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Note: As of June 16, the price of the Walt Disney World Disney PhotoPass PhotoCD will increase to $149.95. At this time, the price for pre-ordering is not expected to be affected.
Latest five discussions on the Disney's PhotoPass Support Forum:
| [PhotoPass] | New Photo Effect...Mickey Disney Ballons by IrisM | June 22, 2009, 04:46:24 PM |
| [PhotoPass] | Shutterfly Disney Book by scrapbook stacy | June 18, 2009, 08:19:53 AM |
| [PhotoPass] | 15% discount code by lalapodip | June 12, 2009, 09:23:05 PM |
| [PhotoPass] | Pre ordering CD by Kate | June 08, 2009, 09:19:05 PM |
| [PhotoPass] | Are photpass Shares allowed here by Brad | May 29, 2009, 07:03:58 PM |
Most amusement parks have teenagers rush at you as soon as you enter the park to take a 'free' must-have souvenir photo that they hope to charge you an arm and a leg for before you leave. In contrast, Disney's PhotoPass has grown from modest roots to offering the best of the traditional service without incorporating the worst. While prices for individual prints are still cringing at best, newer features and options have driven the overall price way down. Gone are the days when Disney's PhotoPass photographers would ambush you to take your photo, now it's almost become a game hunting them down sometimes.
In a nutshell, the service is a network of Disney's PhotoPass photographers spread all over the four main parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios) and two water parks (Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon) at Walt Disney World and both parks at the Disneyland Resort (Disneyland, California Adventure) (it is currently no longer offered at the New York City World of Disney). Disney's PhotoPass is currently unavailable on the Disney Cruise Line ships but is perpetually rumored to join eventually. Having your photo taken is absolutely free with no obligation to purchase so - other than a little time - you don't lose anything by trying it. Best yet, you don't need to make any financial decisions for up to two months after your vacation! In addition, Disney's PhotoPass photographers (or a nearby Cast Member) are always willing to use your own camera if you have one.
Sometimes the hardest part about using Disney's PhotoPass is finding a PhotoPass photographer - the rest couldn't be any easier. The first time you have your photo taken, you will be handed a Disney's PhotoPass card. The card has a unique 16-digit alphanumeric code on it that the Disney's PhotoPass photographer scans in via a two-dimensional barcode that links all the Disney's PhotoPass photos s/he takes to that individual card. Note the code is more important than the card itself, so take extra care by recording it either by taking a photo of it with your own camera, writing the number down, sending it via a text message, etc. Some guests write some sort of contact information on the card itself in case it gets lost, but that's relying on someone else to find it and to make the effort for you.
NEW! Good news for those wishing to obtain the small Disney's PhotoPass wrist card pictured above. Traditionally only distributed at the water parks, they are now being distributed at the Pixie Hollow Disney's Fairies meet & greet in the Magic Kingdom's Toontown Hall of Fame.
Part of the genius of the system is that there is no limit to how many cards you can have and combine at a later time. That means if your group separates, each group can have its own card to be added to everyone else's later on. Also, should you forget the card in the room or lose it (glad you wrote the number down now?), you can ask for a new card. Speaking from personal experience, sometimes it's easier to just ask for a new card than dig through a deep and over-stuffed cargo pants pocket. Some guests have been known to use their cards for multiple trips, but it's completely unnecessary and in fact might cause an unforeseen issue as changes are made to the system.
But what if you want to re-use Disney's PhotoPass cards from a previous vacation? Here's something to keep in mind: When you add a Disney's PhotoPass card to your disneyphotopass.com account, it's part of that account forever, even after the photos are deleted. You can verify this by clicking on the My Account link on the disneyphotopass.com website. So this means if you want to re-use a card, first insure that you can still access the account that the card belongs to. Assuming this isn't a problem, remember that since the card is already claimed, any Disney's PhotoPass photos you have taken with the card will immediately start appearing in the disneyphotopass.com account as well and the 30 day deletion countdown clock for the individual photos will start, so you may be cheating yourself out of some time. While re-using a card will protect you should you lose it since it's already claimed, I recommend using a new card each vacation.
