Should you buy the photo package?
Because on-ride photos are awesome, but the gift shop upsell is not
Some of my favorite vacation souvenirs are ride photos from past adventures. One glance at the photo and I’m right back on that rollercoaster high.
But I never liked the stress of getting off the ride and forking over big bucks to get the photo. The transaction usually involved an upsell to a print or some kind of package and it turned the whole experience a little smarmy.
The good news/bad news is that the days of the photo sales desk are pretty much over. Good news because no more park employees trying to oversell you, bad news because most of the time you can’t just buy one ride photo anymore.
Both Disney and Universal have gone to photo package deals instead. Which means you’ll pay one price for an unlimited number of photos, priced by how many days you’ll be in the parks.
These packages aren’t cheap, but can be totally worth it, especially if you purchase in advance. It just depends on how much you value those one-of-a-kind photos.
All the Universal and Disney parks have cameras on an assortment of rides. There are also roaming photographers, especially at Disney. These photos can be part of your package too.
Where to find photo package information for your theme park destination
Since each destination is different, today I’m offering a quick summary of the photo options at Disneyland, Disney World, Universal Orlando, and Universal Hollywood.
Most importantly, you’ll see links here to the park info related to photo packages. Usually you can save money by purchasing in advance, and you can do the math at your leisure rather than in the moment.
In-park photos at Disneyland and Disney World
The Disney parks offer a lot of official photo ops. Besides ride photos, you’ll find ‘Photopass’ photographers throughout the parks. This is a great way to get pictures of your entire group that aren’t just selfies.
Disney’s photo package is called Memory Maker, and you may not need to buy it to get the photos you want. That’s because the Lightning Lane service includes some/all official photos at both Disneyland and Disney World. Check below for more details.
Disneyland
With only four attractions that include photos, you might think it’s not worth getting the Disneyland photo package. But there are Photopass photographers all over both parks, ready to take that perfect Christmas card photo.
Whether it’s that mandatory in-front-of-the-castle shot, or capturing your kid’s encounter with Chewbacca, there are a ton of photo ops at Disneyland.
The best way to get the Disneyland photo package is to buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Disneyland’s LLMP service includes all in-park photos, ready to download through the Disneyland app.
Note that if you don’t intend to use the Lightning Lane service to skip lines, only one person in your group needs to buy it. Just use that person’s account to collect all the photos.
What’s Lightning Lane? Here’s a quick rundown.
Disneyland’s Lightning Lane Multi Pass usually costs $30 per day, but it can go up on super-busy days.
Is it worth it? Besides getting an unlimited number of professional photos and ride photos, LLMP is the mechanism for Disneyland’s new version of FastPass. For infrequent visitors, I think it’s worth it for both the photos and the ability to skip-the-line.
More about Lightning Lane here.
Here’s the official Disneyland photopass info on the Disneyland website
Disney World
Just like Disneyland, Disney World has lots of photographers around the park ready to take your family photo. With four parks and a ton of potential character meet-and-greets, plus ride photos, you can really get your money’s worth from a photo package here.
The all-inclusive photo package at Disney World is called ‘Memory Maker’. This covers ride photos and all those park photo ops too, including at character breakfasts.
Alternatively, ride photos are included in the Disney World Lightning Lane Multi Pass service. This covers about 15 attactions.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disney World usually costs between $20-$40 per person per day depending on how many parks you include, and the date. I would not suggest buying LLMP just for the photos at Disney World, since you only get ride photos here. However, Lightning Lane Multi Pass is Disney’s new skip-the-line tool, so you should definitely consider it for that reason.
Disney World’s Memory Maker photo package costs $185 if purchased in advance.
Is it worth it? Disney World’s Memory Maker includes all photos taken within 30 days, so it will cover your entire vacation. In just a few days you can easily end up with dozens of photos, with your entire group in them. For me, the photos are the most important treasures I’ll bring home, so this is totally worth it.
Here’s the official Disney World Memory Maker info
Check out this past post for more info about Disney’s Lightning Lane system
In-park photos at Universal Orlando and Universal Hollywood
At the Universal parks, a third-party operates the photo plan. This makes it really hard to find advance info, especially for Universal Studios Hollywood. I’ve included direct links below so you can find the information you need.
Universal Orlando
Universal Orlando’s photo package is called “My Universal Photos”. It includes ride photos on most of the major attractions, plus a few photo ops around the parks.
Pricing is based on the number of days, from 1, 3, or 30 days, and even an annual plan.
Advance purchase cost of the My Universal Photos package in Orlando is:
1-day: $89.99
3-day: $109.99
30-day: $139.99
Is it worth it? This is a tougher call than at the Disney parks, because the photos are almost all thrill ride shots. If you love those rollercoaster pictures, I’d say spring for the package. Otherwise, watch for options to buy photos individually once you’re in the park.
Here’s the Universal Orlando official photo package info
Universal Studios Hollywood
The photo package at Universal Studios Hollywood is basically an unlimited ride-photo pass. There are two options, a 1-day pass or a 1-year pass.
Advance purchase cost of the My Universal Photos package in Hollywood is:
1-day: $44.99
1-year: $59.99
Is it worth it? There are only 5 rides with cameras at Universal Studios Hollywood, but if you ride all 5 that’s less then $10 per photo. If you ride multiple times, it might just be worth it to get the pass.
Here’s the official Universal Studios Hollywood photo package info
Ask your travel agent
Whether to get a photo package is just one of a million details involved with a theme park vacation. If you need help navigating all this, I really suggest working with an expert travel agent.
Reply back to this post if you’d like the name of my travel agent.
🙏 Thank you to my friend and fellow blogger, Jon Self, for consulting on today’s topic. You can follow Jon’s instagram adventures in Orlando here.
