Disney’s PhotoPass Plus: What You Need To Know
More than a year ago, Walt Disney World introduced the PhotoPass Plus service, an enhanced version of its popular PhotoPass offering that moved beyond posed photographs throughout the parks (family photos, character photos, “Magic Shot” photos) and added photos from select dining locations, attractions, and other Disney experiences.
Although the $199.95 price tag may sound steep, guests may take advantage of a preorder option (must be purchased at least 14 days prior to the trip to allow time for shipping and handling) for $149. This special preorder package contains the following:
- A voucher to exchange for the PhotoPass Plus card – voucher can be redeemed at the following Disney PhotoPass Photo Centers: Magic Kingdom – Exposition Hall, Epcot – Camera Center, Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Cover Story, Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Garden Gate Gifts, and at the following merchandise locations: Team Mickey at Downtown Disney, M. Mouse Mercantile at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Trader Jack’s at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Zawadi at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Beach Club Marketplace at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resort
- A photo gallery on CD (stock images)
- A unique code to download all images from the PhotoPass Plus card to PhotoPass CD
- Print packages at select dining locations – 1900 Park Fare, ‘Ohana (breakfast only), Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show, Chef Mickey’s, Cinderella’s Royal Table*, Tusker House Restaurant, Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue, and Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall* (* indicates these dining locations already include photo package as part of their inclusive price)
- Digital photos from select attractions – Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Expedition Everest, DINOSAUR, and Test Track
Once guests arrive at the Walt Disney World Resort, they have to exchange the voucher for a special PhotoPass card. Although only one “main” card is included per package (it is the one that is necessary to present for the dining and attractions options), multiple standard PhotoPass cards can be connected to the main account, should families break into groups through the vacation. Additionally, attraction photos may be added later to the package with photo numbers (must be redeemed at the attraction location within 48 hours). Another perk? Any photos taken at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and/or the Pirates League may also be scanned onto the PhotoPass Plus card. Best of all, the PhotoPass Plus package is valid for a vacation up to 14-days and boasts an unlimited capacity of images.
So, is it worth it?
In the spirit of one of my favorite posts from Erin, this will definitely vary from guest to guest, but here are some figures to consider:
- A “standard” PhotoPass CD – which is included in this package – costs $169.95 (preorder cost: $119.95)
- Print packages at Dining locations (~$30/each for dining locations that offer the package separately – as noted above, both Princess dining locations – Cinderella’s Royal Table and Akershus Royal Banquet Hall already include this as part of their dining package)
- Digital images from attractions ($14.95 value per image)
With these figures in mind, let’s evaluate PhotoPass Plus for a family visiting Walt Disney World for a week:
- They purchase pictures from all the the attractions feature on-ride photos (8 x 14.95 = $119.60).
- They dine at all six of the locations that feature a photo package (3 x 30 = $180)
- After arriving , they decide to purchase a PhotoPass CD since they enjoyed all the pictures they’ve had taken throughout their vacation ($169.95)
In total, their photo expenditures would rack up to an incredible $469.55! Of course, this is an extreme example, but that is the value that a family could stand to compare against the pre-purchase price that Disney offers which would include all of the features listed. Even if you just purchased the PhotoPass CD in advance (not the plus) for $119.95, one print package ($30) and one digital ride attraction photo $14.95) would equal $164.95, which already makes up the difference by almost $15.
Have you ever used PhotoPass Plus? Is it something you might consider in the future?
Check out these related Touring Plans Blog posts for more:
- PhotoPass Plus at the Disneyland Resort
- The Attractions Plus product at the Walt Disney World Resort
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It was because of this blog post we decided to do the Photopass.
It was hard to find information about the service and I didn’t know if we really wanted to do it. Some people really complained about this and others loved it.
We loved it!
We went for 12 days…but even if we went for less we’d get this again.
People say it’s hard to find photographers…I didn’t think so! They seemed to be all around. We loved having them at the Jedi Training and the Enchanted with Belle. (they take tons of pictures, give you a card when you are done and then you go to the photo store…front right of each park…and pick your pictures…SUPER EASY!)
It was great for the meals we had..Tusker House just gave us our pictures within minutes of sitting down.
And how fun to get the pictures at each of the attractions! We loved it!
We had 277 photos taken and in making our photo book we’ve LOVED having so many family pictures to choose from. We also had individual ones taken of each of our boys on main st. We did silly crazy pictures. We got a ton of pictures of me and my husband.
In a nutshell we had a blast with this! We knew we had paid for pictures, so we just took time from our trip to take pictures. Plus we knew we wanted to make a photo book.