It's been said that while the number of photos is unlimited, the system has an issue with seeing beyond 999 photos on one particular card. While rare is the case someone will be able to get that many photos taken in total, I recommend a more practical approach and perhaps simply getting a new card every few days of your vacation.
As they are taken, photos at Walt Disney World are wirelessly transmitted to the Disney's PhotoPass system. This means photos can sometimes be ready to be viewed in the parks within minutes although sometimes it can still take up to 24 hours to view them online.
Finding Disney's PhotoPass photographers can sometimes be tricky as their numbers can fluctuate in response to crowd levels. When the service first began, the costumes worn by Disney's PhotoPass photographers actually varied between parks.
For the most part, this has been unified, although accessories may vary, especially with the weather. One major exception to the uniform however is that worn by photographers on Main Street, USA in the Magic Kingdom.
Generally speaking, you can find them on the paths with the park's icon in full view for a backdrop. In Magic Kingdom, this means a few up and down Main Street, by the rose garden and even on the bridge to Tomorrow Land. At Animal Kingdom, in front of the Tree of Life. In Epcot, you should practically be tripping over them as soon as you enter the park. At Disney's Hollywood Studios, popular spots include Hollywood Boulevard with the Sorcerer Hat in the background and Sunset Boulevard with the Tower of Terror in view
You may find them in other spots or specific attractions as well. Another popular, but not consistent place to find them is at character meet & greets. Sometimes you can almost always count on them being there, sometimes they're scheduled to be there only at certain times and sometimes there aren't any at all. As a rule of thumb, it'll be great to find them, but if you have your own camera, you may not want to leave it behind ? just in case.
Disney publishes maps of the four major theme parks with icons noting popular Disney's PhotoPass spots. You can view them as well as download a PDF version here.
You'll also find them at some dining locations, taking photos of guests in front of a sign or with a greeter character. These photos are for photo packages available later for purchase only (or included in the cost of dining at Cinderella's Royal Table). You cannot have the photographer take photos using your card, but you will be free to use your own camera if you have one. Incidentally, if you dine at CRT/PSB or purchase the photo package, you can add it to your Disney's PhotoPass account or product, but more about that later.
For Disney Visa cardholders, a special free private meet & greet is offered daily 1:30 - 4:30 pm at Epcot. Located in the Innoventions West building, just past the Where's The Fire? and Play It Safe exhibits is a curtained off area. Guests with card in hand may join the line for their own private meeting with 2 or 3 of the fab five. Not only will there be a Disney's PhotoPass photographer onhand to take as many photos as you wish, but each account (up to 2 accounts per family) is entitled to a free 5x7 print available later at the Camera Center. While each account is limited to one print a day, cardholders are free to visit multiple days of their vacation if they wish. Depending on the Cast Member at the Camera Center, many guests have reported to be able to receive a print of any Disney's PhotoPass photo instead of the Visa Meet & Greet photo, especially after expressing disinterest in the latter. At Disneyland Resort, you can find the Disney Visa meet & greet operating for the first hour and a half of the park's opening in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area of Disney's California Adventure, by Monsters, Inc.
