Disneyland Paris News: Disney PhotoPass+ is Coming & At A Very Good Price

I first wrote about the possibility of Disney PhotoPass coming to Disneyland Paris back in 2011. It actually arrived quite a bit later and I used and reviewed it in June of last year. Now it’s gone one step further and the service we have all been waiting for is finally here – PhotoPass+ is coming to Disneyland Paris!

The following photo is a mock up I created based on the card in the small official photo that can be seen further down – its is not the official Disney PhotoPlus+ card – it just looks very similar!

Let’s start with the official press release and go from there:

From 21 June this year, Disneyland® Paris presents Disney PhotoPass+, a new service for accessing photo-souvenir taken in the Parks in HD. Guests will have access to a photo services pack to view, download and share all photos taken with Disney characters or on rides that take ride photos.

From July 2014, Disney PhotoPass+ will allow guests to access all their photo-souvenirs taken on rides or with Disney characters by Park photographers at photo locations in high definition. Guests will be able to access a dedicated website or a mobile app to view, download and share their photos on social networks or to purchase personalized photo products (mugs, calendars, etc.).

The Disney PhotoPass+ service will be on offer at the price of €49.99. Guests will receive a box containing an exclusive lanyard card holder, a main card and two mini cards to use throughout their visit to the Disneyland Paris Parks to link their photos to the service.

From the first activation of the pack, guests could associate unlimited photo souvenirs to the service PhotoPass+ by presenting their card to photographers of Disney PhotoPass, or to the photo desk in the attractions equipped with an image capture system or by flashing the QR code directly from the monitors located at the exit of the attractions.

The photos will be available in high definition at www.disneyphotopass.eu or on the new mobile app. The “Disneyland Paris PhotoPass” app, a first for Disney Parks, is available to download on Apple and Android platforms.

The price – we can’t move on to the finer details until we mention that. €49,99 is very cheap, especially when you consider the American counterparts which run into the hundreds of dollars. Now admittedly Disneyland Paris has fewer opportunities to take photos but roaming photographers are on their way to Paris. To be able to access all your official photos from the website once you are home, and download them at no extra cost is nothing short of phenomenal. It does say that the €49,99 price point is an offer price, so maybe that leaves it open to an increase. As long as they have enough photographers, I think this service can cope with an increase to maybe €69,99 or even €69,99 in the future – but for that I want multiple photographers in both parks, in Disney Village and in the hotels too, maybe.

The flashing of a QR code is done using a mobile phone that has the app downloaded onto it, and is handy for those who don’t want to queue and have their photo added to their account via their PhotoPass+ card. It’s not clear whether you need a data connection for this part, or whether these photos will sit within the app and then sync with your account once you have a data connection – whether that be Wi-fi or network when you are back home, should you not have a data connection in the parks.

On the subject of the app – I have downloaded it and you can order photo gifts direct from your phone! Imagine taking a photo on day 1, ordering a mug, and it’s there waiting for you when you get home! Also very handy for seeing if that castle photo you want is any good, or whether you need to pose again. Easy to get another photo taken – not so easy if you find out Dad’s hand is over Mum’s face when you are back home.

Now a few more bits of information found on the Disney PhotoPass website, starting with where photos can be added to your PhotoPlus account:

• On-Ride image capture opportunities at certain Attractions.
• Photographer presence at defined Character Meet & Greet sites, to capture images of Guests during their Character Meet & Greet encounter
• Photographer presence at certain iconic locations within Disneyland Paris to capture images of Guests during their visit

They seem pretty much as I’d expect, and I wonder how many iconic locations they will have photographers present at? The obvious ones are The Partners Statue (Walt and Mickey) in Walt Disney Studios and in front of the Castle in Disneyland Park. I wonder if they will add more than that – maybe in front of the Disneyland Hotel entrance or in front of Fantasia Gardens? The only problem with that location is that it will restrict guest flow – so maybe you only have them there at specific times. I’d love to see a photographer in Place de Remy as it looks absolutely stunning.

I think the more photographers they have out the better, and although most will just download them when they get home, the more great photos you have from your holidays, the more likely you are to buy one of the photo products from the website. That after all is the aim of the game – to make money.

• PhotoPass+ is valid for 10 days after activation
• PhotoPass+ image are stored from 1 year from date of capture

I think 10 days will cover most people’s holidays, but I wonder if there is a way to extend it if you are lucky enough to be staying in Disneyland Paris for longer than that? It also means you could get two weekend visits on the same PhotoPass+ card, if you are lucky to live close enough to visit that often. Having your images stored for a year is more than enough, as I expect most will have downloaded their images within 24 hours. It’s nice to know they will still be there if something happens to the files you have downloaded.

I’m thrilled that we finally have PhotoPass+ in Disneyland Paris and look forward to getting lots of family photos taken in the parks, rather than having one family member left out of the majority. I really liked using standard PhotoPass last year, but to know I can do it all from home AND have the digital files of ALL photos taken – that’s the icing on a very reasonably priced cake.