Red, Chase and I had the trip of our lives last year, just before Red’s 4th birthday. We visited Walt Disney World in Florida on the #DisneyKids trip to learn about preschool-aged offerings at the resort. As much of a Disney fanatic as I am, I thought I knew a bunch, but learned even more. My head was bursting with new information. Red himself learned a thing or two with his first trip to the Magic Kingdom. One of my favorite offerings was the Memory Maker. For many, many years, Disney photographers have been available at the entrances to the parks, in front of character meet and greets and various other locations throughout the resort to snap magical photos of you and your travel companions. A la carte, the photos can be fairly expensive, but this new Memory Maker option is something that you really can’t miss out on.
Accessible in the My Disney Experience mobile app as well as online, the Memory Maker is available for purchase. Not only will you be able to link your reservation to your magic bands (more on this in a second), but you will also be able to add photopass cards from others in your party, locate photographers and get sneak peeks of your photos! As of January 2016, it’s $169 for advance purchase and $199 for day-of use. You can also purchase a SINGLE DAY memory maker through the My Disney Experience Mobile App. (Advance purchase means you must wait three days before you can use it) But at such a price, why do I think Memory Maker the best splurge EVER on a Disney Vacation?
No Hauling the Big Camera and Lenses
Save your beautiful lenses from the elements, the crowds and the knock of the roller coasters. It was much easier to whip out my phone or an occasional selfie and leave the heavy lifting to the pros. We took home over 500 photos from our three-day vacation, and they were fabulous. If you’re unsure about what to pack, be sure to print out my Complete Packing List for a Disney trip!
Everything In One Place
All of our photos were linked up to My Disney Experience; the newest update in the app even allows instant sharing online as well as a two-week download period at home, so you don’t have to pick and choose your photos. Keep them all! Our photos were organized by park, so they were easy to find and sort through if I was looking for something specific.
Characters, Vistas and Rides, OH MY!
Yes… everywhere you see a photographer, you can snap a shot. Scan your magic band with them or snag that PhotoPass and link it up. Want to view your picture AND magical VIDEO as you coast through the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train? Go ahead… it’s all included! Disney photographers are even offering magic shots throughout the park. They have your pose and when you see your photos…. magic is right there with you, at no extra charge. Red and Chase even had an animated shot with Baymax in Hollywood Studios!
Everyone is in on the Shot
Dads don’t get stuck taking pictures. Your tallest friend with the longest arms doesn’t become jaded taking all the group selfies. Relax, pose, and smile as the perfect shots are taken and uploaded for you! Family reunion, girls weekend? Make sure you take advantage of the Memory Maker and split the cost… you can all access and share the photos without any up charge. If you’re traveling with a group of three gals, and only take five perfect photos (guaranteed you’ll end up with LOTS more!) that’s only $10 for each picture. Professionally lit, focused and full of magic.
Memory Maker Provides Unexpected Photo Opps
Visiting the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (See Red’s visit here! Yes, Boys can go, too!)? How about the portrait studio in Disney Springs? Yup… all included. You’ll get so many pictures you won’t know what to do with them all! (hint: make a photo book from your trip!!)
this was so great! and their pictures were so much better than we could have taken, and we all got to be in them!!!
Agreed. And we had SO MANY more than we ever could have taken ourselves.
We go to Disney every year and I have never gotten this package. The picture people also take photos with your camera, so mine are just as good as ones they take with their camera 🙂
Yes, they will take some! But I LOVED having them on the download – we had over 12 just with Mickey alone, like the hot dog dance that happened before the official meet and greet. Maybe I’m just turning into a photo junkie! 😉
Love this new feature! We’ve used the Photo Pass service in the past. I always prepurchased and then we came home with a CD with all of our images. It was a good way to be sure we had pictures with both my husband & I in them – not just one of us because the other was behind the camera. And, I second making a photo book! Even my 1 year old loves thumbing through our photo books (most of which were before she was part of the family) and seeing all the photos. They are worth every penny.
We have had the memory maker! I love it, the price is great and we had so many photos from our trip!
Memory Maker isn’t a splurge, it’s a must! We have some great photos that bring back all kinds of memories thanks to Memory Maker. We loved it.
I agree wholeheartedly.
We got Memory Maker on our last visit and the photos were amazing.
The impromptu photos we capture of our son meeting his favorite characters are lifelong memories I got enjoy in real time vs. watching through my camera lens.
If I were taking young kids to Disney, this is definitely the way I would go. Not having to haul around my DSLR would be fantastic.
This service sounds amazing. It would be so nice to not have to worry about taking photos yourself.
We took the kids to Disney once and it is absolutely one of those childhood memories that you will want to relive through photos! I also lugged my DSLR around the parks. So glad to know about his service!
This is fantastic. I will have to use this service next time. Looks like a great trip.
This is a nifty extra to add to a WDW trip.
Photos are important for memories.
It really was the best purchase we made! I highly recommend anyone to purchase the Memory Maker when visiting Disney!
This looks like a really cool option for people who visit, I probably won’t go but hoping for a visit before my kids are adults. I went with my parents when I was maybe 13/14 and it was a blast! I don’t think Memory Maker was available when there back then though!
This sounds pretty awesome! I’ve never been to Disney but plan to in the next few years with my kiddos. This sounds like something worth checking out!
Isn’t Disney fantastic? They really do everything possible to make the visit easy for guests. I love this program! Great pics too!
It is so worth it! We loved going through all of the great family photos on ours when we got back from our trip.
I think it sounds fun. I’d love to give it a try. I haven’t ever gotten the magic bands either. I’d really like to try those out the next time we go.