This post is specific to Disney Cruise Line photos and I realize that many of you may not have been on a Disney cruise and may not be contemplating one, but I didn’t see much information out there on the Internet about this topic so I thought I’d share my personal experience in case someone may benefit. If you’re interested in reading my Disney Cruise Photo Tip #1 about character photos, you can click on the link. Please note, I have no affiliation with Disney and I was not asked to write this post – it’s solely for informational purposes.
Just recently, my family and I boarded an Alaskan cruise on the Disney Wonder for a seven day trip. My husband, Photo Book Baby and I had cruised on the Disney Fantasy last Thanksgiving in the Caribbean at the invitation of our friends, so this was our second cruise with Disney. This time we asked our parents to join us to thank them for all the help they’ve given us with our little one. Alaska seemed to be the perfect destination as no one in our party had been there except for me about 12 years ago. My husband’s father wanted to check Alaska off his bucket list (he’s nearly visited all 50 states) and my parents had never been on a cruise ever, so we thought this would make for a great trip.
For me, vacations are all about making memories and I was very excited to have the opportunity to do my “photo excursions” in Alaska. I wrote earlier about my photographic preparations which you can check out if you’d like. On our last cruise, we didn’t purchase a photo package, but we did purchase a handful of photos that we liked. For this cruise, because all the grandparents were coming along, it made sense to take full advantage of the professional photography offered on the ship. I envisioned Photo Book Baby taking a number of photos with his grandparents throughout the cruise, and these making wonderful gifts for them and great keepsakes for us as well. This time around my husband and I decided that we would opt to buy one of the ship’s professional photo packages. We decided to buy the largest package for $399.95 which meant we’d get all the photos printed out as well as a digital version on a CD. Yes, it does sound kind of pricey doesn’t it? On the first cruise we went on, I didn’t think it was worth it, but this time around it seemed to make sense for us and it ended up being well worth it for us.
There are a few packages offered by Shutters (the name of the photo service provided by Disney as well as the physical location of the photo shop onboard). As of the writing of this post, here’s the options:
- 10 prints or 10 digital files: $149.95;
- 20 prints or 20 digital files: $249.95
- Digital files on disc of all photos taken: $349.95 (for an extra $50.00, so $399.95 total, you will get all the prints as well) (Note this is the price for a 7-day cruise, I read that it ranges from $229.95 for a 4-day, and then goes up accordingly based on the number of days you cruise.
The packages are priced per stateroom. If you are traveling with a large group, as long as someone from the stateroom for which you purchased the package is in the photo, it will be included in the package.
Individual photos can also be purchased:
- $19.95 for an 8 x 10;
- $12.95 for a 6 x 8.
So, is it worth it to buy a photo package? Here’s some considerations and tips to think about:
- You can wait until later in the cruise to decide whether you want a package or not, however if you buy a package and later decide you don’t want it because you didn’t like the photos, you can get a refund;
- You can also upgrade your package later if you decide you want more photos and it ends up being more economical to buy a package;
- Shutters prints out every photo that you have taken (even if your eyes are closed), so you will get to make the decision in the end whether you want it or not. If you’ve bought the biggest package that includes ALL the photos, then you’ll get ALL the photos. No need to choose!
