Walt Disney World sells Reminiscence Maker and Seize Your Second, each of that are PhotoPass images packages. This information & overview helps you establish whether or not they’re well worth the cash, high quality you’ll be able to anticipate from images, and in addition the variations between WDW and Disneyland. (Up to date February 1, 2024.)
Like a lot that Walt Disney World affords, all of that is extremely complicated. What’s the distinction between PhotoPass and Reminiscence Maker? What about Reminiscence Maker and Seize Your Second? And even Reminiscence Maker advance buy vs. throughout/submit trip vs. at some point?! It’s so much to digest, rivaling the convoluted Genie+ and Lightning Lane system in use for line-skipping at Walt Disney World.
At Walt Disney World, the best technique to distinguish Reminiscence Maker and PhotoPass is by pondering of Reminiscence Maker because the bundle you buy that offers you entry to your images, and PhotoPass is the service that Disney affords with Forged Members taking your photograph across the park. PhotoPass is a free service accessible to everybody, together with however not restricted to those that purchase Reminiscence Maker.
Reminiscence Maker features a digital obtain of all images taken by PhotoPass photographers, plus on-ride and character eating images taken at choose areas at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. So in a nutshell, Reminiscence Maker is the digital obtain product. Issues get confused a little bit bit as a result of there are different PhotoPass-branded merchandise (together with single-photo downloads for $15, espresso cups, and so forth.) accessible for buy.
Then there’s Seize Your Second, which is extra area of interest, and is mainly a personal photograph shoot. That is additionally a service and never a product, that means that you simply pay for the photographer’s time, however have to accumulate the product individually. The principle factor to recollect is that this: PhotoPass=service, Seize Your Second=service, Reminiscence Maker=product.
There’s (very understandably!) lots of confusion about Reminiscence Maker and PhotoPass, so hopefully that helps clear up a few of that!
Reminiscence Maker at Disney World
Let’s begin with the merchandise. At some stage in your trip, Reminiscence Maker prices $185 at Walt Disney World when bought upfront, or $210 if purchased throughout your journey. An alternative choice is Reminiscence Maker One Day, which is strictly because the title suggests–all your images & movies from a single day of your trip (of your selecting) for $75.
Prior to now, Annual Passholders obtained free digital downloads of all PhotoPass images, however that’s not the case. At present, APs can both purchase the Reminiscence Maker merchandise (which makes zero sense given value factors) or buy the PhotoPass add-on to the Annual Go at a value of $99 per yr. The upside of this strategy is that you would be able to have one particular person in your get together buy the add-on to gather images from everybody household (no less than, those that go to collectively).
Reminiscence Maker and the Annual Passholder PhotoPass add-on packages additionally now contains on-ride images and choose character eating. Robust emphasis on ‘choose’ in character eating experiences, because it’s pretty uncommon to see PhotoPass photographers in eating places as of 2024, except spots which have a personality you meet on the entrance. (Examples that come to thoughts embrace Chef Mickey’s, Cinderella’s Royal Desk, and Minnie’s Seasonal Dine. There may be just a few others, and also you would possibly get fortunate with photographers roaming eating places, however don’t rely on it!)
Attraction images are taken whereas within the parks at greater than a dozen of Walt Disney World’s hottest sights together with the next:
Magic Kingdom
- Buzz Lightyear’s Area Ranger Spin
- Haunted Mansion
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Area Mountain
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice
- Tiana’s Bayou Journey (opening in 2024)
- TRON Lightcycle Run
EPCOT
- Frozen Ever After
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Check Observe
Hollywood Studios
- Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster Starring Aerosmith (at present closed)
- Slinky Canine Sprint
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Animal Kingdom
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest
Pre-ordered trip packages on-line could be upgraded to Reminiscence Maker upon arrival at Walt Disney World, however we advocate pre-ordering because of the issue we’ve heard some folks have encountered in doing this. Reminiscence Maker is built-in into your MagicBands, however you may as well use your ticket media. As long as you’re all collectively in My Disney Expertise, each photograph scanned into any of your MagicBands will seem within the get together account. f
Seize Your Second at Walt Disney World
Seize Your Second is a comparatively new PhotoPass service that allows you to e-book time with a Disney PhotoPass photographer for a customized photograph session throughout common park hours at Magic Kingdom in 20 minute increments.
As of 2024, Seize Your Second photograph session areas at the moment are accessible in all 4 parks, with two choices in Disney’s Hollywood Studios (one unique to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge). Initially of your session, the PhotoPass photographer will share accessible photograph shoot areas and focus on photograph choices earlier than escorting you to your location.
