A Magical Surprise with Photopass

My nieces with Tinker Bell

There is a wonderful service that Disney offers to its guests called Photopass.  At each park, and even in some resorts, you will find Photopass photographers ready and willing to snap shots of your family in front of iconic locations or meeting characters.  You can pre-order a CD and load your images to it after your trip, you can order individual prints, or you can make an array of items from your Photopass photographs.  This is a great convenience and makes for some really great memories.  I love some of the candids where my nieces are interacting with characters for the first time. 

I understand that some people prefer to use their own camera and take their own pictures.  This is fine, and, to be honest, I do it many times too.  But only by using Disney’s Photopass photographers can you make some magic happen.  I’m talking about those cute photos commonly referred to as Magic Shots.

In Magic Shots the photographers will add an animated character or object to your photo.  That’s what makes it magical!  It makes me think of the scene in Mary Poppins when Mary, Burt, and the children jump into the chalk drawings.  A popular example of these pictures that you might have seen floating around (pun intended!) has Tinker Bell in the hands of children. Another classic is a pose holding baby Simba; this one can only be found in the Animal Kingdom.  Stitch has been known to pop into pictures as well. 

Boo to you!

One of the most sought out Magic Shots can only be found during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.  Just outside the entrance to the Haunted Mansion is a horseless carriage.  On nights when there is a Halloween party you will find a Photopass photographer here.  As it turns out, the carriage is not horseless at all…it has ghost horses and a ghost driver!  They only appear in photographs, of course!

So how can you make sure you get some of these Magic Shots?  Here are some of my tips:

1.        Start with a Photopass photographer.  He or she may do a Magic Shot for you automatically!  If you are directed to make a silly face or to hold your hands in a certain way, your photographer is probably doing a Magic Shot for you. 

2.       Don’t be afraid to ask!  On my last trip I knew one of the new options was a picture that adds a cluster of Mickey balloons.  I asked our photographer if he could do that picture for us.  He didn’t have that particular option, but he directed us to an area of the park he knew would most likely have it.  What can I say…I was a woman on a mission!

My husband, my hero!

3.       Keep your eyes open.  If you see other families doing funny things or if you see a photographer set up in an unusual spot, they might be doing a Magic Shot.  While on our honeymoon I spotted a Photopass photographer set up in Adventureland taking pictures against a very boring backdrop—it was simply the side of a building.  I thought this was strange and told my husband, “I bet they’re doing a special picture over there!”  Sure enough, it was to be a picture with Captain Hook.  The result was one of my favorite pictures from the entire honeymoon!

For me, this is one of the best parts about using the Photopass photographers.  Looking back through our pictures with Tinker Bell or Captain Hook is just one more way to make sure the Disney magic continues even when we’re back home!


Aubrey