- The photos are printed on Fuji Crystal Archive paper;
- The photos on the disc are provided at a size that will allow you to reprint at the original size of the printed photos. The 8 x 10 pixel dimensions are 2400 x 3000 (so at 300dpi you can print out an 8 x 10). You could probably get away with a 10 x 13. The 6 x 8 pixel dimensions are 1800 x 2400. The salesperson in Shutters wasn’t able to tell me this info when I asked, but she said they would be of reasonable size for printing. If you’d like more tips on the best photo resolution for printing check out this post;
- The photos will all have either a decorative border on them or at a minimum a logo of the ship’s name. If you don’t like the borders, you could possibly crop it out or Photoshop the logo. I can’t say I liked all of the borders, but the logos weren’t bad;
- The photos on the disc will also have the borders. I believe at one time they did not from what I read on some Disney forums, but they definitely do now;
- Most of our printed photos were 8 x 10 in size. You cannot choose what size they are printed at. From what I could tell, most of the professional portraits (the ones not taken with a Disney character) were 8 x 10s. Only a few photos we received were 6 x 8;
- There are ample opportunities to have your photo taken on all kinds of backdrops including plain black and plain white backgrounds. I was fearing that all of the backdrops would be kind of cheesy (the sunset one, the one that looks like you’re on the deck, the one with a night scene of the ship). There’s nothing wrong with them, but it’s just personal taste. There’s plain backgrounds too, so let’s just say there’s something for everyone;
- Every day there are ample opportunities to have professional photos taken with characters and without. Character sessions vary every day with the popular characters like Mickey and Donald making more than one appearance per day and over several days in a week long cruise. Some of the less current characters like Peter Pan may only make one appearance. The schedule is provided the evening before so you can plan accordingly. Character appearances happen all day and into the night. For more tips on taking photos with the Disney characters, check out this post for details;
- For non-character photos, typically there are two to three different backdrops available for three sessions during the early evening through about 10:00pm at night so you have a lot of opportunities;
- You can also have your photo taken with the captain (the real one – not Mickey);
- In addition to the portrait sessions, there are roving photographers that will come take your photo at various nights during dinner (formal and semi-formal nights) and in various venues around the ship;
- There are props that you can use in your photos – like a life preserver and photo frame, but you can choose whether or not you want to use them;
- The photographers will suggest poses for you, but if you have your own, don’t hesitate to let the photographer know;
- We were told that there are special effects you can ask for that make you look like you’re sword fighting with Captain Hook or holding Tinkerbell, but when we asked the photographer, he said our little guy was too young 🙁 (Well, it’s probably true that our little guy probably couldn’t hold a pose for too long.)
- If your little one (or you for that matter) have a costume you’d like to wear – by all means bring it! We saw so many princesses and a few other Captain Hooks throughout the cruise. (By the way as of this sailing season, Pirate Night is no longer celebrated on the Disney Alaskan cruises – it’s been replaced with the Pixar Pals party.)
- If you plan to take a lot of photos, it may be a good idea to note down what backdrops or characters you took photos with that day so you don’t forget. Photos are usually available for viewing 5 hours after being taken. I would make a visit to Shutters each day and pull all the photos off the displays. I forgot about the last day of photos for some reason (I guess my brain was on vacation too!) but luckily I have them on disc. I am bummed that I forgot though! After you find your photos, you can buy what you like and put the photos you don’t intend to buy in a reject slot. If you buy the whole package you can take them with you, or let the staff store them for you where they can be kept for the duration of the cruise. I was told that doing so helps them go through to confirm they’ve added all your photos to your disc;
- On the Fantasy and Dream (the newer, larger ships, there is actually a box where your photos are kept, library style rather than being put on display like they are on the Wonder (and I would presume the Magic – prior to its scheduled remodeling). You just locate your photo box by number and you can view all your photos there;
- Photo kiosks are also available on the Wonder to view your photos digitally. The Fantasy and Dream have this whole interactive area where you can view your photos versus just the kiosks;
- The discs are ready either on the last night of the cruise or early morning before disembarkation. I thought I’d be able to check the disc before I left, but it requires you to download a program via the Internet. Internet on the ship is pricey, so I had to wait until I got home. I had no problems accessing and downloading all my photos, but it did take around 30 minutes;
- You can apparently buy your photos after the cruise but only within 6 weeks of your cruise and at a much higher cost ($25 for a single emailed jpeg). There’s no way to view the photos so you have to give your best description of it from memory. You also cannot buy all of your photos using this method so be sure to buy your photos during your cruise. I believe this is intended for passengers who regret not getting a photo or forgot – so it’s more of a last resort rather than a real option.
