One of the most popular add-ons to a Disney World vacation is PhotoPass. This one-time purchase of $169 via Memory Maker (prior to arrival, or $199 in the parks after you arrive) gives you access to all of the digital downloads of pictures taken of you and the family while in Disney World, whether it’s an on-ride photo or a picture taken by one of Disney’s PhotoPass Cast Members.

There are some big changes coming with PhotoPass, however. Keep in mind that PhotoPass is NOT included with the new Genie+ service (instead, users get special augmented reality lenses to use while snapping pictures on your phone), nor does it come with Disney World’s new Annual Pass system — Annual Passholders who want PhotoPass on their next vacation, will have to purchase it separately for $99 per year, per pass.

That begs the question, is it worth it to purchase PhotoPass, either ahead of your Disney World vacation or as an add-on to your Annual Pass? There are pros and cons to every additional purchase you make, so let’s take a look at them now!

Why You SHOULD Purchase PhotoPass

One of the first reasons why you may want to consider purchasing PhotoPass is that the photos are taken on a high quality camera by a trained professional. If you don’t want to lug your DSLR camera around with you, then you won’t have to — Cast Members are trained with professional cameras and know how to capture the perfect photo, making sure that the whole family is in the shot, that Cinderella Castle isn’t cropped, and that the lighting is just right. These Cast Members take thousands of pictures a day, so feel free to ask them about unique poses, and even magic shots!

PhotoPass may be well worth the cost if you’re visiting Disney World to celebrate a special event. Whether it’s a family reunion, a honeymoon, or your first trip to Disney World, PhotoPass is a great way to make sure you have high-quality photos of the entire family in front of iconic park locations.

One of the biggest challenges when taking your own photos is that not everyone will be in every picture. There’s always that one relative who volunteers to take the photo, and next thing you know, Uncle Joe is missing from EVERY picture! By purchasing PhotoPass, everyone gets to be in all of the pictures, not to mention your photos don’t ALL have to be selfies to get the whole family included (you also don’t have to awkwardly ask a random stranger to take your picture without risking your phone getting dropped).

If you are interested in getting photos with characters, you will want to note that character meet and greets and very limited and modified at the time. You can meet some characters in the parks but not in the same capacity you could before the closures.

Read all about character meet and greets in Disney World right now here! 

Why You Should NOT Purchase PhotoPass

First and foremost, PhotoPass is pricey! Depending on where you are staying on your Disney World vacation (whether it’s on or off property), the $169 fee for Memory Maker could easily go toward another night at the hotel, your airfare, or upgrading your tickets to Park Hoppers.

If you go to Disney World a lot, you likely already have most of the photos you’ll typically get using PhotoPass — and do you REALLY need that fifth picture of the family riding Frozen Ever After?

If you’re an Annual Passholder, PhotoPass will no longer come included on any pass level — it will cost you an additional $99 per year, per Passholder. Keep in mind that you can link your PhotoPass photos to all of your friends and family accounts, so if snapping those pictures is important to your family, you could purchase it once and make sure everyone’s accounts are linked.

Don’t forget about Disney World’s Capture Your Moment photoshoot services — for less than $99, you can reserve a PhotoPass photographer for a set amount of time in the parks for special moments like a proposal, baby announcement, graduation, anniversary, family reunion, first visit, birthday, and more. Photo sessions for up to 20 minutes cost $50, but you can also book back-to-back sessions for 40 minutes at $100. If you only need that ONE perfect photo on your vacation but you don’t want to commit to the full $169 price tag of Memory Maker, this could be a good way to save!

While we mentioned above that PhotoPass can get you some high-quality family pictures, PhotoPass photos aren’t always the BEST. You’re taking a slight risk relying on PhotoPass to capture what could wind up being your family Christmas card photo. Just like any photography experience, angles may not be the most flattering, someone’s eyes might be closed, or the whole family might just be a hot, sweaty mess after a day touring the park in the Floridian heat & humidity. Those fancy cameras will just mean that you have super crisp photographic memories of how hot y’all were! 😜

Keep in mind, you’re taking a pricey gamble for something where you get a limited amount of photos, whereas you can take endless photos for free on your own camera or phone. Not to mention you may feel rushed if there’s a line for that particular PhotoPass spot, and the overall quality of the picture could suffer as a result!

PhotoPass may also NOT be worth the cost if you’re looking for more unique family photos on your next vacation. PhotoPass Cast Members are usually stationed in more popular and “generic” locations, like the park entrances, in front of Cinderella Castle, and so on and so forth. Because of the price you paid for these photos, you may feel compelled to stand in line to “get your money’s worth” and capture all the photos you can, but think of what else you might be sacrificing in your Disney World experience as you wait in line for another photo.

If you go to Disney World frequently and want something a little different, there are hidden gems all around the parks where you WON’T find those PhotoPass Cast Members. In those situations, you’ll likely be better off finding a stranger to snap a quick family photo instead.

Click here to read about what won’t come included with Disney World’s new Annual Passes!

We hope this information helps you decide whether or not PhotoPass is worth the purchase on your next Disney World vacation. In short, it really will depend on your wants, needs, and budget. It’s nice to have the option but for your personal vacation, it might not be worth shelling out the cash. We’re always looking for ways to make sure you maximize your upcoming Disney World vacation, so be sure to follow along for more of the latest news and updates as well as planning tips and tricks!

Will you purchase PhotoPass on your next Disney World vacation? Let us know in the comments!