Everything PhotoPass & Memory Maker

[DeeCee735]

When I say photo booth, I am referring to a little booth you sit in either by yourself, or with a friend / family member, and get an automated photo. If you are talking about the automated photo machines they put in some of the character meet and greets, then that is a different thing, and I will try to answer both separately.

Photo Booths: These tend to get moved around, so you may have to look, and / or ask. I found a reference to them being located in the area of Space Mountain in MK (and I have used that one, though I believe it was in 2018), the Boardwalk area at Boardwalk Inn, AK in Dinoland near the Primeval Whirl exit ramp, Hollywood Studios near the Muppet area (though after all of the construction in that area for Star Wars, it may be gone, or relocated), and most of the resort hotels in their arcade area (though these often require tokens / arcade cards to operate as opposed to the park ones that just work on the MB).

As for character meet and greets with photo boxes, the most recent information I can find was posted on attractionsmagazine.com on September 19, 2019, and claimed that there were photo boxes at the Chewbacca and Darth Vader meet and greet at Hollywood Studios, and the Mickey and Minnie meet and greet, and the Tinkerbell meet and greet in Magic Kingdom. It also said that the photo boxes had been installed at the Princess Fairytale Hall in Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom, but had not been put into use yet.

Character meet and greets:

MK meet and greet locations https://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney...acter-meet-and-greet-guide-the-magic-kingdom/

Epcot meet and greet locations https://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney-world/walt-disney-world-character-meet-and-greet-guide-epcot/

Hollywood Studios meet and greet locations https://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney...et-and-greet-guide-disneys-hollywood-studios/

Animal Kingdom meet and greet locations https://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney...-meet-and-greet-guide-disneys-animal-kingdom/

And just for good measure, a fantastic thread by our own DIS boards poster, and sometimes visitor to my Photopass thread, @FoxC63, the Magic Shots - Current Listings thread https://www.disboards.com/threads/magic-shots-current-listings.3619546/ Lots of great information in this thread, I highly recommend checking it out!

Wow! Great information! Thank you so much!

Dee

 

[Tomh]

Wow! Great information! Thank you so much!

Dee

You're welcome. That's what I'm here for . . . . sometimes I get it right lol.

 

[Tomh]

I don't have a list, but did notice that the park maps have symbols on them for both character meet & greet spots as well as places where Photopass photographers are stationed throughout the park.

Good point, and well worth remembering when you are in the park. I don't have a list of all the Photopass locations in the parks, and will freely admit that I just dumb luck upon them when I am there. I've never actually looked at the maps while in the parks, because I know my way around enough to not need them for the most part, so I guess I've missed out on that particular tool. I will try to keep that in mind the next time I visit!

Some like to have an idea ahead of time, what they will find in each park, perhaps so they can plan on stopping for favorites, or avoiding something like the meet and greets that have changed over to the photo boxes.

 

[Zaz936]

Hi all, thank you for your help. As I'll stay offsite, would the memory maker be added to my ticket (so that's what I would give the photographers and at rides) or will it be a separate card?

 

[florep1]

For our upcoming trip, only my dh has an AP. I usually do the planning so his FastPasses are linked to my MDE. If i ride by myself, do i have to have his MB with me to get the free ride photos? He has a spare MB or two from previous trips. Would it be ok to keep one of the pucks in my backpack to get scanned? I still have a ton of non expire tickets so i don’t need an AP for awhile.

 

[Fangorn]

As long as your MDE accounts are connected and both are set to share photos, then any PhotoPass photos that are taken and scanned with your band, will show up in both accounts. On your account, the photo will have a watermark over it and you will not be able to download it without purchasing it. On his account, however, the picture will not have a watermark and he can download it. No need to carry an extra one of his pucks in your pocket.

Steve

 

[Tomh]

Hi all, thank you for your help. As I'll stay offsite, would the memory maker be added to my ticket (so that's what I would give the photographers and at rides) or will it be a separate card?

The Memory Maker will be added to your My Disney Experience profile. Either a ticket, or PhotoPass card can be used for PhotoPass photographers, and for claiming photos at Test Track, and Buzz Lightyear. The rest of the onride photos will only be connected to your account if you have a Magic Band which the long range scanners can read.

For our upcoming trip, only my dh has an AP. I usually do the planning so his FastPasses are linked to my MDE. If i ride by myself, do i have to have his MB with me to get the free ride photos? He has a spare MB or two from previous trips. Would it be ok to keep one of the pucks in my backpack to get scanned? I still have a ton of non expire tickets so i don’t need an AP for awhile.

You can either carry one of his spare Magic Bands (just make sure it isn't more than two years oldish. At some point the battery for the long range function dies, and it no longer works for the photos) OR make sure your account is linked to his, and you have checked the box to share PhotoPass Photos with him. As long as that is done, all of the photos that are linked to your Magic Band will be available for him to see and download.

 

[Zaz936]

The Memory Maker will be added to your My Disney Experience profile. Either a ticket, or PhotoPass card can be used for PhotoPass photographers, and for claiming photos at Test Track, and Buzz Lightyear. The rest of the onride photos will only be connected to your account if you have a Magic Band which the long range scanners can read.

Hello Tomh, thank you for your answer. What would I do for the other rides? Can we still find our photos at the end of a ride and go ask the CM to add them to our card?

 

[Tomh]

Hello Tomh, thank you for your answer. What would I do for the other rides? Can we still find our photos at the end of a ride and go ask the CM to add them to our card?

