This is our second year coming to storybook experiences at the RVC location and it's truly magical…read morefor kids. Last year we got there early and entered right in time, this year we were 6 minutes late, they called us at the 5 min mark and i told them we were 1 min away. They were nice about it but next time i will leave a lot earlier due to traffic from the Bronx to Long Island on a Friday night. Thankfully we were dressed up and were able to enter quickly. My son loved this experience, from the allergy free cookie, to the gold coin and reindeer food, but most of all, the staff and Santa! This time my son went into the room when Santa was not there, after taking a few pictures he wished for Santa and Santa appeared! So nice and magical, i know the pictures will be just as great as they were last year! It does take a bit for the pics. Last year we went Dec 6 and got the pics about 3 days before Christmas. This year it was Dec 5 so i am expecting about the same. We are already planning to go back next year for their new experience with Santa & Mrs Claus ! Highly recommend booking early, this booking was made in July and the previous year in August. I plan to book this time with early release in January/February!

2.5 stars rounded down…read more Storybook Experiences offers a private meet and greet with Santa that includes photography. The session lasts about 20 minutes and costs $400. Like most families, we booked this experience with the expectation that, as a professional photography business, photos would be delivered in a reasonable timeframe, specifically in time for Christmas. We reserved our session well in advance for November 25, assuming that a full month would be more than sufficient to receive proofs, select photos, create Christmas cards, and share images with family, teachers, and school staff before winter break. Today is December 17, 22 days after our session, and we still have not received our photos. At this point, it is far too late to use them for Christmas cards, gifts, or even framed photos. This completely defeats the purpose of booking a holiday photography experience. What is most frustrating is that the business is fully aware of the seasonal time sensitivity of these sessions and still charges a premium price. When we asked if we could receive just one or two photos early so we could at least make a Christmas card, we were told no. While I agree with other reviewers that the Santa himself is wonderful--engaging, kind, and genuinely memorable for the kids--the overall experience does not justify the cost. Paying $400 for a 20-minute session with no reasonable photo turnaround time is unacceptable. In previous years, this experience cost less and photos were delivered in time, which makes this even more disappointing. From my perspective, this feels like a business that has overbooked, raised prices, and prioritized revenue over delivering on what families are actually paying for. A professional photography business should be able to manage editing and delivery timelines, especially during the busiest and most important season of the year. Bottom line: Great Santa, but not worth the price. If you are expecting to receive your photos in time for Christmas, I would not recommend this experience. I would not book this again. UPDATE: We received the pictures too late to make any cards (12/19 which was 24 days from our shoot date). The images look like they were edited by a child. Steam coming out of cups of milk? Random stars/sparkles placed on some of the photos though one just didn't have any. Cannot believe they want us to believe it takes over 3 weeks to add some stars to a picture. The business shared an apology video, which was 17 minutes long and made some grand plans however that requires spending more $$$$ at this business which I never would do again.