Hellooo me & a friend are going to walt disney in 96 days!!!! (Im counting!!) Im becoming a bit stressed with all the new changes as this is our first visit I want it to be amazing!! We are staying at international drive & I'm just wanting to know, if we want to have a picture of the two of us standing infront of cinderella's castle for example, do we have to purchase this new memory maker thing or can we hand our cameras to the disney photographers & will they happily take our picture? Also would we still be able to just slyly take a picture of the picture of us on splash etc. Hope someone can help, disney really is a mind field!!! X
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Disney Photographers/ memory maker
- Thread starter winkie88
- Start date
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
No, you can hand the Photopass photographers your camera (or any cast member, for that matter) and they will gladly take your picture. We did it several times on our last trip. We didn't spend a penny on photopass, and still ended up with enough high-quality photos to make a Shutterfly book (purchased at about 25% of the price for a Disney-made one) devoted to our vacation. 
As for the on-ride photos, I think you can still purchase them separately if you want them (anybody know if this has changed, too)? If not, please be careful if you're trying to take your own on-ride photos. Do NOT use a flash (a big no-no on any "dark" portion of any attraction), do not hold the camera up where it is blocking others' view of anything, and don't hold your camera up anywhere where it is danger of falling out of the ride vehicle.
As for the on-ride photos, I think you can still purchase them separately if you want them (anybody know if this has changed, too)? If not, please be careful if you're trying to take your own on-ride photos. Do NOT use a flash (a big no-no on any "dark" portion of any attraction), do not hold the camera up where it is blocking others' view of anything, and don't hold your camera up anywhere where it is danger of falling out of the ride vehicle.
MarkTwain
Well-Known Member
You absolutely can hand your camera over to a PhotoPass photographer. Don't forget you can also buy just individual photos from Disney without MemoryMaker; just take the little white PhotoPass cards photographers take you to the photo store at the front of each park. MemoryMaker gets you literally every photo on your trip, which for many people is just too much when you want a photo or two in front of the castle.
And yes, cast members will almost never stop you if you attempt to take a picture of your ride photo. Some photos will have text overlaid on them (Space Mountain's is particularly covered) but Splash Mountain and most others actually show the photo without any text covering so the photo should come out fine.
And yes, cast members will almost never stop you if you attempt to take a picture of your ride photo. Some photos will have text overlaid on them (Space Mountain's is particularly covered) but Splash Mountain and most others actually show the photo without any text covering so the photo should come out fine.
MarkTwain
Well-Known Member
Attractions+ is a great package, it's $49.99 if I remember correctly. In my eyes Attractions+ is a better deal than MemoryMaker, since attraction photos are the only photos you can't really have taken on your own camera.
Hot Lava
Well-Known Member
We didn't spend a penny on photopass, and still ended up with enough high-quality photos to make a Shutterfly book (purchased at about 25% of the price for a Disney-made one) devoted to our vacation.
So now that it is entirely digital (w/ memory maker), can you just get your photos downloaded to your computer and then make your own book (or whatever) with Shutterfly as well?
I am going back and forth on whether it is worth it to get the MM. I am driving myself crazy!
I would recommend you have them take photos with your camera and also with a photopass on their camera. Not because they will likely be great photos, the last time we had maybe 10% keepers from what the photopass folks gave us and 90% that were cutting off feet or hands or arms or even the top of a head... or had so much lens flair that it was pointless... or the crocked horizon line... In short the photopass shots are rarely great, but they are a good backup... but don't depend on them either. Our last trip I distinctly recall having them take photos of our kids with some of the fairies, but when we later got home and looked up the photos online none of the ones with the fairies were there.... so they sometimes completely blow it.
As for ride photos, I wouldn't bother at all. On way to many rides you wont even be able to see yourself because some idiot in front of you decided that they needed to hold their arms up to prove how un afraid they were on a log ride or tower of terror... so those passes for attractions only are probably going to be very expensive considering you will be lucky to 2 photos where you can see that it is you on the ride, let alone your faces.
As for ride photos, I wouldn't bother at all. On way to many rides you wont even be able to see yourself because some idiot in front of you decided that they needed to hold their arms up to prove how un afraid they were on a log ride or tower of terror... so those passes for attractions only are probably going to be very expensive considering you will be lucky to 2 photos where you can see that it is you on the ride, let alone your faces.
dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
The Photopass photographers will take pictures with your camera. And when you meet characters the handlers will do the same. However, when Photopass uses your camera, typically they will take one with yours, and then a handful with theirs. And at the characters, the handlers are often distracted with other people in line, and usually have trouble doing anything beyond a point & click and hoping you were in the frame.
You can still get the Photopass Archive CD. That costs less than Memory Maker, and still includes either a physical DVD being sent to your house, or allows you a digital download of all pictures in your account. But that download is a one time deal, you can't download, and then make more edits and download those edits as well.
Memory Maker is indeed all digital, entitles you to 30 days of downloads, and the dining and attractions photos. You can download as many times that you want during that 30 days.
Either way (or even if you only buy a single picture download) you will get a release allowing you to use the photos. You can then get prints, books, calendars whatever made at the vendor of your choosing.
To both of you, the worth is really your own call. Do you normally not end up in family pictures? Do you enjoy meeting characters? Or plan on doing lots of dining/attractions that are included? Then yes, you may benefit. 8 or so pictures is usually the break even point, so one picture from each ride is about the cost. Yes, you would still be in family pictures if Photopass uses your camera, but as I said, it's normally a one and done. They'll do different groupings, different poses, etc. And at characters (especially with little kids) Photopass is usually ready to get a picture of your child running up for that first big hug. I usually see parents juggling coats, autograph books, etc and they never seem to be ready to get that type of picture.
But if you only want one picture in front of the castle, then probably not going to be worth it.