Disney Resorts Private Photo Shoot - You can arrange for private 30 minute photo sessions with a Disney's PhotoPass photographer at the Grand Floridian, Beach Club, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge (Please note that Saratoga Springs is no longer offered. It's expected to be moved to the Contemporary Resort but no time line has been offered at this time). The sessions includes around 40 photos (limited only by time) taken around the picturesque resorts and their beaches. Please note that as of September 1, 2008, Portrait sessions at the resorts are a separate entity from the Disney's PhotoPass system in the theme parks. While both Parks and Portraits use the same system for their photos, they are separate products. There is also a new pricing structure in place, which is as follows:
Disney's PhotoPass Portrait Session Photo Package - For a price of $49.95, you will get your choice of one of the following packages: (A) 8x10 (2), 5x7 (3); (B) 5x7 (2), 4x6 (4 sets of 2); (C) 5x7 (7). You will be able to choose the pose for each print, so you can have up to 5 different poses for Package A, up to 6 different poses for Package B and up to 7 different poses for Package C
Disney's PhotoPass Portrait Session PhotoCD - For a price of $99.95, you will get your choice of photo package as explained above plus all of the photos on a PhotoCD.
For guests who have either pre-purchased Disney's PhotoPass PhotoCD or have purchased the PhotoCD in the parks, the session will be available for $70.
Reports from guests who have participated in the photo sessions are overwhelmingly positive. Available times are seasonal, starting daily at 8 am until 7 pm or sunset, whichever comes first. Call 407-824-1700 to make reservations up to 30 days in advance or for additional information.
Bibbidi Bobbidi Photo Boutique - Located inside Guest Relations at Downtown Disney Marketplace and Exposition Hall in the Magic Kingdom, small photo studios are set up for photo sessions primarily for guests who have purchased packages at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, however these studios are available for free use to any guest, even if they haven't had a BBB appointment. In addition, the rose garden at Magic Kingdom is also used for BBB photo sessions. Use of the studio is free of charge and requires no reservations, however priority is given to BBB patrons.
Of course it wouldn't be Disney without some magic. Disney characters can find themselves magically superimposed on your photos. Don't be afraid to ask to have the photo taken either.
For your benefit, we offer as much information and sample photos of the magic photo shots whenever possible. The photos and order in which they are displayed are randomly chosen with a maximum of four examples per magic shot photo displayed. If you find this site to be useful, we ask that you kindly consider donating your magic shots to help out future guests learning about Disney's PhotoPass. Please email original, borderless Disney's PhotoPass magic shots to brad@stitchkingdom.com. Thanks!
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Also, because it's not an entirely automated process, it's been known to happen that the respective character didn't find their way into the image. In that case, check in with the Disney's PhotoPass service center or use the contact form on disneyphotopass.com and it can usually be rectified.
Attractions - Currently, Test Track in Epcot is the only attraction to feature Disney's PhotoPass technology. After exiting the attraction, guests can locate their ride photo on a bank of monitors and insert their Disney's PhotoPass card into a slot (which has an indicator that momentarily turns from red to green upon successfully crediting the photo to the card) to claim it. There should be a cast member at the monitors to assist any guests that may be having difficulties as well as to distribute new cards to those who need them.
The Test Track photo border is one of the options when viewing the photo online or purchasing it in the parks.
It's expected that more attractions will include support for Disney's PhotoPass in the future, but it's likely to appear on newer attractions before the older attractions receive this feature.
Dining - Guests who dine at Cinderella's Royal Table and/or Princess Storybook or purchase a photo package at another of the dining locations where a photo package is offered are in for an additional treat ? those photos can be added to Disney's PhotoPass and subsequently treated like any other Disney's PhotoPass photo. The main photo will have a Disney's PhotoPass ID number (should start with EVNT) and the guest can now claim those photos either at a Disney's PhotoPass service location or on their disneyphotopass.com account as if it were another Disney's PhotoPass card.
Dining locations that offer photo packages are as follows:
Cinderella's Royal Table even has its own special Disney's PhotoPass borders available:
Jedi Training Academy - A Disney's PhotoPass photographer is on hand to take photos during each Star Wars Jedi Training Academy session at Disney's Hollywood Studios. If your child is a participant in one of the training sessions, you can go to a Disney's PhotoPass center such as the Darkroom on Hollywood Boulevard near the park entrance and have your child's photos added to your Disney PhotoPass card. There are even some special Star Wars borders available.
