Resort Photo Session FAQ

TPCShauna

<font color=green> Most Cheerful Creativear<br><fo
Joined
Feb 24, 2005
Please note that this thread has been compiled from information received from CMs on the Resort Photos line AND from DIS posters. I have tried to note where the information has come from the DIS rather than Disney CMs.

What is it?
Disney is offering Resort Photo Sessions with photos taken by Photopass photographers. The sessions are approximately 30 minutes and are taken at various locations throughout specific resorts.

How does it work?
Call to schedule your session. Show up that day and check in at the Photo Session Kiosk in your chosen resort. After you pay, your photographer will photograph your family at various locations throughout the resort. You can request specific locations, poses and groupings.

After your photos are taken, your photographer will escort you back to the Photo Session Kiosk where you will have the opportunity to review your photos. The photos from your session will be burned to a CD which you will be able to take with you.

**NOTE 1**: As of this date (October 3, 2008), DIS posters have reported that the Photopass Photographers are providing their resort photos on a Photopass card. If you purchase a Park Photopass CD (either as a pre-purchase or after your trip), you can add your resort photo session photos to the CD and edit, add enhancements, etc. as you would for your Park photos. This is not the official policy so there is no guarantee that you will receive the photo session photos on a card. You can’t edit or add enhancements to photos on the CD.

Are these professional photos?
The most common DIS poster statement regarding this question is no. Some of the Resort Photopass Photographers are professionals “moonlighting” for Disney. Some are CMs with an interest in photography. The professional nature of these photos will vary based upon who is taking them.

Can I request a specific photographer?
DIS posters who have tried this have been told no. If you have the name of a specific photographer, it’s worth asking if you can book them. The worst they can say is no.

How many pictures do you get?
This varies based upon the photographer. DIS posters have reported an average of 50 to 60 shots, some have had many more (like 100+) and others have received fewer (like 35.)

Which resorts are participating?
Grand Floridian
Polynesian
Beach Club
Saratoga Springs
Wilderness Lodge
Animal Kingdom Lodge

When can I book?
The Disney CMs who answer the phones have given two answers to this question. It is either 30 days before your arrive for your vacation or 30 days before the date of your photo session.

Who do I call to book?
(407) 934-4004

This is the number to the main photo line. You can then choose the option for the resort you want to book.

How much does it cost?
Unfortunately, there is not a 100% straightforward answer to this. Cost varies based upon whether or not you have pre-ordered the Park Photopass CD for $99.95.

Cost for Resort Photo Shoot if Park Photopass CD is pre-ordered = $75
Cost for Resort Photo Shoot if Park Photopass CD is NOT pre-ordered = $150

Regardless of Park Photopass pre-order, your Resort Photo Shoot pictures will be placed on a CD at the time of your Photo Shoot. You CAN NOT add enhancements to these photos. (See **NOTE 1** above.)

If you only want one CD of all pics from your trip, at the end of your vacation you can take your PARK Photopass cards to a Resort Photopass Kiosk and they will add all of your PARK photos to a CD with your Resort Photo Shoot pictures for an additional $50. You CAN NOT add enhancements to your Park Photos if you have this done. You do not need to order the Park Photopass CD in order to have this done.

**NOTE 2**: As of this date (November 6, 2008), it has been reported by various DIS posters that the Park Photopass pre-purchase confirmation still has the $25 Grand Floridian photo session offer. If you purchased before this date and your confirmation still has this verbiage, you can still get the $25 rate and they are honoring the price at all currently participating resorts.

I’m in a Photopass share or part of a Grand Gathering group. Can I use the pre-purchase confirmation to get the discount if my name is not on it?
So far, this has been allowed. The Disney CMs verify that you have a confirmation email for the pre-purchase. To date, no one has mentioned that they are matching names on the confirmation email to the name on the session.

I’m in a Grand Gathering group with 4 families. We want to do one session with all of us but we also want some individual pics of each family. Can they do that?
Your photo session is 30 minutes long. If you have 4 family groups with 4 members in each group, that is 16 people that will have to move from location to location. Moving, posing and photographing that many people can be very time-consuming so there is a chance that you won’t get all of the photos you want, especially if you are trying to change up the groups. So far, Disney has not limited the number of participants but this is definitely something to think about.

I want to book sessions at more than one resort. Do I pay $75 for both sessions (or $25 with pre-purchase confirmation)?
Officially, per a Disney CM, the answer to this question is no. Your first session is $75($25) and all subsequent sessions are $50.00. Remember, this is the official response.

Should I tip my photographer?
Officially, per a Disney Photopass CM, photographers are considered a non-tipped position. He also said that they don't expect tips at all but will take them if they are offered three times per Disney policy.

