By Dopey Diva
Do you have questions? We have answers! Each week, a diva or devo will share some of our best tips with you as we answer five of your questions. This week, Dopey Diva shares with you her tips on five of your questions regarding Disney’s Memory Maker.
1. Is Memory Maker the same as Photo Pass, in the sense of if you don’t buy it can you still view the pictures and choose the ones you want to buy? Or is it an all or nothing type deal?
That is a very good question! Memory Maker has actually taken the place of Photo Pass at Disney World, but they are very similar. You are still able to view all of your pictures taken by Disney Photo Pass Photographers. These can be viewed at one of the Memory Maker locations located in each park or certain resorts or through your My Magical Experience app on your smart device. These photos are available for individual sale and you are not obligated to purchase Memory Maker in order to purchase your photos.
2. If I am doing a split stay, can I use the same memory maker for both parts of the trip?
Yes, you are able to use Memory Maker for split stays. Memory Maker currently will allow a 30 day window to capture pictures. This means that once you have had your first photo taken or otherwise redeemed your Memory Maker entitlement, you will have up to 30 days to capture more photos before your purchase expires. You should have no trouble adding photos to Memory Maker with a split hotel stay, as long as you remain within the 30 day window.
3. Is it still worth buying the Memory Maker package since it’s just digital downloads?
This, in my opinion, all depends on the guest. I have purchased Photo Pass and/or Memory Maker on just about every trip to Disney World. Now that Memory Maker is only digital downloads I still choose to purchase it. Not only do I get the regular photos taken by cast members but now I get ride photos, character meal photos (where available) and also videos from certain rides as well. I can easily download the pictures to my computer, am still able to put the cute borders or stickers on my photos, and it’s easy to share them with friends and family via email or Facebook. I only print out certain ones I would like to frame or use for scrap booking which was all I did with Photo Pass as well. I feel like I get more with Memory Maker than I did with Photo Pass so in my opinion yes, Memory Maker is worth buying. *Plus they add a few cute little video characters into your photos as well.
4. How do you get photographers at the character meets to continue taking photos during your whole meet instead of acting like you only need the posed shot? One reason I wanted MM was to be able to enjoy the moment because THEY were capturing it!
This is actually something I have never had a problem with. From the moment my family walks up to the characters the photographers start snapping pictures. I have a younger son who we always let go up first to see the characters and the photographer will take pictures of him waking up, giving the character a hug and a kiss and then one by himself with the character. Then the rest of my family will join in for more photos. We have even asked for special poses before and both the character and photographer were happy to do it. The best experience we had was at the Disney Visa character meet and greet. This particular visit Goofy and Mickey were in the special area and they decided before photos they wanted to have a dance party with us. My whole family was dancing away with these characters and the photographer took pictures the entire time. I know most people feel like they need to get through character meet and greets quickly and they go up, pose, and leave because they know there is a line of people behind them. Don’t feel like you have to do this. Take your time, let your kids visit with their favorite characters. Talk with them and enjoy it. This is a special time for you and your family…ENJOY IT!!
5. Would memory maker be worth it for a small 4 day trip?
This is another great question and also another one that depends on the guest. My husband and I went to Disney World, just the two of us, last July to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. We flew down early on a Friday and back late on a Sunday so we were not even there 3 full days. We had decided NOT to purchase memory maker and just use our own camera for pictures since it was only us and such a short stay. Of course the photographers scan your magic bands for every picture whether you have Memory Maker or not. When I got home I decided to view our pictures through our My Magical Experience site and found out there were some I liked much better than the ones taken on our own camera. I could have purchased some individual photos through this site but the price was a bit more than I wanted to pay for a 4×6 photo. I have decided from now on I will spend the extra money on Memory Maker, especially when the kids are with us because even though I may have a camera of my own, the Memory Maker photos seem to have just a little extra magic in them making it worth it in the end.
