Me Again-Photopass

[Supermavs]

Having never done photopass before, I have a couple questions...

To me it seems to make perfect sense to encourage my family (my parents, and my 3 sisters fams) to use the photopass people...because then we can have just one of us (me?) punch all the numbers in and they will all be on 1 CD, meaning we can split the cost? Right?

They will all have access to the photos online to edit and add special things?

We will have one month from date of first photo taken to order the Cd with all our edits.

Realistically...how many photos will be taken of us? We are there for 6 park days. So, only a few or more like 20? Is it hard to find the photopass people? Do they wear a specific color?

Anything else.

Thanks for dealing with a newby!

Becky
leaving in 10 days!

 

[Sherry E]

Having never done photopass before, I have a couple questions...

To me it seems to make perfect sense to encourage my family (my parents, and my 3 sisters fams) to use the photopass people...because then we can have just one of us (me?) punch all the numbers in and they will all be on 1 CD, meaning we can split the cost? Right?

They will all have access to the photos online to edit and add special things?

We will have one month from date of first photo taken to order the Cd with all our edits.

Realistically...how many photos will be taken of us? We are there for 6 park days. So, only a few or more like 20? Is it hard to find the photopass people? Do they wear a specific color?

Anything else.

Thanks for dealing with a newby!

Becky
leaving in 10 days!

Okay, since it appears you posted this last night and nobody else has replied yet, I will take this one! If anyone else notices I missed something, please jump in!

All right, first of all, yes, everyone in your group can have his or her own PhotoPass Card. You guys can feasibly split up and not see each other again until the end of the trip and then at the end of the trip, one person (you or whoever is the most reliable and responsible) collects all the cards and creates the online account. It is easier that way. Yes, everybody can split the cost with you if that is what you want, but it is better to just leave one person to manage the online account because it can get confusing. If you want anyone else to be able to go online and add effects, that means you will have to give everyone else your password which you create, and that is up to you if you want to do that. Everyone in your family can view the photos because you can 'share' them by sending out the PhotoPass share e-mail to them. This way, you don't have to give everyone your password and they can still look at the photos. BUT, it is up to you if you want them all to access the online account and edit the photos. It can be done!

You have exactly 30 days from when the very first PhotoPass picture has been taken to create your online account. This means you could squeeze in several trips' photos onto one account - AND you could include WDW and DLR pictures on the same CD if you happened to visit both places!

After you have created the account, you have an additional 30 days from the day you create the account to order the CD ($59.95 plus $7.00 shipping) or order a photo or something. I think they sometimes give extensions, but you can cross that bridge when you get to it. You know the main time frame to work within.

How many pictures you take depends on you and how patient everyone is to stop and have them done. You can get hundreds of photos on one CD! I had 58 photos taken on my recent October trip, and I turned them into 112 pictures by doing all the edits. I could have kept going but I got bored! You can have 200 photos taken and turn them into 600 pictures. They will send you however many CD's are needed to cover all the photos but they can get a lot onto one CD.

The PhotoPass photgraphers are easy to spot once you have seen them. They generally wear dark blue shorts or pants, and they have white shirts and sometimes vests. You will know it when you see one. They always have a tripod set up somewhere. You get your card(s) from the first photographer you see, and just keep handing that card to each photographer you see after that and they scan all your pictures onto one card or however many cards your family is using. I would suggest initialing your cards or marking them in some way, so when the photog hands them back to you, you can be sure you are getting the right card. It can get crazy when a bunch of people are having pictures taken at the same time. You have to keep an eye on your cards. Sometimes, if there are no other people waiting, the photog will take a bunch of photos of you guys in different poses. Other times, if there is a long line, they may only snap two and rush you along. You can always go back later or the next day and get more done!

I spotted more photogs in DCA than in DL, but there are sort of general areas where you can always find them, and then other locations where they just show up spontaneously. Have you checked out any of the other PhotoPass threads on here? There is one to post photos, there are a couple regarding problems with PhotoPass, and there are other just basic informational threads.

You also have the option of viewing your photos while you are still at DLR just to be sure that all the photos are there and nothing is missing. It is more of a hassle to deal with if you get home and notice pictures are missing.

If you are going between now and early January, there will probably be more photogs out taking pictures of people in front of all the holiday set-ups. Great time to take pictures!

I hope I helped! Ask me anything else! I just got my CD and loaded my photos and posted some on here yesterday! It is a great bargain for the price!

 

[Supermavs]

Wow, Sherry!
You are a wealth of information! I think I might just print off what you wrote so I have it in one spot. I did read the problems thread, is that very common? Knowing my family, they might find that too much of a hassle. We are going to be there from Nov 23-28 (those are in the park days) so it should be crowded, but hopefully lots of photos to be taken.