What time of the day should I book my session?
Many DIS posters have mentioned problems with squinting in their pictures due to the brightness of the Florida sun. Disney CMs have recommended booking a session first thing in the morning or later in the evening as the sun is setting to minimize the squinting problem. Obviously, you should consider the needs of your family in booking your session, i.e. first thing in the morning for families with little ones.

What happens if it rains during my session?
The photographers will work with you if you encounter rain. Some DIS posters have said that they have taken all indoor shots or just took some in the rain. Others have said that they were able to reschedule their session for another day but that might not always be an option due to your vacation schedule and session availability?

What locations do they use at the resorts for the backgrounds?
There are a number of locations used at each resort. Look at the DIS Resort Photos board for several threads showing pictures at the various resorts. They will give you an idea of available backdrops.

What should we wear?
Many families choose to coordinate their outfits. Look at the DIS Resort Photos board for several threads showing pictures at the various resorts. They will give you an idea of what others have worn.

Other helpful Photopass info:

How does Photopass work?
A wonderful DIS poster named BradK has a great site explaining Photopass in detail. You can visit it here: http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disneysphotopass/

Where do I go to pre-order my Photopass CD for $99.95?
Go to this site to pre-order: http://www.disneyphotopass.com/previsitcdplan.aspx

How much will the Photopass CD cost if I choose to buy it at the Parks or after I get home?
The cost is $129.99 in the Parks or online. This increase from the previous cost of $124.99 went into effect on November 10, 2008, per a report from a DIS poster.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A note about me: The reason I compiled this info into this FAQ is because it doesn’t seem to be all in one place anywhere else. You can dig through several threads here on the Resort Photos board and eventually get answers but it seemed so much easier to have it all in one place.

I’m by no means an expert on these photo sessions. I’ve garnered most of this info from reading the resort photo sessions threads for months in preparation for my own up-coming trip. If you have a question that is not covered in the above post, please ask and I or another helpful poster will do our best to answer. I will also update this thread as changes come about to the program.

I hope this info is helpful to you. Have a Disney day!
 
I tried to send this via PM and apparently I can't do that until I have 10 posts.

I'm a Photopass Portrait Photographer and I'd just like to correct something, if I may.

I want to book sessions at more than one resort. Do I pay $75 for both sessions (or $25 with pre-purchase confirmation)?
Officially, the answer to this question is no. Your first session is $75($25) and all subsequent sessions are the full price of $150.00. Remember, this is the official response.

All subsequent sessions are a $50 sitting fee.

Thanks for the thread, Shauna. There seems to be a lot of misinformation floating around here, I hope the thread helps.
 


Just a little FYI to everyone. I just pre-purchased my photopass CD and it no longer has that you can do the photo session for $25. :sad1: Just thought I would share.
 
Thank you TPCShauna for taking the time and effort to do this! :thumbsup2

It's great to have so many of our questions answered in one place. :goodvibes
 
All subsequent sessions are a $50 sitting fee.

Thanks for the thread, Shauna. There seems to be a lot of misinformation floating around here, I hope the thread helps.

Thank you for this information. I've updated the first post.

Since I wanted to be sure I worded things correctly, I called the Photopass number listed above and verified pricing.

$75 for first session with pre-purchase of Park PP CD
$150 for first session without pre-purchase of Park PP CD
$50 for each additional session
 


Just a little FYI to everyone. I just pre-purchased my photopass CD and it no longer has that you can do the photo session for $25. :sad1: Just thought I would share.

Thanks for posting this. I have updated the first post.

I'm sorry you missed it. They must have just changed it over. :hug:
 
does anyone know when the $25 offer stops? I want to do this for when my fiance and I are here in November. Would it still be worth it if I cant get the $25 offer?

Am I right to think that the cast would be $175 for the CD and the session? and you get a card from the photographer that you can add to your other cards and get them all on one CD after your trip?

Sorry, but this is all kind of confusing since Disney doesnt have much info online about it.
 
does anyone know when the $25 offer stops? I want to do this for when my fiance and I are here in November. Would it still be worth it if I cant get the $25 offer?

Am I right to think that the cast would be $175 for the CD and the session? and you get a card from the photographer that you can add to your other cards and get them all on one CD after your trip?

Sorry, but this is all kind of confusing since Disney doesnt have much info online about it.

Hi Neighbor! I live in West Sacramento and my DH went to school at UCD. We are in Davis regularly. Are you in school there?

