Is Memory Maker worth the $?

[Shanti]

Please help me decide if I need to purchase Memory Maker. Is it worth the money? Or will the pictures we take with our phones be good enough? Thanks for helping me decide about this purchase.

For a family's first trip, I would absolutely get it.

 

[fireflyer]

How many Memory Maker photo ops are in Magic Kingdom?
Also, does the MM package cover photos outside the park? i.e at hotels, transport, Disney Springs etc.? We are going to MagKingdom for only 1 day, and staying at Art of Animation.

It sure would be nice to let someone else handle all the camera work. But $169 is pricey IF IT ONLY covers photos IN the park itself, and we're only there 1 day.
???

 

[tabrizia]

How many Memory Maker photo ops are in Magic Kingdom?
Also, does the MM package cover photos outside the park? i.e at hotels, transport, Disney Springs etc.? We are going to MagKingdom for only 1 day, and staying at Art of Animation.

It sure would be nice to let someone else handle all the camera work. But $169 is pricey IF IT ONLY covers photos IN the park itself, and we're only there 1 day.
???

There use to be a 1 day photopass available. I would check to see if it still is.

 

[fireflyer]

Thankyou VERY MUCH Tabrizia. After consulting with a Disney rep, there still IS a "Memory Maker One Day" pass for $59. It's not available to everyone, though. It will show up on your device (via the MDE app) within several days of your visit. The rep couldn't guarantee it would show up. Apparently, it's a big secret. (I'm not very impressed about the secrecy of it.)

Also, per an outside source, you need to have already purchased a PhotoPass photo, for the 1-day MM option to appear on MDE for you.

Tabrizia, if you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't even know that it existed.

 

[aliciamakino]

I 100% think it's worth it. No matter what I do- phone, point and shoot or a DSLR camera my character pictures NEVER come out as good as the memory maker pictures. I have a 3 1/2 year old who loves meeting all the princesses and loves looking back at her pictures, so I consider it to be one of our souvenirs.

 

[Paul Rodgers]

Please help me decide if I need to purchase Memory Maker. Is it worth the money? Or will the pictures we take with our phones be good enough? Thanks for helping me decide about this purchase.

I think it depends. I went down on a three-day solo trip and bought MM and though I enjoyed having it, I don't think it was particularly worth it. If you're going with a family or significant other, and plan on riding more than three rides with the photo-op in it, definitely worth it. Pays for itself if you like seeing yourselves freak out on Splash Mountain.

 

[fireflyer]

I got a little more info about the "Memory Maker 1 Day" from the MDE chat person. You need to already be in the park and get a PhotoPass photo taken by a PhotoPass photographer. Here's a link for the locations: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/photopass.htm#locations

Link that photo to your MDE account (apparently you can do that with your Magic Band, with the Photographer).

Next, supposedly you need to get into the Photopass section of MDE app. (Not MemoryMaker, but PhotoPass). Click your photo that you just had taken. The next screen will supposedly give you the $59 1-day option, or the $14.95 option, or the $199 MemoryMaker option.

I haven't tried this myself. I've just read about. I've questioned the MDE chat people several times. Each time they give me partial info. Sometimes they give incorrect info, and later they correct themselves. I assume Disney wants you to purchase the $169 option ahead of time, and so they hide the $59 option until you're at the Park. If anyone can vouch that the $59 option still exists, that'd be great.

 

[LG1230]

Nope! I’ve done both (with CM taking pics) and the pics turned out great both times but one was free

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

Completely worth it!

 

[tycopj]

I'm no WDW expert, but we have been more than a few times. The first time I found out about Memory Maker, I really debated it because of the cost. I decided to take a chance, and I loved it. The kids were smaller then, and we have so many wonderful family pictures and character meets. On our last trip the photographer caught a series of 4 photos of my teenage daughter with stitch, Stitch took my daughters phone and posed with her as though they were taking selfies! The photographer caught this perfectly! Another time Pluto was playing with his ears and my teenage son. The photographers are great, they really know how to capture the moment. I also like that everyone in our group can scan their magic band for a photo. If I'm not on a ride, the kids can scan for the ride photos. During our last trip, the kids went off on their own quite a bit, and they were able to get a lot of photos of just the two of them

I just factor Memory Maker as part of our vacation budget at WDW, I love it.

