Let’s face it, when visiting Walt Disney World anything you can do to save money is a win-win! Having pictures to capture your special memories is also a win-win! When you can combine the two, that is an even bigger win-win!
I don’t know about you, but bringing (or buying) an expensive camera for photos is not something I want to really do, to say nothing about the fact that I am not a professional photographer! I used to take a small portable camera with me and would snap pictures left and right, only to get home and realize most of them were not what I really wanted nor were very good. For me, having to take care of a camera or constantly snapping pictures with my cell phone – trying to get those perfect shots – really took away from the value and enjoyment of my vacation.
Then I discovered the Memory Maker photo package. I purchased this before my trip and relied on all of those PhotoPass photographers to better capture our vacation (plus I was able to get in the picture without taking a selfie)! I originally thought the additional cost was very high, but when I compared that cost to how it would ease my mind, letting me enjoy my vacation also, the value of adding Memory Maker was huge. For the initial cost (currently $169 in advance), we ended up with unlimited downloads of tons of great pictures of us throughout the parks including several from rides that I normally wouldn’t have been able to get without purchasing those individual prints. When you figure that without Memory Maker, each PhotoPass download is over $16, plus each ride photo costs $20 individually, the value of Memory Maker is huge. Plus you get some fun ride videos as well. I definitely look at that as a win-win!
If you love taking your own photos anyway, you can certainly save money by using your camera or cell phone. Whether you use your mobile device or a camera keep in mind just a few things:
- Make sure you have a charger readily available. Having to purchasing a charger in the parks can get expensive.
- Better still, invest in a pocket charger that can slip into your park bag with your charger. This will keep you from looking everywhere for a plug for your charger. The parks do have mini-pocket-chargers available, but they too can get pricey.
- Clear previous photos from your devices prior to leaving home. This will leave plenty of room for the many pictures you are sure to take. If you are using a camera with a memory card, consider purchasing extra memory cards to bring with you.
- Remember just because the photographers throughout the parks are using their cameras, doesn’t mean they can’t use yours to get everyone in the picture. Take advance of their locations and angles to get those iconic pictures with the entire party!
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Debbie and her husband live in Collegedale, TN where her youngest son is going to college. She is a huge Disney fan who dreams of someday retiring and working as a tour guide at Walt Disney World. She has enjoyed many trips to WDW with children, grandchildren and sometimes adults only. It is her ultimate goal to make sure everyone who visits WDW has the same magical time that she enjoys every time she visits.
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