Is Disney Memory Maker Worth the Cost?

Back in the day, we used to purchase an old school Disney PhotoPass CD.  Nowadays Disney offers the digital version, “Memory Maker”.  It allows you to purchase all of your Disney PhotoPass photos and videos as downloads for one price.  This is a vacation that will be quite spendy, so it’s understandable to debate:  Is Disney Memory Maker worth the cost?

Memory Maker is sold as a Disney vacation add-on, for a fee of $169.00 (if purchased prior to your trip, 3 days prior to use).  We’ve taken annual trips to Disney World for a decade, so here are my thoughts on whether the Disney Memory Maker is worth it.

Pre-purchase Before Your Trip

First of all, let’s think in terms of pre-purchasing Memory Maker before your trip.  The price for this is $169.99, and your purchase at this “discounted” price needs to be made 3 days prior to any photo downloads.  The full purchase price if you wait until after this point is $199.99.

For a quick stroll down memory lane…. ten years ago, this price was $119.95.  And the non-prepaid, post trip price for all of your PhotoPass pictures sent to you on a CD was $169.95.

They used to state clearly that if after returning from your trip you are not happy with the photos, or perhaps decide you don’t have enough shots to make it worth the cost – you could receive a refund of the pre-purchase price you paid.

I’m not sure they still offer such an iron clad guarantee on the pre-purchase of Memory Maker.  I have had to call customer service about low quality photos we were disappointed in.  But I have never wished to reverse my pre-purchase.  One trip we found the character greeting shots were very poorly lit and disappointing, and they offered me a partial credit.

Memory Maker Advancements over “Old” PhotoPass

One advantage to Disney’s new technology is that PhotoPass photos are now linked to your MagicBand.  This means your photos can be seen almost instantly in the My Disney Experience app on your mobile device.

This is super cool, and very fun to check throughout your vacation.  Oftentimes we look through our photos at the end of the day, or when we are eating dinner in the evening.

The other advantage that adds value with Disney’s newer Memory Maker is that in recent years they’ve added more ride photos and even a cute custom video compiled from you riding Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.  Which I really love, and think everyone should have at least from one trip!

 

Rides can detect your presence via your Magic Band, and shots of you riding attractions like Everest, Tower of Terror, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Test Track are automatically added to your account for you.

Watch for Disney PhotoPass Photographers

PhotoPass Photographers are poised throughout the Walt Disney World Resort – at the parks, resorts, and even some restaurants.  Easy to spot in their standard garb of blue pants/shorts, a white shirt, and khaki photographer’s vest (unless found in a hotel lobby) –  they are ready to capture those happy memories for you … with everyone included in the picture.

 

Photo locations are strategically selected.  Watch for them, as they are typically iconic places with ideal backgrounds for framing your special moment.

Sadly, there’s a big range of talent among PhotoPass photographers.  My only tip for you on how to spot a good one, is to observe.  You may see 5 photographers in front of the castle, and 1 will be taking longer with each guest.  Some just enjoy their job more, and have an additional creative flair.  They spend more time with you, and often suggest multiple poses.  They are typically worth the wait.

PhotoPass Photographer Tip:  If you decide NOT to purchase Memory Maker, ask the photographer to use your camera or phone to take a picture for you!

For more information on the logistics of the program, you can check out the additional scoop from allears.net’s article on Disney’s PhotoPass.  But I’m here to answer the question:  is buying Memory Maker worth the cost?

Is Disney Memory Maker Worth the Cost?

Everyone will have a different opinion on this.  Even I have differing opinions on this, based on my mood, budget, and length of our trip.  Here are some relevant points to consider:

• If you want to run some estimate numbers, single-photo downloads are $15.  You could crunch the numbers on how many days you’ll be at  Disney, and how many photos (or ride shots) you think you’d accumulate per day to see if the $169.99 pre-purchase is a better deal.  By my math, 12 photos for the trip and you’ve broke even.

 

• Remember, PhotoPass photographers will use YOUR CAMERA and take the same photo of you for free.

 

• Using Memory Maker gives you the option of adding fun graphics and borders (like characters, logos, vacation year, and park name) to your photo before downloading.  After you are home, you can use the Disney PhotoPass website to edit your photos, adding as many fun additions as you’d like.  You can also leave the originals unaltered.

 

• We take more photos when I’ve purchased Memory Maker.  And I feel having so many fantastic photos of our entire family after our vacations is priceless.  It’s a great overview of what you saw and did while at Disney World.  I also enjoy having those family photos to include in creating either a scrapbook or custom calendar afterwards.

 

• Magic shots are only available from the PhotoPass photographer’s camera (more on these below).

 

• Full disclosure:  My family gets a little tired of me dragging them over to every PhotoPass photographer we see!

Don’t Forget to Ask for Magic Shots

Magic shots are very fun!  Photographers can help you with your staged pose.  Most times you won’t know the surprise character or image they are adding to the photo, until after you see the finished product.  We’ve been doing these since my kids were quite little.

Ahh, “magic shots“.  As if your Disney vacation pictures aren’t magical enough on their own.

Magic Shot Tip:  Ask the photographer if they can do them, and be sure to do so before dusk.  I’ve had photographers tell me they have to have full light in order to take Magic Shots.

After all is said and done, I admit I have pre-purchased Memory Maker on every on our of family Disney World trips. 

I do the same thing each time.  I don’t initially include it in my package reservation.  Then it gets closer to our vacation dates.  And I get excited.  And I look at all the past family Disney photos I have from purchasing Memory Maker… and I purchase it again.

So overall I would say this is a nice-to-have addition for your trip, but using your own camera is a great workaround to save some money.  If it fits in your budget, I’d say go for it… we’ve always enjoyed our PhotoPass photo results.

I hope this was helpful.  Enjoy your Disney vacation!