MM - To Get or Not To Get?

[Frozen2014]

Such a dilemma whether to purchase the memory maker. We are coming with our 9 year old son and 5 year old daughter.

Pros:

1. This is a one time trip for us so will capture those special moments
2. If we have MM, we won't need to carry a camera (our phones will suffice for those other moments). And our little camera isn't very good and our good camera is too big so we wouldn't bring it.
3. Don't know details, but I've heard you can get creative and have fun with the pictures afterwards...I love that kind of stuff

Cons:

1. It's quite $$$ and we've already added on other extras to our trip (MNSSHP, BBB). Note we are in Canada so $149 US translates closer to $200 Cdn)
2. Not sure if DS will cooperate as he sometimes makes a fuss at pictures (especially if there are many to take)
3. I'll probably get obsessed with feeling like we have to stop and take pictures to get our money's worth
4. I assume it's a bit time consuming (i.e. to take the picture plus ensure it gets linked back to your MB / account)?
5. If rains, no pictures during that time
6. We won't be taking full advantage as we are only riding a select few of the ride attractions and attending the restaurants where MM is included
7. We only have 4 full park days at Disney so can we get full value?

Opinions...should we get it or pass?

 

[Holstar]

At $99 when bought in advance, we found MM to be fantastic value for money!

We did take our camera too... and ended up with 1300 photos that I took over two weeks, and about 450 MM photos.

We didn't find that we would seek out photographers - but if there was one without a queue and we were passing by, we'd take a picture! We certainly didn't go out of our way.

Our youngest was 10, and HATES photos. All of the pictures of her are fab - we found the photographers to be great with the kids, and worked with them to get great shots.

And, we didn't find it consuming... it was part of the fun for us. We'd check our that days pictures each night, and have a giggle over all of the ride photos! We only had one incident where a photo didn't link - and that was a character meet and greet. I just filled out an online form (date, approx. time, location, what were you wearing etc) and within 12 hours they'd found it and added it.

With regards to weather - we went during the last two weeks of August - at times it felt like it was constantly raining! We certainly saw photographers out during that time! Not as many, admittedly, but there were some. They tend to find shelter near their original location.

For us - the ride and character photos made it worth it. I have over 100 ride photos, maybe 80 or so character ones. I loved that they'd capture you at waterparks too - the ones of our girls coming down and getting off Summit Plummet are priceless!

You can certainly customise the photos - we wont, as we're going to make a giant 200 page photobook with them now that we're home, but it's cool that you can.

Over all, we found MM super easy to use, and worth the money. The photos look good - we had maybe two or three duds, so much fewer than the photos I took! But, it's really down to your preference!

 

[Arden01]

Such a dilemma whether to purchase the memory maker. We are coming with our 9 year old son and 5 year old daughter. Pros: [*]This is a one time trip for us so will capture those special moments [*]If we have MM, we won't need to carry a camera (our phones will suffice for those other moments). And our little camera isn't very good and our good camera is too big so we wouldn't bring it. [*]Don't know details, but I've heard you can get creative and have fun with the pictures afterwards...I love that kind of stuff Cons: [*]It's quite $$$ and we've already added on other extras to our trip (MNSSHP, BBB) [*]Not sure if DS will cooperate as he sometimes makes a fuss at pictures (especially if there are many to take) [*]I'll probably get obsessed with feeling like we have to stop and take pictures to get our money's worth [*] I assume it's a bit time consuming (i.e. to take the picture plus ensure it gets linked back to your MB / account)? [*]If rains, no pictures during that time [*]We won't be taking full advantage as we are only riding a select few of the ride attractions and attending the restaurants where MM is included Opinions...should we get it or pass?

