Disney World vacations require a lot more planning than your ordinary vacation! With all of the choices you can make, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to make the “right” choices for your family. Memory Maker Disney World is an optional add on that may seem like an unnecessary expense. However, I think it’s great for families, especially if you can split the cost amongst your traveling party!
What is Memory Maker Disney World ?
First, let’s explain what Memory Maker Disney World. It is an optional addition to your Walt Disney World vacation that allows you unlimited downloads of all your PhotoPass Photos.
What is PhotoPass? PhotoPass is the name for the photography service offered by Disney Parks. There are Disney Cast Members in and around the parks that offer to take photos for you. They are usually easily identifiable by their bright green shirts and copious amounts of camera equipment!
Should I purchase Memory Maker Before my Trip?
When you purchase Memory Maker before your trip, you save yourself $30. If you wait until you are on your trip to purchase Memory Maker, the price goes from $169 to $199. Why pay $30 more if you don’t have to?
Additionally, If you don’t purchase Memory Maker within 3 days of taking your first trip photo with PhotoPass photographers, you’ll have to pay for those Disney photos separately. You also run the risk of not being able to connect those photos with you My Disney Experience account, which is an IT mess in and of itself.
If you’re considering Memory Maker at all, just go ahead and purchase it well before the start of your vacation.
Help Out the Family Photographer
Everyone can be included in the photos and everyone in your party has access to the photos! With Memory Maker, someone else is taking the shot so everyone gets to be in it.
If you link up everyone in your party’s Disney account to the Memory Maker before you go, you’ll all be able to access the photos without having to each buy a Memory Maker. Split the cost between family members and really save yourself some $$!
Keep All of Your Photos (Yes, ALL of Them)
You get to keep every single photo taken by PhotoPass photographers. Individual photos cost $14.95 each.
If you just buy 10 photos, you’ve just spent as much as you would spend on the Memory Maker option. On our last trip, my family got to keep over 280 photos we had taken, PLUS any photo we had taken at a Disney World restaurant or a ride.
Ride and/or Restaurant Photos Included
Finally, yes you also get to keep all ride/dining photos at no additional cost With Memory Maker, you get to keep your photos from any rides you want as well as ones taken at any table service restaurants you dine at.
Those restaurant and ride photos can be as much as $25 or more, so even if you only get 2-3 of those, you’ll also have saved money there. We had 2 restaurant photos and 2 ride photos in addition to our 280+ PhotoPass photos. If I bought everything individually, it would have cost me well over $1,000.
Memory Maker Disney World is Worth the Cost
As previously outlined, Memory Maker at Disney World is well worth the cost. Photographers may not get everyone in the shot on the first try. Someone may have their eyes closed or another guest may accidentally walk into your photo.
Thankfully, the Photopass photographer can take several shots, and you get to keep them all. Not many things on a Disney vacation are cost effective, but Memory Maker at Disney World certainly is.