Use Your Own Camera - When possible, use your own camera as a supplement, especially during photo ops. Don't rely on the photographer to capture all the magical moments. During group shots, ask the photographer or accompanying Cast Member to use your camera as well. The more photos you take, the greater the chances you'll get one worth keeping. Another thing worth noting is that Disney's PhotoPass photographers use a Nikon D70 digital SLR camera (they are also phasing in D80s but due to system performance, the resolution remains about the same as the D70). While its photos are suitable for prints of any size, many consumer cameras today can rival its performance in many situations. Of course you don't get to add neat enhancements to your own photos.
Record Your Disney's PhotoPass Card Numbers - Have a digital camera? Take a photo of the card number. Have a cell phone? Text it to yourself. Blackberry? Email it to yourself. It's possible to recover photos if you lose the card, but avoid the headache by taking this extra step now.
Ask for multiple photos per pose - You may be amazed how different two photos can be when taken in the same second. Potential problems multiply as more people squeeze into the image, it's possible someone may be blinking, looking away, etc. The more photos you take, the better your chances of finding a more suitable photo. Photos out of focus can also sometimes be an issue so having multiple photos taken can increase the chances of the one you're looking for.
Disney's PhotoPass Photographers are *not* professionals - at least in most cases. While many do have a strong interest and background in photography, it is not a requirement for the position, but rather a desired qualification. For this reason, it's important to really take advantage of the system as much as possible. Some Disney's PhotoPass photographers will inevitably be better than others. It's better to be thrilled with 1 out of 25 photos with Cinderella Castle in the background than to not be happy with just the one you got.
If you'd like to view the photos on site and optionally purchase prints or another Disney's PhotoPass product, you can do so by visiting the camera centers located towards the entrance of any of the four main parks (Exposition Hall in Magic Kingdom, the Camera Center at Epcot, Cover Story / The Dark Room at Disney-MGM and Garden Gate Gifts at Animal Kingdom). You can also visit County Bounty in MK's Toontown, guest relations at Downtown Disney and the Disney's PhotoPass kiosks located at the resorts that offer private portrait sessions.
Alternatively, you can view photos online by creating an account at http://www.disneyphotopass.com. You can create the account at any time before your vacation if you wish. Even if you don't have access to the internet on your vacation, this will allow you to share your adventures with your family at home as long as they have the account information. Of course you will have to guide them through adding your cards manually, but at least even if you lose the card from this point on, the photos have been claimed and saved.
An important thing to note regarding disneyphotopass.com, however, is that you are time limited to how long your photos are available online, so keep this in mind when you make your decision. You have 30 days to claim the photos by adding the card number to your account and the photos will then expire and be deleted 30 days from that point. Once photos are deleted from the Disney's PhotoPass account, chances are dramatically slimmer that they can be restored. But if you provide ample time, you can request an extension on the photos (note that if photo is set to expire 6/12, it will expire at midnight at the start of 6/12, so your last real day is 6/11).
Disney's PhotoPass PhotoPrints - Individual prints can be purchased either while at the parks or online. Very often, discounts are made available on the disneyphotopass.com site. Current pricing is as follows:
* offer may be available only on site at Walt Disney World Disney's PhotoPass center locations
Disney's PhotoPass PhotoPrint Packages - Includes a combination of prints and other products of the same Disney's PhotoPass photo of your choice. Each of these options are $19.95.
Disney's PhotoPass PhotoDownload - Individual Disney's PhotoPass photos can be purchased and delivered via download making them instantly available to you in your choice of size (remember that the photos are natively 4x6 and other proportions will involve automatic cropping). You will have the rights to reproduce the image as if it were from the PhotoCD. Price: $14.95
PhotoCD - This is the most popular and overall most cost effective option. You will receive all of your Disney's PhotoPass images (this does not include photos you have uploaded to the website or Disney stock photos - see below) on CD as well as a license that you can print out and take with you to any digital photo processing center to order prints of any size at a drastically more affordable price than individual prints from Disney. You will get a copy of every Disney's PhotoPass image in your account, no matter how many CDs they consume. Each CD will contain a maximum of 500-700 photos (each CD containing multiple folders with 20 images each), so if you have 1200 images in your account, you will receive it on 2 CDs.