Now so many people say they can just use the code once. I wasn’t sure what that meant. We didn’t do any editing to the photos before we bought the CD and yes we got the CD not just a download onto my computer. I wanted a hard copy. We got it within a week of returning from our vacation.
If you take time and edit the photos before you order it and you lose your edits that would be annoying…I didn’t want that frustration…so I just ordered the pictures as they were and we did some editing and photoshopping of the photos before our book.
Thanks for this blog and all the helpful comments!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment, Heather!
Where do I find the code to download or order the photos? I am planning to use many if the pictures for Christmas gifts.
So Gail…does your Son in law have all the pictures? Can he send them to you? Or did he now download all of them? So you can only access them one time and download all of them just one time?
My daughter purchased PP+ for me as an August gift prior to our November 6-12 stay at WDW. She did so on the advice offered in your
blog; she printed info as found on your site on 2013/08/16 and enclosed it in gift card. Our seven-member group had over 230 photos taken in four parks. Nowhere is there mention made that the
code# can be used ONE TIME. My son-in-law downloaded some photos on Nov. 13 and now I CANNOT order any photos that I edited; he was not aware that ONLY ONE use of code was allowed. I had planned to make photo gifts and Christmas cards with the edited photos; now I have no
access to them at all…without ANOTHER sizeable payment for access that was already paid. How do I re-gain access to my PP+ pictures?
Gail – I would recommend contacting Disney. I am sorry for any inconvenience you have come across.
I did make an appeal to Disney. A staff member from Guest Services replied but was unwilling to extend one additional
use of the code to me. I believe that the ‘one use only’ needs
to be made clearer at the time of purchase. When more than one
person has access to the PP+ account (as pictures are taken all over the parks by multiple members of the traveling group)the promo material should make the ‘one use only’ policy cleared at the time of purchase.
Again, I am sorry to hear this – unfortunately, when something is stated as being a “unique” code, it is implied that it is a one-time use. I do agree it should be emphasized.
For those who realize about PhotoPass+ less than 14 days before your trip, if you booked your vacation through The Disney Travel Co., you can call and they will add it to your package, at the reduced “pre-trip” booking price, saving you $50. You then pick it up at check-in and are ready to go:)
Oh…and did anyone successfully link their PP+ with their magic bands for their whole group? Thanks!
Wow! Thanks! This blog post and all these comments are so helpful!
Someone mentioned there aren’t a lot of photographers…but I’ve seen a map with them all over. Is this just during peak season? We’re going Dec. 2 to 11!
I think we’re going to get this… totally worth it! We’re doing Chef Mickey twice and are glad to read the comment that you get the picture for free as part of PP+!
VERY HELPFUL!
I am planning on prepurchasing the PP+ card for my december trip. On our 1st day there, we are actually not going to any of the parks, but we are going to the HoopDeeDoo show. Can I redeem my voucher @ the show venue or is going DTD the only option for me that day?
Desiree – where are you staying? Depending on how you are planning to arrive at HDD, you could stop by the Polynesian or the Grand Floridian to pick up the card.
I didn’t see the photopass prepaid service option until 9 days before my trip (not advertised very well – maybe for a reason). I called the main 1-800 reservation # and the lady on the phone told me she could usually add the plus up still at 4 days before the trip. I hope she was right, because I ordered it then. I still don’t have the voucher yet so I hope she is right! Have you heard of this being done sucessfully before?
I’ve not personally experienced it, but if you have receipts/transactions of the purchase, you might be able to bring that to the pick up.
It can also be added to your package within 14 days of arrival. In that case, you’d just pick up the voucher at Resort check-in rather than wait for it in the mail.
I am going in November and will be getting magic bands. I received my photo plus package in the mail. Does anyone know if there is a way to link it to the magic bands without having to go to a designated location at the beginning of the trip?
I asked Disney and they said that maybe in the future it will be but right now it’s still separate from the magic bands. We have both for our trip in 11 days.
We are only doing 1 character meal at Hollywood and Vine (not on the list), my son is 4 (so we won’t be riding any of the big rides with him) and we are only doing Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom… that being said, is the PLUS a benefit to us. Thanks in advance.
Hi, were travelling with another family, can we share one Photo Pass Plus?
David, we’re traveling as a 13-person family and we are getting one Photo Pass+ for all of us. You will only receive one card in the mail (call it the “master” card) which is the only one that can be used on the rides and at character breakfasts. But if you and your other family split up at the parks then each little group can get a card from the photographers and you can combine all the cards onto your one Photo Pass+ account. You only get one CD in the mail but you can have copies of the CD made for the other family. Hope this helps
Does anyone know when the photopass centers open in the parks? On our first day, we have a dining reservation at 8:00 a.m. at Hollywood and Vine.
