One of the most unique Disney Character Meals at Disney World is the Story Book Dining at Wilderness Lodge. This beautifully themed restaurant offers the perfect backdrop for Snow White, the seven dwarves, and even the Evil Queen herself. The menu is filled with foods from the forest, and you can always count on seeing a dwarf nearby. If you’re looking for a special dinner at Disney that’s great for kids and adults, let’s dive into all the things to know about the Story Book Dining experience at Artist Point Restaurant, at Wilderness Lodge.
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Story Book Dining at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
By far one of the most hard to get dining reservations at Disney World, the Story Book Character Dining meal is well worth the effort. Featuring rare Disney characters, in a Disney Character Restaurant that adds a bit of complexity with a forest feel. And fans of Disney Villains will love this restaurant. Dinner Hours at Story Book Dining is served 4:00 PM to 9:15 PM.
Story Book Dining Atmosphere
The atmosphere at Story Book Dining is dimly lit and reminiscent of a perfect forest scene from Snow White. It is woodsy, yet enchanting. For a Disney character meal, we are happy to report that the atmosphere is a bit more chill here than others we’ve been to. This could have been due to the time we went, or where we sat, or the fact that the restaurant creates a bit of a calmer ambiance itself. It’s not a buffet, so that is likely a contributing factor when it comes to the quieter atmosphere too. The tables are accented with tree stump searching tiered trays that hold you’re first appetizer course. Did we mention this is a multi course meal!
Story Book Dining Menu
The food at the Disney Story Book Character Dinner is interesting. It’s served in the manner of a story, which we think is super clever and fun. Better themed than most Disney character dining, you really do get the feel of the woodland dining experience. Check out everything you can get on the Story Book Dining Menu.
Story Book Dining Appetizers
At the time of writing this, the appetizers being served were mushroom bisque, wicked shrimp cocktail and a charcuterie-like appetizer called the Hunter’s Terrine. The appetizers are served on a cute leaf pedestal in the center of the table, and aside from the shrimp, there was one for each guest at the table. Note that these appetizers are brought to your table to share. While these were definitely unique and beautifully displayed, things like the mushrooms, shrimp and sauerkraut here may not be to some people’s tastes.
- Wild Mushroom Bisque with Chive Oil
- Hunter’s Pie with Turkey and Chicken, Cranberry Preserve, Crispy Sauerkraut
- Wicked Shrimp Cocktail with Bloody Mary Vinaigrette, Seaweed Salad, Spiced House-made Seasoning
Story Book Dining Entrees
Moving on to the entrée, we each chose something different….in the name if research of course. We ordered the A Stroll Thru Nature featuring gnocchi, the Magic Mirror Slow Braised Pork Shank and the Royal Prime Rib Roast. Portions were generous and we definitely felt like we got our money’s worth! Unlike the appetizers, these dishes are more along the lines of what we would expect from a meal priced this high. The combination of flavors for each were great. Chicken, Rib Roast, and the Pork are basics that would appeal to both kids and adults. But, we also loved that there was a vegetarian option on this menu. Gnocchi is always a treat, at the “Stroll through Nature” dish had a wonderful combination of flavors, and was a great portion size. Here are the Entrees available at the Story Book Character Dinner.
- “Cottage” Beef Stroganoff: Tender Beef, Preserved Vegetables, Spätzle, Mushrooms, Aged Cow’s Milk Cheese
- Royal Prime Rib Roast: Horseradish-Mashed Potato, Carrots, Jus
- A Stroll through Nature: Asparagus, Leeks, Arugula, Gnocchi, Sage, Parmesan
- Magic Mirror’s Slow-Braised Pork Shank with Polenta, Gastrique
- Brother’s Grimm Herb Chicken with Cauliflower Purée, Roasted Vegetables, Chicken Jus
- Bashful’s Sustainable Fish: Herbed Risotto, Gremolata
- Sorceress Spell of “Tricken” Chicken: Cauliflower Puree, Roasted Vegetables, Vegetable Jus (Plant-based)
Story Book Dining Dessert
The desserts were definitely the fairest of them all with gooseberry pie, sponge cake with panna cotta and dark chocolate-apple mousse. These were also served on the leaf pedestal and were brought one for each of us.
- Miner’s Treasures: Cookies ‘n Cream Panna Cotta, Chocolate Gems
- Fairy Tale Gooseberry Tart: Meringue and Gooseberry
- “Poison” Apple: Dark Chocolate-Apple Mousse, Sour Center
- The Hunter’s Gift to the Queen: Caramel popcorn with chocolate hearts
As a fun surprise at the end, our waiter brought us out the most divine caramel popcorn and chocolate hearts; a gift he claimed were from the Huntsmen. The presentation of this was beyond stunning. I mean LOOK AT THAT. Do I really need to say more? Probably not.
Story Book Dining Characters
Let me start by saying we are not necessarily character meal people. It’s not like we don’t like them, but we will always choose the food over whether or not something is a character meal. I’m pretty awkward and really for the most part, my daughter, my sister and I are pretty introverted; so talking to a complete stranger who is blatantly interrupting our meal is a bit out of character for us.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some character meals we love, but there is always a bit of lingering anxiety when we sit down at a character meal. Luckily, this was one of the best character meal experiences we’ve had. The characters were not too overwhelming, came to our table in beautifully spaced out time frames and we never felt rushed or put on the spot.
Snow White, Grumpy and Dopey will all come to your table to meet you. However the Evil Queen, since she is in fact high royalty, will not. You have to go to her. Just like you would any true queen, right?! You have a window of opportunity to meet her, as she doesn’t stay out the entire time waiting for peasants. Again this was really nice because we never felt rushed to see her. We were given a time window and it was nice to be able to go at our convenience.
How Much Does Disney Story Book Character Dining Cost?
Story Book Dining, while not as expensive as Cinderella’s Royal Table is still pretty pricey at $65 per adult and $39 per child. This meal includes an appetizer, entree and dessert and lasts about an hour. For a special experience at Disney, that you seriously cannot get anywhere else, this cost may be okay for you. However, keep in mind that this cost is the same regardless of if you order the steak or the kids menu chicken and mac and cheese. So, for those value conscious amongst you, consider that you’re paying for the character experience, and atmosphere, not necessarily the food. As such, we recommend choosing the most expensive things on the menu to really get your money’s worth.
How to get a reservation for Story Book Dining
Story Book Dining is sometimes a hard to get Disney Dining Reservation. As such we always recommend reserving this restaurant at the 60 day mark before the first day of your vacation. If you don’t have your trip planned that far ahead or if you can’t score a reservation at that time, don’t give up! We actually got our reservation at Story Book Dining about 2 weeks before our trip. Just keep checking throughout the days leading up to your trip and something is usually bound to pop up.
Does Story Book Dining live up to the hype?
Personally, we think yes it does! While we found the appetizer course a little odd, the main course and the desserts were all really delicious and well prepared. The Character interactions were some of the best we’ve seen and the ambiance is really fun, but not too crazy.
If you’re a fan of Snow White, we think that Story Book Dining is a must. And even if you’re not a huge Snow White fan, we still think this dinner is pretty great and worth a try. Have you been to Story Book Dining? Tell us your thoughts!
Melanie Renee is a photographer, writer, designer and mom. Visiting Disney destinations since 2010, she is also an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. When she's not creating her next coffee recipe, or designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's seeking beautiful sunsets and planning her next trip .
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