I guess I have a Memory Maker question. I have a nice-ish Canon, but I wasn't planning on taking it because it's kind of bulky and I don't know that I feel like hauling it around, so my mom and I were mostly planning on taking iPhone photos. I'm considering Memory Maker because we're doing
MNSSHP, 2 dessert parties (maybe 3...), and Return to Sleepy Hollow. Is Memory Maker going to be a good option for us? Should I bring my Canon? We're doing a 8-day, 7-night stay.
To my way of thinking, having Memory Maker, and having your own good DSLR are two completely separate things, and one does not replace the other. I often carry my Canon DSLR with me in the parks. I am able to get great pictures of anything in the park that catches my eye, be it a candid shot of one of my family members, that perfect picture of the castle, when the sky just has that hint of dark blue just before it gets dark out, the up close picture of a flower, or the dragon in the 3:00 parade breathing fire. These are all things that Memory Maker can't do for you.
However, I can't take photos of myself with my family, and I'm not too keen on handing my thousand dollar camera to a stranger in order to get a family picture. Memory Maker gets me plenty of those family pictures, and I get to be in them for a change. In addition, I get special Magic Shots, on ride photos, and special photos from events like MNSSHP. These are things that your own DSLR can't do for you.
For these reasons, these really are two separate decisions. Do you want the kinds of pictures that you can only get with your DSLR. Do you want the kinds of pictures that you can only get with Memory Maker.
As to whether Memory Maker would be worth it for you, one of the determining factors is how long you are going to be in the parks. For people who are only spending say 3 days in the parks, it might be difficult to get enough photos for it to really be worth buying Memory Maker, unless they were willing to spend a significant part of their time getting photos taken. On longer trips, such as yours, it should be pretty easy to get enough photos to get good value from the Memory Maker. In addition, you are going to the Halloween Party, where there are some special photo opportunities. I feel that you should be able to get more than enough pictures to make the purchase worth while.
I will be spending 10 days in the parks this August, and will have both my DSLR, and Memory Maker.