This Disney World Annual Passholder Upgrade Costs $99, but Is Totally Worth It

When I go down to Disney World, there’s really only one souvenir that really catches my eye, and it may not be what you’re expecting.

As much as I love plushes and pins, I don’t often buy those souvenirs. Instead, I chose to think ahead when I got my Disney World Annual Pass and spent an extra $100 to have the souvenirs I knew I’d cherish forever — photos!

When you purchase a Disney World Annual Pass, you have the option for a few add-ons, and one of those is for Disney’s PhotoPass service. The upgrade to add it to your Annual Pass is $99 on top of the price of whichever pass you’re getting, which, for me, since I’m out of state, is the Incredi-Pass.

I debated the value of this add-on for a little while because I was already paying SO much money — did I really want to add another $100 onto that? However, I went for the splurge, knowing how much I love photos, and I’m so glad I did! While you can ask PhotoPass photographers to take photos with your own phone so you don’t have to pay for PhotoPass, it’s sometimes more time-consuming, and often Disney’s photos come out looking way better thanks to their higher-end cameras. 

When I was heading to Disney World alone and taking shorter trips, this was especially helpful because not only could I stop by PhotoPass photographers before special events or on normal days for my own private photoshoot, but I could also get all my ride photos at no additional cost!

I’ll admit, though, that when I’m visiting the parks with friends and coworkers, it makes me DOUBLE as grateful to have the add-on. Filming in Disney World is one of my favorite things to do, and it’s even more fun to get to do it with friends.

If you’re traveling with friends and family, you can see ALL the photos with your group as long as you’re linked on the My Disney Experience app. I can see all my friends and coworkers’ photos and download them without a watermark. It’s pretty handy!

Now, if you’re taking a family vacation and will stay together most of the time, it’s really only necessary for one person to add PhotoPass onto your Annual Pass if you have one. Then, you can download those photos and share them with others without too much of a fuss. However, I’ll be the first to admit that Memory Maker, which is what you can purchase ahead of your trip if you’d like to be able to download all of the photos from your trip for one upfront cost, isn’t cheap. It’ll cost you $185 for your entire vacation when bought ahead of time, $210 if you purchase it during your vacation or after the fact, and $75 if you’d like to purchase all your photos and videos from ONE day of your trip. Again, to add it to your Annual Pass, it’ll be $99.

If you’re taking a long trip to the parks, visiting for a special event, a one-time trip, or you’re like me and would rather spend the money on photos rather than other souvenirs, then it’s a great investment. If you’re not big on photos, though, or you’d rather ask PhotoPass Cast Members or strangers to take photos for you, then that’s completely fine, and it may save you money in the long run. However, if there’s ANY part of you thinking you may want to have those photos from a multi-day trip, you’ll want to purchase Memory Maker ahead of time rather than during/after your vacation to save yourself $25.

I love looking back on the photos I’ve taken with my friends in the parks and find it a great way to relive the day, so I can’t wait to see what other photos I collect over the rest of the year as our adventures continue. Be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for all the latest Disney World news!

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Are you a fan of PhotoPass? Tell me in the comments!

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