Tips about PhotoPass and Planning

Wilderness Lodge - Select resorts now have a Resort Photo Session that can be booked up to 30 days in advance of your stay. I just called and spoke to Sheri at the Wilderness Lodge Photo Pass Desk (it's in the lobby by the Mercantile) and was quoted the following: 20 minute private photo session at your resort. 2 Packages available: $49.95 includes sitting fee and 7 - 5x7's $99.95 includes above PLUS all the photos they took on a CD/ROM and the rights to the photo's so you can print them up later. I was told that they take no less than 50 pictures, so if this is a special occassion it might just be worth it to get the $99.95 package! - Elizabeth Kozdron

Everyone knows that when you arrive at Disney you want to see everything. It is extremely difficult to predict what the crowds will be like and how fast or slow lines will be moving, though. No one wants to be disappointed by missing out on the one thing they wanted to do the most. We traveled to Disney with my sister's family (at the time they had a 2-year-old) and my family (three children ages 5, 7 and 9). Each night we would sit down and look at the map for the park we were going to the next day. Everyone got to pick one thing that was tops on their list to see (usually there would be duplication) and then everyone got to make two other suggestions. We then ranked them, so everyone's top priority was on the list and then other suggestions, depending on their number of votes, got put on the list after that. Therefore, everyone got to do at least the one thing they were looking forward to doing the most and usually one or two more things that were high on their list. It did take some advanced planning but was well worth it. It also made the kids feel like they were making a significant contribution to the vacation planning. - Heidi Koll-Pio

My tip is to take a deep breath, relax, and let the magic come to YOU. So many people go to Disney World frantically searching for it and hunting it down, meanwhile they're missing it! It's passing them right by. The most magical moments happen when you least expect them. Experiencing the magic that happens shouldn't be stressful. It shouldn't be work or effort. People who have never been, hear so much about other people's experiences and memories. My tip for them is don't go looking for those particular things that you've heard about. So much can happen there -- let your OWN memories happen. Forget about what other people experience. You'll have your own stories to tell when you get back. And for people who have been a million times, they might go back trying to recapture the fond memories they've had from past trips. So my tip to them is keep those experiences as fond memories and every time you go back, create NEW memories. Just let the magic happen. Don't force it and don't rush it, because believe me, it WILL happen. - Twincess

Just wanted to mention that readers of this newsletter in the UK can use MouseFanTravel.com to get quotes or book trips to WDW (as well as those readers in the US). The prices are very competitive and often better offers or packages are available than here in the UK. It seems that some of the deals that Disney offers are not recognised by UK travel agents. - Mark Burden, Dorset, UK

We have been planning a March 2009 family get-together at Disney World since last summer. Trying to read up on and make all the right choices has been overwhelming. Your AllEars.Net site and newsletter helped a lot. We are all driving from Canada and we are staying off-site, so attraction ticket prices with foreign exchange rates added on has been a wait-and-see decision. Until a trip to one of the Disney Stores in the Toronto area in February, that is. Much to our delight (and financial relief) we learned that the attraction tickets (including the 6.5% Florida tax) are currently priced in Canadian dollars and the prices are comparable to all of the other US-priced tickets out there. The brochure price is what you pay, as no other taxes are added. Our family group of 12 adults and one child are very happy to pass this information on to all of the Canadians who are planning a trip to Disney World in the near future. - Anne Hewton

Here's a tip for families who use Disney Photopass, but can't afford either the high price to purchase many individual pictures or the approximately $100 to purchase the CD of all of your pictures. After our trip in December 2008, we had a Photopass with about 40 great pictures on it. Some shots we had also asked the photographer to take with our camera, but some were wonderful candid shots they captured while my kids spoke with characters or of our whole family together. I really wanted copies of some of these but could not afford to pay the price for many pictures. That's when I found the calendar option on the Photopass website. For $24.95 I was able to create a 2009 calendar with 13 of our best pictures on it -- one on the cover and 12 months. It just arrived today and I am really impressed with the color and quality of the photos as well as the size of the calendar. The pictures themselves are about 8" X 6" in size with a Disney border around them that makes the total size of the page about 11" X 8". Now we have a great keepsake of 13 memorable pictures from our trip that we could not otherwise have afforded! - Chris Lininger

