Anyone not get memory maker and regret it?

[katt789]

In the past years yes I have. We skipped out on it a December trip thinking we weren't down there long enough, but they ended up getting some amazing character shots and we were sad about not having those pictures (or having to spend too much money on each picture to order prints)

It's definitely a worthwhile thing to have, you have less cameras to worry about (i still hand over at least 1 from our party though) and a back up if one is blurry or something. You don't have to worry as much about taking the pictures, you can be in them, and the photos are usually great quality.

If you decide against it, you can hand your camera/phone over to the photographer and just say "no photopass please" and SOME of them will respect tht and just use your phone, but some of them will still take a bunch of memory maker pics and ask to scan your band...

 

[stitchfan18]

Am I reading this correctly? Are there PP with characters during character meals now?

 

[practicallyperfect77]

Am I reading this correctly? Are there PP with characters during character meals now?

I am confused by this as well b/c I had read they are stopping these.

 

[The Batgirl]

Honestly, I think I'd regret it if I didn't get it, especially if I had children... If you do decide to get it, be sure to get your money's worth by taking your picture at every photopass spot you can! I love how a lot of the photographers get the candid shots of interactions with characters. Of course, you could do this with your own camera, too. but this way you don't have to worry about missing shots.
Whatever you decide on, have a fantastic time!

Ooh, also memory maker includes ride photos, which I thought was a great feature,

 

[stitchfan18]

I am confused by this as well b/c I had read they are stopping these.

That shows how long it's been since our last trip. I didn't know they had started having pp at character meals

 

[MaryKatesMom]

It lasts for 45 days.

Sold!

Funny, slightly off topic, story. We got the picture package on the cruise and my DD's, one 12 one 14 refused to do ANY pictures with characters so I had to bribe them. I would pay them $20/picture with a character. The younger one went for it. She went out the first afternoon and got her picture with one character but didn't have the actual photographer take it, just the Dad from the family behind her in line. Yes, she had her picture taken by another family on their camera. The second photo she did have the photographer take it with Lilo and Stitch for which she want $40 because there were 2 characters. I pulled the plug after that.

 

[AndreaA]

That shows how long it's been since our last trip. I didn't know they had started having pp at character meals

We were there in September and went to most of the "big" character meals (Chef Mickey, CRT, Crystal Palace, Tusker House, Hollywood&Vine) and no, there are no PP photographers around. You get a picture before your meal at CRT, Tusker House and Chef Mickey (with a STATUE of Mickey!!) but no one circulating the tables which is where the characters really are.

I'm a photographer so there's no way I won't take my big camera with me, and honestly although we've gotten PP+ for each trip in the past, it really wasn't worth it. I mean I suppose I'm glad I have those shots but they are far from "good" (some are downright bad! don't they train the photographers??) but the photographer's were few and far between, I hated having to wait for them and we did VERY few characters because we do all the character meals instead and don't like to waste time standing in line to meet characters we've already met. My kiddos were small and barely visible on the ride photos. There were maybe three locations in each park where photographers were stationed.

As for the magic shots and borders, etc.? Anyone with any knowledge of photoshop or a similar program would easily be able to duplicate them.

Will we do it again? Despite all my complaints, we probably will. We have the disposable income, and there were probably 5-7 decent shots. However, I always feel like I need to warn people who might be scrimping and saving to pay for it, thinking they'll get hundreds of great shots, and/or are fairly proficient photographers. If you know anything about photography, you WILL be disappointed by the quality.

 

[andiraye]

If they are not doing character meals with MM then it seems that the major difference between the photo pass CD and MM is that you get ride photos with MM but not the photo pass CD. Right? Also do they have photo pass photographers at parties like MNSSHP?

 

[cajunprincess]

I guess I'll add my opinion too. We find it very worth it! We had plenty of pictures and we didn't "chase" down the photographers. My parents on the other hand, don't necessarily stop for the photographers, so they don't see it as worth it.

For my husband and me, we really like having the priceless photos of characters with our son. We love having the magic shots. We like the great pictures they photographers can take. And now with the attractions photos automatically going on your MB, it's even more worth it!

