Is Disney’s Memory Maker Worth It?

Is Memory Maker worth it? This is probably a question I see at least once a week. Of course, everyone would love to have unlimited downloads of all their Disney digital photos, but the price can sometimes make them think twice.

 

Let’s examine whether it adds value to your vacation and how you can make it worth the price you pay for it.

 

What Is Memory Maker?

While at Disney you will most likely come across photographers all throughout the park. They are usually located at picturesque locations and are also with characters at the meet & greet locations. Every picture you take with a Disney photographer will go in to your Disney account when you scan your MagicBand or card. One of the fun things that you get when taking photos with a Disney photographer is that you can ask for Magic Shots. Those are photos in which they will have you pose a certain way and then they will insert some “magic” in to the final result. Oftentimes, it is a character, but it’s always a surprise as to what you’ll find in your photo!

 

If you have a MagicBand, then you will also get your on-ride photos and videos in your Disney account. That is something that you can’t get with your own camera and you can get some really funny and memorable photos that way. This is also one of My Top Reasons for Choosing a Disney Hotel, since they give you complimentary MagicBands with your stay.

 

Memory Maker is available for pre-purchase at the price of $169 USD. You must purchase it at least 3 days before you will use it to qualify for the pre-purchase price, otherwise it will cost $199 USD. Once you’ve purchased it, then you will have access to download all the digital copies of the photos in your account at the end of your vacation.

 

Is It Worth the Price?

$169 USD can feel like a lot of money to invest in photos, especially since you can just use your own camera. You can ask the photographers to take pictures with your camera as well if you’d like, but you would be missing out on the Magic Shots and the on-ride photos/videos.

 

If you know you would like to have some of the Disney photos, then it’s best to compare how much it would cost you to buy the individual photos. To purchase them through Disney Photopass, it is approximately $15 per photo, so if you think you want more than 11 photos, then Memory Maker will save you money.

 

The Magic Shots and on-ride photos/videos are something that you can’t capture without Memory Maker. The Magic Shots are so stinkin’ adorable and some of my most memorable photos are the ride photos. I love having those, so for that reason alone, I feel like Memory Maker is worth it. Disney has been adding more photos on rides recently so you can really get your money’s worth. Here are the rides that currently have on-ride photos/videos:

 

• Splash Mountain
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Haunted Mansion
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Space Mountain
• Expedition Everest
• DINOSAUR
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Tower of Terror
• Rock n’ Roller Coaster
• Frozen Ever After
• Test Track

 

 

How to Make It Worth It

If you’ve taken the plunge and decided to purchase Memory Maker, I suggest that you stretch that dollar as far as you can. It’s a lot of money to spend on photos, so make it count!

 

Take TONS of photos. Stop at every photographer you see and get those fun family pictures. This is a great opportunity for you to get photos with everyone included since someone else is taking the photos. Over the course of a week, you can easily end up with hundreds of photos in your account, so make sure to make an effort and take as many photos as you can with the photographers. That means visiting a lot of characters as well, as those will also go in to your Disney account.

 

Ask for Magic Shots. Every time you take a photo with the Disney photographer (with the exception of the character photographers), ask them if they do Magic Shots. Some of them will do them automatically, but some you will need to ask to get them done. Try and get as many of the available Magic Shots as you can, they really are a great souvenir.

 

 

 

Split the cost with a friend. If you know someone that is traveling to Disney within 30 days of your trip, or maybe you are traveling with friends/family – split the cost of Memory Maker with them. That really helps to make it worth it and then more people will benefit from it. You can check out more details on how to do that in How To Get Memory Maker on the Cheap.

 

Get an annual pass. If you know that you will be visiting Disney World 2 or more times in a year, then you might want to consider upgrading your ticket to an annual pass. By doing so, you’ll automatically get Memory Maker included. Your photos will then be available for download in your account for a year after they were captured.

 

The Bottom Line

Memory Maker is worth it if you use it properly. I find you have more chance of making it worth it if you are there for 5 days or more. If you are only visiting for a couple of days, then you might not want to spring for the pre-purchase Memory Maker. You can also look at the 1-day options that they have that you can purchase directly in the app on the day you are visiting.

 

If you know that you’ll get a lot of use out of the Disney photographers and/or you can also split the cost with a friend, then I would most definitely go for it. You’ll end up with some amazing photos that you’ll cherish for years to come!

 

 

 

Our preferred travel agency is Click the Mouse. They specialize in Disney destinations and will help you plan out all the little details. Best part is that their services are FREE when you book your vacation with them. Personalized service at no extra cost to you! To get a quote from a Click the Mouse travel agent, simply click on the quote button below and they will be back in touch with you:

 

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