I think it's worth it. We got it and don't regret it. We have some wonderful shots of the whole family in iconic locations, plus some fun "magic" shots of our daughters holding Tinker Bell in their hands. We also did BBB and the PP photographer is there and takes dozens of candid shots. That alone was worth it to me. We have attraction photos from ETWB, the carousel, Splash Mountain,,Space Mountain, Expedition Everest, Jedi Training Academy. Plus every character meet and greet had a PP photographer. My daughters and I have loved decorating the photos with borders and stickers afterwards. Lots of fun. I did have to stop for photos and I told my daughters that they had to do a couple a day for "mom." They were fine about it and liked looking at the photos at the end of the day on my ipad. I did check every day to make sure they were there and once had to have MM person at concierge find our Merida photos. I didn't think it was a hassle at all and now am making photo books for my daughters for their birthdays. I will get it again on our next trip.

 

[Frozen2014]

At $99 when bought in advance, we found MM to be fantastic value for money!

...

And, we didn't find it consuming... it was part of the fun for us. We'd check our that days pictures each night, and have a giggle over all of the ride photos! We only had one incident where a photo didn't link - and that was a character meet and greet. I just filled out an online form (date, approx. time, location, what were you wearing etc) and within 12 hours they'd found it and added it.

For us - the ride and character photos made it worth it. I have over 100 ride photos, maybe 80 or so character ones. I loved that they'd capture you at waterparks too - the ones of our girls coming down and getting off Summit Plummet are priceless!

How did you get it for $99??? Isn't it $149 (which is more for us in Canadian dollars)?

For time consuming...didn't you have to link or do something after they took the photos? Or do they just quickly scan your magic band?

As for characters and rides...the only characters outside of CRT, Akershus and Chef Mickeys meals planned is A&E (doesn't mean we won't do more but that's all that is planned).

And we only have a few of the rides...Splash (DS and DH only), Test Track, ETWB (didn't realize that one is in the list), Jedi if we can get it...

Sounds like you got some great photos though and really captured everything..

 

[cakebaker]

Such a dilemma whether to purchase the memory maker. We are coming with our 9 year old son and 5 year old daughter.

Pros:

1. This is a one time trip for us so will capture those special moments
2. If we have MM, we won't need to carry a camera (our phones will suffice for those other moments). And our little camera isn't very good and our good camera is too big so we wouldn't bring it.
3. Don't know details, but I've heard you can get creative and have fun with the pictures afterwards...I love that kind of stuff

Cons:

1. It's quite $$$ and we've already added on other extras to our trip (MNSSHP, BBB). Note we are in Canada so $149 US translates closer to $200 Cdn)
2. Not sure if DS will cooperate as he sometimes makes a fuss at pictures (especially if there are many to take)
3. I'll probably get obsessed with feeling like we have to stop and take pictures to get our money's worth
4. I assume it's a bit time consuming (i.e. to take the picture plus ensure it gets linked back to your MB / account)?
5. If rains, no pictures during that time
6. We won't be taking full advantage as we are only riding a select few of the ride attractions and attending the restaurants where MM is included
7. We only have 4 full park days at Disney so can we get full value?

Opinions...should we get it or pass?

In response to your concerns:

1) No doubt its expensive- $149 and you just have the rights to print the pictures- no real pictures. That said, we're getting it this trip and we usually don't.
2) The photographers are amazingly fast- they know what they're doing. And if you take every photo available to take, it still won't seem like you're constantly doing pictures because they're so quick.
3) It only takes a second for them to scan your band- no waiting around at all
4)No, they don't take pictures in the rain, but those days where it rains for long periods of time are few and far between, but it is a risk.
5)To me, the least valuable pictures are the ride pics. They rarely turn out well, imo. The dining photos are wonderful though. I don't think you have to have a lot of them to make it worth it. We have no dining scheduled this trip and are still getting the MM.
6) 4 days is more than enough time to get dozens of pics.

That said, if you decide not to get it, we think the calendar for $25 is a great buy. It's what we usually get if we don't do MM. The photos are very good quality and you can get a ton of pics depending on the framing you choose for each month.

You can also wait and do the Archived Photos- It costs more $199, but they usually have a discount of 20% off and that way you can decide after the trip if you got enough to make it worth it. You do not get ride photos on that- not sure about dining.

