How to Maximize Use of Photopass at Walt Disney World

Maximize the Photopass service at Walt Disney World on your next vacation. The photopass service will allow you to get some professional photos to remember many parts of your Walt Disney World vacation. Follow this article in order to maximize use of the photopass service.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 

   After you have your first photo taken at the Disney, the photographer will give you a photopass card. Copy the 16 digit alphanumeric code on the back of the card on a piece of paper or a card and put the copy in a safe place. If you have access to text messaging, text it to your email address. This way if you lose the original card you will still be able to access the photos that were taken during your vacation.

2. Make sure you get photos taken at each of the theme park landmarks. Go to Cinderella’s Castle (Main Street side), the Spaceship Earth sphere at EPCOT, Sorcerer Mickey’s Hat and Sunset Boulevard at the Hollywood Studios, and the Tree of Life and Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom. All these Disney landmarks are great backdrops that you and your family will want to get photos taken in front of to remember your trip. All of these spots will have Disney photopass photographers available to take your photo.

3. 

   Utilize the photopass photographers to take pictures of your entire group. It is no fun having 500 pictures of your family enjoying Disney with either Mom or Dad missing from every photo. Sometimes you can get cast members or other guests to take a family picture, however, about 2 times out of 10 they might actually take a good photo. The photopass pictures are taken by Disney photographers who all know how to take photos with their professional camera.

4. 

   Get plenty of photos with characters. A big part of the reason many people go to Disney parks is to see the characters. Each character you see in the theme parks will typically have a photopass photographer following them around. Hand them your card when it your turn and get some photos with your favorite characters. The characters in the character meals will typically not have a photopass photographer following them around. You will need your own camera for these experiences. There are a few exceptions like Cinderella's Royal table that you can ask to have your Photo that is included with the meal package coded to your photopass card.
   
   There are many characters to be found in the following locations:
   
   Magic Kingdom: Judges Tent, Toontown, Town Square, Ariel's Grotto, Pixie Hollow, Adventureland, and Tomorrowland.
   
   EPCOT: Character Connection, and World Showcase
   
   Animal Kingdom: Camp Minnie-Mickey, Character Boat Landing, entrance to Africa
   
   Hollywood Studios: Sorcerer Mickey's Hat, Magic of Disney Animation, Avenue of the America's, Pixar Place

5. Wait until afternoon and get extra photos taken near a Disney landmark. As you can imagine in the morning when everyone is coming into the park many people wait to get their photo taken. Many of these people do not understand the photopass system so they may take a while. At this time of day it is hard to ask the photographers to take 5 to 10 photos of your group. Usually by afternoon the demand for photographers is less. There will be many photographers waiting for someone who would like their photo taken. The Disney photographers will certainly allow you to take quite a few photos until you get the shot you want. Also, ask if they will take a "magic photo". These are where Disney magic is applied by superimposing Disney characters into your digital photo.

6. 

   Get photopass pictures taken in one of the two Disney waterparks, Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon. Photopass photographers will be around at different locations within the waterparks including the slides and lazy rivers. You do not need to take the photopass card you got at the theme parks to the waterparks. The photographers at the Disney waterparks will provide you with a new card attached to a wrist band. At some of the locations like the lazy river they will keep giving you new wrist bands each time they take a photo because they will have to throw them to you as you float past.

7. Photos at Attractions:
   
   Currently there is only one attraction in the theme parks that you can get a photopass photo added, it is Test Track in EPCOT. Slide your photopass card in the monitor under your ride photo after you get off the attraction.

8. When you get back home from your Disney trip you can access your photos at DisneyPhotoPass.com. You will be able to access the photos for up to 30 days after the first photo was taken. You can also send out your code to friend or family members so they can view your photos online.
   
   Once online you can add borders and crop photos. Be sure to order the digital CD of all the photos taken on the photopass cards. You can get unlimited photos that you can have reprinted later for $129.99. Some people report getting over 1200 photo pass photos for this price. If you pre-order the CD Disney will give you a 20% discount, so the price will be $99.95. Go to http://www.disneyphotopass.com/previsitcdplan.aspx to get this deal.

[pshquilts]

on 6/26/2009 Tip 1 and tip 8 were worth the entire read alone. Thanks.

[ginafur]

on 5/27/2009 Wow, I did not know about the Disney photo pass the last time we were there. Thanks for sharing this information. I'm sure to use it on the next trip.

[sonni57]

on 5/24/2009 Good Disney World tips you never know when you will need this.