Photopass Private Sessions - Worth the $$?

[ClarabelleCowFan]

We are debating whether or not to book the Photopass private session at one of the resorts while we are there on our Grand Gathering in November. I know DVC members get a 20% discount which helps but it is still pricey.

Have you done this and is it worth the money? Were the pictures a great portrait quality or just the average photopass type pictures?

Which resort did you have your session at?

Would love to hear of your experiences!

 

[MissAndrea]

I would like to know too. How much do the sessions cost? I don't know much about it at all but knew it was something that could be done. Anyone have them done?

 

[maggiew]

We did ours at the Beach club. We got a small discount because we had preordered the PARKS photopass CD. I am not sure if they still offer this discount.

Our pictures were good and I have some of them hanging up on our family room wall. I thought they were worth the money. I used one of them as our Christmas card picture.

This is the one I used for our Christmas card:

This is a fun one:

I like this one:

Maggie

 

[thumpery]

We just had them done at the Beach Club. We booked the 20 minute session and added on 20 more minutes. Total cost (with DVC discount) was approx. $111.00. We ended up with 197 pictures on the cd! We will be using the pictures for our Christmas cards, new family portraits for the home and relatives, and our son's senior picture! Worth the money in our eyes. Loved the pictures on the beach, and the photographer had our son climb the rocks by the pool for his senior pics. I believe it was one and only time "Disney" actually said TO climb the rocks.

 

[smacky1]

We also did this at the BC a few years ago and they turned out great. I got some great family photos, photos of my kids, and the BEST photo DH and I have ever had taken as a couple. I loved having them on CD so I could take my time and decide what sizes I wanted. I ended up making nice photo gifts for our parents/grandparents for christmas. It was a big hit. I hope to do it again next year.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

What is the price and the length...I think a PP said 20 mins is the base...but how much $$? Do you get the CD for the price?

 

[thumpery]

If I remember correctly, the first 20 minutes is $99 (20% discount brought it down to $79). This includes the cd.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Great pictures, Maggie! Love the fun one.

DH really wants to do this session so we are trying to find room in the vacation budget for it and decide what to wear and where to go.

Leaning towards the Polynesian or Beach Club with all of 9 of us wearing white polo shirts and jeans. We may vary it a bit and have the girls wear v-neck tops and the boys wear the polo shirts.

Now just need tips on making 5 kids SMILE at the same time!

I guess if we have it at Beach Club there is always bribery with Beaches & Cream afterwards.

 

[cm8]

Great pictures, Maggie! Love the fun one.

DH really wants to do this session so we are trying to find room in the vacation budget for it and decide what to wear and where to go.

Leaning towards the Polynesian or Beach Club with all of 9 of us wearing white polo shirts and jeans. We may vary it a bit and have the girls wear v-neck tops and the boys wear the polo shirts.

Now just need tips on making 5 kids SMILE at the same time!

I guess if we have it at Beach Club there is always bribery with Beaches & Cream afterwards.

and thanks for posting them!!

 

[maggiew]

Now just need tips on making 5 kids SMILE at the same time!

I guess if we have it at Beach Club there is always bribery with Beaches & Cream afterwards.

We had a great photographer at the Beach Club. My younger daughter (the blonder one) was in a bad mood and was being a little *^*^&^. Anyway, the photographer would say the funniest things to get her to smile. He said, "Oh look. There is Johnny Depp!" etc. It worked because she at least "looks" happy in the pictures.

Here she is after the Johnny Depp comment:

I want to put a thought bubble over her head saying, "This guy is an idiot if he thinks that will make me smile."


Here are a couple more:

Maggie

 

[jenseib]

I'm thinking about doing it too. I have heard though, the Prints no longer come with the $99 package.

 

[TarzansKat]

If you do one of these photo sessions, with a base price of $99, am I reading right that the Photopass CD is included?

So if you take other photopass pictures around the parks, would that be on the CD as well, or is that separate?

Thanks.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

If you do one of these photo sessions, with a base price of $99, am I reading right that the Photopass CD is included?

So if you take other photopass pictures around the parks, would that be on the CD as well, or is that separate?

Thanks.