 

[Peachkins]

I went back and forth about it for upcoming trip. It's just my husband and I, and we really won't be seeing many characters unless we stumble across them. I did end up purchasing it because the ride photos alone will get us our money's worth. With those you don't even have to stop to have them added to your photo package- they will just appear in your account later. On top of that you've got photographers at a ton of scenic areas just waiting to take your picture, and as the previous poster said it doesn't take long at all.

 

[dawnhaze]

I got over 200 pictures on my recent 6-day trip. I asked just about every photographer I saw who didn't have a line if they could do magic shots, since that was what I was looking for - I got tons of them and it really didn't eat up much time at all. The photographers are pretty quick and scanning your band or card takes almost no time.

I like the photo services. I'd have nothing but selfies otherwise!

 

[McKelly]

I didn't realize the carousel had a photo for the Memory Maker. We usually skip this, but we will be traveling with younger kiddos this time, maybe I can convince my teens to ride it........and "help" the younger ones.

 

[Cais]

I didn't realize the carousel had a photo for the Memory Maker. We usually skip this, but we will be traveling with younger kiddos this time, maybe I can convince my teens to ride it........and "help" the younger ones.

It doesn't.

Sometimes a photographer may be walking by and you can snag a carousel photo. But they're very rare.

Someone mentioned the Disney PhotoPass Archive Disc and "more than $199 but they run 20% off". It's actually $169, but they do run 10% off deals every month or so. That disc includes all of the regular photos but no ride photos. Pedantically speaking, by ride photos I mean photos taken by the ride itself and available for purchase. Since a photographer took the enchanted tales, Jedi training, and random carousel photos those would be available on the DPAD but not splash, test track, buzz, etc.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Frozen2014]

It doesn't.

Sometimes a photographer may be walking by and you can snag a carousel photo. But they're very rare.

Someone mentioned the Disney PhotoPass Archive Disc and "more than $199 but they run 20% off". It's actually $169, but they do run 10% off deals every month or so. That disc includes all of the regular photos but no ride photos. Pedantically speaking, by ride photos I mean photos taken by the ride itself and available for purchase. Since a photographer took the enchanted tales, Jedi training, and random carousel photos those would be available on the DPAD but not splash, test track, buzz, etc.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

But why pay $169 when you can get the same + ride and character photos for $149 in advance?

 

[cakebaker]

It doesn't.

Sometimes a photographer may be walking by and you can snag a carousel photo. But they're very rare.

Someone mentioned the Disney PhotoPass Archive Disc and "more than $199 but they run 20% off". It's actually $169, but they do run 10% off deals every month or so. That disc includes all of the regular photos but no ride photos. Pedantically speaking, by ride photos I mean photos taken by the ride itself and available for purchase. Since a photographer took the enchanted tales, Jedi training, and random carousel photos those would be available on the DPAD but not splash, test track, buzz, etc.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Sorry, I was confusing it with the MM price if you don't buy in advance. I know they had 20% off calendars until the 7th and thought the Archive was the same discount.

There is a photographer at the sword in the stone, right in front of the carousel. We get that photo every time we go as it's we like to get a pic of my grandson every trip- it's a sentimental thing to see how much he's grown. I'm fairly certain you could ask him to snap a photo at the carousel as well. They're pretty good at taking whatever they can, especially if you say you have the MM pkg.

 

[sdomino11]

Get MM. It's great! We never went looking for a photog (except in HS near Star Tours where I knew my boys could get a magic shot fighting Darth Vader!). We stopped whenever we happened to not be rushing to make an ADR or fp and whenever we saw a photog that didn't have a long line. There were a few times when DS(5) was too grouchy to take a pic, but we'd just roll him into the picture in the stroller. We got a ton of pics and made a beautiful photo book from them. Worth every penny. I'll do it every trip from now on. (And even just one ride down Splash Mountain gets you a picture worth it all! Hilarious faces!!)

 

[cakebaker]

But why pay $169 when you can get the same + ride and character photos for $149 in advance?

