MagicBands begin automatically linking on-ride PhotoPass photos from today at Walt Disney World

Oct 28, 2014 in "MyMagic+"

Posted: Tuesday October 28, 2014 10:37am EDT by WDWMAGIC Staff

If you are wearing a MagicBand, your on-ride PhotoPass photos will now be automatically linked to your My Disney Experience account from today.

This automated MagicBand to My Disney Experience service has been testing at various attractions over the last few months, but now moves to full operational status. You may find that if you have been in the parks over the last 45 days, those photos are also now available.

For those guests without MagicBands, new touch-points have been installed at the photo preview walls at select attractions. After riding, you can touch your RFID card to the reader to associate the photo to your My Disney Experience account.

Attractions already setup with the touch point features are: Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Space Mountain, and Splash Mountain. Test Track, Rock ‘n Roller Coaster, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Dinosaur, and Expedition Everest will be coming mid-November.

Expect to see the MagicBand automated linking to become the default method in future attractions for on-ride PhotoPass, with video walls no longer to be added to new attractions. The latest Walt Disney World attraction - the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will not be offering video wall previews, and will only offer MagicBand association of on-ride photos.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

dreamfinderOct 31, 2014

I believe it's something like $14.95 per download. The breakeven point for Memory Maker pre-buy is normally around 10 or so downloads/prints. They have had options where you could buy the ride photo and get a USB thumb drive at the same time if you buy it on site. They also may still offer Attractions+, which entitled you to all ride pictures for 14 days for $44.95. You needed to buy that in park and have them add your ride picture after each ride. No idea if that is still offered with since they started the automatic linking, and how it would work with Magic Bands or if they would still give you the little card on a lanyard.

DSMDGAOct 31, 2014

What is the cost per ride photo download, if you don't have Memory Maker?

dreamfinderOct 31, 2014

The just recently enabled mass adding of pictures via Magic Bands. Most likely still have some quirks to work out in the system. Contact their support and they will try to find your picture.

Justinj2Oct 31, 2014

After the first photo is downloaded you'll have 30 more days to use Memory Marker that's what the Offical FAQ says on Disney World's site. In other news I rode Test Track on Wednesday and just checked my account and instead of my image popping up its another car with random people don't know how that happened..

DSMDGAOct 30, 2014

There is a time limit before you have to purchase again. It may be 45 days, but I'm not sure on that. If you bought in Dec 2014, you would have to buy again for August 2015. My son had one from..... maybe July? We had to purchase again for our October.

djn4882Oct 29, 2014

thanks for the clarification!

dreamfinderOct 29, 2014

Memory Maker only entitles you to 30 days of downloads. Once you download something for the first time, it starts the 30 day countdown. So you could in theory time it so that you download your Christmas trip pictures on January 20th, which would mean you could then download February vacation pictures by February 19th. Obviously you could play with the dates some and get a little more distance between trips, but the max would be 75 days from the first day of pictures being taken. You could pay for a 15 day extension and get a few more days out of it, but thats about it.

djn4882Oct 29, 2014

i understand there's an expiration for specific photos, i'm asking if using memory maker is like a magazine subscription. do i need to repay the 149 after a certain time frame (e.g. 12 months) for the convenience of memory maker. for example, i get an annual pass in Dec. 2014, i take a trip to WDW in early Dec. 2014 and i purchase memory maker prior to the trip. my photos from that trip would expire late Jan/early Feb. if i go back in august 2015, do i need to purchase memory maker again for the convenience of using it in Aug 2015, and for future trips?

Kevin_WOct 29, 2014

There is a 45-day period for the pictures to be taken - I would assume this applies whether AP or not.

djn4882Oct 29, 2014

i tried searching for the answer to this question and can't seem to find it... others asked on the disney parks blog and they weren't given an answer too, so i hope the forum can help. is there an expiration to memory maker? i'm an AP so if i make multiple trips throughout the year, do i need to pay the $149 each trip or is it a one-time fee and good forever?

bethramOct 29, 2014

Our ride pictures from our trip earlier this month are there and we did not order MM. However, we rode Buzz three times in one morning and only one picture showed up and it wasn't us. I was very excited to see the pictures so I could show my daughter who didn't go on the trip with us.

Kevin_WOct 28, 2014

Ah, we had (as part of a share, anyway). I assumed it was working for non-MM people back then as well. Thanks for the clarification.

WDFOct 28, 2014

Had you pre-purchased the Memory Maker package? It's my understanding that only those who purchased the packages had this occur prior to today... i.e.photos linked to account by simply riding the ride wearing a MagicBand.