The Disney Memory Maker is a way to receive all Photopass photos taken of you and your group during your trip, including ride photos, but how much will you pay and is the Disney Memory Maker worth it?
What is Disney Memory Maker?
So, you’ve booked a trip to Walt Disney World? You’ve selected your resort and maybe even purchased park tickets and booked your dining reservations. By now, you’re trying to budget other trip expenses, such as Lightning Lane Multi Pass, and you come across Disney’s Memory Maker. Your first thought is most likely, “what is it?”
Disney’s Memory Maker is a convenient way to get all photos taken in the park for one fee. You’ll find Disney Photopass photographers at iconic locations, such as in front of Cinderella’s Castle or the Tree of Life. They will take your photo and scan your Magic Band. Shortly, your photo will appear on the online portal or in your My Disney Experience account.
Disney’s Memory Maker also includes all ride photos and videos of you and any other members you are linked to in My Disney Experience. The enchantment of Disney’s Magic Bands makes it so you always receive your ride photos automatically (or automagically.)
Other Photopass opportunities included in the memory maker are select character meets and character dining.
Memory Maker could also be called the Disney magic maker for the behind-the-scenes work that happens on some of your photos. You’ll notice when you view them on the online portal or through your My Disney Experience account that some have been transformed to include fun graphics and animations, such as Tinkerbelle joining you in front of the castle or ghosts hitchhiking on your photo in front of the Haunted Mansion.
However, even with all of these charms, you might still be wondering, is the Disney Memory Maker Worth it? To decide, you’ll need to consider the cost.
Difference Between PhotoPass and Disney Memory Maker
The easiest way to determine the difference between these two offerngs is to think of one as a the service, and the other as a payment option. Photopass is a photography service located throughout Walt Disney World. Memory Maker is a payment option. You can buy Photopass photos individually, or as a package with the Disney Memory Maker.
PhotoPass photographers will also take photos with your phone if you ask. But, if you want the professional photos from their cameras, they come at an added cost.
How Much Does Disney Memory Maker Cost?
How much does Disney Memory Maker cost? Well it isn’t cheap.
Plan to shell out $185.00 if purchased in advance, or $210.00 if you purchase onsite. For those of you who only plan to spend a day or two at Disney World, you can pick up Memory Maker One-day for $75.00. As the name implies, it entitles you to all photos taken during a single day and can be easily purchased through the My Disney Experience app. Just make sure you’ve set My Disney Experience up correctly and linked it to your My Disney Experience account.
Adding up the math, you’ll find that Memory Maker One-day is a better bargain if you plan to visit the parks for one or two days. Just purchase the Memory Maker at Disney World through the My Disney Experience app during each day of your trip. For stays of three days or longer, you’ll find the regular Memory Maker (purchased in advance) to offer a better cost advantage.
Just keep in mind, that to receive the advanced price, you’ll want to purchase the pass three or more days before your trip as it takes three days for the advanced Memory Maker to initiate. Memory Maker photos are accessed online, and you have 45 days after your trip to download all the photos.
Disney Memory Maker Military Discount
From now until December 20, 2024, military members can add the Disney Memory Maker to their vacation for only $98. But, be aware that only the active or retired military member may purchase Memory Maker at the discounted rate and they must do so in the parks.
Memory Maker Versus iPhones or Any Other Camera
At this point, many of you may be thinking: “why on Earth would I pay for the Memory Maker when we all have cameras in our pockets?” After all, a Photopass photographer will willingly take a photo using your camera.
During our first trip with the Memory Maker, we were thinking the same thing, but we used it far more often than we anticipated.
Nowadays, iPhones take great photos, but they do not compare to those taken by a professional with a professional camera. (The PhotoPass images in this blog have been dramatically reduced in quality for faster webpage loading.)
Another thing to consider is the ability of the Photopass photographer to get the best photo locations and the special magic shots that come with many of the Photopass photos.
Our favorite part is the Memory Maker’s ability to capture those unforgettable ride photos your phone just can’t. There’s nothing like seeing the faces of your friends and family as they take their first plunge down the hill of Expedition Everest, or even better, their first launch on Rockin’ Rollercoaster.
The price may seem daunting, but we tend to find that Memory Maker is worth it. Of course, we stop at many of the Photopass locations and have pictures taken. We also love to look back on the experiences we’ve had, and some of the ride photos have ended up being our all time favorites!
Often, people head out on a Disney World trip planning to purchase only a few of the Photopass photos, if any at all. However, once they see them show up in their My Disney Experience account, they find more that they want to download than they anticipated. This means that they often end up paying a lot more to buy each photo individually or decide to pick up the Memory Maker at Disney World at the higher cost. If you wait to look at your photos until after you return home, you may find that the number of images that you’d like to download quickly exceeds your budget, and you’ll have to leave some precious photo memories behind.
Disney Memory Maker Magic Shots
Have you ever wanted a photo with Tinkerbelle, or the Headless Horseman? With the magic shots that come with the Disney Memory Maker, you can!
