Disney World Tips Walt Disney World

Making the Most of Memory Maker

Having Disney Photopass photographers take all your photos for you, the convenience of getting all of your photos in your My Disney Experience account along with being able to download them all right to your phone, and getting unlimited photos for one low price are just a few of the reasons why we love Disney’s Memory Maker! This is a feature you will definitely want to consider adding for your next Walt Disney World vacation.

Making the Most of Memory Maker

Compared to the cost of buying each photo individually, Memory Maker gets you a great deal on the photos. The best part is that you can take as many as you want and they are all included! This is an amazing way to get all of your vacation memories in a hassle-free way, with everyone in the picture, and countless locations and photo opportunities to choose from!

When you purchase it at least 3 days in advance of your vacation, the cost for Memory Maker is $169.00. Alternatively, if you want your Memory Maker to start the day you purchase it (or within 3 days) the cost goes up to $199.00. I definitely suggest deciding in advance so you can save that extra $30!

Here are my tips to getting the best value and making the most of Memory Maker:

Take Photos Every Time You See a Photopass Photographer

Our Disney vacation photo with 'Incredible Celebration' backdrop. We are making super hero poses! This photo was included with Memory Maker.

Our first tip may seem a bit obvious. To get the most value from your Memory Maker purchase, you need to take as many photos as you can! The more pictures you have at the end of your trip, the less you’ve paid per photo. We always try to stop at every photographer we see, unless there is a huge line of course!

Every photoshoot is bound to have a few shots where someone is blinking, looking the wrong way or being blinded by the bright Florida sun, so the photographers always take a few shots to make sure each family has a good selection. If there are more than 3-4 families in front of you, this means you may have to wait in line. With that in mind, I’m not saying you should spend your whole day waiting in line for photos, but we usually try to stop whenever we see a photographer with no line, or a short one of just 1-2 families.

Disney has photographers stationed in a huge variety of locations! To get a great variety of photos you’ll want to take photos in different locations around the parks!

This photo we got with Memory Maker is us posing with a dinosaur outside of the Dinosaur Ride in Animal Kingdom.

Tip: In the morning as everyone is entering Magic Kingdom, there will be long lines for photos in front of the Castle. Don’t waste your time waiting in line! If you come back later in the day, you should be able to get this classic shot with a much shorter line!

Memory Maker includes: Ride Photos

Collecting your ride photos (and even the occasional video) is a really fun way to look back on your trip! For instance, seeing the thrill on your family’s faces as you fall 13 stories on Tower of Terror or come face to face with a Carnotaurus on Dinosaur can lead to some really funny pictures! If you know where on the ride the cameras are located, it can also be fun to pose and see what kind of creative photos you can take!

Memory Maker includes all our ride photos, including this photo from Expedition Everest where we are doing the YMCA pose.

Memory Maker includes: Magic Shots

Magic Shots are another perk you’ll miss out on if you opt out of Memory Maker and decide instead to just take photos on your own phone/camera. The Disney photographers have some cool technology where they can digitally add characters to your photos! Its super cool, and you can always get some unique and fun photos from taking a few magic shots with a Photopass photographer. If you want to try these out, don’t be afraid to ask the photographer if they can take a few magic shots for you as they usually have the capability to do so even if they are just taking regular photos at the moment!

Magic Shots like this one of us with Frog Prince Naveen are included in Memory Maker.

Memory Maker includes: Character Photos

Most of the Disney photographers have perfected the art of taking character photos, and during your character interaction will be taking plenty of candid shots in addition to the posed pictures! This can be something you might miss out on if you are just taking your own photos. Plus, the whole family can get it on the character interaction and take a photo together, since no one has to worry about staying back to take the photo.

Visit Photopass Studio at Disney Springs

Did you know that Disney Photopass has a full-service photo studio at Disney Springs? Our photographer told us some people even come there to get their Christmas card photos taken. They have a regular portrait backdrop if you would like to take some more formal shots, and they also have a virtual backdrop with plenty of props so you can take all kinds of unique photos! The best part is that all of the photos you take are added to your My Disney Experience account and included with your Memory Maker!

The Studio was not busy at all when we went, so we were able to take plenty of photos that ended up being some of our favorite photos from our trip. A visit to the Photopass Studio is a must if you want to make the most of your Memory Maker!

  • Ballroom photo taken with the Virtual Backdrop at Photopass Studios.
  • Posing as Moana and Maui, taken with the Virtual Backdrop at Photopass Studios. This was one of our favorite Memory Maker photos this trip!
  • Garden photo taken with the Virtual Backdrop at Photopass Studios.
  • Flying over London like Peter Pan with the Virtual Backdrop at Photopass Studios.
  • Posing as Moana and Maui, taken with the Virtual Backdrop at Photopass Studios.
  • Cinderella's Castle and Mickey Balloons, taken with the Virtual Backdrop at Photopass Studios.

Tip: After visiting Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disney Springs, stop by here! You’ll get some awesome shots to remember your child’s princess makeover experience forever! They have some ballroom dancing options on the virtual backdrop that are perfect for this. Then, you can get some taken with the more formal backdrop as well!

You can purchase memory maker here, or talk to your travel agent about adding it to your vacation package!

Have you used Memory Maker before? What’s the most photos you’ve gotten in one trip?

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