Allison – stores typically do not open until the park officially opens.
does anyone no the time the photo pass is open at Trader Jacks in the Polynesian?? I can not find the time anywhere and I need to pick my card up when we arrive because I have early adr my first morning and I want the printed photos – and I have read that I need the pp + to get this….help….thanks
If it doesn’t have to be at the Polynesian but just somewhere outside the parks, you can pick up your PP+ card at Downtown Disney.
this is my first wdw trip and we arrive at 5:00 p.m. On this day. I wanted to stay as close to our resort which is Wilderness lodge as possible….I here ddd can be a lot to take in and I’m not prepared to do that right when we arrive. I don’t know why it is so difficult to find Trader Jack’s pp hours?? I did email wdw photopass but they are closed until Monday and may not get back to me for several days…..
OHHH thank you soo much for your reply!!! it is much appreciated 🙂
Hi I am visiting Disney in Dec and both my girls have an appointment at the Bibbidi Bop Boutique. Is the The Imaging Package added to the photo pass plus? I have been trying to find this everywhere and can not find anything about it! Please help, this will let me know if it is worth it or not. Thanks!
Thanks for your patience, Megan! I just consulted with a BBB CM and all photos from the session (candids and imaging package) are to be loaded onto PP+.
Thank you so much. This makes planning much easier!
Can the images still be loaded even if getting the courtyard package and not the complete package? I will have a PP+ card and just want to clarify – thanks 🙂
From what I have been told, yes, all images from the BBB session can be uploaded onto your PP+.
On our recent trip to WDW we discovered a photo booth in the gift shop at the end of Space Mountain that lets you take a photo strip of 4 pictures and then upload them to your PP+ account after scanning your card — no charge! We looked for other similar photo booths connected to the PP+ system, but never found any. Maybe this is a trial booth.
I am little confused, I know I do not want PP+ because we do not want ride photos and no character meals. But is there still a just standard Photo Pass and if so what does it cost and what is included?
I just want am affordable version of the pictures taken by the Disney photographers and I want to do a couple magical photos.
There is a standard photo pass that does not include the meals or rides if you pre order it the price is $120. This includes all pictures taken by a photopass photographer for example at character meet and greets, in front of the castle, essentially anywhere you can find a disney photographer (except at meals). All the pictures are added to a card that you input into the Disney photopass website it is there that you can add the borders to pictures. Also the photographers are able to do the magic shots and that is included in the regular photopass.
Thanks for answering, Megan!
The only thing I didn’t like was the fact that the borders on the ride photos can’t be changed. You also can’t zoom in on the ride photos to remove non-family members without losing the ride photo border. When we went to WDW in 2011 they let you scan your card after Test Track to add your ride photo. Then when we got home I was able to add a border that blocked the single rider from the car. We’re a family of five so it was nice to have a photo of just us on the ride. I honestly think the Attractions+ deal would have been better since the PhotoPass photographers will take the pictures with your own camera if you ask them.
We just got back from a week at WDW. I got the PP+ in advance, knowing that we would be doing all of the rides and hitting all 4 parks. Couple of comments:
-The Space Mountain “pick up” area is a disaster. It is combined with a mechandise register and the PP line queue is hidden, so people buying stuff cut ahead all the time. Also, the area is a moving sidewalk ride away from where you initially view the photo, so many folks didn’t know or remember their number. A fellow PP+ holder and I decided that there should be a separate line for PP+ here, since multiple times, I waited while folks who had no clue what their photo # was scrolled through looking for “people who rode near them” (the cast member’s words) and then spent forever deciding what package to get.
-Not one photographer took any magic shots. Did you need to ask for them?
-Some of the photographers actually arranged us like a studio photographer and some just snapped away however we stood. The later’s photos aren’t nearly as good–my dad’s head was cut off in the HS photos. Next time, I’ll watch them snap other groups before stopping to find the better ones.
The convenience is wonderful,I love having all of us in multiple pics, the digital part is great, and the pass is super easy to use (with the exception of Space Mountain). All this being said, I’m not sure if I would get it again. The attractions+ would be a great value for our family, just not sure if the other photos are worth an extra $100.
I’ve used the photo pass plus card in September (I preordered it to save money) and I absolutely thought it was worth the money!!! When the photographers saw the card I felt like I was getting special treatment because they knew I paid extra to have this. My favorite part was the magic shots. (I had no clue what these were until one of the workers told me about it.) It was so cool to go back home and see the special effects added into the picture. We also ate at three of the dining locations and did pirates league. I believe I got my money’s worth!!! Plus we were able to get wonderful professional shots without lugging around our huge camera! We are going back in about a month and you better believe I’m ordering it again.
