Disneyland PhotoPass: What Is It And Why You Should Use It
Contains affiliate links
At the Disneyland Resort, an astronomical amount of photographs are taken each day. After all, for a lot of people, a trip to a Disney park is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So of course you’d want to capture as many memories as you can.
There’s a problem to this, though. Unless you’re alright with trusting your expensive cell phone or camera with a complete stranger, there’s usually one person left out of the family pictures. It isn’t until you get home that you realize you’re not in a single photo.
Thankfully, Disney figured out a way around this by introducing the PhotoPass service in the early 2000’s. This (kinda) free service solves the problem by placing Disney photographers at key locations around the parks and take your family photos for you.
In this guide, we’re going to cover all the details of both PhotoPass and PhotoPass+, what they cost, how to use them, and much more. Let’s get into it!
*Quick Note: If you’re looking to book the perfect hotel for your trip to Disneyland, looking to save on Disneyland tickets, or book a full-blown vacation package, look no further than our friends at Get Away Today. We’ve partnered up with them for one simple reason; they’re the BEST Disney vacation planners out there! To view the various vacation packages offered through Get Away Today, go here.
What Is Disney PhotoPass and How Do You Use It?
Simply put, PhotoPass is a free(ish) service provided by Disney in which photographers placed at key locations throughout the parks take your family photos for you.
To make the process more streamlined and convenient, it’s best to download the Disneyland app before your visit. This is the fastest and easiest way to receive, view, and download your photos.
Inside the app:
Tap the + symbol at the bottom of the screen
Tap, “Link PhotoPass Photos”
Slide over to and tap, “Show PhotoPass Code”
You’ll then see a QR code on your screen.
This is the code Disney photographers will scan with their device when they take your photos. This ensures the right person receives the right pictures.
*PRO TIP: Take a screenshot of this QR code and save it as the wallpaper to your phone. This way you won’t have to pull up the app every time you get a picture taken. This saves you precious battery life and time.
It’s a straightforward process, really. Locate a Disney Photographer (don’t worry, they stand out), ask him/her to take your photo, they’ll take 4-5 photos in various poses, then they’ll scan your code and off you go.
*Note, getting pictures taken by PhotoPass Photographers is 100% free
If you haven’t downloaded the app or simply don’t want to, you can ask the photographer for a physical card with a code on it (we’ll cover this in more detail further into the post).
Disney states that you should allow up to 24 hours for your photos to appear in the app. That said, in our experience, it has never taken more than an hour or so to show up.
Disney PhotoPass+ Cost & What’s Included
While getting your picture taken is the free part of the service, if you actually want to download or print them, you will need to pay. That’s where PhotoPass+ comes in.
Purchasing PhotoPass+ gives you all the photos taken of you by Disney Photographers, select attraction photos, and character dining photos.
The following are the costs associated with PhotoPass+:
PhotoPass One Photo: $14.99
PhotoPass One Day without Genie+: $19.99
PhotoPass One Day with Genie+: $20.00
PhotoPass One Week: $78.00
Expiration Extension: $15.00
As you can see, unless there’s only one photo that you really like, it makes sense to just spend the extra $5 bucks for the one day package instead of spending nearly $15 for just one photo.
Also, if you’ll be going to the parks for four days, it makes even more sense to purchase the one week-package. If you’re going for five or more, then it’s a no brainer.
Our favorite deal, though, is the Genie+ option. If you don’t know what Genie+ is, you should check out our article about it, because it’s a major time saver at the parks.
Essentially, it’s the successor of Disney’s hugely popular FastPass service that allows you to save your place in line at select attractions so you don’t have to wait as long.
Currently, Genie+ costs $20 per person/per day and included with that price are all of your PhotoPass photos for each day you have it. So if you’re already considering one of the PhotoPass packages, you may as well get Genie+ with it to get the most value.
Magic Shots
Another reason to use PhotoPass are Magic Shots. These fun, magical additions make your photos stand out with an assortment of characters and other elements added into the photo.
You usually don’t need to ask as the photographer will typically include at least one into your set but if you want to be sure, it doesn’t hurt to mention it.
Some examples include the addition of “The Child” (aka, Baby Yoda) in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Tinkerbell in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
PhotoPass Locations
PhotoPass photographers can be found throughout the parks at key locations. These include some of the most iconic backdrops in the park as well as character meet and greets.
Typically, you can expect to find photographers at the following locations (though they aren’t limited to these):
Disneyland Park
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Locations: Millennium Falcon, The Garrison, and “The Child” magic shot near the entrance.