Everyone has their own take on photos and how important it is. We took some still with our phone and camera, but after getting back home, I was very thankful to not just have a snapshot here or there that may or may not be blurry.

 

[MaestroTK]

I will be using it for the first time next week, but the idea is VERY worth it for me. 1. I am NEVER in the pics, I am always behind the camera. 2. We do A LOT of character spots and the CM's usually take several good pics. 3. I can use the PP stuff to decorate my pics with borders and the year 4. Ride photos go on them and I always want to buy them but they are too expensive 5. I want to try and get some of the magic shots this time. I will of course take my own pics too.

I totally agree! You create it's own worth. I loved it for all of the ride photos, luau and Chef Mickey pictures. Best memories!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

It depends on what you are doing for the trip.

On our last trip, I made sure that we stopped at the photopass photographers because that trip was one of the last WDW trips we'll take with the 4 of us for a few years. Add in the fun ride photos and it was worth it to me to get the MM.

But I have to admit I'm hating the download process. The pictures aren't downloading in order when I choose download all. They are all over the place which is extremely annoying.

On my solo trips if I'm planning on seeing alot of characters and getting magic shots done it is worth getting but if I'm not doing those things, I just take a couple of pictures with the photopass photographers and download the best one.

I'm currently debating on what to do on my September trip. I want to get the 3 new (to me) magic shots and 2 character meet and greets but when I figure out the cost, it will be cheaper to just pay to download those 5 pictures so I'm thinking it won't be worth getting.

 

[foreverdis]

I'm so confused; I thought you either bought it and got all of the pics, or didn't buy it and got no pics? What are people meaning by you can still see/order them if you don't buy MM?

Please clue me in, lol!

 

[jpessa]

I'm so confused; I thought you either bought it and got all of the pics, or didn't buy it and got no pics? What are people meaning by you can still see/order them if you don't buy MM?

Please clue me in, lol!

Anytime a Photographer takes your picture, they will scan your MB and the pictures will then show up on your MDE account. If you purchased MM, at the end of your trip you can download all the pictures on your account. If you didn't purchase MM you can still view, edit and download any of those pictures you want (can you still order prints? Probably.). You just have to pay for each picture individually.

So if you typically only like to get a few photos from each trip, it's not worth getting the MM. The opposite is also true. If you want lots, you should buy MM.

 

[andiraye]

I'm currently debating on what to do on my September trip. I want to get the 3 new (to me) magic shots and 2 character meet and greets but when I figure out the cost, it will be cheaper to just pay to download those 5 pictures so I'm thinking it won't be worth getting.

What about buying the $119 Photopass CD? Do you not get the magic shots with that? I guess 5 pics times $15 is still cheaper than $119 but you'd get so many more pics.

 

[snowangel72]

It is worth every penny for us. It is SO nice to have ALL of us in one photo. We get it every year.

 

[Alice Sr.]

We had MM last May trip... wasn't impressed at all, probably 25+ pictures for a week...

Didn't pay for itself, I took more pictures with my own camera... we didn't chase after the photographers and when we did come across one, which was few and not where we would have liked, there was a line waiting....sort if a time waste...

Arriving home, most of our pictures were blurry.. So much for MM, won't waste time and money again..

We had a bad experience also, very disappointing, only 7 pics but after seeing and hearing the results others have had I will try again. Thanks for posting your experiences.

 

[omurice]

Digital camera. For the same $199 you can get a pretty decent one. Make your own memories, before during and after your vacation is over. They last a few years before they're totally obsolete. Just point and shoot!

 

[Priory]

I got Memory Maker for my upcoming trip for much the same reason I stuck with the dining plan even though there aren't any real savings -
It's psychological. I will never ever buy a
ride photo even though I love them because I can't justify the cost when I'm there. Now that I have memory maker I'll get them all. It's silly but I'm happy with my choice. I am also hoping the rumoured haunted mansion pics are up and running by the time I get there. Having all of those will add even more value for me and I'll want to try and 'collect' each hitchhiking ghost.