Is Disney World Memory Maker Worth It? My PhotoPass Review

Today I’m sharing my review of buying Disney World Memory Maker and using PhotoPass.

I’ve covered the basics of PhotoPass and how to buy it in the post below 👇

🔗 Walt Disney World Memory Maker / PhotoPass: How It Works, How to Buy and How to Use It

(※ This post focuses on my actual experience using it!)

💰 Why I hesitated to buy it

Honestly, I went back and forth a lot before buying. At around 250,000 KRW, I kept asking myself, “Do I really need this?” But in the end I decided to buy it!

Here’s why. When I look back at the photos from the Disney World trip I took with my family as a kid, my mom is never in them 😢 She was always the one taking the pictures.

And here’s an important point: selfie sticks are banned at Walt Disney World. That means you either take turns photographing each other or ask someone else. Honestly, it’s not easy to ask a stranger in the US, “Could you take our picture?” — and part of you thinks, “What if they run off with my phone…?” 😂

So I bought it with one goal: “This time, we’re all going to be in the photos together!”

🎈 How it actually went — very happy 👍

Bottom line: I was really, really happy with it! There are so many PhotoPass spots around Disney World, and there are special shooting techniques you could never pull off with a phone.

Some highlights 👇

📷 Zoom shot (Super Zoom Magic Shot) The cast member tells you, “Look at the camera way over there!” Because it’s shot from far away and zoomed in, it comes out as a cinematic zoom-in video.

It’s in the bottom right!

The zoom shot!

🌐 Distortion shot (Tiny World Magic Shot)

The camera sits in the middle, everyone forms a circle around it, and once the cast member steps away, the shot starts. You end up with a 3D, 360-degree-style photo!

The round, warped distortion shot!

✨ Composite shot (Magic Shot)

The cast member says, “Try this pose!”, and a version with a character added in shows up in the app along with the regular photo.

BB-8 added in!!

🎠 Ride photos

Photos from character meet-and-greets and photos taken automatically on rides all get linked to the app.

These are special shots you could never take with an ordinary smartphone, so I was really pleased. PhotoPass also adds bonus images like this one here and there.

Cute Mickey and friends!

With Memory Maker you can download all of these photos without limits 💾 And photos of your family or friends can all be downloaded to the Memory Maker buyer’s account, too.

We dashed toward every PhotoPass photographer we spotted 😂 We ended up with about 650 photos, which works out to roughly 380 KRW per photo. What a deal!!!

One downside, though: the photos don’t come out as flattering as selfies or a beauty-filter app. They’re honest, “real life” photos. The cast members put their heart into it, of course, but now and then you get closed eyes or a slightly tilted shot 😅

✅ Memory Maker: who should buy it, and who shouldn’t

Here’s my summary of who I’d recommend Memory Maker to, and who I wouldn’t.

💖 Recommended if you…

• want special photos you can only get at Disney World, like zoom shots and distortion shots
• enjoy collecting ride photos
• are on a family trip and want lots of group photos
• are staying 4 days or more at Disney World and have time for photos

🙅‍♀️ Not recommended if you…

• mainly want Instagram-style “pretty selfies” and aesthetic shots
• don’t mind asking people to take your photo at all
• are going with friends who can take photos of each other
• have a short trip and no spare time for photos

That wraps up my PhotoPass review!

I hope my blog makes your trip a little more magical 💫 If you have questions or want to know more, feel free to reach out through the contact page. Thanks for reading ❤