 

[aliciamakino]

I got a little more info about the "Memory Maker 1 Day" from the MDE chat person. You need to already be in the park and get a PhotoPass photo taken by a PhotoPass photographer. Here's a link for the locations: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/photopass.htm#locations

Link that photo to your MDE account (apparently you can do that with your Magic Band, with the Photographer).

Next, supposedly you need to get into the Photopass section of MDE app. (Not MemoryMaker, but PhotoPass). Click your photo that you just had taken. The next screen will supposedly give you the $59 1-day option, or the $14.95 option, or the $199 MemoryMaker option.

I haven't tried this myself. I've just read about. I've questioned the MDE chat people several times. Each time they give me partial info. Sometimes they give incorrect info, and later they correct themselves. I assume Disney wants you to purchase the $169 option ahead of time, and so they hide the $59 option until you're at the Park. If anyone can vouch that the $59 option still exists, that'd be great.

I have gotten the one day pictures from MK for $69 on 2 different trips. If you go into the pavilion where you can buy the pictures, they will try to sell you on the $69 package. Worked out well as we had roughly 60 pics from the day so it was worth it to me to get it. Now I just pre-pay the $169 upfront because I know I'm going to want all the pictures. I bake it into the cost of our trip.

 

[BobbyDukes]

Every time my family has used it we always enjoyed it. One tip though if you do get it is that you have to seek out your pictures. You have to engage with the photo pass photographers and ask them it helps because you constantly are on the look out for them (plus they stand in pretty popular photo spots)
Quality is always good, yes there are some pictures that come off weird due to light and weather, but try to take one with your phone during those times

 

[Someluck]

I don't ever buy Memory Maker but we do have pictures taken by the park photographers and I always plan to purchase 2 special photos from each trip. Ends up about $35 dollars for a couple of professional photos that I put in WDW dated frame commemorating our trip. I have fun using photo pass to add borders and effects to the photos.

 

[fireflyer]

I have gotten the one day pictures from MK for $69 on 2 different trips. If you go into the pavilion where you can buy the pictures, they will try to sell you on the $69 package. Worked out well as we had roughly 60 pics from the day so it was worth it to me to get it. Now I just pre-pay the $169 upfront because I know I'm going to want all the pictures. I bake it into the cost of our trip.

aliciamakino,
What Pavilion are you referring to? Thankyou,

 

[aliciamakino]

aliciamakino,
What Pavilion are you referring to? Thankyou,

The one in the front of Magic Kingdom, Town Square Theater (same spot where you can meet Mickey and Tinker Bell. That's where you can by just single prints, ask about photo pass or just view your photos. You can't miss it, as soon as you go in, it's to the right. Very helpful cast members, but at times can be a long wait.

 

[aliciamakino]

Thankyou VERY MUCH Tabrizia. After consulting with a Disney rep, there still IS a "Memory Maker One Day" pass for $59. It's not available to everyone, though. It will show up on your device (via the MDE app) within several days of your visit. The rep couldn't guarantee it would show up. Apparently, it's a big secret. (I'm not very impressed about the secrecy of it.)

Also, per an outside source, you need to have already purchased a PhotoPass photo, for the 1-day MM option to appear on MDE for you.

Tabrizia, if you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't even know that it existed.

Not sure how it's a secret when they try to sell you on it at Magic Kingdom. I went to purchase just 1 5x7 picture of us in front of the castle and they were trying to get me to buy the day pass for $59. And they had it posted in the Town Square Theater. I have gotten it twice now. Once from that Photopass stand in MK and the other after the fact through the MDE app.

 

[Ben E N]

Dpending on the length of your trip, it could be worth it to upgrade one ticket to an annual pass. It includes free memory maker (actually slightly better benefits) for the whole party, but also comes with hotel discounts, free parking, and some dining and merchandise discounts.
Not sure what your current ticket plans are, but if the difference between paying for the photopass and the AP upgrade isn't too great, it could be worth it.

 

[heart goes boOm]

We used it last trip and we made it "worth" it by stopping for most photographers we saw... but honestly I think I could've taken better pics than some of them hahahaha but I think they're worth it if you normally buy ride photos!