Disney Memory Maker/PhotoPass...Is it worth it?

When planning a Disney vacation on a budget, you may find yourself pinching pennies where you can.  One question you will likely have is, is Memory Maker worth the money?  If you are only visiting a park for a day, then maybe not.  You could save money by purchasing your PhotoPass pictures individually after your trip.  However, if you are visiting more than one park or for more than a day, it is totally worth it.  And if this is your first visit to Disney, do not skimp here. 

We love Memory Maker and have bought it every trip.  I'd like to clarify that having pictures taken by a PhotoPass photographer is completely free.  They take the pictures and link it to your account via your magic band or a card.  However, you then have to purchase the pictures you want individually; and it is likely that you will have quite a few that you love.

Memory Maker costs $169 (if you purchase in advance) and $199 if you purchase it the day of your trip.  With Memory Maker, you have instant access to all your photos and can download them all at no additional cost.  Also, the fee covers 30 days of pictures from the first day you use it.  Many of us spend several days in the parks, so this fee will cover everyday of your trip.  When you compare $169 to the cost of paying a professional photographer to take family holiday pictures, it is a steal!  

Now that I've explained what Memory Maker is, let me share with you some of our favorite PhotoPass experiences.

This photo opportunity is hidden by Rapunzel's tower, which is next to the Haunted House.  We just discovered this photo opportunity this year and the above are a couple of my favorite pictures of our girls.  This shot is only available after dark when the lanterns really glow and there is no way they would come out this great on a camera phone.

I love the candid shots that PhotoPass photographers capture!  I have so many favorites from our vacations that Memory Maker is a must.  With the unlimited downloads, I use the photos to make Christmas cards and photo books on Shutterfly.

Of course, there is also the benefit of all your ride photos loading directly to your account.  I share this picture to share a tip also. When you ride Slinky Dog Dash, ask to have your family in even rows, for example, rows 1 & 2 or 3 & 4, etc.  I think we were in rows 6 & 7 so half of our family ended up in one picture, and the other half in another.  Next time, we'll be sure to get our whole family together in the picture.
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Magic Shots

One of the coolest things PhotoPass photographers offer are Magic Shots.  I'm going to share an entire post about Magic Shots, but here are few of my family favorites.

The pictures I shared in this post are just a handful of the tons of photos I have saved from our 2018 trip.  I have many more saved and printed from this trip and our previous ones.  For our family, Memory Maker is always money well spent!  In my next post, I will share some of my favorite magic shot opportunities.  Always ask your PhotoPass Photographer if they have any magic shots they can take and you'll be in for some fun surprises!