So, was it worth it? Well, we ended up with 130 photos. So, that comes out to about $3.00 per photo since we got the “all you can shoot” (similar to the “all you can eat” concept of a cruise!) We got so many adorable photos of Photo Book Baby as well as several nice family portraits, so yes it was definitely worth it. Although I didn’t like every picture, it was nice to not have to think about narrowing it down. Also, getting the photos on disc means I can print them anywhere including in a photo book, without having to scan the printed photos. Additionally, we really don’t buy much by way of souvenirs when we travel, save for a small trinket or two for Photo Book Baby. For me, photos are the best memorabilia to take home.
I thought that our group had done pretty well in terms of number of photos. When I went to pick up my disc, I asked the photographer if we were one of the more prolific groups, thinking that we surely had to be up there. I was feeling really great with a stack of over 100 photos to take with me. So what’s the record for most photos taken in one cruise? He told me the record was nearly 900 photos over a two-week cruise and that was for two people! A single couple (obviously very narcissistic!) managed to have nearly 900 photos taken of them. Apparently this was a personal challenge for them and every cruise they tried to best their prior record. Goodness gracious – these folks must have gone to every photo session possible many times over! I don’t think I could smile that much!
Well, I think I’ve exhausted every bit of info I could think of! I’d love to hear if you’ve been on a Disney cruise and what you thought of the photo packages.
*Please note, the information in this post is based on personal experiences on a 7-night cruise of the Western Caribbean in November 2012 on the Disney Fantasy and a 7-night Alaskan cruise on the Disney Wonder in June 2013. I believe the vast majority of the tips will be relevant, but there could be some differences based on itinerary. All info is current as of the date of this post. If you know of any changes, please feel free to comment and I will update.
When you went on the Western Caribbean cruise, did one of the stops include Castaway Cay? If so, were there professional photographers on the island and was it included in a package?
Hi JoAnn,
Yes we did stop at Castaway Cay, but I can’t recall that we personally saw any photographers on the island. We did take a photo with Mickey nearby the first shopping area you reach, but it was with our own camera. On that trip, I didn’t buy the package, just some of the individual photos, so I wasn’t stalking all the professional shoots like I did on my second cruise in Alaska this past June! However, your question made me curious so I googled to see if anyone mentioned it. You should check out this blog post: http://thevollmerfamily.com/MajorMom/2012/02/our-disney-cruise-part-4-biometrics-and-photography.html The photos they take on the island are also included in the package, so if you buy one, it will all be included. In future I will likely buy the package and try to get as many shots in as I can. I am a bit photo obsessed as you know! 🙂
Hey that’s me in the link above! I’m glad I could have helped. I’m enjoying your blog posts, especially about the Disney Wonder Alaska cruise, which my family is taking this coming July.
so i see there was different packages and some said with characters then with non characters then you said for $350 all pictures on cd, all pictures meaning with characters and with out characters? im a photo freak and always get photo pass at WDW with about 750+ photos taken there 🙂 i know i will be purchasing one of the packages probably the $350 if it includes all pics with and without characters, thanks so much this is the only place i have found any information on photo purchasing on the cruise 🙂
Hi Kristin,
Yes, it’s for all the photos – no distinction between the types. So go for it!
Hi photobookgirl,
Thanks so much for all this great info. We will be on the Disney Wonder in a few weeks and I am seriously considering purchasing a package. When I visit MyCruisePhotos.com, I see all of the packages/prices you mentioned above for the 8×10 photos, but some older posts on other sites have also mentioned something about a 6×8 photo package for a lower cost. Do you know if this is still available? Thanks in advance!
Hi Tracey,
Everything that was printed on the brochure I wrote into the post, so as you’ll note, I didn’t see any specific package for 6 x 8 photos. Keep in mind that you don’t get to choose which photos are printed in which size – they do it randomly and most are done in the 8 x 10 size. So, that’s why you see the packages I listed for 10 prints or 10 digital files or 20 prints or 20 digital files. It’s mix and match. Hope that helps and enjoy your cruise – what ports of call are you traveling to?