Every Seize Your Second session is $99. Gratuity shouldn’t be included or required. Should you e-book two Seize Your Second periods back-to-back for $99 every, you’ll be able to spend as much as 40 minutes along with your photographer capturing images in no less than two completely different photograph areas. Name 407-939-7758 to e-book a Seize Your Second session. That is solely bookable over the cellphone–not on a walk-up foundation.
Prints and digital downloads are usually not included with the worth of a Seize Your Second session. As a way to obtain your images from the photograph shoot, you’ll want one of many Reminiscence Maker packages, or an Annual Go add-on that’s eligible totally free PhotoPass downloads.
There may be positively visitor demand for such a “personal photograph shoot” service, but it surely’s price stating that basically the identical factor could be completed totally free by visiting a number of areas. The important distinction between an actual portraiture session and that is that you’re nonetheless reliant upon common PhotoPass photographers, slightly than a real skilled with an eye fixed for images.
PhotoPass at Disneyland
At Disneyland, PhotoPass continues to be the service, however at present the product is named PhotoPass+ One Week for $78. There are additionally different merchandise that may be bought beneath the PhotoPass model, however the primary product that provides inclusive digital downloads is PhotoPass+ One Week, and because the title suggests, it’s provided for downloads of a full week (7 days) price of images on your whole household. Magic Photographs and Animated Magic Photographs captured throughout these days are additionally included.
You received’t discover a ton of details about PhotoPass+ on Disneyland’s official web site, and the rationale for that’s as a result of the corporate has roughly backed away from pushing the bundle. It is because it’s been not directly changed by the Genie+ service, which affords Lightning Lane line-skipping and limitless Disney PhotoPass digital photograph downloads out of your day, together with on-ride and character images. You’ll additionally unlock Disney PhotoPass Lenses, providing you with entry to augmented actuality results that carry Disney tales and characters to life.
Genie+ begins at $30 per particular person per day, and the predominant characteristic is the aforementioned line-skipping. Should you’re solely visiting for just a few days and would’ve bought PhotoPass+ One Week anyway, shopping for Genie+ is a no brainer at Disneyland. You’ll accomplish a ton extra, and get images included.
In actual fact, in nearly all use instances, Genie+ is the higher choice than PhotoPass+ One Week. Except you do not need that profit and have a big get together and are visiting Disneyland for over 3 days, you’re in all probability higher off simply sticking with Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. On the very least, you should utilize it strategically–shopping for Genie+ for two days and specializing in images and line-skipping then. (That is what we advocate. The overwhelming majority of visitors visiting Disneyland for longer durations don’t want Genie+ greater than 2 days.)
On-ride images are as follows. At Disneyland:
- Area Mountain
- Tiana’s Bayou Journey (opening in 2024)
At Disney California Journey:
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
- Incredicoaster
- Radiator Springs Racers
Whether or not these PhotoPass companies are price the price depends upon a lot of elements, particularly, what number of images you’ll take with it and what you consider PhotoPass within the first place. On condition that, we’ll proceed with our overview of the PhotoPass service and conclude with a overview of the Reminiscence Maker product.
Assessment of PhotoPass Service
For some visitors, no overview is important. Reminiscence Maker may be included in your Walt Disney World trip bundle, otherwise you might need it with an Annual Go. Now we have by no means bought common PhotoPass as a part of a trip bundle as a result of the worth for us merely shouldn’t be there. The calculus is completely different now that we’ve Annual Passes; $99 for a full yr (given how a lot we go to) is price it to us. We use it an honest quantity for the comfort, however nonetheless wouldn’t pay for it on a per-trip foundation generally.
Disney touts PhotoPass as an effective way to get skilled images with the entire household within the shot. Primarily based upon this pitch, it’s fairly clear that there are two parts to PhotoPass/Reminiscence Maker: product (the images accessible for digital obtain) and repair (having another person to take the images for you so the entire household can get into the shot). Some folks don’t understand this, however solely the product prices cash.
The service is free, as all PhotoPass photographers will seize images for you totally free along with your digital camera or cellphone. Similar goes for character attendants, which is a key factor to notice since many meet & greets don’t have PhotoPass photographers in any respect–simply character attendants. So these received’t be included in your Reminiscence Maker bundle regardless.
As a consequence of ongoing staffing shortages, we’d estimate that a little bit over half of character meet & greets at Walt Disney World have PhotoPass photographers as of 2024. At Disneyland, that proportion is decrease; notably, the favored Mickey & Pals meets in City Sq. at Disneyland and Buena Vista Road at DCA normally do not have PhotoPass photographers.