We will be cruising on the Disney Dream for the first half of our vacation before heading to WDW. Do you know if Photopass + is available for the cruise line portion of our trip?
Nancy – the photography services are a different ‘brand’ that Disney’s PhotoPass offering, here are some helpful links:
http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/services/photography/
http://www.mycruisephotos.com/DCL/?utm_source=Photography&utm_medium=Disney&utm_campaign=Photography
I have heard, but cannot find any information, that an attractions only photo pass is offered. I read that this is only available on site for about $49.95. Are you familiar with this, is this still being offered? Thanks.
Julie, I have the link for Attractions+ at the end of the post 🙂 Erin wrote a great review here:
http://blog.touringplans.com/2013/01/30/the-walt-disney-world-attractions-photopass-product/
We have just purchased the photopass+ for our upcoming trip. We will be in WDW for 3 weeks and have it on good confirmation that we will be able to extend the 14 day usage to cover us for our whole trip. Im excited, as we have also been included in the POR MyMagic+ tests too. Already made a few fastpass+ reservations.
That’s great to hear, Nicola! Who were you able to contact to get that confirmation (re: extending the 14 day period), I know that other guests have mentioned this question in the past and I could not find a definitive answer and that could be helpful to pass along for other guests 🙂
Hi, several family friends of mine have just done it. Back last month. No problems at all. Plus many many other uk guests over on the Dibb have not had any problems either. 🙂
So jealous!! We were in POR from the 17th-21st and were hoping for Magic Bands. Found out while we were there that they would be coming out this week. Bummer!!
I’m going with family in December but we’re only going to one theme park and one character breakfast (Ohana). Do you think if we all split the cost of a PhotoPass+ it would still be worth it? I have an infant and my nephew is 4 so no thrill rides for them but I might take a ride on Space Mountain myself. Are there photographers at all of the character meet-and-greets?
Christa – it depends on how many days you’re going, I’d say, and how many pictures you are thinking of taking. Character meet and greet locations will almost always have PhotoPass photographers (99 percent of the time, at least).
On the flipside, if you have many family members, you may find that using your own camera will be sufficient – PP photographers will use your camera if you request.
I used photopass plus in February and wasn’t very happy with the quality of the photos compared with the photopass photos I’ve gotten on prior trips. I’m not sure if I was just unlucky with the cast members taking the photos. But it seemed at times they were not even trying to get a good photo. One quick burst of the shutter and done. And this was not one isolated CM. I started to wonder if there was less interest in quality because it was clear from the photopass plus card that the photos were pre-paid and therefore the quality would not affect my decision to purchase the CD once home. Has anyone else had this experience? As a work around for my next trip I’m considering using the standard photopass card for photos around the parks and only taking out the photopass plus card for character meals and ride photos.
This is just my opinion – but it should be the same, PhotoPass photographers don’t get a pay differential or anything whether they are taking pictures for PP or PP+. Of course, since you can link them all anyway, if you feel more comfortable doing that method (using PP card for the parks and PP+ for other opportunities) that would work out fine as well.
I had read in a blog post (not sure how reliable the information was as I can’t even recall which blog it was) that Disney kept track of each pp photographer and how often their photos were purchased or downloaded. Therefore there would be an incentive (not sure if it was monetary or just used for performance review)for them to take photos that would later be purchased.
We are just back from WDW. We used Photopass+ for the first time. I am very pleased with the results: each photographer took several shots at each location, and most of them are great. They always took both distant shots and close ups of all of us.
Now I need some help with how to get the most out of the website before I order the CD. Anyone have suggestions besides using some borders, which I have done?
I am taking my four year old grandson for his first visit in October. We will only be there for 2 1/2 days. I love pictures. I am not sure if I should get the plus or regular. We will not be on the bigger rides and our character lunch is not listed here. What are your thoughts?
Personally, I’d probably say it wouldn’t be worth the purchase of the whole package…I would still take advantage of PhotoPass photographers, but just purchase ala carte items (i.e. digital copies or prints)
Thank you
We used the photo pass plus on our trip (Make sure and ask every photographer in the parks if they have any magic shots!) I am glad I did (I loved the pictures) but I wish the voucher could be redeemed at check in. It would be so much easier!