Thanks for the tips. We just got back from a 4 day cruise on the Dream and it was great. One problem: I tried to print from my photo CD and it doesn’t print right. The word “image” is across the photo. Please help! I do not know who to call
Erika, there should be a phone number somewhere on your disc? On my disc liner it says: for additional support contact: http://www.mycruisephotos.com/help or call 1800-772-3470. Hope they can help.
All my prints from Shutters had bar codes and a string of numbers along the edges. If I crop the bar codes/numbers off, the titles are cut off and the borders will not look acceptable. Whenever I look on their site, their prints with borders do not show the bar code. When I asked them about it, they said their printer puts it on all their prints with borders and nothing could be done.
No one else is mentioning this, so I’m a little perplexed. I don’t frame my photos, but use them in photo books and scrapbooks.
Did your prints from the Shutters kiosk have bar codes on them?
Kim,
I went back to take a look at my printed photos and they have no bar code. Just a very small string of numbers at the very, very bottom, almost at the bottom edge. I got mine taken in June 2013 – were yours more recent? Did you get the CD of photos too or just the printed ones? On the CD digital files there are no numbers at all. So the printer did print a code on the printed photos but it’s very small, while the disc version doesn’t have any. Very odd. In an earlier comment I posted the phone number that was in my CD for customer service. Maybe you can call there if you haven’t already? Where was your trip to? Did you enjoy it? 🙂
Hi photobookgirl, my family loves Disney cruising and our stacks of pictures are piling up (last trip on the Disney Fantasy, we racked up close to 700 pics). Any advice on where to find photo albums to store our pics?
Hi Jennifer! I probably have about 150 myself. I need to catch up with you! I haven’t done anything with mine, but I have used the digital versions in my Disney photo books. I just finished books on the Fantasy cruise from last year and the Wonder Alaska one we did this past June. I think you can find slip in albums at an art/craft store like Michaels or Jo Ann’s if you have one near you. b/t/w have you ever done a Disney cruise in Europe? Those look so nice.
Hi Photobookgirl~~Thanks so much for this wonderful information…you are right, I couldn’t find this much info anywhere else! My parents are taking all the kids & grandkids (13 of us) on a 3 night cruise in June…do you think it is a good value to buy the CD with all photos for such a short cruise? I am hoping there will be lots of group shots, but know that we will be doing our own thing some of the time and with only one stateroom is associated with the package, not all the pics will end up on the disc. We will all have our own cameras, too. Appreciate any insight!
Hi Keri,
I definitely think it’s worth it but I’m quite obsessed with photos as you may guess. The fact that you’re all getting together – I’m sure that doesn’t happen that often? As long as one person from that designated stateroom is in the photos, it will count towards your group package. Plus what’s great about the CD is that you’ll have all the photos digitally to share. Remember that the shorter the cruise, the cheaper the CD is. If you do get the CD keep taking lots and lots and lots of photos! Go for it! I really don’t buy many souvenirs anymore, photos are it for me. The Disney merchandise is so available everywhere now at affordable prices, I buy all that stuff before the cruise. Have fun! b/t/w be sure to check out my other Disney posts – you should definitely make a photo book of your trip!
Hi Photobookgirl,
Thank you so much for your post, this is exactly what I’m looking for. I was contemplating to go for the exact Shutter packages for our grandparents, parents, children trip this June 2014 to Alaska too 🙂
There’s only one thing that if you don’t mind I would like to confirm, so if the grandparents (different stateroom) took their own shot without any of the grandchildren in that photo, will that not be included in the CD?
I am hoping to take lots of family picture for our own keepsake
Thank you again for your detail posting, going to check your other tips now
Cool! Going on the same cruise! I definitely recommend the Liarsville Salmon Bake at Skagway – the entertainment was well done and the food was good. The package goes per stateroom, but somehow we got all of our photos even though my parents were in a different stateroom. I can’t say for 100% that will be the case for you, but it worked out for us. There were only a few that were just my folks or individual shots that they took at the dinners but we got the printed photos and the CD for all of them. For the most part we took a lot of group shots and grandparents plus our son. I have a lot of Disney posts – just click on the category at right and all of the ones under Disney will show up. Have fun!
