Disney shut down outside photographers at its resorts a couple of months ago. This week, it launched a $399 photo service at some of those resorts. Fans noticed immediately.
Some setup.
Look, Disney is a business, and businesses find revenue. Not a scandal, just the job. Usually, it sits quietly in the background, too. Nobody is shocked a churro costs what it costs, or that Lightning Lane exists, or that every ride spits you into a gift shop. Guests price it in and move on.
But every so often, something drops, and the timing does the talking. Not just a new product. A gap that got opened on purpose and then filled at a price.
Which is exactly the conversation happening around Disney PhotoPass right now.
A few months ago, Disney cracked down on outside photographers shooting couples, families, and friends at Walt Disney World resorts. Third-party photographers whose businesses were built on resort portrait sessions were pushed out entirely.
Fans said an official replacement was coming.
Here it is.
What You Get for $399
Disney PhotoPass has rolled out Signature Portrait Sessions at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels.
Private 40-minute sessions with specially trained Disney PhotoPass photographers. Currently $399.
Included:
- Up to 40 minutes of photo capture and consultation time
- Access to select props
- Photo retouching
- Downloads of session photos
Booking is open online.
Where They Are at Disney
Two spots so far.
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Disney's Polynesian Village Resort.
Questions ahead of a session should be sent to the Signature Portrait Experience Team at DisneyPortraitSessions@disney.com.
Not Capture Your Moment
People are already mixing these up.
Capture Your Moment is Disney's existing private session, and it runs inside the theme parks.
Signature Portrait Sessions are resort-based. Different setting. Different price tag.
And for anyone who specifically wanted resort backdrops, the Grand Floridian and Polynesian are two of the best looking hotels on property. Which is precisely why third-party photographers set up shop there before the ban.
Fans Connected the Dots in About Four Seconds
The sharpest takes on this Reddit thread came fast.
“I'm surprised it took so long,” wrote Reddit user Personal-Listen-4941. “For years 3rd parties were offering this service. Some were apparently great, others scam artists. Then they got shut down by Disney. I expected Disney to start an official form of the portrait photography as soon as the 3rd party ban went in place.”
That is the entire argument in one comment. Ban created the space. Product filled it.
For other people, it stings for a different reason, because this used to happen by accident and cost nothing.
“Me and my wife had a spontaneous photo session for free at Wilderness Lodge by Copper Creek outside,” wrote JSkree. “We saw a photo pass outside there and just asked for a few ‘nature' shots and it turned into a 20 minute anniversary shoot…one of our top pixie dust moments…now you gotta shell out the dough.”
AWDWfan confirmed it was a known thing. “Yep that location frequently had a photographer. We have a bunch of family photos from there.”
But Are the Disney Photographers Any Good
The other fight is quality, and it hinges on who is behind the lens.
“What I haven't been fond of is the photogs at the parks are just random people with a DSLR,” wrote OldLifeguard-00. “They're hardly photographers… Just my opinion only.”
A former PhotoPass photographer added actual context.
“People came in with all levels of experience. Some people were professionals, some were total newbies, some were like me who were hobbyists,” wrote DoReMiDoReMi558.
They described multiple days of training in classrooms and in the parks, plus Disney handing out camera settings so nobody was fiddling with levels all shift. “Yes, quality did vary at times.”
The most telling part was operational. “We didn't easily have a way to look back at our photos for the day so there were often times I would be out shooting all day without actually knowing how the photos came out.”
Then someone flagged the important distinction. “This, just like the signature portrait sessions within the parks, although TECHNICALLY fall under the ‘Photopass' banner are typically a different (professional) level of shooter,” wrote elblots.
Disney's own copy does say “specially trained,” which points to a different staffing pool than the walk-up green shirts on Main Street.
Plenty of People Defended Disney PhotoPass
Not a total pile-on.
“For us, $185 for the photopass is absolutely the best money we spend every time,” wrote yeahright17, who pulls 500-plus photos a trip and lands a dozen good ones. They also said they would never pay for a private session.
partiallyperfectlife came at it from another angle. “As the person who captures the memories for my family, it is nice to have someone take decent photos of me for once. Evidence I was on the trip too.”
And Sweetbeans2001, three in-park private sessions deep, shut the criticism down. “Anyone trashing the photographers must not have experienced the meet and greets with the auto-camera that takes pictures every 6 seconds whether you're ready or not.”
Is It Worth It
Depends entirely on your comparison point.
Against a professional portrait session in your hometown, $399 for 40 minutes with retouching and downloads is honestly reasonable.
Against what third-party photographers charged for these exact backdrops before the ban, people will have opinions.
Against a free 20-minute shoot with a PhotoPass photographer standing outside Wilderness Lodge, that is a very different number.
Bookable now at the Grand Floridian and Polynesian.
