Is Memory Maker worth it?

[AnimalBabe]

We did it the first time we went and I was skeptical because so many said it wasn't worth it. For us it was totally worth it! We got tons of pictures (over 300 I think) and we were all in them as a family. The photographers captured some of the most precious memories ever. My most favorite one is of DS resting his head on Mulan while she kisses him and it's just so sweet. I think they just snap away and are able to get those memories. We are doing it again in Jan. We may share with some friends who are going the next week, but even if we don't it's totally worth it for me.

Ok, this totally confused me! How did you get so many pictures? Please tell! We got the memory maker for the first time, on our recent (and first) trip with our son. I was totally annoyed at the small number of pictures we actually had taken by the end of the trip, so we felt this package was complete a waste of money. Honestly, we went to all the parks, and had about 20 or so pictures taken during the entire week-long trip. In our experience, you have to stand in line and seek out yourself the photographers (we saw so few, and normally were only at the front entrances of the parks), who didn't take great pictures at all. Many were blurry! They didn't seem interested in getting a good shot, or waiting one measly second for someone to move out of the background for a shot (even when this would have been very simple, such as when the park wasn't overly crowded in the morning). I did like the (very few) ride shots we got (though I caution you--if your child is young/short, they likely won't even be captured in those photos!). I took a lot of pictures with my iphone, and granted I don't think the iphone (I have the 5s) takes great pictures compared to other bigger cameras, but I was SO glad I took many myself instead of relying on the photographers at Disney. Also, I think it's a jip that they don't have the photographers at the character meals. I would never buy this package again. I wanted it for the same reason many stated, that we rarely get pictures of all of us together...but I would have been ok asking a stranger to take one or two at each park entrance with my phone, rather than pay so much for this through Disney.

[ckso]

Some mentioned that it's worth it because it's nice to get pictures with the whole family in it. But can't you just hand your camera or phone over to the photographer and have him take the pic for you?

Granted picture quality wouldn't necessary be the same especially if you use your phone camera but it's still pretty good (I have a iPhone 4s)

[twodogs]

We have had this twice at WDW and once at DL. I would do it again for sure. We go with our two kids and my parents. It is the only way to get us all in the pictures, and in my experience, they take several in case one is blurry. And in a crowded park, I think it is not always possible to wait for an entirely clear shot, but that's just my opinion. Yes, to get the most out of it, you have to seek out the photographers!! But once they see that you have pre-purchased the MM, they will usually take more pictures because they know you have bought them (instead of people with the photopass cards who may or may not purchase the pictures in the end). I always ask if they have any "magic shots" which are pictures where they superimpose something such as Stitch or Tinkerbell or balloons into the shot. You usually don't know what it is until you see the pictures after the trip, so it is a fun surprise! The ones of my girls "holding" Tinkerbell in the palm of their hand are precious! One photographer at DL this year took my girls, who were wearing their Anna and Elsa costumes, and did a photo shoot of them. Took them all up and down Paradise Pier, telling them to hug, spin, hold hands, "freeze" our whole family, etc. It was great! We also love the ride photos, but if you don't do the headliner attractions, this won't have much value to you. I personally would still get it, even without the ride photos, because we have gotten tons of great ones. We get hundreds of pictures each trip, but it is what you make of it. I think the photographers are told not to ask people if they want a picture done because Disney doesn't want to seem to be pressuring people into it. So you do have to seek them out and ask for pictures. You can tell them what you'd like in the background, and they are typically very accommodating. If you are excited about it, I have found that most (but not all) will be too and will try to get some really great pictures of your family.

I sometimes give the PP photographer my camera too, but not typically. As OP said, it allows me to snap a few pictures but mostly be in the moment and not worry about trying to photograph everything.

I highly recommend this, and we have had a great experience with it. We are returning to WDW for a third visit in May 2015, and I plan on getting it for sure.

[keh602]

We pre-purchased Memory Maker for our trip this past week, and I was wondering at the time how much we'd actually use it. We ended up with between 130-140 pictures in 4 days, so I definitely think it was worth it! I agree with PP that the magic shots are wonderful, and for some of the pictures we got, the PhotoPass photographers could get much better shots than we could've with the phones/cameras we had with us. We had two character meals that came with photos, and those are both in our account, as are our pictures from rides. Very cool.