If you aren't sure it's going to be worth the money- it rains or you just don't get the photos you wanted, or enough photos then you saved the $149.

It's a nice option for those who change their minds once they're home.

 

[tinkfan160]

We did the previous equivalent of the Photpass+ last summer and it was well worth it. Yes it was pricey, but it was the first trip that we actually had pictures of all 3 of us together. As the photographer of the family, my mom doesn't usually show up in many vacation pictures. For this reason alone, I think it will be a no-brainer for future trips. We did find ourselves visiting more photographers than We normally would, but we knew we had already purchased the pictures. It was also really nice for the ride pictures, which with as many as we had the package paid for itself had we purchased all of the ride pictures separately.

 

[laurasmom]

Has anyone gotten the MM after you already received your bands? How do they link them then? We go on the 20th and I am still undecided....

 

[JaimeK]

I keep debating too - right now I'm leaning towards NOT getting and instead paying for photo products with the pictures taken around the parks like a photobook ($80+) and then 1 great pic to download for a holiday card. Maybe a calendar too ($30). And maybe a mug.

That way I get the pictures I want already as products, for a similar price or maybe less.

 

[Frozen2014]

Thank you. It does sound like you are all happy with it...and I guess what is another $200 when we're already paying thousands for our trip, right?

As for changing our minds afterwards, it's good that's still an option if we don't purchase it before, but then we'd most likely bypass the photographers if we thought we weren't going to bother (when we see them at local parks, DH always walks right past photographers annoyed...but he'd happily pose if we had the package).

We do have the two princess meals which includes photos, but of course that will be mostly DD only.

Guess my biggest concern is DS since he really doesn't like pictures...Somehow we'll have to bribe him I guess - to pose and smile - with rides and treats in his favor.

So at the moment, leaning towards going for it but still not 100% sure. Thank you all.

 

[Miskey]

Thank you. It does sound like you are all happy with it...and I guess what is another $200 when we're already paying thousands for our trip, right?

As for changing our minds afterwards, it's good that's still an option if we don't purchase it before, but then we'd most likely bypass the photographers if we thought we weren't going to bother (when we see them at local parks, DH always walks right past photographers annoyed...but he'd happily pose if we had the package).

Guess my biggest concern is DS since he really doesn't like pictures...Somehow we'll have to bribe him I guess - to pose and smile - with rides and treats in his favor.

So at the moment, leaning towards going for it. Thank you all.

I've had 3 very positive experiences with PP/MM.

First time I got it, I made a mental note of how much I would spend on pictures individually, and easily justified the cost. How much will the BBB pics cost without MM?

Some of my favorite pics are not posed pics, but things like my niece playing hopscotch in Epcot. I also have a some great pics of me and my daughter in front of Everest after getting drenched in a rainstorm.

Let your son's band be the one that the photographer scans. Kids seem to love being the one to scan their bands! If you do get MM, be sure to take some pics of not just the family, but a few shots of you and your husband, just your kids, mom and daughter, etc.

 

[Frozen2014]

I've had 3 very positive experiences with PP/MM.

First time I got it, I made a mental note of how much I would spend on pictures individually, and easily justified the cost. How much will the BBB pics cost without MM?

Some of my favorite pics are not posed pics, but things like my niece playing hopscotch in Epcot. I also have a some great pics of me and my daughter in front of Everest after getting drenched in a rainstorm.

Let your son's band be the one that the photographer scans. Kids seem to love being the one to scan their bands! If you do get MM, be sure to take some pics of not just the family, but a few shots of you and your husband, just your kids, mom and daughter, etc.

For BBB, not getting the package with the photos, so MM would be a great bonus.

Cool...so they'll just take adhoc pictures (or do you call them over for that)? The hopscotch one sounds sweet. Yeah good idea to get different combinations of our family.

 

[asbyrneva]

Downloads after the fact are 14.95 each. So basically 10 photos are the same price as all the photos if you get MM in advance.

Math made the decision really easy.