Memory Maker- Is it Worth the Cost? {Walt Disney World with a 2 Year Old, Part 7}

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A review of Memory Maker, a photo package available as an add-on to your Walt Disney World vacation. Let me help you decide if Memory Maker is worth the cost (spoiler: I think it is!).

Before our trip, I did a lot of research on whether or not Memory Maker was worth the extra cost. At $169 (for advance purchase, $199 to start immediately), it sounded a little steep and I didn’t want to walk away with only a few photos that I could have taken myself.

But since it was my daughter’s first trip to Walt Disney World, and the whole family was going, I decided to go for it, and I’m SO happy that I did!

What is Memory Maker?

Memory Maker is a PhotoPass package that allows you to get digital downloads of:

Disney PhotoPass photos and videos
Ride photos and videos
Some character dining photos
Magic shots– photographers will add Disney characters and more to the photo!
Access to digital borders and stickers to customize your photos

How Does Memory Maker Work?

After you purchase the package, Memory Maker will automatically link to your account/MagicBand. It will also connect to the people you have included in your Family & Friends list.

Once you’re at Disney World, just keep an eye out for the official Disney photographers! You can even use the My Disney Experience app to locate them.

: Magic Kingdom

: Animal Kingdom

They will take your photos and scan your MagicBand to automatically link the photos to your account. And one of the best parts is that everyone in your travel party is linked to the same account– so if anyone has their photo taken, as long as they scan their MagicBand, it will all link back to one account.

You can immediately see them on the My Disney Experience app and can download them to any of your devices. You’ll also be able to add borders and stickers to customize your photos and will receive a discount if you order any prints through Disney’s website.

Good to Know

While everyone can be linked to Memory Maker, only one person, the purchaser, will be able to edit and download the photos from My Disney Experience. However, it’s so easy to share the photos with the other members of your travel party using Google Photos, Dropbox, etc.

Reasons Why Memory Maker Is Worth It

1. If you’re going with a larger group, you can purchase one Memory Maker package, link it to everyone’s MagicBands, and split the cost! It’s a great way to sneak in some extra savings.

2. No more finding someone to take a photo of the group and handing them 5 different cameras! Because we went with a group of 12, Memory Maker was the perfect solution and made it so easy to capture the moment. I’m all about keeping the peace!

3. It is SO convenient! While we took our “nice” camera on the trip, we didn’t want to bring it to the parks. Between it taking up a lot of space in our already-full diaper bag, worrying about damaging it and not wanting to leave it in a locker, it just wasn’t worth it. So while we did take a ton of pictures on our phones, it was really nice to have the professionals there to capture the bigger moments.

4. There’s inevitably always going to be that picture that would’ve been perfect except for that shadow or that everyone was looking at a different camera. Disney PhotoPass photographers are professionals! So they know how to get the lighting just right and how to (try) to get your toddler to smile.

: Phone Picture

: PhotoPass Picture

5. If you were to purchase the photos and videos from the attractions by themselves, it would be so expensive! But with Memory Maker, it’s all included! These are pictures that I typically wouldn’t have, so it’s definitely a nice bonus.

6. Magic shots! These were so fun! You just need to ask your PhotoPass photographer if they do any Magic shots and they’ll direct you into a pose. And how cute did this turn out?!?

7. It might be that the best reason to purchase Memory Maker is to get the photos of your child(ren) meeting their favorite characters. It was so great to just be able to take my daughter up to Minnie and Daisy and be in the moment with her. I didn’t have to worry about getting the perfect picture of her getting an autograph or playing peek-a-boo with them. The PhotoPass photographer was right there snapping away so I was able to capture every single moment of our encounter without having to be the one behind the camera.

Overall Recommendation

While it is a bit of an investment, I really found Memory Maker to be worth it. There’s only one first-time visit and I know I’ll cherish these memories for years to come!