Hi PBG,
Thanks for the info on the photo packaging. Went in with a plan of what to buy. I ended up going with the $150 10 digital print pack on my cruise over the holiday. However, I thought it was kind of silly that I received the images on a disc and then had to upload them again to a photo book maker’s website when I got home. (I almost left the cd on the plane on the way back home).
Got me thinking Disney could use some kind of photo designer tool on the Shutters site, make everything easy. If it was as easy as a lot these sites that are making photo products, I think I would use it. I know you’ve done reviews of photo book builder sites, do you think you or anyone else would use it ? Thanks again!
-J
Hi Jimmy, I’m glad my post was helpful! Yes, I was thinking what would happen if there were some issue reading the disc – would I have a hassle trying to get my photos? With the unlimited package they give you the prints as well, so I could scan them if the disc were damaged in some way, but the time it would take to do that would be kind of annoying. Shutters does offer a photo book – don’t know if you had a chance to see it, but it’s $150.00 and I think it’s only 20 pages. You know and I know that a 20 page photo book is a lot more affordable if you do it on your own! I couldn’t justify the price and I’m a control freak so no way was I going to order a book that I couldn’t edit extensively. The system for the Disney parks (photopass/memory maker) is different from the ships, so they do have your shots uploaded to a website and no disc necessary, but it seems that the system they use on the ships versus parks are vastly different. I found a great site that talks about the new system at the parks here: http://wdwprepschool.com/memory-maker-has-replaced-photopass-heres-a-comparison-and-faqs/
Thank you for the info! You have definitely confirmed my decision to buy the disc. I’m a photoholic 🙂 this is our first Disney cruise but I usually come back from WDW with 1200-1500 pics for a family of 4! I have one question somewhere I read that u can prebuy the cd & that it is a little cheaper than on the ship, have you found this to be true? Thank you
Hi Michelle,
I think the prebought CD is for the photo package at the Disney parks and not on the ship actually. I don’t think there is an option to do that for the ship. You don’t get extra photos of the disney parks etc on the ship CD, only your photos. Unless they changed something since the last cruise we went in June of last year. Hope that helps! Yes, you are a photoholic – I think you are the person who would benefit from the “all you can take” package!
Hi, just to confirm, Disney Wonder, does it have the printed album of photos available as does Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream?
Yes they do 🙂
Hi, just to confirm, Disney Wonder, does it have the printed album of photos available as does Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream? That allows you to organize the pictures you want printed and at the end of the cruise you receive a printed album?
Hi Cristina,
Yes the book was available, but I didn’t buy it. I’m too much of a control freak – but folks love them and it’s kind of nice to walk off the ship with a photo book in hand isn’t it? You can select which photos you want to use. I’ve made several Disney photo books on my own so I could add my own photos and clip art, scan memorabilia etc. If you click on the link I provided – it will show you all the posts I’ve written about Disney photo books if you haven’t already seen them. In fact I’m working on my Disneyland one right now 🙂
This is such an informative post. thank you so much!!!
Hi…I’m a cruiseship photographer who works on the Disney cruiseships. I am in awe at this article. ..I swear you sound like you work with us. Every information you gave is accurate. Even the max printing size for Get the Picture.
It is always frustrating for us as staffordable members when guests don’t understand the limitations and conditions of the packages. And we try to explain best we could, it’s heart warming to see that there are some who understand it to the T and im so thankful to see you sharing this article.
I’m also very glad to see you found the package worth it for you and your family. If you ever do another cruise I’d definitely make you my magical family…
I dont recall seeing information about pre purchasing your cruise photos. You are able to do this on the DCL website for $211 for All inclusive package (prints or CD) but you’d still add $100 to get both CD and prints.
Again thank you so much…I love this article.
Thanks for your message! I’m so glad to hear that I’m putting good information out there. I didn’t see much on it before so that’s why I thought it would make for a good post. Thanks for the tip on pre-purchasing your cruise ship photos – I should update the post with that information 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment and thanks for the great work you and the Disney photographers do in helping us preserve our families’ memories!
