Photo Packages: which one did you choose?

[warrenz1963]

I'm looking for your experiences with the different photo packages available. Was the 10-photo package enough for you? What about the 20? Was the Unlimited package too much? Hoping you all will share your honest observations of what you bought and why. Thank you!!

 

[warrenz1963]

One more question: has anyone ever gotten the PhotoBook Keepsake?

 

[lanejudy]

I don't think my family has ever purchased a photo package; we purchase 2-3 individual photos that we take home and they end up in a drawer or maybe an album or scrapbook.

I suppose it depends on what you want to do with the photos? Would you plan to do formal shots each night before dinner? Do you plan a lot of character meets? If you bought a photobook would you leave it out on the coffee table for people to look at, or would it eventually collect dust on a bookshelf, without getting touched again after you first receive it? Friends of ours make big collages out of cruise photos that they hang on the wall in the family room.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I think it depends on who you are traveling with. Are you going to be doing a lot of character photos? Are you going to take a lot of family photos in front of the screens before dinners? Lately, it's just been me and my DH and sometimes our adult DD. Lately I have been purchasing the photobooks because we can get a lot of photos in it. I also get the 10 photo digital package to download so I have photos to print or use on Christmas cards.

On our last cruise, I honestly didn't have enough good photos to fill my photobook. We didn't wait in line for characters. We didn't do that many formal photos and we didn't roam the decks enough to get photos on deck. We were hoping for more photos on the pier, but the photographers never seemed to be ready when we got off the ship. While we took advantage of photo opportunities where we could, we just didn't get that many photos.

One thing to remember is that you can always change your photo package on board if you are finding you are getting more or less photos taken than you thought

 

[lklgoodman]

We've done 8 cruises and have never bought a package. I don't care for the borders that they add to the pics. We get pics taken with my camera at the character meets. Years ago on one of our cruises we got 20 free 8x10 pics. They're in a scrapbook and haven't been looked at since we brought them home.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I've bought the photo packages twice but both were on long cruises, 13/14 nights, and we had a ton of time to take pics on board. I think I had about 300 pics each time.

 

[Anna131517]

We got unlimited both times we sailed with DCL and love our photos. The kids do a ton of character photos and we always dress up and go to the atrium before dinner for photos and do alll the backdrops. But we also always get photopass at WDW. We put out photos on Amazon photo and they’re the screensaver on our TVs - so we see them all the time and the kids love seeing pictures of themselves when they were younger. I have printed and framed a few really good ones. I’m not sure about the above comment about borders - our photos don’t have weird borders or anything on them. They’re just digital photos.

 

[DisneyConvert]

I think it depends on who you are traveling with. Are you going to be doing a lot of character photos? Are you going to take a lot of family photos in front of the screens before dinners? Lately, it's just been me and my DH and sometimes our adult DD. Lately I have been purchasing the photobooks because we can get a lot of photos in it. I also get the 10 photo digital package to download so I have photos to print or use on Christmas cards.

On our last cruise, I honestly didn't have enough good photos to fill my photobook. We didn't wait in line for characters. We didn't do that many formal photos and we didn't roam the decks enough to get photos on deck. We were hoping for more photos on the pier, but the photographers never seemed to be ready when we got off the ship. While we took advantage of photo opportunities where we could, we just didn't get that many photos.

One thing to remember is that you can always change your photo package on board if you are finding you are getting more or less photos taken than you thought

Yes, this. DW, especially, but me too thinks the Disney Photos are often amazing. Not cheap, but maybe priceless if that makes sense?

When we traveled with our son, on longer cruises, we did multiple family poses in the Atrium, head shots for work, character meets, etc. etc. If you go on excursions, they are sometimes there too.
So we have purchased unlimited occasionally. Expensive yes, but a lasting item from a magical time imo.

Last cruise, just DW and I for 6 days, we did the 10 picture package. Always via download so we can replicate on T-Shirts, coffee mugs, Holiday greetings, etc. Even if just one picture makes us smile years later, that's worth it for us.

 

[rainbowredpanda]

I'm looking for your experiences with the different photo packages available. Was the 10-photo package enough for you? What about the 20? Was the Unlimited package too much? Hoping you all will share your honest observations of what you bought and why. Thank you!!

This really depends on your family. We always buy the Unlimited Photo Package but we take every possible photo opportunity and attend almost every character meet and greet. A few years ago, the Shutters Rep said they'd never had one cabin take as many photos as we had on a 4 day sailing. I think we had around 1300? But we stop for every single photo op. Of all the photos, we probably had around 250 that we really loved.

