Memory Maker (formerly Photopass and Photopass+) & multiple groups

[velvetsqueeze]

I'm a cut-to-the-chase kind of person. It has taken me all day to get the skinny on Memory Maker. Here's what I've learned.

Memory Maker is $199, but you can get it for $149 if you buy it 3 or more days before the first photo is taken (shortened from 14 days with Photopass).

Memory Maker is tied to your My Disney Experience account (the account you use for dining reservations, etc.). In other words, it's your user name and log on with Disney's official website.

When you purchase Memory Maker, you will receive ONE card (RFID-enabled) if you are off-site or ONE linked Magic Band if you are on-site. You are now the 'entitled' user. Only one person can be an entitled user. The entitled user can link (add) people to Family and Friends (using their MDE user names) to VIEW your photos. Note the all caps on that. Keep reading.

If your group is made up of two or more families (i.e., my family and my brother's family are going together), the second et al group will have to get a Photopass card from the first photographer and use it throughout their stay for any pictures not taken with the Memory Maker entitled user.

Photos taken at some character meals (the list keeps changing, so you'll just have to ask when you get there) and on some rides can be added to the Memory Maker account. You can do the same thing with the Photopass card for any meals or rides without the Memory Maker entitled user.

At the end of the trip, the Memory Maker entitled user will take the code from the back of the Photopass card used during the week to import the photos into Memory Maker. IMPORTANT NOTE! If you do not import the photos from the Photopass card, the photos will have to be paid for separately! Very expensive mistake! And remember to upload this code at the END of the trip, not the end of each day.

DO NOT download any pictures until all Photopass card codes are added to the account! Once the first photo is downloaded, no card codes can be added to the account. Another very expensive mistake!

Remember I said VIEW the pictures? Nobody other than the entitled user can download the pictures for free. If anyone linked to the account tries to download the pictures, Disney will charge you for the photos! So, the entitled user will have to download all pictures for everyone.

You will not get a free CD with your photos automatically mailed to you with Memory Maker. You can purchase a backup CD for $30. If anyone wants all pictures on a CD (I highly recommend it), the entitled user will have to download the pictures and create the CD.

All of your photos will be digitally stored online for 45 days from the day the first photo is added to your Memory Maker. You can pay extra to extend it to 60 days.

You can edit your photos, add borders, etc. while the photos are online. If you want stock/gallery photos (such as Cinderella's Castle with no extra people standing in front of it), you must buy the $30 backup CD to get them.

Disney is considering changing the Memory Maker to allow more than one entitled user per account, provided the accounts are linked. Call the Photopass department (407-560-4300) to encourage them to make this change.

I hope all my digging helps someone other than myself!

 

[seethelight]

Thanks!!

 

[CAGirl]

Great info and help...Thank You!

 

[JillyBean1899]

Very good information! I'm considering doing this with my group for the school trip to Disney (there will be 4 of us going around the park together all the time, so we'd just split the cost and probably put it on my account, since 2 of the other 3 are visually impaired), and having this info helps a lot. We wouldn't be splitting up (one of the girls has pretty much attached herself to me for the trip, cause she feels like she'd be a hassle or a drag to someone she doesn't know since she walks slowly cause she has to use a cane, and the other 2 people are a married couple with the guy using a guide dog) so getting an extra card wouldn't matter.

Now if I can just remember how to make a photo CD

 

[hmd3]

Thank you for the great information!

 

[kkayluvsdis]

Great information! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with all of us. We are traveling with another family (first trip for them) and I have purchased the Memory Maker with the intention of sharing with them. Do you happen to know how the ride photos will work? If I am the designated user and do not ride a certain attraction is it still possible to link the photos to my MM account?

Thanks again!

-Kelly

 

[cfriend416]

I'm the designated user of Memory Maker for our upcoming trip. I was told by a CM (who put me on hold and called over to PhotoPass to confirm) that as long as I have everyone in my party linked as "family and friends" on MDE, then they can have their magic bands scanned by a PP photographer and the pictures will end up on my Memory Maker. Is that not the case?

 

[velvetsqueeze]

Great information! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with all of us. We are traveling with another family (first trip for them) and I have purchased the Memory Maker with the intention of sharing with them. Do you happen to know how the ride photos will work? If I am the designated user and do not ride a certain attraction is it still possible to link the photos to my MM account?

Thanks again!

-Kelly

After exiting the ride, go to the counter where you would normally buy the photos. Tell them which photos are yours, give them your Memory Maker card/MagicBand, and they will add them to your account. No money needed! Note that this can be a pain at some rides due to the volume of riders wanting pictures and/or lack of staff manning the counter.

I'm the designated user of Memory Maker for our upcoming trip. I was told by a CM (who put me on hold and called over to PhotoPass to confirm) that as long as I have everyone in my party linked as "family and friends" on MDE, then they can have their magic bands scanned by a PP photographer and the pictures will end up on my Memory Maker. Is that not the case?

It should work, but double check that their photos are in your Memory Maker account before you download anything. If not, get help from a Photopass Disney cast member by phone or in person at a park.

