Disney's Best Kept Secret: Memory Maker

There are many great deals offered at and by the Walt Disney World resort but I want to share with you what I think is the best deal the resort could offer: Memory Maker.

Debuting around the same time MyMagic+ and FastPass+, Memory Maker was (and still is) a game changer when it comes to the idea of taking, customizing and ordering attraction and Photopass photographer’s photos. When you purchase Memory Maker you are purchasing every single photo taken by Disney of your family for a single static price; to understand the magnitude of this, let’s look at an example day:

Let’s say you have a family of 4 and are visiting the Magic Kingdom. When you and your family enter through the train station you come around the corner of the Confectionery and you see the awe-inspiring view of Cinderella’s castle and the golden morning sun glistening off the towers.

You want to capture that moment but since selfie sticks are no longer allowed in the parks and your arm just isn’t long enough to get your family and the castle in the picture, you look around for help. Luckily there is a Photopass photographer a few steps away to help capture that moment. After snapping a few quick photos with their camera and a few different settings they can either scan your MagicBand and your photos will automatically be associated with your account OR they can give you a PhotoPass card that you can add to your account later. After the trip down Main Street you head towards your first FastPass of day: Space Mountain where your photo is taken while you’re on your ride vehicle. At the end of your orbit you walk past the PhotoPass screen and you can view your pictures, but no need to scan your MagicBand because the magic of long-range scanners has already paired your photos to your account. After walking out of Space Mountain you see the queue for Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin is short so you jump in line to become Space Cadets. While battling Zurg your photo is taken and is also instantly connected to your account. After a quick snack, using your meal plan entitlements, you head to your second pair of FastPasses: dad and daughter go to Enchanted Tales with Belle while the thrill seeking mom and son head over to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster.

Along with a commemorative bookmark, daughter gets a special photo session with Belle that you can add to your account later. Mom and son will not only get their ride photos automatically connected to the family account but they also get a special unique ride movie made by the dwarfs themselves. After lunch at Gaston’s Tavern you walk around the park, and see different photographers offer magic-shots (shots that later add a special character to your photo) and you take five. After finishing your FastPasses out with a cruise around the jungle you’re ready for your dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table where pictures abound with the royalty.

Before you walk out of the park that evening you take a final group picture with the lighted Main Street and castle as your backdrop. You then get on a boat and head back to your resort at the Fort Wilderness cabins to rest and recharge for the next day.

Let’s do the numbers real quick. In just one day your family took about 49 pictures:

# of Photos/Videos	Location
3	Castle Shot on Main Street
1	Space Mountain ride photo
2	Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (2 different ride vehicles)
3	Pictures with Belle
1	Seven Dwarfs Mine Train photo
1	Seven Dwarfs Mine Train video
5	Magic Shots
10	Cinderella's Royal Table
3	Night Castle Shot on Main Street
20	Extra Stock Magic Kingdom Photos
49	Total

Now, what if you wanted to by every picture that was taken of you at the parks? Let’s look at some costs of different packages Disney offers.

Package Costs

Offer	Single Photos 4x6 prints	Single Photo Download	Memory Maker
Price per item	$16.95	$14.95	$169
Total Price (Item Price x 49)	$830.55	$732.55	$169

You can easily see if you wanted to buy every single picture that was taken of you and your family while on your magical vacation then the price could add up quick (by the way, those prices are only for the first day!). But look at the price of Memory Maker, no matter the number of pictures that were taken your prices stay the same!

Now, let’s add another dimension to it -and this is where Memory Maker really starts shining. Let’s assume you’re traveling with friends or it’s family reunion time. Because realistically you’re not able to be with every person at every moment, with Memory Maker you can get everyone’s photo/video/magic-shot/ride photo that was taken for every single person, for one low price of $169, as long as each person is connected to your My Disney Experience account. So if your family is visiting Magic Kingdom but another group of your party is visiting EPCOT that day, and the next day you are all together at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you can still get every picture that was taken of each person at every park, all for the same price! Now, the cost of Memory Maker does increase to $199 if you decide to buy it and use it immediately, so I suggest to save the $30 and buy it early if you know it is something you are going to use. Additionally, Memory Maker is available to anyone visiting the Walt Disney World Resort, it is not limited to guests staying at the resort like the meal plan is.

There are many good deals at the parks but I consider this, one of the best.

Want to know more great deal, tips, or tricks? Or have questions about your family vacation? Visit us on Facebook or email us at Lauren.Burke@MarvelousMouseTravles.com

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