I will address the PhotoPass part of the question in more detail. Yes, it is absolutely worth it for a few reasons.
First of all, it is absolutely free to get the PhotoPass card or cards and have your photos taken by the many PP photographers around DLR.
If you choose to order the CD once your trip is complete (don't pre-order it; it will only cost more money that way), it will cost you $59.95 + $2.00 shipping if you are in the U.S., for a total of $61.95. This is a fantastic deal because you can literally get thousands of pictures for that price of $61.95, and you get the rights to all the photos so you can have them printed anywhere, at any photo shop or retailer.
If you have, say, 50 photos taken at DLR by a PhotoPass photographer, you can turn those 50 pictures into 500 by simply going on to the PP website and editing, cropping, using the fun Disney borders, making black and white versions, zooming in/zooming out, etc. You can also 'share' the photos in emails to your family and friends from the PP website - for free.
You have 30 days from when your first PP picture is taken to create a PhotoPass account online, and enter in the number on your PP card (which you can get from any of the photographers around DLR). After you create your account, you have another 30 days to order something - either the CD or individual prints or whatever. If you choose to not order anything, your photos will simply vanish from the site, but you still have paid nothing. It is totally free until you place an order, but just be aware of the time frame in which you can edit so you don't lose your photos.
PhotoPass is a great service to use (and I learned most of what I know about it, prior to trying it myself, right here on the DIS, and now I feel like I have to use it every time I go to DLR) for several important reasons in addition to the ones mentioned above:
1) This is a good way to get everyone in your group in every photo so there is no one left out;
2) If you ask for "magic shots," the photographers will add enhancements to your pictures that you cannot add yourself (see our "
Photopass Poses: the Cheesier, the Better" thread -
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1954446 - to see the different enhancements available);
3) Generally, the photographers use high quality Nikon DSLR cameras, so more often than not, their photos will be better than the standard photos guests take - this is not always the case, but often it is; and
4) BACK-UP, BACK-UP, BACK-UP!! There are times when our own cameras break down, our cameras are lost or stolen, the memory card or film turns out to be faulty, or for whatever reason that golden photo that looked so good in the camera looks terrible on the computer screen.
PhotoPass is a
great way to get some really good back-up pictures for those 'just in case' moments.