Have a plan where you will pick up your card; Make sure you know exactly where to go and do so early in the day…
I had a really hard time getting mine. We went to Downtown Disney on our first day(late afternoon) and no one acted like they knew what I was talking about when I asked where to redeem it (I waited in line at the info booth near Disney Quest). I was finally directed to the area on the other side of downtown and it was packed. I gave up. The next day I had the same issue at Animal Kingdom. (I asked a photo pass Photographer at the front gate where it was and he sent me to the wrong area). I finally found it (Right there at the front of the park all along!) They added the pictures I had already taken and they were super nice. It was first thing in the morning too so no wait!
You pick up your lanyard using your voucher at either the DTD PhotoPass location, which is near Earl of Sandwich in Guest Relations (they also have a portrait backdrop there where you can have photos done), or at each park’s photo shop, which is the first shop on the right after you enter the park. Not sure if you can pick up at deluxe resort PP desks?
As stated above: “voucher can be redeemed at the following Disney PhotoPass Photo Centers: Magic Kingdom – Exposition Hall, Epcot – Camera Center, Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Cover Story, Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Garden Gate Gifts, and at the following merchandise locations: Team Mickey at Downtown Disney, M. Mouse Mercantile at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Trader Jack’s at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Zawadi at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Beach Club Marketplace at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resort”
OK, so I just booked my trip for February 2014 online and didn’t see the option to add PP to our package. How do I go about getting it?
Call your travel agent, WDW if you booked directly, or you can order at disneyphotopass.com.
Thanks for answering, Rae!
Does anyone know how far in advance you can buy it? I bought mine a few months ago for a trip next January, but might have to hold off using it since I’m only going with one other person.
Lynne – I am not certain, but I’d probably hold off personally because I know that I’d be prone to lose the package/voucher/etc.
Does anyone know if photo Pass+ gets added to Magic bands if you have them?
Shannon, I know Disney’s testing MBs with ride photos. No word on when it rolls out.
We used PP+ for our trip back in June. They do have PP photographers at the water parks! If you don’t want to mess with your lanyard and such, they will give you little teeny cards on wrist-sized rubber bands. You just pop in at the photopass center in any of the parks and they will add the information from the little cards to your big card.
We only did Hoop dee Doo — no character meals. We rode many rides, but not all. We did not do any “magic shots” nor did we play around with cropping or borders. And guess what? Still totally worth it!!!!!!
We were all in all of the pictures. That in itself, was special. I think we had about 50 pictures in the end (not including the stock photos they add later.)
The value for me was in the convenience and the knowledge that if I forgot to snap some pictures, they would be taken anyway. Took a little pressure off of me, the family photographer. And did I say how glad I was to actually be IN the pictures, for a change?
If the budget allows, I felt that this was a good value.
Thank you for providing your feedback, Chris! 🙂
Hi,
We head to the world next week and I did pre-order PP+. We’re taking a redeye and so we arrive early in the morning. We plan to go to a waterpark that day, and we’re staying at Pop, so no chance to pick up out PP+ until we go to Downtown Disney for dinner that night. If they have Photo Pass at the water park (last time I was there they did) will the pictures be able to be added to my PP+ even though they were taken before I picked it up? They have some verbiage on the Disney sight that indicates only pictures taken after you get your card can be added, but if it’s the same day will it be ok? Do they even have Photo Pass photographers at the waterparks anymore?
Thanks!
If you haven’t picked up your PP+ card yet, you can get pix on a a regular PhotoPass card and add those to your account later. No limit to the number of regular cards you can add, so if you are traveling with multiple family members and you split up, you can still make use of PP+. You just have to have the special red card PP+ lanyard for your attraction or dining photos.
I love PhotoPass+ and think it’s the best value whether you have a short trip or a long one!
Thanks for your feedback and your guidance/assistance, RaeTravels!
RaeTravels helped our with a speedy response, but yes, to answer your other question, there are photographers at the waterparks 🙂 I love the ones you can get in the lazy river with friends and sliding down a water ride!!
When we go to the Disney Visa cardholders private photo meet and greet, will they put that photo on the PP+ as well?
We got ours on our PP+. You give them the PP+ card when you go in. Also, I’m told you can do that once a day while you’re there, so if you go 2 different days, you can do it again. There are different characters there so it could be worth it. Be prepared for a line, though!
I plan on doing this at Epcot….how long is the line – I’m going to do it about 5:15’ish and I have dinner reservations at 6:15 – will 45 minutes be enough time to give???/ thanks for the reply
How long is the line – see my previous comment we have dinning reservations at 6:20 and I was going to show up about 5:15 – is this enough time?
