Looking for a Walt Disney World Pictorial Souvenir? Pre-Order the Photopass CD before you leave for your trip! Walt Disney World knows that vacations are all about the memories you create, and the greatest way to capture those memories is on film. But Disney also knows that you don’t want to to spend your entire vacation trying to get that perfect shot, so they offer the Photopass option.
Stationed throughout the Walt Disney World parks, restaurants and resorts are Photopass photographers. These photographers are paid by Disney to take your picture. They use their camera and you can access the pictures on the Photopass website after you return from your trip (the deluxe hotels also have Photopass viewing stations, or you can stop by the Camera Centers located in each park). But they will also take a picture with your camera, just ask! Photos make for a great Disney souvenir.
When we were planning the January 2011 trip, we decided to buy the Photopass CD ahead of time so I didn’t have to stress during the trip about getting that ‘perfect shot’. If you buy the CD before your arrival date through this link, you pay just $119.95 (compared to $169.95 after you return). Or you could pre-order the Photopass + CD for $149.99 (compared to $199.95 after you return)
Each day, we would look for every Photopass photographer we could find. There are 4-5 stationed in front of each park’s icon (The Castle, The Hat, The Tree and The Ball) and you will find more scattered throughout the park. Plus don’t forget that you will find them stationed with about 75% of the characters!
Here is how the Photopass program works:
- Buy the disc before you go. (You won’t regret it!) You can also buy the disc after you return but it is $50 more.
- When you enter the park, find a Photopass photographer and let them know you need a card. IMMEDIATELY take a picture of the back of your card so if you lose it, you will have the number. It’s also a great idea to write your name or initial on the card to make sure you always have your card returned to you and not someone elses!
- Each Photopass account can have an unlimited number of cards so if you forget a card in the room or if you want to each carry a card, that’s fine.
- You can have as many pictures taken as you want. Make sure you let the photographer know you bought the disc ahead of time and they will go to town taking pics! We ended up with 750 pictures on our disc.
- Once the card number is entered into an account online, it can not be entered into a second Photopass account! The pictures also expire 30 days after you enter the card number.
- You can order photo gifts, etc on the website but the disc is really the best value. You get a copy write release as well so you can print your own photo gifts elsewhere.
- You can add borders, autographs and more to your photos. You can have up to 3 copies of any one photo.
- Even if you don’t buy the disc, let them take your pictures anyway. You can always at least look at them online.
Photopass tips:
- As soon as you enter the park on the first day, look for the people with the camera and learn their uniform. They all wear the same outfit. Being able to spot them will be beneficial throughout your trip.
- Once you learn what a Photopass photographer looks like, watch for them! Often they come out before a character does. If you see one just standing around, ask them if a character is about to come out. We have done this quite a few times!
- Make sure you let them know that you bought the disc as soon as they start taking your pictures. They will take more!
- Ask them about character shots. These are shots where they include things like Simba, Stitch, Etc. They will pose you and then you can insert the character when you are editing your photos (see the Simba picture above).
If you have any more tips or tricks to share about the Photopass service, please leave a comment!
Don’t forget to ask the Photopass photographers for the Magic Shots.Â
Learn more about souvenirs in the Walt Disney World parks.
Julie says
So do you still have to pay for the pictures at the end or can you print them at home for free.
Kathy says
Wow! So glad I ordered mine already – thanks for the head’s up!! A few weeks ago I ordered the CD and photobook package for $149.95 (just like I did on our last trip). Out of curiosity I just went to the pre-purchase site to see what the price is now….. I can’t believe it’s not offered at all anymore!! Even happier now that I got it when I did – Thanks Kristin!
