| Disney PhotoPass | |
| Type: | Professional photography service |
| Launch Year: | December 2004 |
| Available: | Yes |
Disney PhotoPass is a professional photography service offered at Disney theme parks, resorts, and most Disney Cruise Line vessels. The service was launched on December 4, 2004, and provides guests with digital photo downloads, print services, and private photography sessions. The service also offers custom-ordered products, including photo albums, mugs and phone covers, which are fulfilled by and through a third-party company.
Disney PhotoPass is available to guests visiting Disney theme parks worldwide, with service and operations varying by resort. The basic operation of the services has photos linked directly to guests' park tickets or MagicBand, which are linked to the guest's Disney account on their resort's mobile application or via a resort's website.
Photographers are positioned at various locations throughout the resorts, mainly inside the theme parks.[1] In Orlando, the service is also offered at certain dining locations within resorts and theme parks, as well as Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Magic Kingdom. Additionally, Enchanted Tales with Belle at Walt Disney World includes a PhotoPass photographer towards the end of the experience, with a meet-and-greet with Belle. Photographs are taken at outdoor locations throughout the day, as well as indoor locations, such as character meet-and-greets. The service was also formerly available at both Disney's Typhoon Lagoon and Disney's Blizzard Beach water parks at the Walt Disney World Resort, prior to 2020.
All photos taken by Disney PhotoPass photographers, as well as in-ride photographs and videos, are available for viewing with watermarks for a limited period of up to 45 days from the date they were taken (varying by resort). The Memory Maker digital packages at the Walt Disney World Resort allow unlimited photo downloads and editing for 30 days without watermarks.[2]
Each theme park features a photo imaging center near the entrance, where guests can view, locate, and link missing photos to their accounts. Print services are offered, ready within minutes of purchase.[3] [4] Disney PhotoPass also includes a photography studio with backdrops and props located at Disney Springs.[5]
Traditionally at Walt Disney World, in-ride photographs are available for viewing at the end of the ride. These photos can also be linked to the guest's Disney account by tapping a park ticket or MagicBand to an RFID touchpoint. In more recent years, a majority of attractions now enable Bluetooth technology to directly link photos to guests' accounts without needing to scan at a touchpoint. This requires a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone or a MagicBand to be used on the attraction. Other attractions exclusively employ this method, such as The Haunted Mansion, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Slinky Dog Dash, and Dinosaur.[6] Additionally, only three attractions at Walt Disney World include in-ride videos along with photographs: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and TRON Lightcycle / Run.
At Disneyland Resort, all attractions employ the tap-to-scan method to link photos at the end of the ride experience, rather than a Bluetooth-enabled linking method.
Select photograph locations may include "Magic Shots" that are prompted by photographers. These prompts insert Disney characters or visual effects, such as balloons or pixie dust, into the photograph, which is later uploaded to the guest's account. Some effects are offered seasonally or taken out of rotation. Other "Magic Shots" include Tiny World, an orthographic image taken on a 360° camera with multiple fisheye lenses, and Super Zoom, a zoomed-in photograph taken from a far distance from the subject.
Disney Memory Maker is a photo package service that allows guests unlimited downloading and editing of all photos taken by PhotoPass photographers or in-ride attraction photos and videos for 30 days from the date of purchase without watermarks. Memory Maker packages include a 24-hour package for photos taken during the day of the purchase and one for the entire length of a guest's vacation at the resorts.[7]
Disney PhotoPass Lenses launched with the Disney Genie+ service on October 19, 2021, on each resort's respective mobile application. The feature uses augmented reality (AR) technology to place Disney characters, themed effects, or animations in the frame, in collaboration with Snapchat.[8]
Capture Your Moment is a private 20-minute photography session offered at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, in specific locations within each resort's theme parks.[9]
Although Disney Cruise Line offers photography services within their fleet, it is offered through The Image Group, a contracted professional photography company, headquartered in the Cayman Islands, which also runs services on other cruise lines. While photo editing options similar to PhotoPass are offered onboard, photos taken in Disney ships are exclusively available for the duration of each itinerary.[10]