Holly helped out below, but yes, there are PhotoPass photographers at the Visa Meet and Greet and they will add the photo to your card 🙂
I am about 18 days away from our first trip to WDW. It is just my partner and I, no kids etc. PhotoPass+ really appealed to me considering it is just the two of us. I wanted to make sure we would have pictures that we could both be in and not be just the obligatory “selfies.” I visit DL on a semi regular basis and PhotoPass photographers are EVERYWHERE, like every 10 feet. I am concerned about some of the things Kristin mentioned. I don’t know how interested we will be in character photos so I’m really hoping that there are a decent amount of other photo opportunities, like at DL. I’ve already purchased the package and received the kit, the stock photo CD has some stunning shots.
We are traveling with our neighbors and doing all the same things together. It seems like a great value to me since we can split the cost right?
Jen – technically, yes 🙂
We used the photo pass plus on our family of 7’s 10 day vacation. We had over 30 attraction photos, 2 character meal photos, and 790 photos. We had at least 12 different magical shots taken. After editing all of our awesome photos with Disney borders and cropping, we ended up with over 2000 photos. We received two CD cases with 4 CD’s and the included stock photos.Because of our prior purchase savings we planned to apply that money toward prints.
We had magical shots done as individuals, small groups and the whole family. Without the Photo Pass plus we would have stuck to just the whole family and picked one or two. We could let loose and have fun.
It is an awesome program!!! A hidden gem.
Thanks for your feedback, Kathy! You sure got a lot of photos, that is awesome!!
I can’t recommend PhotoPass+ enough! We used it in October on our trip to DLR. I tell everyone I know who is planning a trip to get it. Worth every single dollar.
Thanks for your feedback, Trina!
I’m confused at your response – I mean can we get multiple pictures of multiple trips on splash mountain per se – like if we rode it 3 times can we have all 3 pictures? and then the next day – etc.
Absolutely no limits! Just get the number from the screens as you get off the rides. There were six of us & on some rides, like Space Mountain, we were separated into 3 different photos. My kids rode them over & over. If they didn’t like the photo, they didn’t have it added.
sometimes, if the line was long for the the photos, we just waited until they were done on that ride and added them all at the same time. The older ones would do the single rider lines, too and get those added as well. We probably have about 30-40 different ride photos.
Thanks for jumping in to help respond, Holly! Great to hear feedback 😀
You’re welcome! I always get such great help from everyone…glad I can finally help others LOL!!
thanks!
Is there a limit on attraction photos per attraction? or in general?
no limits at all. Once I added the borders, etc. to my photos, I had almost 2,000 photos on my cds. I added every border that pertained to each photo and saved it as a new photo. I did a regular PP in 2010 and I didn’t do any editing(it was our anniversary trip & didn’t think I’d want them) and I regret it now, so I didn’t want to regret not picking a certain border or whatever. I’d say we probably had about 200 photos on our pass. We went to almost every photographer possible!
We used the Plus in December and found it to be VERY worthwhile. At the restaurants, they just brought the photo package to your table, which was great not having to decide. We did Akershaus, ‘Ohana breakfast, Hoop Dee Doo. We got two photo packages at Akershaus and I thought it was because of the Plus and the fact that it is already included…NOPE! Turns out it is based on the party size, which we had 6 so you get 2. They are all on our CD and you could add the border, etc to them as well. The only thing to keep in mind with the ride photos is that even though it saves you from paying $15 at the parks for each print, you’ll still need to pay to have it printed so that needs to be figured into your costs to figure out your savings. I do digital scrapbooking and use the photos that way mostly, but I did print out some of the ride & PP photos and the quality is awesome. We went at a not so busy time in Dec, so the kids went on rides MANY times and had them all added to the CD. They figured out when the photos were being taken and started posing for them…they had a blast. They were careful not to be too crazy when they weren’t in the ride alone, so they didn’t mess up others’ photos LOL I am debating getting it for our September trip, but it just my husband and I and an adult friend of ours. Don’t think we’ll want too many ride photos and we aren’t doing any of the dining options but Akershaus…decisions, decisions!!
Does anyone know what happens if you lose the original card you get? I know they’ll give you a replacement, but does the original one still work if someone was to find it or do they deactivate it, but still keep your photos? I always take a photo of the backs of each and every card in case we lost them, but this is a whole different ball of wax. Anyone have to get a replacement one?
Overall, I think the Plus is the way to go all around!!
Holly- if you lose your original card, we were told that based on dates they might be able to find your account for you- but its not a sure thing. We were given great advice by a cast member though! As soon as you get a card, turn it over and take a pic of it using your cell phone. Then if it gets lost- they can just take the info on the back and get right to your photos.
Thanks for jumping in and commenting, Shannon!