Love your post! Got the CD and all prints. Read an earlier reply re: what to do with all these 8×10 and 6×8 prints. Have you since figured out best option?
Hi Carmen – I just have the prints in the folder, so I haven’t found a good use for them yet! My main point was to get the CD for my photo books, so I guess I didn’t give them much thought. I think slip in albums are probably available for these prints. Maybe give the prints to family members? Let the kids do art projects with them? If you think of something, please comment again! 🙂
I was on the Disney Wonder with my family the last week in March.
I found the Disney Shutters product lacking and very limited (and yes expensive). Everyone that takes a vacation like this brings their own camera or a cell phone camera or both.
We all take many pictures of our families; Shutters doesn?t allow anyone to incorporate their own pictures into the Disney photo book. I feel this is a problem as the Disney book you create is a incomplete record of your vacation.
Frankly I think Disney needs to create a moble app of its Shutters product to allow their customers a way to upload their own pictures as well as Disneys versions so they all can be incorporated into a single book.
This application could also allow better editing of the pictures and because you could create the book without having to deal with crowds at the Shutters kiosks would create a much better customer experience.
I have written Disney with these thoughts as well…
Yes, I wouldn’t recommend getting the photo book they offer. It’s very expensive and exactly as you said it doesn’t allow you incorporate your photos. There is a product that allows you to do that but it’s for the parks only. I don’t even recommend that as I find it too limiting. Have you seen my tips on making your own Disney photo book?
Hi, we have an upcoming cruise on the fantasy in November and Im trying to take in as much info as possible. I want to order a personalized photo mat that I can have autographed by the characters.Trying to figure out if I should get the mat horizontal or vertical, we are a family 5. Any ideas which way most of the pictures come out?
Hi Amy,
Sorry for the late response – it’s really hard to say. They can fit a family of 5 vertically. I suppose if you pick one in advance you could make it a point to tell the photographer that you want your photo in that orientation. They are open to your suggestions – at least the ones we met. We had several family members in our photos and we still got some of both despite having a larger group, so I think you’re going to be safe either way. Pick the orientation you like best! 🙂
I have been there too I loved it
I know this site offers quality dependent
content and extra data, is there any other web page which gives these kinds
of things in quality?
An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a co-worker who was doing a little research on this.
And he in fact ordered me lunch due to the fact that
I found it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks
for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending time to discuss this matter here on your site.
We are traveling with 14 of us on the Disney fantasy over Thanksgiving, I saw we can set up personal photo sessions, did you find this to be true?I would like to take pictures of our whole family( 14) is that possible
Thanks
Natalie
Hi Natalie,
I believe you can. You can also just go to the line when they note in the daily schedule when and where they are having the photographers set up. usually it’s right before dinner. The best bet is to make sure you get your party to meet up about 10 to 15 mins before the scheduled time and then you’ll probably be first in line for photos. I also recommend you visit the Shutters photo area right when you get on board so you can ask about pre-scheduled sessions before the cruise gets underway. I’m sorry I can’t remember for sure but I’m almost positive you can set up private sessions. There are lots of folks who are there for special occasions and they would want to commemorate that! Have a fabulous time on your cruise! When we went on the Fantasy it was right after Thanksgiving too and we have wonderful memories of it. Don’t miss the night when you dine at Animator’s Palate!
I was very upset when I viewed the flash drive I purchased through Shutters. Several pictures that I stood in line for, were not on the drive. I especially missed the pictures I had taken with Goofy in front of Walt Disney’s picture on the Dream.I also had someone else’s pictures on the drive.
Judy, that’s disappointing 🙁 Was there a phone number or website you can contact with problems? Looks like now they’ve modernized and give you flash drives instead of a CD like I received. My disc liner had this info on it: for additional support contact: http://www.mycruisephotos.com/help or call 1800-772-3470. This could be old info so please check the drive or receipt. Regardless – I hope they can help!