Thanks for taking the time to type it all up. When I was talking to my dh last night, he was sort of stunned and asked me where I am learning all this? Did I take a night class? lol

Guess I am turning into an addict.

Becky
leaving in 9 days!

 

[bumbershoot]

he was sort of stunned and asked me where I am learning all this? Did I take a night class?

Though that's a better response than some spouses have; some use words like "obsession" and phrases like "spending too much time with your cyber friends", only to have to turn around and thank you retroactively when you're breezing through the parks.


If you're the one that sets up the Photopass account, you'll be the one to enter all the card ID numbers, and you'll be the only one to see any troubles like in the post from yesterday (I haven't checked to see if it's been updated). You'll be able to get that resolved and no one else likely has to know.

Adding on to Sherry's post! When you get a photopass card from a photographer (and "you" means "you and any member of your family"), take a clear, focused digital picture of the card ID number on the back. If you don't have a digital camera, write that number down and keep it *separate* from where you keep the card(s). That way if you lose the card you still have access to the number on the card, and that's what matters when you go to enter the info to the website.

It's also a REALLY good idea to stop in at the photopass centers (one on Main Street in DL and one at Greetings from CA giftshop in DCA) and have the Cast Members pop the cards into their system. That way if you had a big family photo done somewhere special, you can see if it's focused, if someone important was making a face or whatever, or even if it's missing. That way you can have that picture re-taken while you're still there, instead of just having it gone.


Once everything is entered and showing up on the photopass site, you can add your own edits. Once you have the hang of it, you can do a quick tutorial for your other family members, then give them the email and password, making sure they don't DELETE anything. Each time you edit and save the edit, it saves another picture; the original pictures aren't changed.

Then once everyone is done, they tell you and you order the CD!

 

[Sherry E]

Wow, Sherry!
You are a wealth of information! I think I might just print off what you wrote so I have it in one spot. I did read the problems thread, is that very common? Knowing my family, they might find that too much of a hassle. We are going to be there from Nov 23-28 (those are in the park days) so it should be crowded, but hopefully lots of photos to be taken.

Thanks for taking the time to type it all up. When I was talking to my dh last night, he was sort of stunned and asked me where I am learning all this? Did I take a night class? lol

Guess I am turning into an addict.

Becky
leaving in 9 days!

It's fresh in my mind because I literally JUST received my CD this past Monday and started posting photos here. I had taken my first PhotoPass pictures on October 3, so I knew all too well what my time frame was - I marked it on the calendar so I wouldn't forget when to create the account and when to order the CD!

And I got most of the information I know about PhotoPass before I used it from Bumbershoot - so her extra info which she just added is crucial to have as well!!! Just print out our posts and hand them to your DH and say they came from your 'cyberfriends' aka enablers of your addiction...

 

[Disney Dreams]

...You have exactly 30 days from when the very first PhotoPass picture has been taken to create your online account. This means you could squeeze in several trips' photos onto one account - AND you could include WDW and DLR pictures on the same CD if you happened to visit both places!...

Just wanted to clarify something here.

We visited WDW in early October. We entered our PhotoPass IDs into our account October 15th upon returning from our visit. A week later we went to Disneyland. On the 23rd we entered our Disneyland PhotoPass IDs into the same account. You do not have to enter them all on the same day. (Although the clock has started ticking on the first set of photos expiration date.)

One other tip about the PhotoPass photographers. If you go to them and have them take your picture, you can also hand them your own camera and they will happily take a picture with your camera too. Then you get the photo on your camera AND the one on the PhotoPass card.

You can also upload your own pictures on to your PhotoPass account if you want and have them included on your CD as well. (ETA: I was incorrect about this. Your personal uploaded photos will NOT be included on the CD.)

- Dreams

 

[Sherry E]

Just wanted to clarify something here.

We visited WDW in early October. We entered our PhotoPass IDs into our account October 15th upon returning from our visit. A week later we went to Disneyland. On the 23rd we entered our Disneyland PhotoPass IDs into the same account. You do not have to enter them all on the same day. (Although the clock has started ticking on the first set of photos expiration date.)

One other tip about the PhotoPass photographers. If you go to them and have them take your picture, you can also hand them your own camera and they will happily take a picture with your camera too. Then you get the photo on your camera AND the one on the PhotoPass card.

You can also upload your own pictures on to your PhotoPass account if you want and have them included on your CD as well.

