Photopass - Worth it?

[jakensydsmom]

I have read many mixed reactions to the Photopass service and am wondering whether we should order one or not. My primary interest was so that we would have photos of the whole family, rather than lots of pictures of everyone but Mom who is on the other side of the camera. Please let me know how it worked out for your family.
Thank you!

 

[julia & nicks mom]

You don't have to order it before your trip -

the first time a photographer takes your picture - he/she will hand you a card - which you give to other photographers to add pictures on throughout your trip-

at the end of your trip - you can look at the pictures and make the decision on whether or not you want to order it

 

[beattyfamily]

Of course, its worth it; its a free service so get as many photos taken as you can/want to throughout the park.

Once all your photos have been taken, you can decide if you want to buy any photos and if there are a lot you want to buy then it might be worth it to look into buying the Photopass CD which is $99 and can hold up to 300 photos.

The individual photos printed by Disney are about $12.95 each. You can buy either the individual photos or the CD either at WDW or online when you get home.

I never have enough taken to make it worth buying the CD but many people do.

I think Photopass is great!

 

[jennyl772003]

I would def. use the PhotoPass, but make sure you still take plenty of pics with your own camera. Sometimes the PhotoPass pics are lousy. If you ask, the photographer will use your camera to take a pic for you.

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

Easy---yes!! Expensive for prints---yes!!!!!!!

I thought Photopass was nice to have, and we got several pictures that were ok, but paying $12 for one 5x7 picture when I can upload my own to a website (Snapfish/Winkflash) and pay .50 for a 5x7 was crazy to me. Maybe Photopass didn't get me that "perfect picture" that I would have payed $12 for on my last trip..........

 

[thunderbird1]

There isn't anything to order ahead of time. You just pick up the card at the first photographer you see, and then make sure to have your picture taken at every opportunity thereafter. The photographers will generally take at least two or three different shots with different levels of zoom at most of the best photo spots. Some are really good, others so-so, and some come out downright awful (just like when I take them!). It is a great way to get a picture of the whole family--something that's almost impossible to do otherwise. There is no cost for this part of the service.

At the end of the trip, or even after you get home, you can view the photos to decide whether you'd like to buy a few of the better photos (prints only) or order the whole cd (digital images). Like others have said, they're not cheap, but compared to the cost of the vacation . . . .

 

[las3888]

We ended up buying 3 photos. It was very expensive. It is kind of a hook...once you start doing it and collecting more photos on your account, it's hard to walk away from them. We had photos of our DS meeting Mickey for the first time so it was very precious.

I waited and waited for some coupon or deal or code but no such luck (for a small purchase like mine).

I will say one of the biggest plusses was that it was all of us and not just everybody else with mom behind the camera, as you said. We rarely have the gumption (or even think of it) to have somebody else take our photo of us all together.

You can try it, but be ready to get hooked. I thought the photos were really nice. They take quite a few shots so they can get at least 1 good one everywhere you go. Of course there are those poses where somebody had their eyes closed etc. but in all I thought they were very professional and well done.

 

[smnornes]

It is very convenient and a great idea to get mom or dad our from behind the camera (me, in our case.) But...beware that the quality of photos that I've experienced is lousy. I spent $20 on an 8x10 and it was very low res/grainy and yellow tinted. I know now to give the CM my own camera to take the pics, even if it takes a few extra seconds. I will still use the photopass (planning to order the CD/DVD) as I LOVE how that looks!

 

[sconnell]

Oh wow. It's the only way we would have that amazing shot of my DS18mos. sleeping in my lap as we floated around the lazy river at Blizzard Beach.
We plan to buy the CD on our trip in Sept. You can combine all of your cards. (Say you left one at the hotel and took some more another day.) The quality of ours was great! So, just get lots of shots done and decide for yourself! But do remember to take lots of shots on your camera. Don't be afraid to search out a family that looks like they would appreciate a photographer swap. (You offer to take their pic, in return for the favor.)