My daughter woke me up this morning and said that she was feeling really sad. I asked her why and she said that she felt sad because she was forgetting about our holiday to Walt Disney World. I gave her a big hug and told her that I knew exactly how she felt but that it was okay, as we had lots of photos and videos to look at, which would always remind us of the fantastic time we had.
I opened my laptop and we snuggled up on the sofa and looked back at the photos of princesses, parades, us playing in the pool and soon enough she was smiling and laughing as we remembered our seven days of Disney magic.
Some of our favourite photos and videos were taken using Memory Maker and even when I have shown our collection to other people, those really stand out as a special set of photos.
Until we arrived at Walt Disney World, I didn’t really know or understand what Memory Maker was, but I am so glad I found out. Basically, Memory Maker is service that lets you collect your holiday memories. Throughout all of the parks, there are endless opportunities to have professional photos taken – the official Disney PhotoPass photographers will take a selection of photos of you and your family and then, with a tap of their devices onto your MagicBands, the photos are automatically downloaded into your Disney account for you to enjoy!
I love the concept of Memory Maker. The Disney PhotoPass photographers are in key locations around the parks and of course present at all of the character experiences and also some dining locations, too. As they are professionally taken, the photos are amazing quality and of course – the brilliant thing is that you can all be in them! Usually, many of our holiday photos are taken by me and I am rarely in them. The real magic of Memory Maker for me is that we have a collection of memories that we are all in. Proper family photos.
Then there are the ride photos. We have some epic ride photos thanks to Memory Maker! Lots of the rides take photos of you automatically and when you get to the end, you can find your photo, scan your MagicBand and that photo is added to your Memory Maker collection. We have laughed so much at some of the ‘ride faces’ that were captured and these are priceless memories!
Meeting the characters is also made easier thanks to Memory Maker. As a selection of photos are taken, you can relax and enjoy the special moments and for each character we met at Walt Disney World, we have a selection of gorgeous photos. Some, where the children are chatting to the characters, in others they are gazing in awe at them, the usual posing photos and my favourite ones, the hugs before they leave.
You can access your photos quite soon after they are taken and another favourite thing about Memory Maker is that you can access them at any time via the My Disney Experience app, so I was able to save them straight to my phone and share them on Instagram and Facebook!
Disney also add a sprinkling of their magic to Memory Maker, which adds a whole new level of fun. There are places where you can have ‘Magic Shots’ taken, where you pose and when you see the photo, there will be a character added in! In some locations such as the iconic Cinderella’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom, a short video of Mickey and Minnie is added to your collection.
In a couple of our ride photos, there are also videos that include your ride photo and these really help you to relive the laughter of those rides.
Of course, you can and will take hundreds (if you are like me) of photos and videos of your own, but the Memory Maker photos and videos are something very special. You have a few weeks to download everything after your holiday and currently, Memory Maker is included with every UK Adult Ultimate ticket (Memory Maker usually costs $169!), so a great incentive to get your park tickets before you leave the country!
(It is also worth reading my lovely friend Amanda’s post here about Memory Maker too as she has been to Walt Disney World a few times and has a few hints and tricks that are worth looking out for!)
Alongside the endless photos, we bought lots of souvenirs back from our trip and wherever you go in the house, there is something that reminds me of our trip and it makes me smile just thinking about it.
As the Summer holidays have drawn to a close and we all head back into the insanity of term time life, we all agreed that our trip to Walt Disney World Resort was the most amazing experience we ever had. We loved every minute of it and we would do it all again in a heartbeat. It is so hard to choose only one favourite moment, as every moment was a memory in the making. Our day at the Magic Kingdom with the VIP tour guide Michelle was extra special and if you asked the children, they would all choose that day as it was such fun. All in all, the parks, Port Orleans Riverside where we stayed and everything about the holiday was wonderful- and we are already planning a return visit to do it all again!
Read the other posts in my Walt Disney World series;
How to Destress a Stressy Mummy at Walt Disney World
Something for everyone at Walt Disney World
What you need to know about a trip to Walt Disney World
This post is in partnership with Walt Disney World. All opinions here are my own
Love these photos you’ve shared, especially the very cute Mickey Mouse mug. Thanks for sharing this experience! 🙂
I’m so glad your daughter has got her memories back!
What an amazing idea! I remember how expensive the professional photos were when went to Disneyland Paris, so we only bought one family photo and one ride photo. I was gutted that my husband wouldn’t let me but a photo of my daughter with Cinderella as it was so expensive 🙁
Haha love the one of you kissing!! How fab are these photos!
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Aww I love this post so much. The pictures are amazing and what a great time. I loved Disney and would love to take Aria there. Just wonderful and so magical. The post has my smiling away xx