Photopass package

[DOPEYLUVER]

My technology expertise is in excel and the financial software we use at work.

I need help in understanding how photopass works.

I am traveling to WDW with a friend in December. We will leave the world on Tuesday. On Saturday we are having our own "Christmas Day." I would like to include a scrapbook of our trip under the tree.

I bought a pretty cool book from Disney's on line store. The only things I will need are pictures. I will have limited access to a computer and no access to a printer. I will have a camera so I can take scenery type of pictures. I will take the memory card to the local CVS and have prints made. I was thinking the photopass would be the best way to get pictures of the two of us. What is the best way to get photopass pictures from a photographer to an actual print?

I have looked at a number of threads about the photopass but I'm having trouble finding anything as basic as "photopass for dummies (me). Please help.

Thanks for your help and please talk slow as I am really stupid.

 

[SandrA9810]

Well I worked in photopass for two years... I can answer almost anything.

1st off. The best bet for your scrap book is to get the CD. It's pricey at 150$, but well worth it, especially if you get a great photographer (i was one of them). Anycase, if you see a photographer, hand them your card and ask if they have a fun pose to do. If you think of something, do it yourself.

2: you can always hand a photographer your camera. They might not take quite the same quality of a shot as they will with the photopass. Like they won't crop it as nicely, or not change the settings to make it look good. Like if I was indoors with the characters, I would change the settings to make sure the photo would turn out. I knew just about every camera inside out and could do it in two seconds.

3. Get the CD online. You can do the cropping and all the fun features online that you can't do in the stores. Plus you take the CD to CVS and print them out in the size you need. and if you need to, you won't feel bad about cutting the pictures up.

Make sure you hang onto the one card. Take a picture of the back of the card when you get it, so if your card is ever lost, we can easily type the code in and attach the pictures to a new card for you. Or if you loose it on the way home, you'll have all the info you need in your picture for retrieving. Just as long as you don't loose your camera too (that would be bad).

The one card can be used in all parks with any photographer and with the Test Track ride photo...that is the only ride you can use your photopass card with. Make sure you look for all the photographers in the holiday locations, like in front of the Christmas trees, or Osborne lights, the snow balls at epcot or the arches. And the shot from the sleigh just outside the liberty square christmas store is soo pretty with the castle in the background. And make sure you get the castle in all the colors. And go to the rose garden and have them take pictures during the fireworks. You're backs can be turned, or looking at the camera. But firework photos can be really cool.

Did I answer everything??

Make sure you look for some more fun scrapbook stuff while you're here. If you have a car, there's a few stores around that have quite a bit of disney scrapbook stuff, Joann fabrics, and a small family owned store called pictails has good stuff. I've only got like 4 scrap books and a bunch of stuff waiting to be put together.

 

[jkCT]

I think the only way to get the quick turn around that you need is to have the photopass photographer take photos of you with your own camera. You might save a few pages in your photo book with notes that say "more photos of us are on the way!" then order the photopass CD to fill in some more special photos.

Once you get the photopass CD with the photos on it, you should be able to take it to your local Walmart or drug store/grocery store that has a photo kiosk. Most have CD slots as well as a place to plug in your camera's memory card. You might want to do some research to make sure that the kiosk you are going to has a CD slot, but the two that I use do. (Mine won't take a CD that I burned pictures on at home, but will take a professionally done CD, which is why I say do your research before hand.) The photopass website will also let you order prints directly from there, but they certainly won't have the quick turn-around time that you need to celebrate your Christmas! Hope that helps a bit!

 

[DOPEYLUVER]

Well I worked in photopass for two years... I can answer almost anything.

WOOT HOOT, what a resource. Thank you.

I'm at work and don't understand a lot of your response, but when I get home and can really study it, I'm sure I'll have more questions.

Thanks in advance. This is going to be the best Christmas in YEARS.

 

[DOPEYLUVER]

3. Get the CD online. You can do the cropping and all the fun features online that you can't do in the stores. Plus you take the CD to CVS and print them out in the size you need. and if you need to, you won't feel bad about cutting the pictures up.

When you say get the CD online, do you mean order a physical CD on line OR do you mean that the pictures are on a website that I can access?

So I guess my question really is, "How do you actually "get" the pictures?" And once you "have" the pictures, "How do you print them?"

I signed up for photopass, but I guess I wasn't supposed to as I keep getting e-mails to place my order. I have no order to place because I have no pictures because I haven't taken my trip yet. Remember I warned you. This is Photopass for DUMMIES I'm looking for.

Will I be able to leave WDW on Tuesday and have PRINTS on Friday?

 

[SandrA9810]

If you order the CD online, you'll get a disc in the mail of all your pictures... just a plain ol CD.
You take that CD to a photo kiosk with a CD drive, I've never had an issue with printing the pictures from the CD at a kiosk. Then select which pictures you want to print. It's just like putting your memory card into the machine and printing the pictures.

I don't know how fast the regular shipping is, but 6$ is a small price to pay for express shipping, which should get it to you in like 2-3 days I think.

The pictures you view online are not of photo quality, you can't just print at home from the website. You can get the CD in the parks/resorts, but you can't add borders or autographs to the pictures.

 

[DOPEYLUVER]

The pictures you view online are not of photo quality, you can't just print at home from the website. You can get the CD in the parks/resorts, but you can't add borders or autographs to the pictures.

I don't need to add borders or autographs - I am an accountant with ZERO creativity.

So does that mean I can take a CD home with me from the parks/resorts?

I'm sorry. I'm sure you didn't realize anyone could be this clueless.

 

[SandrA9810]

You could if you like.

But the site is set up to be idiot proof. It's very easy.

You'll see a scroll at the bottom of the screen of your photos. You click on the photo, and on the right is the borders you can add. You click the one you like, click on save, move right on to the next one. You can save the photo 3 times with different stuff.

When you get the CD you'll have 4 copies of the picture.
1 copy with a border
2 copy with the character autograph
3 copy with a different border
4 copy original plain, just the way it was taken

If you still don't want to deal with it, just buy the CD in the park. It's the same price, and you can walk home with it.


When you're in the parks, go to the camera center, before the parades/night show (afterwards can be a mad house), and have a look at your photos. If there's anything not showing up, it's easier to find those photos that day, rather than at the end of the week. Every picture taken is tagged with the location, character, photographer, time, and date, the more you know the easier it is to narrow the search to just your photo. Occasionally photos do get lost. Or if you had a bad photographer, with a lousy photo, you can retake that photo with a different photographer.

did i make that even more confusing?

 

[mickeyfan1]

If you bought a Disney Vacation Package, you should get a code with your documents that will allow you to buy the CD ahead of time at a discount. All your photopass pictures will get put onto that CD. This is new, with pout the code, you can't pre order at a discount any more.

Most photopass CMs will take a picture with your camera, and don't be shy, many of you fellow tourists will too. I ask people a lot if they want a picture of the two of them or the family, because it seems like one person is always the "oh, he was taking the picture" when it's time to show friends.

Don't feel pressured into thinking you have to buy every photopass picture, either. I am a lot happier that Disney doesn't print everything now, because I found that most of the photopass pictures were not so good. Especially the silly poses, like hold out your hand for Tink, somehow she is never on the picture. Having them all on line to look at is great.

If you don't get the CD and you only want a couple of the photopass pics, go can still look at them online and order the prints you want. It is simple and they get shipped pretty quickly.

Have a Magical trip!