We just returned from our trip two weeks ago, and I was very tempted to purchase the Photo Pass Plus package when we booked our trip. I wish I had been able to read your post beforehand! There is very limited information on Disney’s website, and I am a complete picture person, so the thought of being in the pics with my husband and kids was an attractive offer. Ultimately, we decided not to purchase the plan because we had purchased the quick service dining plan, and we weren’t going to character meals. In addition, my children didn’t want to pose for pictures with characters at all, so that eliminated that perk. When I spoke to a cast member via phone to ask about specifics, I got the impression that the Photo Pass photographers were scattered everywhere and that most of the rides had a photo at the end. Neither is true. My children only ride two rides with photos at the end; most are the thrill rides as your article details above. Lastly, for those who don’t want to spend the initial cost, I found out on our last day that you can get a Photo Pass card on the spot. It isn’t the deal mentioned above with the CD, but the ONLY time we ever saw the photographers was at the entrance to Magic Kingdom on Main Street when the castle is in the background. I asked a photographer to take our picture, and she offered me a photo pass card as well. I could’ve sought out the photographers all week in other locations if I had known that we didn’t have to purchase the plan to have photos taken of us. We only ended up with that one photo in front of the castle (although they do take a few poses), but I’m so glad I asked. Without the plan above, you use your code online to view your pictures, you can add borders, and you have access to a few dozen Disney professional photos of the park landmarks and characters. Two 4×6 or one 5×7 are $14.95. Definitely not as inexpensive if you get tons of photos, but for us, it was the way to go. I just wish I had known all of this information on our first day so that we could have made better use of this service. Hope this will help someone else make an informed decision.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Kristin! I agree, the information about standard PhotoPass should be more available to guests – ideally before their vacation begins, or at the very least, once they arrive at the parks (via the PhotoPass Cast Members, etc).
I booked my vacation package (for feb 2014) and was able to add photopass+ to the package. I can add the cost to the total bill and not have to worry about adding it later. We are doing numerous character breakfasts and shows so I am sure we are going to use it. Thanks for the information.
Jenn
Nice! Thanks for the information, Jennifer, and I hope you have a wonderful vacation! I’d keep an eye out on the PhotoPass page to see if they might add more features or special options as you get closer to your trip 🙂
Thanks!
You say you have to order it at least 14 days prior to leaving. So if you want, you can order it say 20 or 30 days prior? Sorry still confused.
Yes, you can order it anytime, as long as it’s at least 14 days before your trip 🙂 20, 30 or 50 days, whatever!
I got ours last Dec for this December 2013 trip.
if you buy it 6 months before your trip there is no cancellation allowed as too much time has passed
I’ve been debating PhotoPass+ for my upcoming trip. My kids are too small to go on any of the rides, but we are doing Chef Mickey’s. I’m thinking it wouldn’t be a good deal for us, because we could buy the Chef Mickkey’s for $30 and then still get a few of the posed Photopass prints and come in under the price of the PhotoPass+. Thanks for the information!
You’re very welcome, Kristina! Do you still have 14 days or more? It sounds like you’ll even out with the advance purchase price of PhotoPass ($119) and then purchasing the Chef Mickey’s ($30) then it’s $149. Of course, it’s up to how you think you’ll spend your vacation!
Great name, by the way 🙂
We had Photo Pass Plus for our 10-day vacation last December. For us it was definately worth it. We normally don’t pay for the ride photos, but those were some of the best ones we had. We did 2 of the character meals (those we always get sucked into purchasing the photo packages), and getting those plus the pictures also on our CD was very valuable.
As long as you are a picture person, this is definately a deal for you.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Karl!
I know what you mean about getting sucked into buying those packages…nice to make that decision early (with the purchase of PhotoPass Plus) instead of having to decide there at the restaurant 🙂
We used the PhotoPass+ for our trip to Disneyland last week, and I’m so happy we made that decision. It meant we were able to get pictures of my husband and I together – I know we could do that without the PP+ service, but it eliminated the concern that someone wouldn’t be able to figure out how to use my camera. Not to mention all the ride photos!
I may have to write my own post about this, but in terms of if it’s worth it – I would say yes, particularly if it is your first visit, as long as you are diligent about going to the Photopass CMs, restaurants & rides which utilize Photopass and actually have pictures available to you when you return home.
Agree, Theresa! The PhotoPass Plus offering at Disneyland is even better of a deal – and your point that being diligent about maximizing its offerings is spot on. Thanks for sharing your experience!