- Dreams

That's an excellent point to bring up. I did notice that after I had created my account, I could still continue to add card numbers (not that I had anymore to add, but you get the point!) and photos onto the same account. That comes in handy if people are taking multiple trips to DLR or perhaps going to DLR and WDW within that 30-day time frame!

PhotoPass just wants you to create the account within 30 days from when the first picture was taken, but DisneyDreams is right on point - you can keep adding more cards after that has been done, as long as you buy something 30 days from when the account was first created.

 

[bumbershoot]

I haven't done it so I'm not 100% sure, but I do not think that personal photos can be put onto the CD. Seems to me I've seen many posts by people who thought they could do it but were disappointed, and I believe it's on the photopass site somewhere. The uploaded pix are fine for editing and then ordering prints of, but not for the CD, I have read.

 

[Disney Dreams]

I haven't done it so I'm not 100% sure, but I do not think that personal photos can be put onto the CD. Seems to me I've seen many posts by people who thought they could do it but were disappointed, and I believe it's on the photopass site somewhere. The uploaded pix are fine for editing and then ordering prints of, but not for the CD, I have read.

Hmmm... mine is still in progress. Let me see if I can play with this a find out. To be continued.....

ETA:

Okay... There it is, from the fine print on the CD order page: "... will not include any of your personal uploaded photos."

 

[goofycathy]

I just got back 8th and had a ball using photopass photographers, it actually became a game for the kids to play "spot the photographers" lol
I think the big thing to remember is to GET YOUR MONEYS WORTH! Have the picture people take your pic every time you see them even if you've already had your pic taken in the same place the day before, you have different clothes on, the lighting could be different whatever! We managed to get 80 pics in 5 days! Well worth the $60 CD! I would have been very disappointed to get home and only have a few pics on my card. Also I put my photopass card in my lanyard pouch and the photogs can scan it thru the plastic, which is very handy because you dont have to worry about getting it mixed up with other peoples passes. One more tip a photographer gave me is to write your first name on the front of the card with a Sharpie (almost all the photogs have one) so in case you do hand them your card it doesnt get confused with other cards they may be holding! good luck and have a great time!

~Cathy

 

[Disney Dreams]

We memorized the last 4 digits of our PhotoPass and checked it every time it was handed back to us, but this

...Also I put my photopass card in my lanyard pouch and the photogs can scan it thru the plastic, which is very handy because you dont have to worry about getting it mixed up with other peoples passes. ...

is an EXCELLENT idea!

 

[jimsocks]

Special Effects - How do you know which photogs offer them? Are we solely at their mercy to tell us?

 

[Sherry E]

Special Effects - How do you know which photogs offer them? Are we solely at their mercy to tell us?

They should all have access to the same effects, no matter where you are or who takes the pictures. The thing is, we kept getting asked repeatedly to do the same poses, i.e., pointing at Stitch rising from the ground, holding Tinkerbell in our hands and looking "scared." They have quite a few other 'effects' options that they did not offer us, so you kind of have to ask them for things. We never did find out why they were having us look scared, because there were no effects on those shots at all! We just look silly. They added a frame to our Jack Sparrow photos. They added Stitch in the ground. They added Tink in our hands. But there are at least four other effects shots I have heard of - incuding the recently resurrected Hitchhiking Ghosts shots. Make sure to ask what they have available!

 

[jimsocks]

We never did find out why they were having us look scared, because there were no effects on those shots at all! Hitchhiking Ghosts shots. Make sure to ask what they have available!

Maybe these "antics" just help break up their day...

Thank you for the reply.

 

[Trixie15]

Has the photopass price changed? Just a week or so ago, everyone was talking about pre-ordering and the cost was $99 or something like that. Now it's $59? I'm confused.

 

[goofycathy]

Has the photopass price changed? Just a week or so ago, everyone was talking about pre-ordering and the cost was $99 or something like that. Now it's $59? I'm confused.

It was $66 something with tax for the photo cd. I'm not sure why and I didnt complain just paid happily! LOL

 

[Sherry E]

It was $66 something with tax for the photo cd. I'm not sure why and I didnt complain just paid happily! LOL

There was no tax on my order. It was $59.95 for the CD plus $7.00 for shipping, and $19.95 for any extra CDs you order. Maybe some folks pay tax? Not sure, but I didn't, and I certainly didn't complain! It makes no sense to pre-order the DLR CD, if it is even possible to do that now. The WDW CD makes more sense.

 

[Sherry E]

Maybe these "antics" just help break up their day...

Thank you for the reply.

You are probably right! Those PhotoPass CM's have to amuse themselves somehow, so they try to make the guests look as silly as possible! They probably get bored and sick of people after a while!