To answer your question, the Park Photopass pre-purchase no longer has the $25 verbiage on it. So, unless you've already pre-purchased the CD, you will have to pay $99 for the pre-purchase and $75 for your photo session. So yes, $175 total. Many DIS posters who have already done sessions have said that they would not spend $75 for what they have received. Personally, I still think it's a pretty good deal since you get pictures at Disney! It really is a personal choice whether you feel it is worth it.

To answer your other question, OFFICIALLY, the photographers are no longer giving out Photopass cards. Instead, you are supposed to receive a CD with all of the pics from your session and you can't enhance these. In REALITY, most photogs are giving you the card with the pics after the session so you can combine them on your park CD and add enhancements. Unfortunately, since it is not official policy to provide the card, there is no guarantee that they will give it to you. You could pay the $175 and end up with just a CD of your resort photo pics and a separate CD of park photos that you can enhance.

Does that answer all of your questions? Let me know if you need further clarification.
 
thanks for the info.

I go to UCD but right now im actually at wdw for the college program. Ill be here unti; january and the first week of november my fiance is going to come and visit me. (hes a firefighter in yuba city)

my family has wanted me and my fiance to take pictures together for years, but we never got around to it. I figured this would be an easy way to take pictures together and compared to local photographers its pretty cheap. I just wanted to make sure that you also get your park pictures. If its on a different CD thats no big deal.

I can preorder my cd with a cast discount and its only $79.99 and with the $75 for the session then its $154.99

Are the pictures more professional looking? I dont want to pay that much if they just look like the same quality as the park photographs.
 
Are the pictures more professional looking? I dont want to pay that much if they just look like the same quality as the park photographs.

It's cool that you get a discount. Check out the "Breaking News Photo Sessions" thread in the later pages for an idea of what the pics look like. I don't think they would be bad for what you are wanting.
 
Thank you for organizing all of these answers! I was directed over here from the honeymoon board, and this is something I want to schedule for our honeymoon next year. With the new higher price I would hope the results were more professional looking. Does anyone have some recent examples to post??? Especially of couples, maybe engagement or honeymoon shots?? I'd love to see, thanks in advance!!!
 
Thank you for organizing all of these answers! I was directed over here from the honeymoon board, and this is something I want to schedule for our honeymoon next year. With the new higher price I would hope the results were more professional looking. Does anyone have some recent examples to post??? Especially of couples, maybe engagement or honeymoon shots?? I'd love to see, thanks in advance!!!

You're quite welcome. I just felt bad that people were asking the same questions over and over again or having to dig to find basic info. I'm happy it is helpful to you.

You might try checking out the "Breaking News Photo Sessions" thread as there are several pics in the later threads. I'm sure that would give you an idea of the quality you can expect. Unfortunately, results are still not consistent across the board and are literally a toss up depending upon who you get as a photographer. Perhaps if you let them know you are looking for some Disneymoon photos, they will be more likely to set you up with someone good in addition to just competent. Good luck!

Thanks for posting this. We were looking all over for additional information.

You're welcome. I hope it is helpful!
 
With the changing prices and older deals still being honored, I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and pre-order our photopass CD now. Our trip is in July 09? What do you think???

I didn't see anything on the site about you have to use it in a certain time from pre-ordering, does anyone know?? TIA!!!
 
With the changing prices and older deals still being honored, I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and pre-order our photopass CD now. Our trip is in July 09? What do you think???

I didn't see anything on the site about you have to use it in a certain time from pre-ordering, does anyone know?? TIA!!!

Several posters have reported that the $25 photo shoot at GF verbiage has been removed from the bottom of the confirmation email so that option is no longer available.

Personally, I still feel that it is better to pre-order the CD as it does provide some cost savings.

Pre-order CD + Photo Shoot - $99.95 + $75 = 174.95.
Photo Shoot + Order CD AFTER trip - $150 + $100 = $250.00

Plus, if they raise the price of the photo shoot between now and your trip, there is a good chance that they will honor the $75 price if you have your pre-order confirmation from a time when it was less. AND, there has been mention that the pre-order discount might be going away at some point in the near future so there is that to worry about as well.

To answer your last question, NO, I've not heard that you must redeem your pre-ordered CD within a certain time of purchase. Several DISers buy theirs months in advance and I've never heard anyone say that they had problems.

I hope that answered all of your questions. Let me know if you have any more. Congratulations!!!
 
you know I never thought of them not honoring one that is bought months in advance. I bought ours while it still stated the $25 offer at GF for our trip next August.

If they don't honor the $25 then..no biggie...it was worth a shot for the 99.00+25 but if the CD code isn't good by then...YIKES! I will pass out.

Heck I have my pkg paid for already, wonder if they will not honor it if they wouldn't honor the CD being paid for so far in advance....:rotfl: J/K
 

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