The other rides do not have any screens after them on which to find your photos. Without a MB, the best you could do is make sure you have photos of your group that day, and know what time you were on the ride. You could then contact PhotoPass via their website HERE to have them try to find your "missing" photos. Knowing the exact time you rode, and having photos clearly showing your group from that day will help them quite a bit, but there are no guarantees that will work. A basic MB is less than $20 with the tax. Personally, I would get a MB.

 

[Zaz936]

he other rides do not have any screens after them on which to find your photos. Without a MB, the best you could do is make sure you have photos of your group that day, and know what time you were on the ride. You could then contact PhotoPass via their website HERE to have them try to find your "missing" photos. Knowing the exact time you rode, and having photos clearly showing your group from that day will help them quite a bit, but there are no guarantees that will work. A basic MB is less than $20 with the tax. Personally, I would get a MB.

Argghhh, thank you. I'll have to do this. Ride photos are what we want the most! I could only get 1 MB for the 4 of us though and that would work? (Hoping that i would get it in a few weeks - leaving from Canada in 3 weeks!).

Thank you!

 

[Tomh]

Argghhh, thank you. I'll have to do this. Ride photos are what we want the most! I could only get 1 MB for the 4 of us though and that would work? (Hoping that i would get it in a few weeks - leaving from Canada in 3 weeks!).

Thank you!

Depending on how you are seated in the ride vehicles. For instance, usually Haunted Mansion only fits 2 or 3 per vehicle. One MB would only capture one ride vehicle. Unless you can all fit in one, you would likely need two MB there. You don't have to purchase the MB ahead of time. They are available all over Disney World, pretty much in every gift shop, and at ticket windows. Buying them is pretty quick, and the CM will even link them up for you, so you are ready to go.

 

[SMRT-1]

The other rides do not have any screens after them on which to find your photos.

The last time we were there (in 2016), Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, 7DMT, Expedition Everest, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror all had screens at the exit where you could tap your Magic Band, admission ticket card, or PhotoPass card to add the photos to your account. Has this changed? It had been my understanding that the only thing that required Magic Bands was the on-ride videos (7DMT, ToT).

The Disney World website still has the following verbiage:

"Your MagicBand automatically links attraction photos and videos where available. If you don’t have a MagicBand, you can still link photos manually at photo attractions with a preview wall. Immediately after your ride, just scan your admission card, Memory Maker card or annual pass at the touch point."

 

[♥ Mandi ♥]

Apologies if already answered.

We have vouchers for annual passes that include photo downloads in our MDE accounts, but we are not activating until November.
We are going on a trip in February - will the photo downloads work for this trip due to the AP certificate being present in our account, or will it only work once we activate the voucher?
I just don't want to purchase Memory Maker for the February trip if the downloads are included with the AP voucher.

Thanks!

 

[Fangorn]

Don't purchase MM for the February trip. What should happen, is any Photopass pictures taken during that trip will have the watermark on them at that time and will not be available for download. BUT - once you activate the AP in November, all pictures taken in the previous year from that date, will magically appear again and you'll be able to download them. So those February pictures will be accessible to you in November.

Steve

 

[igrsod]

I have a question... do the photopass photographers still hand out the cards now that they have magic bands?

 

[Ed134]

We’re going in late March and have 7 day tickets and was thinking of buying Memory Maker now. If we decide to upgrade to a Gold AP(via DVC) when we’re there will the $169 be refunded or do we lose it since Memory Maker comes with the AP? Thanks.

 

[chelynnah]

The last time we were there (in 2016), Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, 7DMT, Expedition Everest, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror all had screens at the exit where you could tap your Magic Band, admission ticket card, or PhotoPass card to add the photos to your account. Has this changed? It had been my understanding that the only thing that required Magic Bands was the on-ride videos (7DMT, ToT).

The Disney World website still has the following verbiage:

"Your MagicBand automatically links attraction photos and videos where available. If you don’t have a MagicBand, you can still link photos manually at photo attractions with a preview wall. Immediately after your ride, just scan your admission card, Memory Maker card or annual pass at the touch point."

They’ve added new on ride photos to several other rides. Notice the wording ‘at attractions with a preview wall’. It doesn’t say all attractions with photos have a preview wall.

Pirates and HM both now have photos that weren’t there before, and Slinky. Those are just the ones off the top of my head in addition to ToT and 7DMT that you’ve already mentioned. Expect more to come and the touchpoints at the end to be phased out.

 

[Fangorn]

I have a question... do the photopass photographers still hand out the cards now that they have magic bands?

Yes. photographers still have the cards. Magic Bands are not a requirement.

Steve

 

[erionm]

Pirates and HM both now have photos that weren’t there before, and Slinky. Those are just the ones off the top of my head in addition to ToT and 7DMT that you’ve already mentioned. Expect more to come and the touchpoints at the end to be phased out.

They added a ride photo to Frozen Ever After which does not have a "preview wall".

 

[SMRT-1]

They’ve added new on ride photos to several other rides. Notice the wording ‘at attractions with a preview wall’. It doesn’t say all attractions with photos have a preview wall.

Pirates and HM both now have photos that weren’t there before, and Slinky. Those are just the ones off the top of my head in addition to ToT and 7DMT that you’ve already mentioned. Expect more to come and the touchpoints at the end to be phased out.

Ok, good to know that there are now some MB-only ride photos. However, the post I quoted seemed to be stating that ALL rides other than Test Track and Buzz Lightyear required Magic Bands, which is mostly what I was questioning, because, if things haven't changed, that's not correct; and if they have changed, and they've removed the existing preview walls and made all ride photos MB-only, I would like know that.