Reviewed with this in thoughts, I feel PhotoPass is a pleasant service, however the merchandise beneath its model aren’t all that nice. The “skilled” PhotoPass photographers are usually not expert skilled photographers. Many of the skilled photographers employed in PhotoPass positions are solely professionals within the sense that it’s their job to take images. They’re paid to do it, subsequently they’re skilled.
They haven’t any specialised experience or expertise in images–they have been simply given some fast on the job coaching in utilizing the PhotoPass gear. Consequently, many PhotoPass Forged Members have hassle utilizing cameras which might be handed off to them (besides iPhones–all of them are fluent in iPhoneography).
That’s simply the beginning of the issues. With PhotoPass, generally you’ll get images which might be out-of-focus, poorly composed, or not correctly uncovered. This isn’t an issue a number of the time, however could be a difficulty. Should you’re solely getting images through the day, it’s normally not an issue–your keeper charge must be near 75%.
At evening, that quantity drops. Many PhotoPass photographers don’t have tripods at evening, which is a purple flag for low-quality images with underexposed backgrounds, vibrant flashes, and excessive noise ranges. Should you don’t have an “eye” for images, you might not discover this. Should you do, you’ll immediately see the issues.
Truthfully, many of those PhotoPass Forged Members are higher at utilizing your iPhone than they’re with their very own cameras. That is very true with the youthful Faculty Program individuals. Intuitively, this could make sense. A lot of them have been simply handed a DSLR for the primary time ever just a few weeks in the past–however they’ve been utilizing digital camera telephones just about all their lives.
It additionally helps that cellphone digital camera expertise continues to enhance. When you’ve got a more moderen machine and have a youthful phone-savvy Forged Member take your photograph, I’d estimate it’s about 50/50 whether or not the DSLR or iPhone photograph will end up higher. Through which case, why trouble paying additional for Reminiscence Maker?!
I don’t need this to sound like I’m piling on PhotoPass Forged Members. I’m not. As Forged Members, they’re normally pleasant to us identical to most Forged Members are. As photographers, I don’t really feel that a lot of them are as much as snuff. I understand I’m portray with broad strokes right here.
Some PhotoPass photographers are wonderful. So, in case you’re a very good PhotoPass photographer, please don’t take offense. Nonetheless, most aren’t any higher at images than the typical vacationer within the parks. So don’t buy Reminiscence Maker or PhotoPass+ One Week since you assume it’s an effective way to get professional-quality images from the parks. It’s not.
All of that mentioned, as a service, PhotoPass is fantastic. It is because all the photographers will take images of you along with your digital camera totally free. We use this free service on a regular basis, and whereas the images don’t all the time end up nicely, it’s good to have Forged Members conveniently positioned in entrance of icons to take images of us.
Given the truth that PhotoPass will take images of you with your personal digital camera, I’ve all the time had a extremely exhausting time recommending Reminiscence Maker or PhotoPass+ One Week to anybody on a decent finances. Granted, there are advantages in case your digital camera isn’t very good and there’s additionally one thing to be mentioned for comfort.
Nonetheless, I feel most visitors could be higher suited by buying a pleasant level & shoot digital camera or upgrading their cellphone, having PhotoPass photographers use that to take their images, additionally utilizing it to take their very own images, after which buying photobooks by way of respected on-line companies with all of their trip images. Doing that, you’d come out forward monetarily after solely a few journeys.
Plus, you’d have an exquisite digital camera on the finish of the day, which is a wonderful pocket-sized digital camera that’s straightforward to hold round Walt Disney World and Disneyland that’s able to nearly nearly as good of images because the PhotoPass cameras. Plus, by buying a pleasant little level and shoot like that, you’ll be able to take your personal good images in different circumstances!
Assessment of Reminiscence Maker Product
Reminiscence Maker affords a number of advantages. By advantage of the digital camera used being a semi-professional DSLR, there’s a very good likelihood the images they take might be nicer than images you are taking with your personal digital camera; however you could possibly simply obtain comparable outcomes in case you had a DSLR.
At each Walt Disney World and Disneyland, there are some “particular” images known as Magic Photographs that solely PhotoPass photographers can take, comparable to visitors holding Simba or Tinkerbell, or Sew popping out of the pavement.
Should you’re going to Blizzard Seaside or Hurricane Lagoon water parks at Walt Disney World, Reminiscence Maker additionally has extra worth as a result of these photographers are positioned in lots of enjoyable areas the place you in all probability couldn’t get your personal images (like within the wave swimming pools and on the finish of sights like Crush N Gusher). These images could be lots of enjoyable, and positively make PhotoPass a significantly better worth.
