Photopass and other things Disneyland is making people do that are very annoying and expensive

[AprilsZoo]

Darn, that makes sense though. I'll likely just pay for photopass for the full week then. It's hard to justify Genie+ when we'll be doing a lot of rider swap/single rider and an unpredictable schedule with a baby wanting naps/getting overstimulated.

You can use G+ with rider swap, btw.
When is your trip?
I had a long answer typed out. But the page reloaded, and poof. I don’t have time to type it all in again right now. I’ll edit this answer a little later.

 

[BuzzlightHead]

You can use G+ with rider swap, btw.
When is your trip?
I had a long answer typed out. But the page reloaded, and poof. I don’t have time to type it all in again right now. I’ll edit this answer a little later.

Our trip is Jan 22 - 26. Yeah, I might be dumb for not buying Genie+ with our park tickets, but I'm not sure how much we'll use LL with our daughter.

Here's what my wife and i have talked about: our initial plan is to take the parks at a pretty leisurely pace and see how our daughter handles everything. If things are good, maybe Tuesday or Wednesday we do Genie+ and see how things go. If we feel it was worth it, then buy it for at least another day. We are just trying to go in with the lowest of expectations, and the only rides we really need to do are Rise and MMRR, (because they'll be the only rides we haven't done).

Now you got me thinking... if I had just bought Genie+ with our tickets earlier this month, I think it was $20/ticket per day. So it would have been $200 for the week vs. $78 (for photopass) + Genie+ for however many days we use it.. if Genie+ ends up being $35 for the days we're there, then buying 2 days worth already puts us spending more than we would have with just getting it with our tickets. I think i made a bad calculation lol

 

[Aladora]

Why? They can make extra money selling prime viewing location. People pay for the convenience. We certainly don't need them making more money by making the next best choice unavailable unless you have a dining package. There absolutely is a money saver right now, it is called "sit on your butt on the curb for 3 hours."

One of my favourite things to remember when I am trying to decide if something is worth extra $ is this:

Some people spend time to save money, others spend money to save time.

I just decide if I would rather spend time or money.

For example, I spend time to cook dinner almost every night instead of spending money on either pre-made meals or delivery. On the other hand, I spend money to have someone clean our house instead of spending time doing it myself. I spend time booking my own Disney trips instead of paying someone to do it for me but I spend money on things such as the WoC dessert party instead of spending time on finding and holding a good viewing spot.

It's all about what people decide is a better value in a situation, time or money.

 

[maleficent55]

One of my favourite things to remember when I am trying to decide if something is worth extra $ is this:

Some people spend time to save money, others spend money to save time.

I just decide if I would rather spend time or money.

For example, I spend time to cook dinner almost every night instead of spending money on either pre-made meals or delivery. On the other hand, I spend money to have someone clean our house instead of spending time doing it myself. I spend time booking my own Disney trips instead of paying someone to do it for me but I spend money on things such as the WoC dessert party instead of spending time on finding and holding a good viewing spot.

It's all about what people decide is a better value in a situation, time or money.

just wanna say, this is so well said!

 

[Lisa24jks]

One of my favourite things to remember when I am trying to decide if something is worth extra $ is this:

Some people spend time to save money, others spend money to save time.

I just decide if I would rather spend time or money.

For example, I spend time to cook dinner almost every night instead of spending money on either pre-made meals or delivery. On the other hand, I spend money to have someone clean our house instead of spending time doing it myself. I spend time booking my own Disney trips instead of paying someone to do it for me but I spend money on things such as the WoC dessert party instead of spending time on finding and holding a good viewing spot.

It's all about what people decide is a better value in a situation, time or money.

This is so true! I've seen so many people ask here and on other Disney parks groups if this thing or that thing is "worth it", and I'm always like... well, what's "worth it" to ME, may not be worth it to someone else. And my definition of what is worth my money and time has also changed as I've gotten a little older. (Like, no, WOC Dessert Party is not giving you $89 worth of dessert/drinks if you look at that value on paper. But it's worth it to me to sit and relax and have a good spot. Whereas, a parade dining package generally isn't for ME, but may be exactly what someone else wants and enjoys.)

Also, I continue to appreciate your enthusiasm DodgerGirl, but I'm starting to think we need to slap a "misinformation warning" on your posts.

 

[pindecisive]

But paying expensive prices for a photo of your kids with the characters is just odd.

I went in June 2007 when you had to buy the expensive CD and the prints cost a bundle. If anything, it's cheaper and easier now than it ever was before.

Photopass is currently included with G+. So if you are planning on using that on any days, it’s almost certainly a better deal to get G+ for the length of your ticket than photopass only each day (especially since you then get both). For our 5-day tickets it was definitely better to get the tix that included G+ (Photopass being included was definitely a factor in our decision). And it’s absolutely cheaper than getting individual photos.

Also, important to know. Ride photos at DL do NOT automatically upload to photopass even with your MB+. You have to get a pic of the photo code from the viewing kiosk then manually enter it into your app. I suggest sending a quick member of your party to go thru the regular exit and snap a pic of the number.