Darlene says
I thought I might share that if you are going to Disneyland/DCA don’t buy the photopass cd ahead of time at the 99.95 price. That is just for Disney World. I contacted the Disney customer support center to ask them some questions about buying the photopass cd in advance and they sent me the following information: “When ordering online, the Disney’s PhotoCD for Walt Disney World is
$149.95 and the Photo CD for Disneyland is $59.95 and includes all valid
photos from your Disney’s PhotoPass card(s), including photos with added
Disney borders and graphics. Edited photos default to a 4×6 aspect
ratio unless saved otherwise. Images on the Disney’s PhotoCD will be in
.jpg format and are high resolution (1.5 MB/300 DPI/6.1 megapixel) so
you can obtain high-quality prints, up to 8″ x 10″ in size, without
losing quality. A Limited License will also be included with your
Disney’s PhotoCD. This Limited License will allow you to take the
PhotoCD to the developer of your choice to have the photos printed.
The pre-arrival savings offer is made available through the marketing
department of Disney Destinations and is for guest planning a visit to
Walt Disney World. At this time, there is not a pre-purchase offer for
guests traveling to Disneyland.”
Hope this helps someone save money!
Dana says
Are there any suggestions for locating the photopass photographers? We had a hard time finding them in some of the parks in December — and we’re going back for our wedding in September and want to be sure we can find them!
Kim says
Thanks!!!! Love the tips, anyone got info or thoughts on the Photo Pass for use at Disneyland/ DCA?? THANKS! ;)
Crystal says
On our last trip, we preordered the cd and also the photo book (I think it was $149 for both). The photo book was quite nice, but this time I think I will only get the cd. The book is pretty pricey and I think I can make something just as nice on Shutterfly. The book didn’t have a lot of layout options.
I agree, the photopass photos aren’t always perfect, but it was so nice to be able to get pics of the whole family. And since they charge you so much for one photo, I think it is a great deal. The borders and things are super cute too – my kids loving having autographed photos of the characters.
ms says
I love my disc I ordered. I did not order it ahead of time. But I tried the code they emailed me ahead of time and still got the discount. This was last May,
Trudy says
We r going to Disney in March so we order the DVD and a Photopass card came with the DVD. Do I still need to go ahead and buy the CD. And it will be my daughter 6th birthday when we r down there any helpful tip on how to spend the day. Thank you
Suzanne says
re; Birthday – if making any dining reservations, make sure you mention her birthday, and almost ALWAYS, they make the meal special ( Bring a special dessert, sometimes even decorate the table with sparkles, birthday person gets a signed card if its a character meal…)
Melissa says
How would you get multiple cards for the same photo pass? We will be goign with kiddos of different ages and plan to split up at times. It sounds like there is a number on the card that corresponds to your account. has anyone dome it with multiple cards?
Suzanne says
YES, all the time…you create 1 account online, and can add as many cards to it that you have
Peg says
I have done this on my past 3 trips. The first 2 were a “share” arranged through the DISboards. (they do not allow that anymore, but Yahoo has a group that does it)
Things I have learned through the years: if the shot is really important to you, have it taken several times by several photographers! I learned the hard way the first year when the Halloween Party shots at night were too dark and blurry.
I have been told this, but have not actually had an issue. When adding borders or cropping a picture on the website, if you plan to blow it up to a bigger size, you need to save it as that size. So if you want in as a 4×6 and 5×7, you need to save both sizes. This takes time, but I believe doing this will make sure the border is correct when it is enlarged. There was some talk on the DISboards about this, so my last trip I did it. Prior trips I didn’t enlarge photos, so I don’t know if it matters or not.
If the “magic” part of your shot is missing, call the Photopass people. If you give them the info, they can add what’s missing. I had to have all of my nephew’s HS “magic” added this year!
Finally, the photographers will use your camera also. If the shot is priceless, ask them to use your camera also. I can’t stress this enough! Will I do it again? YES, every time! I am never in photos in real life, since I am always the photographer. My trips are usually just my daughter and myself and it’s well worth the money to have those memories with me in the picture.