Keep in mind that this was how Memory Maker worked yesterday based on multiple chat sessions with Disney cast members, WDW website, and several other websites. Since Disney changes their mind on things as often as we change our underwear, all of this is subject to change without notice (or with confusing notices).

 

[Cais]

Quite a lot that's not quite correct in the original post so I'm going to do my best to clarify with the correct information.

If your group is made up of two or more families (i.e., my family and my brother's family are going together), the second et al group will have to get a Photopass card from the first photographer and use it throughout their stay for any pictures not taken with the Memory Maker entitled user.

This is incorrect. The other group can take photos on their magic bands. If you are friends and family linked to each other, their magic band photos will show up. They do not necessarily have to use a PhotoPass ID.

Photos taken at some character meals (the list keeps changing, so you'll just have to ask when you get there) and on some rides can be added to the Memory Maker account. You can do the same thing with the Photopass card for any meals or rides without the Memory Maker entitled user.

The character meal list hasn't changed in about two years. Every dining location that takes photos is included in Memory Maker. The ones that aren't included... are the ones that don't take photos. That list has been CRT, Tusker House, Ohana Breakfast, 1900 Park Fair, Spirit of Aloha, Hoop Dee Doo, Akershus.

At the end of the trip, the Memory Maker entitled user will take the code from the back of the Photopass card used during the week to import the photos into Memory Maker. IMPORTANT NOTE! If you do not import the photos from the Photopass card, the photos will have to be paid for separately! Very expensive mistake! And remember to upload this code at the END of the trip, not the end of each day.

If you don't import the code, there would be no way to view the photos and thus no way to pay for them. So it's about 50% right.

Also you can claim the code during the trip. Sometimes you can claim the PhotoPass ID multiple times to pull photos over but 99.9% of the time they'll show up automatically. It does take 24-48 hours for photos to be uploaded and moderated, so if you took photos 30 minutes ago and they still aren't visible that's usually why.

DO NOT download any pictures until all Photopass card codes are added to the account! Once the first photo is downloaded, no card codes can be added to the account. Another very expensive mistake!

This is 100% false: Once you download the first photo, your entitlement window is set. Take this for example: My entitlement window ran out on the 5th. On the sixth, I added a photopass card that had photos taken on the 4th. Since the 4th was in my window, the photos were able to be downloaded.

Remember I said VIEW the pictures? Nobody other than the entitled user can download the pictures for free. If anyone linked to the account tries to download the pictures, Disney will charge you for the photos! So, the entitled user will have to download all pictures for everyone.

100% correct.

You will not get a free CD with your photos automatically mailed to you with Memory Maker. You can purchase a backup CD for $30. If anyone wants all pictures on a CD (I highly recommend it), the entitled user will have to download the pictures and create the CD.

It's worth it to note here that the $30 backup CD contains the Walt Disney World Gallery CD which previously came with PhotoPass+ and has some 400 professional images taken around the Walt Disney World Resort for our scrapbooking friends.

All of your photos will be digitally stored online for 45 days from the day the first photo is added to your Memory Maker. You can pay extra to extend it to 60 days.

You can edit your photos, add borders, etc. while the photos are online. If you want stock/gallery photos (such as Cinderella's Castle with no extra people standing in front of it), you must buy the $30 backup CD to get them.

Disney is considering changing the Memory Maker to allow more than one entitled user per account, provided the accounts are linked. Call the Photopass department (407-560-4300) to encourage them to make this change.


I hope all my digging helps someone other than myself!

I did most of what I could to clear up a lot of the misinformation in this post. Also I would actually call MyDisneyExperience Guest Services to offer suggestions as really PhotoPass only deals with the photo side of things. MyDisneyExperience is ultimately responsible for Memory Maker.

 

[velvetsqueeze]

Quite a lot that's not quite correct in the original post so I'm going to do my best to clarify with the correct information.

What I typed came straight from the chat transcript with Disney. I can post it here if you'd like.

This is incorrect. The other group can take photos on their magic bands. If you are friends and family linked to each other, their magic band photos will show up. They do not necessarily have to use a PhotoPass ID.

I mentioned MagicBand for on-site guests and cards for off-site guests. Sorry I didn't reiterate this.

The character meal list hasn't changed in about two years. Every dining location that takes photos is included in Memory Maker. The ones that aren't included... are the ones that don't take photos. That list has been CRT, Tusker House, Ohana Breakfast, 1900 Park Fair, Spirit of Aloha, Hoop Dee Doo, Akershus.

The Disney rep said the list for photos at restaurants is subject to change. I take that at face value. Also, Akershus is not on the list because printed photos are included in your meal. Not sure if you can get them added to your Memory Maker or Photopass.

If you don't import the code, there would be no way to view the photos and thus no way to pay for them. So it's about 50% right.

I'm talking about importing the code to the Memory Maker. If you don't import the Photopass code into Memory Maker but still want the photos, you'll have to pay for them separately and at a much higher rate.