I loved that during our most recent trip I could just snap a picture of the code and download the ride photos through the app/Genie+

 

[2tinkerbell]

The character meal photos (Plaza Inn with Minnie and Goofy’s Kitchen with Goofy) are included with your meal. They are on your App or downloadable. The sad thing is they no longer come in the cute folder.

When DLR opened after Covid and before Genie+, I purchased the $78 week package. We love the photos and my daughter will look at our photos over and over. It extends our vacation.

 

[DharmaLou]

@DodgerGirl please stop spreading misinformation. Thank you.

 

[Glynis4]

Our trip is Jan 22 - 26. Yeah, I might be dumb for not buying Genie+ with our park tickets, but I'm not sure how much we'll use LL with our daughter.

Here's what my wife and i have talked about: our initial plan is to take the parks at a pretty leisurely pace and see how our daughter handles everything. If things are good, maybe Tuesday or Wednesday we do Genie+ and see how things go. If we feel it was worth it, then buy it for at least another day. We are just trying to go in with the lowest of expectations, and the only rides we really need to do are Rise and MMRR, (because they'll be the only rides we haven't done).

Now you got me thinking... if I had just bought Genie+ with our tickets earlier this month, I think it was $20/ticket per day. So it would have been $200 for the week vs. $78 (for photopass) + Genie+ for however many days we use it.. if Genie+ ends up being $35 for the days we're there, then buying 2 days worth already puts us spending more than we would have with just getting it with our tickets. I think i made a bad calculation lol

I 100% understand your dilemma! I think your plan is a good one! We are a family of 4, and are going for 5 days, so getting Genie+ for all of us all 5 days was out of the question budget wise. So I didn't buy it with the tickets. But what I'm considering doing, is getting Genie+ for all of us for 2 days, and then just for 1 of us for the other 3 days. So we will have photopass with that one Genie+ purchase, and then we also have the option of 1 of us getting on a fav ride with Genie+! But that is a bit more expensive than purchasing photopass for the week ($78 vs $105), so I'm not sure if the Genie+ benefit will be worth that...

 

[Dr.Mickey]

One of my favourite things to remember when I am trying to decide if something is worth extra $ is this:

Some people spend time to save money, others spend money to save time.

I just decide if I would rather spend time or money.

For example, I spend time to cook dinner almost every night instead of spending money on either pre-made meals or delivery. On the other hand, I spend money to have someone clean our house instead of spending time doing it myself. I spend time booking my own Disney trips instead of paying someone to do it for me but I spend money on things such as the WoC dessert party instead of spending time on finding and holding a good viewing spot.

It's all about what people decide is a better value in a situation, time or money.

This is so well said! This post deserves its own thread instead of hiding buried in this rather odd thread. This is exactly how we make our Disney decisions, and honestly, so many of our life daily life decisions. So good!

 

[NorCalFanatic]

She hasn’t been inside the park in 20 years, and should start every post with that. “I haven’t been in the park in 20 years, but I think….

We make several trips a year. We love Photopass and dining packages for the views they offer.

 

[SpaceMan5]

This is so true! I've seen so many people ask here and on other Disney parks groups if this thing or that thing is "worth it", and I'm always like... well, what's "worth it" to ME, may not be worth it to someone else. And my definition of what is worth my money and time has also changed as I've gotten a little older. (Like, no, WOC Dessert Party is not giving you $89 worth of dessert/drinks if you look at that value on paper. But it's worth it to me to sit and relax and have a good spot. Whereas, a parade dining package generally isn't for ME, but may be exactly what someone else wants and enjoys.)

Totally agree with you 100%.

All of our life experiences constantly shape our decisions, it is worth it or not. I like and appreciate some luxury items in my life know since my kiddos are 18, 21 and 24 and have jobs. On the other hand, my wife doesn't feel the luxury items are not worth it (Thank God for that!!)

 

[SpaceMan5]

I would also like to add one other thing relating to this.

When someone asks for advice, should I do this or that. I will give my $.75 worth to the OP but at the end will add "do what is best for you and your family, you can always book another DL trip if it didn't work out like you expected"

Cheers!

 

[starkweatherink]

I'm still trying to decipher why people are saying this is so expensive. Its included with Genie+, Im paying 30 per day for mine and get all of the photos. You only need one person in your party to have it if all you're really after is the photos ....Am i missing something? If you dont choose that option, the pics are far more expensive and that I can see being something to complain about.

 

[DizMe]

I'm still trying to decipher why people are saying this is so expensive. Its included with Genie+, Im paying 30 per day for mine and get all of the photos. You only need one person in your party to have it if all you're really after is the photos ....Am i missing something? If you dont choose that option, the pics are far more expensive and that I can see being something to complain about.

Right! It's also optional. You're not forced to pay for it.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Hmm. Disneyland has literally never forced me to buy photopass.

 

[DizMe]

Hmm. Disneyland has literally never forced me to buy photopass.

Oh, you're lucky. This guy has compelled many a guest to purchase PP.