Magic shots are a fun detail Disney adds in to some PhotoPass photos, in some locations. Its a fun surprise to see at the end of your trip.
We have been scared by the headless horsemen, held Tinkerbelle in our hands, been lifted up into the air by Mickey balloons, and hitch hiked with the hitch hiking ghosts.
These magic shots are obviously edited by Disney cast members between when the photo is taken, and when it is uploaded to your account. When you are getting your photo taken, the cast member may ask you and your group to strike an odd pose or to make a strange face.
It may seem silly, but oblige, because the surprise you will get is worth it!
Its important to note that during long lines, and at peak times, photographers may be less likely to set up these magic shots. If you want as many of these magic shots as possible, simply ask your photographer if any are possible at that location.
These magic shots will not be available unless the cast member uses their camera at the PhotoPass location.
So, Is the Disney Memory Maker Worth It?
The answer to that question is not black and white. It depends on you! If you often find yourself wanting higher quality photos of your vacation, or love to have those ride photos to look back on, the Memory Maker might be worth it for you.
Let’s break it down. For now, we will discuss the prices for digital photo downloads, not prints.
One digital image purchased from Photopass without the Memory Maker costs $18.95. Luckily that ends up being rather easy math for those bad mathematicians like me! For the Memory Maker to be worth it, you would have to purchase ten or more Photopass photos of your trip, if you purchase Memory Maker in advance.
If you purchase the Disney Memory Maker package the day of your trip, and cannot take advantage of the advanced booking price, you would have to purchase 11 photos to make it worth it.
Another benefit of the memory maker is the discounted price you’ll receive on printed images. That being said, if you plan on downloading the digital images, print prices are often much cheaper at Walmart, Shutterfly, etc.
When is Memory Maker Worth It?
If you’re going to splurge on your Disney World vacation, then Memory Maker is certainly worth it, especially if this is your family’s first trip to Walt Disney World. After all, you will want all the memories in the Memory Maker!
You might also find that purchasing Memory Maker is worth it if you like to have photos taken in iconic locations, really value those ride photos or want to record the special memories associated with posing for magic shots. One of our favorite memories is posing with the headless horseman. We had no idea why we were told to act scared until the photo appeared, but the image and the memories are priceless.
If you’re only looking for ride photos, then consider this. Guests who purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass receive ride photos in their My Disney Experience account – without th added cost of Memory Maker.
Whatever you decide to do about Memory Maker, make sure you make the decision ahead of time as you’ll pay even more of a premium to purchase Memory Maker after the start of your trip. Our best advice is to set a budget for photos and either decide to purchase a predetermined number of shots once your trip is over or to splurge for Memory Maker. As mentioned above, if you decide you’ll purchase more than ten photos for a three-day plus trip or more than four for a one-day trip, it’s worth it to get the Memory Maker.
Likewise, if you’re content with the photos you’ll take with your phone and don’t want ride photos or magic shots, skip Memory Maker altogether
Are There Ever Discounts on Memory Maker or Ways to Make it More Affordable?
We have yet to see any discounts offered on Memory Maker, though on rare occasions it has been included in a package.
Keep in mind that when you purchase Memory Maker, you can download every photo and share them with family and friends. So, if you’re traveling with other adults, consider splitting the cost. One person will have to make the purchase and then download and distribute the photos, but it sure helps to defray the cost if you can share the burden with even one other individual.
We’ve seen people agonize over whether they should purchase Memory Maker at Disney World, so we’ve listed the pros and cons below to help you decide if Memory Maker is worth it for your trip.
Pros and Cons of the Disney Memory Maker
Pros of Memory Maker
- Memory Maker is convenient. Simply have your photo take, scan your Magic Band and your photo will appear in your My Disney Experience account or through the Photopass online portal.
- Ride photos are included with Memory Maker so you don’t have to miss a single thrill.
- Memory Maker includes special magic shots to enhance your vacation memories.
- If you plan to purchase a large number of ride photos or images shot by Photopass photographers, Memory Maker can actually end up being cheaper. Do the math mentioned above.
- Memory Maker photos can be shared with others that are linked through My Disney Experience, so splitting the cost with others in your party can make it more affordable.
- Memory Maker is a simple way to make sure you have photos of your trip. It’s easy to get distracted with everything going on during a Disney World vacation and forget to take pictures. If you have the Memory Maker, you’re more likely to take advantage of those photo ops.
Cons of Memory Maker
- At $75 for Memory Maker one-day and $185 for an advanced purchase of Memory Maker, the cost is quite high and may be prohibitive for many budgets, especially when Photopass photographers will take the same pictures (minus magic shots and ride photos) using your camera or phone.
- Lines for Photopass photographers can be quite long, so getting your picture snapped in front of the castle or other popular locations could take awhile depending on crowd levels during your trip.
- Not all Photopass photographers will initiate magic shots, even when one is available for a location. It’s entirely up to the individual photographer and how they are feeling at the moment, so you may not get as many magic shots as you’d hoped. If they’re important to you, make sure to ask if any are available.
