Is Memory Maker worth it?

[dmatt87]

I'm currently debating if I should purchase the Memory Maker for our upcoming May trip. It will be our son's first visit and we will be celebrating is 4th birthday. I believe we will have many great photo opportunities, but I find the price a little steep.

Should we go forward or just order a few single images when we get home?

 

[21stamps]

Yes! Memory maker is TOTALLY worth it!!

I think it is actually the best value at Disney World.

 

[Rob562]

MemoryMaker is $149 (when bought ahead of time).
A single photo download from your photos is $14.95.

10 photos is the break-even point. Do you anticipate wanting 10 or more character meet & greet, in-park or on-ride photos?

-Rob

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Just keep in mind a photo pass photographer will always take a picture with your personal camera as well. So the only photos that may differ from your personal photos are the on ride ones. We have never seen the value in memory maker and instead, we use the photos in our photo pass account to make a Disney themed calendar. You can use up to 4 photos per page. The calendar is on a spiral ring so once the year is over, you can fold it in half and just display the side with the photos. We currently have 3 different calendars hanging in our kitchen

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Oh and the calendars cost about 20 bucks.

 

[Greg H]

We always purchase it, but our trips tend to be long ones (usually 14 days). It has always been a great purchase for us as we end up with hundreds of great pictures. I find the downloading process a bit of a pain afterwards but you can purchase a CD from Disney with all your pictures, but we don't tend to do this...

 

[Weather_Lady]

I guess it all depends on what $150 means to you. For me, it's enough money to think twice.

We did MemoryMaker once -- during a once-in-a-lifetime 3-generation family trip, and although it was nice, I didn't feel it was worth the cost at all. The on-ride photos were cool, but they're all grainy (and some didn't even come out) and not of the quality where you'd want to frame it and stick it on the mantle. The photos we had CMs take (meaning the whole family was in the photo), or that we took ourselves, were as good, or better, than the photos taken by the professional PhotoPass/MemoryMaker photographers. (I should also add that the "Magic Shots" weren't anything we were interested in, and we asked CMs not to even bother doing them -- if you want to see Disney characters photoshopped into your photos, it has that value.)

In short, if you hate the idea of carrying around your camera, to the tune of $150, then it would be worth it to you. If you have a halfway decent point-and-click or phone camera that you don't mind using (or asking any CM to use) to take your own photos, then you could take that same $150 and have a terrific meal at a table-service restaurant, or another night in a value hotel, or a couple more days' worth of park tickets, or buy a couple of big custom hardbound photobooks on Shutterfly or Snapfish when you get home to commemorate your trip.

 

[njDizFan]

On my last trip I had no intention of laying out $150 for this but....then I caved in. Granted you can get many of the same pictures with your own phone but there are opportunities that you can't get yourself. Specifically pictures with the whole family(not losing the person taking the picture), animated pictures in front of the parks' icons (SSE, castle ToL) also random pictures at water parks where I generally don't bring my phone. I also think the pictures are generally a little better quality than your average cell phone picture.

If you don't mind risking the $20 discount you receive for pre-ordering memory maker. Just take a look at the pictures each night when you get home to your resort and evaluate if they are worth the value.

 

[magicmom4]

As far as monetary value, Memory Maker is not "worth it" unless you ride every ride and intend on purchasing all the ride photos. Money aside, it's totally worth it. You get great, unique family pics, super cool ride videos with you in them, and the ability to turn ordinary photos into Disney keepsakes with the overlays and stickers on the website. I've used MM many times and I agree with the poster who noted that the download process is tedious and time consuming. If it's a short trip, or during a time when there is no special event going on I wouldn't bother. One last note, if you are going with family members who may want copies of the photos, or if you want to print them in various sizes, then MM is a good deal. Once you download the pic it's yours to do with as you please and you can get multiple prints and multiple sizes.

 

[magicmom4]

Here are a few of my faves from our trip this past February

 

[dmatt87]

Thanks for all the feedback! I will mull it over in the few weeks before making a decision.

Personally I would take it for some special photos, especially of the whole family together. But DW thinks it's a little expensive

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

View attachment 197446 View attachment 197447 View attachment 197448
Here are a few of my faves from our trip this past February

Do you have to ask for the special shots? Or just know where they are? We didn't get any on our last 8 day trip.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Thanks for all the feedback! I will mull it over in the few weeks before making a decision.

Personally I would take it for some special photos, especially of the whole family together. But DW thinks it's a little expensive

Just to emphasize: any CM (photographer or no -- it could be your restaurant server, or a CM you see standing around) and any WDW photographer will take photos of you and/or your family with your camera, upon request. Foregoing MemoryMaker doesn't mean you can't get those iconic photos of your family together in all of the typical spots (e.g., in front of Cinderella Castle). The quality will, of course, depend on your camera, although our inexpensive Canon point-and-shoot did a beautiful job on our last trip.

 

[21stamps]

I'll actually rephrase my answer- if magic shots, low light scenarios (unless you have a fancy camera), and ride photos/videos are important to you.. Do the math, would you buy 10photos? If so, then monetarily it is a great value.

 

[21stamps]

Do you have to ask for the special shots? Or just know where they are? We didn't get any on our last 8 day trip.

I always ask. But sometimes they showed up even when I didn't ask

 

[dmatt87]

I'll actually rephrase my answer- if magic shots, low light scenarios (unless you have a fancy camera), and ride photos/videos are important to you.. Do the math, would you buy 10photos? If so, then monetarily it is a great value.

I like the ease of not having to ask a CM to use my iPhone 7 to take a picture but at the same time, I think I will be able to get 95% on the shots I want.

 

[Kristamouse]

Back when it was free we didn't ever down load them so, nope.
Would Tater have another on property meal

 

[21stamps]

I like the ease of not having to ask a CM to use my iPhone 7 to take a picture but at the same time, I think I will be able to get 95% on the shots I want.

For me, the biggest thing was- not having to ask someone to use my phone for a photo. It's few and far between that we actually have family photos while out, so MM is a must for me. Plus, there are nighttime photos that I knew my phone couldn't take.

But if you're debating.. just skip it you can always buy specific photos if you want them.
There's plenty of other things to spend the money on

 

[40goingon7]

I'm currently debating if I should purchase the Memory Maker for our upcoming May trip. It will be our son's first visit and we will be celebrating is 4th birthday. I believe we will have many great photo opportunities, but I find the price a little steep.

Should we go forward or just order a few single images when we get home?

With 4 kids (2 2-year old twins, 5 and 9 year olds) we've been using the service since it was cost per picture (only 2 kids back then). Worth it for us in just pictures at Character Dinning and in front of the castle (or tree, or topiaries) where I don't have to haul my big Nikon through the park. Also get all those attraction photos as well, which for us have been great, especially the new video on 7DMT. Also gives my wife and I a great review at night when all the kids are asleep. We hated having to only choose a few due to cost-by the way if you are AP holder it's park of the cost.

 

[magicmom4]

Do you have to ask for the special shots? Or just know where they are? We didn't get any on our last 8 day trip.

We just lucked upon these. Some cast members do them voluntarily, others don't. I know there are some websites that have lists of the specific locations for special shots. Usually if you see a photo cast member in an unusual or unexpected location they offer the special shots.