The images you receive on CD are in JPEG (.JPG) format and are roughly 6 MegaPixel in resolution, which while not on the cutting edge of digital camera technology, is usually quite sufficient for 8x10 and even larger prints. Actual pixel dimensions will vary, especially with images you may have cropped online.
Here, however, there is a significant difference between purchasing PhotoCD in the parks and online. In the parks, you are NOT able to add borders and enhancements to individual photos. While the parks used to allow this, it proved to be too time consuming for Cast Members to assist guests doing this. Only online are you able to enhance each photo by editing/cropping and adding border/enhancements. In theory, 100 Disney's PhotoPass photos can 'easily' be turned into 500 or more. So as you can see this can be a time consuming process - one you'll be glad you can put on hold and get back to later on every now and then.
The PhotoCD Price Structure is as follows:
| Location | Price | Enhancements? |
| Disneyland | $59.95 (includes 3 5x7 prints) | No |
| Walt Disney World | $124.95 | No |
| disneyphotopass.com | Disneyland Photos Only - $59.95 Includes WDW - $149.95 (or pre-order for $99.95 - see below) | Yes |
NEW! Disney's Photo Gallery CD - Now all of those stock Disney's PhotoPass photos of Walt Disney World you have been admiring and using in other Disney's PhotoPass products are available on CD. for purchase Over 300 hi-res photos including many not featured on disneyphotopass.com are yours for unlimited personal use. Note that unlike the PhotoCD, you are not able to distribute these photos, they are strictly for your own use. The Disney's Photo Gallery costs $39.95
PhotoMovie - Create your own DVD slideshow complete with Disney background footage of the parks, Disney music, Disney Characters and creative transitions for $49.95 (additional copies of the same DVD on the same order are $19.95 each). You can have up to 7 chapters, any of which can be 1 of the 4 main parks or a 'Beyond the Parks' theme which is primarily one of the Disney Resorts (your choice). Each type of chapter allows for 7-16 of your Disney's PhotoPass photos, Disney stock images or your own photos you've uploaded to the website.
One common complaint about the PhotoDVD is that there is currently no real generic footage if you don't wish to choose a resort for your 'Beyond The Park' sections. If you opt to not select a particular resort, it defaults to footage of the Grand Floridian. What many choose to do when they have multiple 'Beyond the Park' sections (which you will probably want since each 'Beyond The Parks' chapter is limited to just 7 photos) is just choose their resort multiple times. Also, note the PhotoDVD product contains only video. There are no copies of the photos on the DVD that can be extracted and reprinted. You will need to purchase individual PhotoPrints or the PhotoCD if you wish to have the images themselves.
Many considering the PhotoDVD wish to know if it's worth it or want to view a sample. While I currently can't provide a sample, one is available on disneyphotopass.com once you sign in by selecting All Products under the Photo Products menu. Locate PhotoMovie in the left column and click on Learn More. After the intro (which you can skip), click on View An Extended Sample. The final product will look exactly like this sample, only with your images. You'll also be able to preview your PhotoMovie as you create it. Even if you don't have any Disney's PhotoPass images yet, you can use the Disney stock images to experiment. While you can make your own DVD movie for considerably less elsewhere, I've yet to hear from anyone who was less than very happy with their PhotoMovie.
PhotoBook - This digital scrapbook comes at two pricing levels. The less expensive level at $49.95 lets you use only images you have uploaded. The higher level at $69.95 lets you incorporate your Disney's PhotoPass photos as well as Disney stock photos. There's also a difference in the covers which is covered in detail on the disneyphotopass.com site.