Floral Mickey at the park entrance
Sleeping Beauty Castle (there are numerous photographers here throughout the day)
Walt & Mickey Partners Statue
Various Character Meet n’ Greet
Tomorrowland Locations: Bob Fett Throne photo opp, Mandalorian photo opp, and Star Wars Launch Bay
Mickey Pumpkin and Christmas Tree during holiday events
Disney California Adventure
Walt and Mickey Storyteller’s Statue
Throughout Buena Vista Street
Pixar Pier Bridge
Grizzly Peak Waterfall
Avengers Campus Entrance
Throughout Cars Land
Various Character Meet n’ Greets
You’ll also receive on-ride photos from select attractions throughout both parks. These include:
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission BREAKOUT!
Incredicoaster
Radiator Springs Racers
PhotoPass Without The Disneyland App
For those of you who either don’t posses a smart phone or you just don’t want to bother with the Disneyland app, there is another option. Just be warned, though, that it is neither convenient or time efficient.
As mentioned near the beginning of this post, if you don’t have/want the app, simply ask the PhotoPass photographer for a card with a QR code on it. You can use this card as many times as you like throughout your trip.
If you forget it in your hotel room, simply ask a photographer for another one. Do keep in mind that if you loose your card, there is no way to recover the photos.
At the end of your trip (or whenever you’re ready) simply take your card(s) to the PhotoPass Concierge located on the left side of the Disneyland Park entrance gate.
PhotoPass Expiration Dates
One important aspect to remember is that these photos do not last forever. Whether you decide to purchase them or not, your photos will expire (be deleted) 45-days after the date they were taken.
If you need more time to decide if you want to purchase them all and you’re near the expiration date, you can pay $19.95 for a 15-day extension.
‘Capture Your Moment’ Option
Love using PhotoPass but feel 4-5 photos just isn’t enough? You can book a personalized 20-minute photo session with a Disney photographer.
During those 20-minutes, your photographer will take as many photos of you and your group (up to 8 people total) as possible and in as many poses as you’d like.
Another benefit of this is you’ll be able to take your photos in at least two locations. The only location that is confirmed to be unavailable is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
There are a few things about this service you should know first. They are:
The cost to book this service is $99 per group.
This price DOES NOT include your photos. Just the time with the photographer.
Your group can include up to 8 people.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is not available as a location choice.
Arrive 15-minutes prior to your scheduled time at ‘Mad Hatter’ on Main Street.
If 20-minutes isn’t enough, you can book two back-to-back sessions for a total of 40-minutes.
‘Capture Your Moment’ is only offered at Disneyland Park. It is NOT available at Disney California Adventure as of this writing.
A valid park ticket and park reservation is required.
Wedding attire or gowns are not allowed.
If you must cancel, do so within 24-hours. Otherwise, you’ll be charged for the full session.
If you’re late, you may not be accommodated. If you are, your session time will likely be reduced.
Since your photos are not included in the price of a session, you’ll have three options to obtain your photos. They are:
Purchase each photo individually. With each photo costing around $15 bucks, this would likely be your most expensive option.
Purchase Genie+ for the day of your session. Purchasing Genie+ gives you quicker access to select attractions and also includes PhotoPass photos for that day.
Purchase a PhotoPass package. As mentioned above, you can purchase a one-day or one-week package.
Is It Worth It?
Some may balk at the price, especially considering it doesn’t include your photos. However, this used to be a common practice in the photography industry.
Many photographers charged you an up front fee (for their time, location, sitting fee, etc) and from there, you’d purchase your photos a la carte or in a separate package.
While most photographers today have adopted the all-in-one package approach, it isn’t exactly unheard of for some to still practice this.
Speaking as a photographer, I can confidently say that $99 for your own photographer at a hugely popular place like Disneyland isn’t that bad of a deal. Especially considering the following example:
$99 for the personal session + $19.99 for the PhotoPass One-Day package = $118.99 (without tax)
Rounded up, that’s $120 for your own photographer and ALL of the photos they take in digital format. If you hired me for a photo session at Disneyland and wanted all the photos included, trust me, it would be A LOT more than $120 bucks. So this is actually a great deal, in my opinion.
For more information or to book a session, visit Disneyland’s official website.
Our Thoughts On PhotoPass
As you can clearly see in the photos throughout this post, we’re big fans of this service and we utilize it just about every time we go. Even if we just take a handful of photos.
As the photographer between us, I’m usually behind the camera and unless it’s a selfie, I show up in very few vacation photos. So being able to take advantage of a service like this is priceless to me.
It makes even more sense if you’re a holder of the Inspire or Believe Magic Keys because as of now, PhotoPass photos are included in the price of those passes.
As far as whether or not you should get it, well, that’s entirely how you perceive the value of it. If you’re not into taking pictures, then this clearly isn’t for you. If you or someone in your group are rarely in the family pictures, then it’s a no-brainer.
If you’re planning on purchasing Genie+ then it makes it even more of a value because they’re included in that cost. You’ll have it anyway so you may as well take advantage of it.
Please support our website by sharing this article with your family and friends.
Thanks for reading!