Melissa says
What is the “magic” they could add? I feel like such a newbie :)
Melissa says
One magic thing they did for us was that they had me hold my palm out flat and then had my husband and I look at my palm with looks of surprise. When we viewed the photo online they had put Tinker Bell in my hand, so it looks like we are seeing her and surprised. Was fun. We didn’t question the photographers and just went with it. What a great surprise the pics were
Suzanne says
$99 is a deal, considering they want $14.95 for 2 x 4×6’s aftr the fact if you dont buy the CD!!! Here is another photpass tip – take your own picture of your photopass card # when the photog gives it to you ( you could also write it down), in the event that you lose/misplace it before you have a chance to enter it online, at least you have it digitally. I love the photopass ‘bracelets’ they offer at the waterparks…less inclined to lose it.
Suzanne says
IWHOOPS – I didnt realize you mentioned taking a pic of your card up above!
Chrissy says
We bought the photo pass CD after our first trip there! Those pictures are AMAZING!!! I loved that we could add borders, signatures of the characters etc. I, not for one second, regret spending the $ on it. I just wish I knew about being able to buy the CD before we went. Oh well, now we know for next time! :)
Heather says
Thank you, thank you, thank you for passing along this tip!!! I will definitely buy it BEFORE next time!
Mary says
Just my take on this. We ordered the CD ahead of time the first trip and I felt like we spent a lot of time looking for the photopass guys so that we could get our money’s worth of pictures. The second trip, we didn’t purchase it before hand and the trip was much more relaxed! I didn’t worry about getting so many pics because I didn’t have to get my money’s worth for the CD. But, I also didn’t purchase the CD once we got back. A lot of the pics were blurry. I think people are under the impression that the photopass people are professionals, but they aren’t. They simply apply for the job and then get trained in the picture taking. We’ve had some not so good shots in the past from them. I liked being able to see the pics and then deciding if I wanted to buy them.
Becky D says
That is awesome~! Thanks!
Julia says
I totally agree it is worth the $100 to get the cd. I wasn’t sure for our last trip, but decided to go for it. We ended up with tons of pictures plus having us all in the pictures is priceless. There were several great shots that I would have wanted no matter what and the individual picture charge is something like $30 a picture so no question in my mind about preordering photopass cd for future trips.
Julie says
Thanks to your previous posts on this, we have pre-ordered a CD for our trip in a few weeks with my parents. So excited, and we never would have known about it if not for your blog! Thanks!
Pam H. says
We have done a GROUP Photopass twice before and only paid around $10-$20. I am a member on the DIS message boards. On the Budget Board once in awhile there will be a Photpass share. You look for others going around the same time as you and one person usually heads it up and there are instructions for it on that board. But if you can get a few other families to go in with you it’s much cheaper. I can look for the links or point you in the right direction if anyone is curious.
Kristin from Couponing to Disney says
Pam, I believe they don’t allow photopass shares on the Disboards anymore. I know you can still do it through Tour Guide Mike though.
Pam H. says
They aren’t? I wonder what happened? Thanks for the 411. I have gone so many times that I only take pictures of the kids.
kristi says
I just did a photopass share on babycenter.com. There is a photopass group on there. Worked out great and only cost $20 per person including shipping.
jill says
I would bring a sticker with your name on it or something that you can identify that it is your photopass. One of the photographers gave us someone elses photopass and it took a long time to figure out whose pictures we had and where our card was…. that way you can identify your card each time to get it back from the photographer…
jess says
my husband and i were just talking about this today! we will definitely be buying ahead of time :) thanks for your great posts!
Kasie Salas says
THis is sooo good to know!! We r going on our first trip to Disney thanks to Make A Wish!! They are sending my daughter for her wish :) so this is very helpful!!! Thanks a lot for your help!!
Erika says
Hi Kasie,
Don’t worry about buying this ahead of time. We just got back from my daughter’s MAW trip at Disneyworld and at GKTW during orientation they give you a special photopass card and code to use to order your pictures for FREE! Enjoy your trip…ours was amazing!