 

[Louise97]

We bought the unlimited package on both of our cruises, it's pricey but it's the best way to get some great photos of the two of us. On our 7 night, we got 187 photos by visiting all of the photo ops each night, plus a few character meets and magic shots. I love all of the photos, I don't know how I would have chosen just a few! I guess it depends on your family - we make a lot of use of PhotoPass at the parks too because I love having them to look back on, and I take a lot of photos wherever we go.

 

[emmybee]

We took a few pics, and I bought the 10 photo package during our 4-night cruise. Hubby is a reluctant photo taker, and I'm too lazy to put effort into outfits. I don't think I'd buy anything more expensive than that as I seem to remember actually getting & downloading my pictures to be a pain.

 

[Lizgistix]

I bought the 10 photo package because I figured there wouldn't be more than 10 good photos of me that I would want to keep.
I had 2 from each dinner to choose from, and 3-4 from each princess at the Royal Gathering to choose from.

I waited too long to review my photos on the last full day. When I finally got there, the tablets were closed for the evening, but a nice CM gave me a card with instructions how to access my photos from home.

Wouldn't do it again. My favorite pics are the ones I took with my phone.

 

[AZMermaid]

We did the 10 pack last time (5 nights) and had a slightly hard time narrowing it down, but were able to do so. I felt like that was a happy medium for us.

 

[Calantha]

I'm looking for your experiences with the different photo packages available. Was the 10-photo package enough for you? What about the 20? Was the Unlimited package too much? Hoping you all will share your honest observations of what you bought and why. Thank you!!

I tend to alternate on the unlimited package. If it's a larger group that we want to get lots of photos with, we'll do that (e.g., Alaska or an 8-nighter). On a shorter cruise with just DS or DS/my mom, we have skipped it.

I build fairly elaborate photobooks on Shutterfly from the cruise and also at Christmas as an annual lookback, so I do use a lot of pictures.

 

[sadiecatie]

We did not buy a photo package on our Alaska sailing in June and regretted it. We purchased two single photos, but decided in the future to just plan ahead and pre-purchase a package. We enjoy character meet and greets and thought the photographers on board got much better photos than the CMs took with our phones (they are happy to do that for you, but composition and lighting are better in the official photos). With a package, we would also be more likely to stop and get photos with backgrounds and stuff each day.

As far as what we would do with them, we have a digital photo frame with unlimited uploads and cloud storage of photos (we have an Aura, but there are a couple good brands that do this) - I LOVE IT, and it’s a great way to enjoy all your vacation photos without them just ending up in a book you never look at. I have it set to cycle to a new photo every 5 minutes, and it’s a delight seeing what photo will come up. (I don’t just put vacation photos on there, random photos I take that would otherwise just sit on my phone are also wonderful to enjoy when they come up on the frame).

 

[CarolynFH]

Do we have to wait until we’re PIF to see the photo package options? I searched unsuccessfully on the DCL website and on the DCL Blog, but maybe didn’t use the right search terms.

 

[Calantha]

Do we have to wait until we’re PIF to see the photo package options? I searched unsuccessfully on the DCL website and on the DCL Blog, but maybe didn’t use the right search terms.

Scroll about half way down here: https://www.everythingmouse.com/disney-cruise-photo-package

 

[tri-ingTheBigSky]

How do the packages work with immediate family in two staterooms? I know they don't apply to people outside the purchaser's room (ie, grandparents without the purchaser in the pic), but this is our first DCL where the kids (15&13) will have their own stateroom. Since the family is split, do DW and I both need a package to get all of our photos? Or can we "link" in this situation? TIA!

 

[cbrown1007]

I've been on 4 Disney Cruises and I've bought the package 3 times. And I regretted it the one time I didn't buy it. I cruise again in 3 weeks and I bought it, even though it's only a 3 day.

 

[Aimeedyan]

We prepurchased the unlimited one on our 4 night cruise last fall. I found 2 photos that were slightly better than a phone picture, bought those two, and got a refund on the package. You can get a refund up until the last night.

(note - CM's will ALWAYS take a picture with your phone so the "I am always taking them so I never get to be in any pictures!" argument doesn't hold water on the cruiseline)

We again prepurchased the unlimited one on our 14 night transatlantic cruise in May. With a longer cruise, we did have a good collection of pictures (and better lighting on the group multi-character photo ops) so we kept it.

Since you can get refunded if you don't find the value after looking at them, I figure it's a no brainer to book the unlimited at the lower charge.