I wanted to mention that going to the parks for five days made the Memory Maker well worth it. Two tips: 1) They take lots of photos during the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, but afterwards they do another shoot if you want more of a finished product. 2) For an extra $30 you can get all your photos on CD, but the real value is the 400 Disney Park photos. These are the best photos I have ever seen in this regard. Worth double what they are asking. No people in photos, right time of day, etc. - Dennis Schipper

I've noticed a lot of comments on the benefit of Photopass, but have yet to see this one. If you are going on a Disney vacation and know that you will be utilizing Photopass photographers and will want to purchase the pictures, you can go to the Photopass website and PRE-PURCHASE the photopass CD more cheaply before you travel as opposed to when you get back home from your vacation. I saved $25 and did not have to pay for them to ship it to me! - Christina Holland

Pay attention to the dates! Each photo is online for 30 days from when it was taken. Make sure you claim your photos on http://www.disneyphotopass.com/ before the 30 days are up. They will be deleted from the system and can't be restored.

Save your ID number in some way! Write it down or take a digital picture of it. If you have your ID, you have your photos, no matter what happens to the card. Also remember, you can have more than one card! The PhotoPass site allows you to enter multiple IDs.

Before you leave the parks on your last day, go to one of the photo centers and have them upload the photos from your digital camera. They will use your Photopass card and upload your photos to the same Photopass. This was much faster than doing it from home. Then when I got home and looked at the Photopass, I was able to use the pictures from the Disney photographers as well as my own photos to create a Photobook. The album is great. It was well worth the money I spent. - Susan Vaughan

I always take a spiral notebook along and leave it out in the room for "where we will be" notes. As family returns to the room/villa, they can see that, "Mom & Dad went to the main pool at 3:45 p.m., back to room at 6 p.m.," so they know where we are, and if they have time to jump into their suits and join us; or "left for Epcot at 9 a.m., remember dinner res 6 p.m. in Canada," etc. This notebook travels with us from year to year, and is fun to look through once in awhile! Of course, cell phones make communications like this not quite as necessary as in past years! - Karen Jacobi

Can you encourage your readers who are considering buying Photopass pictures online at home to check their pictures prior to leaving the parks (especially if what they plan to buy can only be purchased online)? The pictures are so small online that you cannot determine the quality. I ordered a CD of all my photopass pictures and did not find out until after I paid all the money and received the CD that 1/2 of them were blurry. Thanks for passing this along so others don't have to learn the hard (and expensive) way! - Kristi Webber

Do take the time to take your children out of the strollers when taking pictures with the PhotoPass photographers! It can be a hassle (especially when you're in a hurry), but the pictures come out so much better. Half the time you couldn't see my kids' faces because of the shade from the stroller, or their head was under the canopy. The few pictures for which we took the time to take them out are the best... and we'll cherish them forever! - Sarah Barnes

Wilderness Lodge - Just returned from a week at WL and they now have a photopass counter in the hotel as well as sessions (for a fee) with photographers for pictures around the lodge - Lesley

Forgive me for recycling these old tips I learned a few years ago. I am a planner and before I leave home (UK), I prepare all my "mousekeeping" tips in separate envelopes with a little message of thanks and the date to be given. This saves a great deal of time -- more time for the World -- and a lot of scrabbling in purses and wallets for the requisite amount. Before travelling and when changing my currency I always ask for small denominations so I am prepared for those immediate gratuities (luggage, valet parking, etc). I am already writing my envelopes for our next trip, September '08 -- Boardwalk Villas!