney has been moving toward including more plant-based options, and I'm impressed by how creative many of them are.
Throughout the meal, the room came alive with music and characters.
I was impressed by the constant character interactions.
Intermittently, the lights and music came on for appearances from Snow White, Dopey, and Grumpy.
Sadly, on our visit, the Evil Queen was unavailable for her usual appearances.
The meal ended with shared desserts.
Just like the appetizer courses, the desserts are served as shareable options on top of the leaf stands.
The fairy-tale gooseberry tart with meringue was mildly sweet and perfectly dense.
I wasn't as big of a fan of the miner's treasures dessert with cookies-and-cream panna cotta and chocolate gems because it was a little too sweet for me. But it was still delicious.
The dark-chocolate apple mousse with sour center was the highlight of the dessert course. It was incredibly layered in flavors, and it reminded me of something you'd find at a high-end bakery.
There's a special final dessert presented to each table.
Each table is presented with a "hunter's gift to the queen."
Inside an ornate wooden box, there's chocolate for each guest.
This level of immersion and detail was extremely impressive. It was the perfect ending to an elaborate meal.
As a souvenir, we got a postcard signed by the characters.
Guests are presented with a postcard "signed" by the characters before leaving.
This was an unexpected and sweet souvenir that further added to the theming.
We spent $200, and it was the best character-dining experience I've had at Disney.
Since it was character dining, my bar was set pretty low when it came to expectations about the food. But the meal blew me away.
I loved the way the dishes worked with the overall theme, and I was surprised by how delicious they were. The amount of food and high standards made it well worth the $200 we spent.
Even though it was prix-fixe, there were an impressive number and variety of dishes to satisfy different dietary needs and preferences.
As an adult Disney traveler, I usually avoid character dining, but this totally made me rethink that. The value, quality, and experience were exceptional at Artist Point.
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