Past that, the product turns into a greater worth you probably have a bigger get together or (at Walt Disney World) are taking an extended journey. Should you’re occurring a two week lengthy household reunion and 10 of you can be utilizing PhotoPass photographers to seize hundreds of images from the particular journey, the per photograph price of Reminiscence Maker is so low that it’s extra prone to be price it for you. Against this, in case you’re solely getting 10 or so images per journey with PhotoPass, you’re paying $10+ per photograph, which is harder to justify.
Reminiscence Maker may be simpler to justify for particular journeys from which you need as many recollections as doable. If it’s your “Disneymoon” or a your son or daughter’s first journey to Walt Disney World, a number of the images taken by PhotoPass may be priceless. Clearly everybody’s circumstances are completely different on this regard, so weigh your circumstances accordingly when figuring out whether or not you can purchase Reminiscence Maker.
Maybe the only greatest profit is the on-ride images. We love making humorous faces for these on-ride images, and though we’ve by no means bought an on-ride photograph when you could possibly purchase them a la carte, we love them. So for us, this was the place the true worth of Reminiscence Maker could be discovered.
Through the course of 1 5-day journey to Walt Disney World, we bought 17 on-ride images. On an extended journey, we might’ve gotten much more. Plus, we did get different images, and the comfort of not having handy off my digital camera to the PhotoPass photographers was a pleasant luxurious (however not one thing for which I’d pay a lot of a premium).
It ought to go with out saying, however you can not use your personal digital camera or cellphone for on-ride images or movies. There aren’t PhotoPass Forged Members stationed inside Area Mountain who you’ll be able to cross off your cellphone to for a fast snap because the curler coaster races round. Loopy, proper?! So the primary choice for on-ride images is shopping for Reminiscence Maker.
Admittedly, we’re additionally suckers for the Magic Photographs and all the time make a degree to get the brand new or seasonal ones for Halloween, Christmas, or particular celebrations. Not solely that, however there at the moment are enjoyable images and video that supply chicken’s eye or modern 360-degree pictures. These are additionally pictures you could possibly not seize with your personal digital camera. None of them are important, however they’re icing on the cake.
There’s additionally video on Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice, which is considered one of a number of modern and recent issues Walt Disney World is doing with PhotoPass. It’s fairly neat and enjoyable to indicate household and associates or share through social media. I feel that is the best way of the longer term, and Disney will doubtless attempt to incorporate on-ride video like this into as many future sights as doable.
For us, on-ride images are actually essentially the most enjoyable–and what we would like from our visits. Though Reminiscence Maker is the primary means of buying all of those over the course of a Walt Disney World trip, it’s not the one choice.
As talked about above, Genie+ at Disneyland contains all PhotoPass images. At Walt Disney World, Genie+ now contains on-ride images taken through the days that you simply buy the line-skipping service. Whereas this may find yourself costing greater than Reminiscence Maker over the course of a visit, Genie+ additionally offers the much more priceless Lightning Lane profit.
If I have been figuring out the best way to allocate my trip finances, I’d put the cash in the direction of Genie+ for 2-3 days of the journey. Make a degree of grabbing as many on-ride images as doable on these days, and simply hand my cellphone or digital camera off to PhotoPass photographers for the remainder of the journey. That’s the balanced strategy that enables for images and line-skipping. Win-win.
Total, I’ve a troublesome time recommending Reminiscence Maker at Walt Disney World to everybody for each journey. Should you’ve by no means bought on-ride images however like the thought of them, think about attempting it for an extended journey, and go nuts getting as a lot of these images as you’ll be able to, plus different images. After that journey, you would possibly simply persist with utilizing PhotoPass as a service to get images taken with your personal digital camera.
I feel it principally is sensible for lengthy or special day journeys. If you’re taking per week or longer trip with lots of members of the family, it may be price getting Reminiscence Maker so that you could get character eating images and, extra importantly, on-ride images. Should you get an on-ride photograph from many of the sights (or a number of images), the per photograph price of Reminiscence Maker is fairly insignificant.
Thus, the longer your journey and the extra folks in your touring get together, the higher of a price Reminiscence Maker is. Normally, I feel there are much better methods to spend finite trip {dollars} than on Reminiscence Maker, however everybody values features of their Disney holidays in a different way, and it may be an amazing worth to you relying upon your circumstances!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study motels on our Walt Disney World Accommodations Evaluations web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Evaluations. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys submit takes a novel have a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Experience Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every thing you might want to know!
Your Ideas
Do you agree or disagree? Like PhotoPass or hate it? Have you ever tried Reminiscence Maker or PhotoPass+ One Week? Are you contemplating attempting considered one of them? Any questions we might help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