If you have any interest in pics at all it’s worth it. Everybody gets to be in all the photos taken at the perfect spots and all the attraction pics that you always wish you could buy. Sure if there’s no room left in the budget you can live without it, lots of awesome Disney cast members will take pics if asked with your camera so you can all be in them and the attraction photos are usually cute and funny but you can live without them…but if you have the money I highly recommend. We had photo pass last time and I just loved that we were all in the shots and the perfect locations and having them all in one cd, not having to worry about losing full camera chips or downloading to the computer. And it came with all sorts of cute borders and stuff. 🙂
Lauri – I think you’re spot on! PhotoPass (and PhotoPass plus) may not be requirements of every Disney vacation, but the convenience and added benefits can definitely make the purchase worth it. Thanks for stopping by to comment 🙂
Your article describes “Print packages at select Dining locations“ such as Chef Mickey’s where a photo is taken but you need to purchase it, unlike Cinderella’s Royal table were the photo is included in your meal.
I’m confused… is physical printed copy from a Chef Mickey’s meal included with Photopass Plus or ONLY the digital copy. I have been trying to figure this out for some time as if it is then I think the Photopass Plus option would be a very good value. I did email the support site for PhotoPass and the response was:
“At this time, the images from the dining experiences and attractions are digital images added to your PhotoPass+ card. These images will then be on your PhotoCD and able to be printed.”
However the response seemed pretty generic.
Can anyone that has used the Photopass plus service confirm which is correct, do you actually get the printed copy of the photos from dinning experiences like Chef Mickeys or Spirit of Aloha Dinner where you would typically have to pay for them? I mean they have already printed the things, why wouldn’t they? It not like an attraction photo where the picture is displayed on screen and only is printed if you buy it.
When we were there in December of 2012, we received the physical prints as well as the digital prints. It was definitely worth it for us!
Perfect! Thanks for clarifying. We are doing three of these dinning experiances were the photo is an extra charge so this is worth it for me.
Thanks for the reply, Jennifer!
Greg – thanks for your comment! Jennifer answered your question already (thanks J!) but I had to agree with you about the challenge in finding direct answers about PhotoPass offerings.
Just back from WDW. We had Photopass+; went to Chef Mickey’s. We were handed the prints for “free”. I hope they are also on the CD when I order it. So far I think the price of PP+ was worth it. We had a lot of cAndid shots taken by Disney.
calcprof
We used it on our last trip, and it was well worth it for us. My kids did photo-enabled rides multiple times, as well as during the Halloween party, where we got photos on the rides in our costumes. Also, all of the character photos are included.
In all, we received 89 photos on CD for a 9 day trip (not including their stock photos).
Thanks for the comment, Paul! That is an excellent point, photos from special events like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas parties would certainly be awesome opportunities for great pictures.
Are pictures from the halloween party only included with PhotoPass+? I’m going to the party next week and have purchased PhotoPass, it’d be very disappointing if these photos will cost extra, as the party itself is already a bit pricey.
I have the photo pass plus. If I wanted regular photos around the park using the photo pass– is that an extra charge? can i have more then enough regular photo pass cards? Traveling with multiple family and we want to go our own way. I know there is only one PLUS card.
Cheryl – you will not be charged extra 🙂 PhotoPass Plus is an extension of PhotoPass, so think of it as the standard offerings PLUS the extras.
As stated above:
“Although only one “main” card is included per package (it is the one that is necessary to present for the dining and attractions options), multiple standard PhotoPass cards can be connected to the main account, should families break into groups through the vacation.”
This means you can have as many PhotoPass cards as you want, and use those all as normal, then add those cards to the account so you can capture all the images that your family is in.
Hope this helps!
Biggest issue I found that is when you split up, only one group can have a picture taken of a ride attraction. The ride attractions can only be added with that main card. For instance, we split up and my older daughter went to space mountain while the younger went on Buzz Lightyear and only the group with the main card was able to get the ride photo added to the photopass account. I think they need to allow more than one card to accept ride photos. This happened a few times on our trip.
Overall, photopass is definitely a + (and a must for my trips). Last 2 trips I had 2 DVD’s full of pictures that were taken on our trips. And quite a few neat ones (holding simba at animal kingdom, holding Tinkerbell at MK, and with fairy wings on in Japan in Epcot). Well worth the money.
I think that all you need to have is the number from the ride photo. I wonder if you went back to the ride photo area and gave them the number if they could still add it.
I can confirm that this works. One of our group rode Buzz Lightyear while the rest of us were at Space Mountain. She kept her picture number and we added it to our PP+ account later that day.
You have to order this AT LEAST 14 days before your trip, so that they have enough time to mail the package to you before you leave.
Hi Loralei! Yes, it must be purchased 14-days prior to a trip for that reason 🙂 I will edit it to make that more clear, thanks for your comment 🙂