Reviews on PhotoBook are fairly strong. It probably couldn't hurt if more design options were offered as there's no park specific designs, making that approach of organization somewhat difficult. Other potential sources of frustration is the preview mode cutting off captions (which the final product shouldn't do as the text may be even smaller than the preview shows) and occasional complaints about photos being cropped, probably stemming from the subject of the photo being too close to the frame.
PhotoPrints - Very often there is a discount available on PhotoPrints ranging in the 20-25% range. Look for the special offer when signing into your disneyphotopass.com account or check the Special Offers tab. Also, as of 2006, Disney replaced the free portrait traditionally offered to guests attending the Pirate and Princess, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas parties with special Disney's PhotoPass cards that offered the guest a discount off of prints only. In 2008, the discount continues to be 40% off all prints. This can be applied to prints of party photos purchased during the party or can be used as a one-time discount online on all prints ordered regardless of when the photos were taken. Your Disney's PhotoPass card number doubles as the discount code when you're ready to make your purchase.
PhotoCD - There are a couple of big ways to save on the PhotoCD. First is by pre-purchasing PhotoCD up to 60 days before your vacation. The codes are set to expire after 60 days after purchase, so please allow yourself ample time after adding the photos to order the PhotoCD (i.e., it's best to order no sooner than 30 days prior to your vacation's start). Note that although the coupon code will expire after 60 days of purchase, some guests have reported success by getting it re-activated by Disney's PhotoPass support. By pre-ordering, you will not only save $25 off the price of PhotoCD, but the cost of shipping will be included. There have even been reports of international shipping being included (you may still be responsible for customs fees). You will be emailed a coupon code specific to you that will zero out the cost of the PhotoCD when you're ready to order it. The best part is, it's satisfaction guaranteed. If, after your vacation, you decide you no longer want to purchase the PhotoCD, you can get a refund (restrictions apply, see site for full details).
Note that when you pre-purchase the PhotoCD, you will receive multiple emails as part of the fulfillment process. One will contain your coupon code, this is the important one; another will tell you that your order has shipped - this refers to the coupon code which had been shipped to you via email. You should receive the code within minutes of your purchase. If not, check your spam filter or contact Disney's PhotoPass as soon as possible to get the situation resolved.
If you forget to pre-order online before your vacation, you can pre-order the PhotoCD in the parks. The price will be the full cost of $124.95, but you will receive 3 5x7 PhotoPrints to offset the difference.
Another option is to organize or participate in a Disney's PhotoPass share. If you're going with a group of people, such as extended family, or even other groups of guests found through a website who will be at the parks around the same time, you can reduce the cost of the PhotoCD for everyone by creating one account for everyone and splitting the cost of Disney's PhotoPass. The person in charge of the share will then be responsible for making sure everyone edits and enhances their photos in a timely fashion and then will be in charge of ordering, receiving, duplicating and distributing the CDs to each participant. If you choose to do this with virtual strangers, however, please exercise caution as you will have no recourse if something goes wrong (unless of course you are the organizer).
PhotoBook - If you purchased or are planning on purchasing the PhotoCD, you can use your Disney's PhotoPass photos in the PhotoBook and still purchase the less expensive option of PhotoBook. Simply purchase the PhotoCD and then upload the Disney's PhotoPass photos you wish to use in the PhotoBook and select photos from the My Uploaded Photo section, effectively saving you $20.
The preferred method to contact Disney's PhotoPass is via the Contact Us link found at the bottom of the disneyphotopass.com site and should yield you a response within a couple of days (which shouldn't be a concern even if the issue is time sensitive). If you feel you are not getting an appropriate response, you can try emailing them directly at wdw.photo.imaging@disneyworld.com or leave a voice mail at 407-560-6068.
Have any Disney's PhotoPass specific questions not covered here or have additional information or comments? Please share them with us on our Disney's PhotoPass Support Forum!
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