Walt Disney World Memory Maker 101

Memory Maker is a program offered at Walt Disney World that supplies you with a digital copy of every photo that is taken in the Parks by a Photo Pass Photographer or at specific Attractions and Dining options included in the program. You can purchase this separately or some of the annual passes also include this option for free. The package even includes some on-ride videos taken of you! You must be wearing your Magic Band or have your pass to have access to the ride video and some photos, along with the purchase of a Memory Maker package. There is a discounted price if you purchase the package ahead of time. You must purchase Memory Maker at least 3 days prior to having photos taken. (You must use your Magic Band or PhotoPass Card with each PhotoPass photographer to link it to your Memory Maker account). If you wait until you arrive at Walt Disney World to purchase the package, you do not have the 3-day waiting period prior to photos being included.

This is one of the best photo options for your Walt Disney World vacation, especially if there are several people in your party and you plan on hitting special dining options.  You will receive professional quality photos of everyone in your party.  No more missing one person who is taking the picture, or maybe one or two people missing from the sides of the photo because the photographer didn’t get them in the frame, or worse, having other people walking into your photo at the last second. With this package you can really enjoy your vacation without worrying about getting photos to remember it with.

If you purchase this prior to leaving home you will save yourself some money, $30.00 to be exact.  The Advance Purchase price of the package is $169.00. You can purchase Memory Maker online or by phone with Disney Reservations prior to your trip.  It is an item that can now be included when booking your resort stay package.  If you wait until you are at Walt Disney World to purchase it, you can purchase MM at PhotoPass locations inside the Parks and at Disney Springs. This program replaces the PhotoPass+ that you may have purchased in the past.

Magic Bands are not included in the purchase of a Memory Maker account. If you do not have a Magic Band you can still purchase Memory Maker.  If you stop at the PhotoPass centers in the parks you will receive a Memory Maker card in a clear sleeve on a lanyard that you can use for all the photos. You can also use your Park Admission ticket, or PhotoPass Card. If there are additional people on your My Disney Experience account under Friends and Family that also want photos, they can add any PhotoPass card numbers to your account and you will receive all of those photos as well. I suggest taking a photo with your phone of the card number so you will still be able to retrieve the photos if you somehow loose the card.

Just remember to pre-purchase for the best savings, you have a 30 day window once the first picture is taken to sign on and begin to download, you have 45 days from the date of the photo being taken to download the picture. Just look for any PhotoPass photographers throughout the four theme parks and both water parks. You can email an invitation for others to see your photos, or post on Facebook to share with more people. Your Family & Friends will also be able to order prints or items featuring the photos on them.

I spoke directly with Memory Maker guest services and poured over their website to find out this information. The lists below were taken directly from them. You will want to have your own camera for any other attractions or character meals you want to capture memories at. There are PhotoPass Photographers at all of the meet and greets with the characters so don’t miss those! There are now photographers at both Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutiques in the Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs to capture the before, during and after of your Disney makeover.  Some of the Deluxe Disney Resorts: Polynesian, Fort Wilderness Lodge, and the Beach Club, now have photographers in their lobbies.

During the holidays there are often PhotoPass Photographers that will take photos by the resorts Christmas tree, and also Disney Springs at Santa’s Chalet. If you attend a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party you will have additional photo opportunities there.  Once you start looking for the PhotoPass Photographers you will see them in many locations.  They wear the same dark blue color shorts, white shirts and khaki vests that are easily identifiable by their PhotoPass Photographer label on their vests and the big cameras they are wearing or have on tripods.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of this program.

Pros	Cons
*Everyone is in the photo	*It costs $169.00, if purchased 3+ days ahead
*Professional quality photo	*Still need to carry a camera
*Photos at hundreds of locations	*Photographers are not everywhere
*attraction photos are included and on-ride videos	*You will have to print the photos yourself or pay for them to be printed.
*You download every photo taken	* If you purchase less than 3 days ahead you must pay individually for each photo taken within that 3 day window.
*Share the digital photos with family/friends	*Purchase is non-refundable
*Download photos as soon as they are in your my Disney Experience account or Magic Band	*MM not responsible for missing/damaged photo
*Unlimited downloads	*Family/friends must be linked to your MyDisneyExperience account to get their photos
*Can purchase a one-time 15 day extension to the expiration date	*Park Admission Required
*You receive an email prior to photos expiring	*Only in your account for 45 days after date taken
*Anyone in your party can add PhotoPass cards if you link them through your My Disney Experience Family & Friends profile, within your Memory Maker window of time. *Less stress	*Disney won’t upload poor quality/offensive shots
*You only receive a limited license agreement granting permission to reproduce photos for personal use only

You need to decide which elements mean more to you and if this is a good purchase for your group to make. If you plan on having a lot of photos taken of your group this will save you some money.  On the other hand if you want to be your group’s photographer you may not want it.  Attraction photos will be the most difficult to get yourself and some of those are priceless!  Memory Maker would give you an easy way to get unlimited photos of your group without the stress of having to take them all yourself.

NOTE:

You do have the option of changing the Memory Maker entitlement to any person who has a My Disney Experience profile and who is on your My Disney Experience Family & Friends list. Once assigned, before any photos have been downloaded, that individual will become the owner of the entitlement.  This is helpful if someone in your party is planning on printing the photos for everyone, yet is not the same as the person who purchased the Memory Maker package initially.

If some of your photos are missing from your account on My Disney Experience you can contact the Disney PhotoPass Guest Support team at 407-560-4300 or fill out a missing photos form on the website.  If you can remember the place, time, and how many were in the party during the photo, and maybe what someone was wearing, it increases the chances of them finding your lost photo. It is worth making the phone call as they are often able to find the missing photos with a little more information.

If you wish to speak to a Memory Maker guest services person, call 407-560-4300, Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST. If you prefer to email your question you can reach them here: disneyphotopass_support@disneyworld.com

The following photos are not included in the Memory Maker package: ESPN GameDay Photos, Wild Africa Trek Photos, taken by Disney Event Group including but not limited to Disney Fairy Tale Weddings, group and convention photos and family portrait sessions, or third party operators at Walt Disney World.

You must know that Disney is always seeking information about you for their advertising purposes.  For Privacy concerns please visit: http://disneyprivacycenter.com/   for questions related to children’s privacy, you may contact Guest Services at (877)466-6669. You can also contact them at: Guest Services, Disney Interactive, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Mail Code 7667, Burbank, CA 91521-7667, United States of America