Also you can claim the code during the trip. Sometimes you can claim the PhotoPass ID multiple times to pull photos over but 99.9% of the time they'll show up automatically. It does take 24-48 hours for photos to be uploaded and moderated, so if you took photos 30 minutes ago and they still aren't visible that's usually why.

The Disney rep was adamant that you do not load the code until the end of the trip. Was he right or wrong? I have no idea. I haven't tried it. I'm just passing on the info I received.

This is 100% false: Once you download the first photo, your entitlement window is set. Take this for example: My entitlement window ran out on the 5th. On the sixth, I added a photopass card that had photos taken on the 4th. Since the 4th was in my window, the photos were able to be downloaded.

Perhaps the Disney rep is wrong? Perhaps you were lucky in that it worked when it shouldn't have worked? No clue here. But again, he stressed to me more than once that the Photopass card must be added before any photos were downloaded from Memory Maker.

100% correct.

Thank you.

It's worth it to note here that the $30 backup CD contains the Walt Disney World Gallery CD which previously came with PhotoPass+ and has some 400 professional images taken around the Walt Disney World Resort for our scrapbooking friends.

I mentioned that the backup CD has the "stock/gallery photos (such as Cinderella's Castle with no extra people standing in front of it)" but didn't know how many. Good to know there are that many high quality photos on it!

I did most of what I could to clear up a lot of the misinformation in this post. Also I would actually call MyDisneyExperience Guest Services to offer suggestions as really PhotoPass only deals with the photo side of things. MyDisneyExperience is ultimately responsible for Memory Maker.

You have to get info from both sources. Multiple times. You'll get different answers each time. Sorry if the misinformation I received from Disney directly confuses anyone.

 

[Missyrose]

The Disney rep said the list for photos at restaurants is subject to change. I take that at face value. Also, Akershus is not on the list because printed photos are included in your meal. Not sure if you can get them added to your Memory Maker or Photopass.

The subject to change line is there to cover Disney if they decide to discontinue the photo at a character meal. The printed photo is included at CRT, just like at Akershaus. Both restaurants will add the photos to your PP or MM account.

 

[velvetsqueeze]

Good to know, Missyrose! Will they do the same at Cinderella's Royal Table?

 

[LCoulter]

Thanks for the information.

When is the soonest you can pre-order Memory Maker?

 

[Missyrose]

Good to know, Missyrose! Will they do the same at Cinderella's Royal Table?

Yes, same as they always have.

 

[Cais]

My info is directly from Disney itself as well. Granted, mine is right and there's isn't .

You absolutely can add PhotoPass ids whenever you want. The entitlement window stays once activated and photos added after the fact fall in the window and become activated.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[velvetsqueeze]

Thanks for the information.

When is the soonest you can pre-order Memory Maker?

I don't think there's a limit on how soon you can order it. Just the 3 day minimum before you use it.

If you're like me, don't order it 6 months in advance because you'll misplace it.

 

[velvetsqueeze]

My info is directly from Disney itself as well. Granted, mine is right and there's isn't .

You absolutely can add PhotoPass ids whenever you want. The entitlement window stays once activated and photos added after the fact fall in the window and become activated.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

I hope you are right. I'd rather be able to add the Photopass card the first day than wait til the end.

I'll test it in March. lol

 

[LCoulter]

I don't think there's a limit on how soon you can order it. Just the 3 day minimum before you use it.

If you're like me, don't order it 6 months in advance because you'll misplace it.

I would misplace it too at 6 months but one month should be about right.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[mommy2cooper]

Memory maker seems to be a huge controversy and obviously so with the vibe I get from the thread. It kills me because I was literally just speaking to a CM and they told me something halfway different...I suppose I just need to look at FAQ on Disney this is so complicated!!

 

[GWhitten98]

When you purchase Memory Maker, you will receive ONE card (RFID-enabled) if you are off-site or ONE linked Magic Band if you are on-site. You are now the 'entitled' user. Only one person can be an entitled user. The entitled user can link (add) people to Family and Friends (using their MDE user names) to VIEW your photos. Note the all caps on that. Keep reading

If your group is made up of two or more families (i.e., my family and my brother's family are going together), the second et al group will have to get a Photopass card from the first photographer and use it throughout their stay for any pictures not taken with the Memory Maker entitled user.

This was not the case on our trip, I am the user on our MDE acct and DH had pictures scanned only to his band several times and they all showed up.

At the end of the trip, the Memory Maker entitled user will take the code from the back of the Photopass card used during the week to import the photos into Memory Maker. IMPORTANT NOTE! If you do not import the photos from the Photopass card, the photos will have to be paid for separately! Very expensive mistake! And remember to upload this code at the END of the trip, not the end of each day.

DO NOT download any pictures until all Photopass card codes are added to the account! Once the first photo is downloaded, no card codes can be added to the account. Another very expensive mistake!.

This also was not the case for us, we took cards collected along the way from various events and had them combined onto one card prior to leaving the parks. When I got home DH couldn't find the card anywhere so we assumed it was lost and downloaded the images we had. About 2 weeks later I found them, entered the numbers and redownloaded the whole set to another zip drive no issue or charge.