Thoughts on the photo CD?

[SurroBear]

It's $211 to pre-purchase. We're a family of 5. We're torn on whether to pre-purchase or just take our own pics. it'll be a 5 night cruise. How many pics do you get on average? Are there any candid pics or all they all posed?

 

[Shelebeen]

I guess it depends on how many times you want to stand in line to get photos done. On a 7 night cruise, we typically try to get family shots done 3 or 4 nights - even if they are just with a character on the way in or out of the dining rooms. We have lots taken on CC as well. We feel that they are well worth our money, but we do make a bit of an effort to get them taken often. In terms of how many - depends on the cruise 0 on Alaska we probably got about 100 or so, on the last Caribbean maybe 50-60?

 

[dolphinnnx3]

I believe all photos are posed. It is true like Shelebeen said, it all depends on how many times you are willing to stand in line to get photos taken. We got almost 300 photos, so for us, it was worth it.

 

[jrabbit]

1) is this a first time DISNEY cruise for you? If yes, then maybe don't get the photo package. If you've cruised DCL before you have an idea of what you might "miss" by "standing in line" for the pictures - and can decide if it is worth it.

2) Ages of the kids: do they ALL enjoy the characters (at the parks or on DCL). If Yes, then probably get the picture package

3) if there's a formal night on your cruise - are you dressing up? then maybe yes again - nice clothes helps make a nice picture.

4) do you think that you will get 11 pictures on board? then its a no brainer to get the package. And remember, DCL does a good job making you and your kids look cute - and it's hard to resist purchasing the pictures.

Our last cruise we got the package. It was our 15th DCL cruise and just DH and I. And we got our money's worth. And we felt like we did not miss anything by standing in line (well except for Stitch - He's stinking POPULAR - and not out enough - DH left an "inbetween" show early to get a place in line before it closed). and we WERE LUCKY!!! on three of our excursions, Shutter's photog's were with us and we got some great pictures in Russia, Estonia and Sweden. They said that only 4 photogs go out on excursions every day. and with ALL of those excursions AND different buses for each excursion - boy we WERE LUCKY!!

 

[Sailorsgirl]

do you actually get the photos or is it digital?

 

[ladypiph]

I always get the CD, you do get every picture anyone in your stateroom takes. They are mostly posed but on CC they do get some nice candid ones. On my last 4 night cruise we left with 143 pictures on our CD which was definitely worth. However, if you find that you all do not take enough photos to make it worth it then you get a full refund, so it is risk free. But I recommend pre-purchasing it only because it may be more expensive on board.

 

[Shelebeen]

The CD is digital - when you buy it, you can also purchase all the prints they make for an extra $50? I think.. we usually buy the prints as well..

 

[HookdonWDW]

Do the photographers generally only go on the excursions on the longer cruises or on most of them? It would make this a no brainer if there was a chance that we could get photos at Tulum...

 

[xlxo]

If you do go for the photo package.... pay attention to the navigator as you stalk the characters. Don't forget the bonus character photo in the cruise terminal.

 

[cyctorres]

It is true? if one of your minor children, are staying in another cabin, the cabin also comes in your photo package without additional pay?

 

[kerry1379]

Cyctorres, pictures of the minor children from the other cabin come without additional pay if you be sure to tell Shutters about it when you get onboard so they can link that. Adults in another stateroom are NOT included. BUT if the adults are in the picture with either the child or with someone in your stateroom, you do get those as well. For example, we had two stateroom with our family split between. But it worked out for us because while technically the purchase of the CD for the stateroom I was listed under did not include my husband, he wasn't ever in any pictures without either me or the children so I ended up getting all the pictures he was in too. Did that make sense?

 

[kerry1379]

We never saw a photographer on any of the excursions we were on. (7-night eastern Caribbean)

 

[cyctorres]

Cyctorres, pictures of the minor children from the other cabin come without additional pay if you be sure to tell Shutters about it when you get onboard so they can link that. Adults in another stateroom are NOT included. BUT if the adults are in the picture with either the child or with someone in your stateroom, you do get those as well. For example, we had two stateroom with our family split between. But it worked out for us because while technically the purchase of the CD for the stateroom I was listed under did not include my husband, he wasn't ever in any pictures without either me or the children so I ended up getting all the pictures he was in too. Did that make sense?

 

[Rob1872]

We never care much for character photos (except for my DW who LOVES to get a picture with Marie on each Disneyworld trip!). However, we've always bought a photo CD at Disneyworld because there are so many other photographers throughout the parks just taking random pictures. Are the DCL photographers just at character meet and greets, or are there others just for general pictures? (Our first cruise will just be a 3 night Bahamas trip on Magic this spring.)

 

[anricat]

Why don't you purchase it, then if you go through all your photos at Shutters on the last night and you decide it's not worth it, you can cancel and get a full refund? That's my plan, anyway.

 

[SurroBear]

I had no idea it was refundable, that sounds like a great option!

 

[kerry1379]

Rob1872, on our cruise, the photographers were at the character meet and greets but also came around at dinner time to our table. They also had mini studios set up before and after dinner. If you want the mini studio shots though you go to them and wait in a (often times but not always ) short line. They don't come to you for that.

 

[ludari]

I let the photographers take their photos but I also bring along my own camera and let the cast member take a photo as well. I compare my photos to the photos taken by the photographer and then I make the decision of how many pictures I want to purchase. They have been times where my photos where fine and other times I had to purchase the CD. This method works best for me.

 

[TheForceIsWithMe]

We bought the photo CD a few years ago and it was great. We were on an anniversary trip with 28 people and hadn't planned on it when we left but on the last night we looked in Shutters and had a lot of great pictures of kids and grandparents, etc. You do get whatever pics you pose for with characters, etc., but we also had lots of candid type shots from dinners and the character breakfast. We took tons of pics ourselves too but it was great to have some that had EVERYONE in them (you know there is always that one person who always seems to be taking the pics and not in them - so the pics make is appear like they were not even on the trip). Also a lot of the ones the photographers took at dinner turned out better than the ones we were taking in terms of exposure.

 

[Pens Fan]

Hookedon WDW:

We were on the Norway/Iceland cruise this past summer. Most of our excursions were privately booked, but we did do two through DCL. Of those, one had a Shutters photographer along snapping photos. We only purchased four photos on that cruise and two of them came from that excursion. So it does happen, but I don't think it's something you should count on. It's the first time we had ever seen that, but we loved the idea. They took some really great shots.