No. Just the pictures from the session are included on this CD. You can't add the pictures that the photopass photographers in the parks have taken onto the special session CD. You would still need to buy the Photopass CD in addition to the Special Session CD.

 

[Disneychix]

We did this at the Poly last year. I felt it was worth the $$. Our photog was a little less than personable, but we made it work for us. We kept laughing so at least that made us smile for the pics. My one request was pictures on the beach and he did comply. I am sure we went over the 20mins but we didn't pay for extra time.
You can check out the a bunch of the pics in my December TR in my sig.

 

[MissAndrea]

Only $99???!!! I honestly thought you guys were going to say $1500-$2000! So that sounds like a great deal to me! Especially after reading the thread about how much senior pics cost! And honestly, I'd prefer that I be the one to print them so I can specifically pic out how many and what sizes rather than buying a package. And I can print more later! Am I missing anything because I'm really super excited about it being only $99. We haven't ever had a family pic taken. I've always wanted to have them done outside like senior pics are. Assuming they would cost as much as senior pics is the reason we haven't done them yet. That and I keep saying I want to lose some weight first.

 

[jenseib]

Only $99???!!! I honestly thought you guys were going to say $1500-$2000! So that sounds like a great deal to me! Especially after reading the thread about how much senior pics cost! And honestly, I'd prefer that I be the one to print them so I can specifically pic out how many and what sizes rather than buying a package. And I can print more later! Am I missing anything because I'm really super excited about it being only $99. We haven't ever had a family pic taken. I've always wanted to have them done outside like senior pics are. Assuming they would cost as much as senior pics is the reason we haven't done them yet. That and I keep saying I want to lose some weight first.

Up until a month or so ago you got several prints along with the CD, so now you are paying the same but getting less. Also for those buying photopass, they have to fork out another $100-150. So for sime it's alot of extra money. I think in the old days you could just add them to Photopass for like $25-50, bnut now it's sepreate cost. You can stil ladd them to photopass, but you have to pay the $100.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

We did this at the Poly last year. I felt it was worth the $$. Our photog was a little less than personable, but we made it work for us. We kept laughing so at least that made us smile for the pics. My one request was pictures on the beach and he did comply. I am sure we went over the 20mins but we didn't pay for extra time.
You can check out the a bunch of the pics in my December TR in my sig.

Great pictures!

Did you have a list of where you wanted pictures taken or did the photographer have specific areas they went? I love the one of you and your DH with the castle in the background! Were you able to get any at Sunset Point?

Only $99???!!! I honestly thought you guys were going to say $1500-$2000! So that sounds like a great deal to me! Especially after reading the thread about how much senior pics cost! And honestly, I'd prefer that I be the one to print them so I can specifically pic out how many and what sizes rather than buying a package. And I can print more later! Am I missing anything because I'm really super excited about it being only $99. We haven't ever had a family pic taken. I've always wanted to have them done outside like senior pics are. Assuming they would cost as much as senior pics is the reason we haven't done them yet. That and I keep saying I want to lose some weight first.

$99 for 20 minutes isn't bad at all. If you are a DVC member you get 20% off.

 

[MissAndrea]

This was totally one of those moments where you think it's going to be some crazy super high amount (like I was thinking thousands) but am pleasantly surprised with the answer. I like when that happens. It might not be as good as of a deal as before, and I definately do not think $100 is anything to sneeze at, but I had absolutely no idea how much it cost and it turned out to be at least $900 cheaper than I thought! Because we wanted to get family pictures done anyway, I'd rather just wait until we are down there to do it. I think it will cheaper for us to get them done there than here at home (by a professional photographer).

 

[TarzansKat]

No. Just the pictures from the session are included on this CD. You can't add the pictures that the photopass photographers in the parks have taken onto the special session CD. You would still need to buy the Photopass CD in addition to the Special Session CD.

Thanks for clarifying, I didn't think I was reading that right.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Thanks for clarifying, I didn't think I was reading that right.

No worries. I thought the same thing at first when I saw the display at the Wilderness Lodge lobby. The CM explained there are 2 Photopass CDs and each one is a separate fee. Would be a GREAT deal if they were both included though, wouldn't it?

We are already in on a share for this trip so hoping to get the special session done while we are there too.