If you’ve ever wished your Disney vacation photos looked a little more like portraits and a little less like “everyone look at the camera before the toddler escapes,” Disney has brought back a familiar option.
Signature Portrait Sessions are now available at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels. Guests have the chance to book a private, 40-minute photo session with specially trained Disney PhotoPass photographers. Sessions are currently $399 and include the photos from your session, professional retouching and downloads.
And this one caught my attention for a very personal reason. Disney PhotoPass has offered resort portrait sessions before, and we loved them!
A Little Disney Photo History
Once upon a time, long, long ago, on the big kids’ first Disney trip, we booked a similar session at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
At the time, the session was just $25! Talk about inflation!
And even at that price, there was a little technology hiccup during our session, and we ended up getting the session for free. But the price is not what made the experience memorable.
We loved having a photographer focus specifically on our family without trying to squeeze a portrait into the middle of a park day. The photos gave us something different from the usual vacation pictures. In fact, several still hang on my walls, and with half of our travel party now passed on, they’re even more special.
So, when I saw that Disney was bringing resort portrait sessions back with a little more zhuzh, I immediately thought, “Oh, I want to try this again!”
What Are Signature Portrait Sessions?
Your session includes:
- Up to 40 minutes of photography and consultation
- A specially trained Disney PhotoPass Portrait photographer and assistant
- Professional photography and lighting equipment
- Guidance on poses and locations
- Professional retouching
- Downloads of the images from your session
- Approximately 60 photos per session
Sessions include access to both indoor and outdoor locations. Your photographer will help determine which locations work best for the photos you’re hoping to capture.
Which Resorts Offer Sessions?
Right now, Signature Portrait Sessions are being offered at two Walt Disney World Resort hotels:
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Think Victorian elegance, beautiful resort spaces and a more classic Disney look.
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
This one has the tropical island atmosphere and, for me, a little extra nostalgia since that’s where we had our original resort session.
Sessions are now available for email booking.
Also, PhotoPass, if you’re reading, we’d LOVE to see sessions at Boardwalk and Art of Animation!
How Does This Fit With Capture Your Moment?
If you’ve been around MMM for a while, you may have seen me talk about Capture Your Moment, Disney’s private photo sessions at select park locations.
I love the idea of both services because they solve a problem I see all the time with family vacations. You can have a thousand and one vacation photos and still barely have one where everyone is actually in the picture.
Capture Your Moment gives you a dedicated photographer in the parks. Signature Portrait Sessions give you that same approach in a resort setting.
Is It Worth $399?
That’s going to depend on your crew and how much you value professional portrait photography. For those who already book professional photos at home, a private Disney session could be a really fun way to combine that experience with your vacation.
For a milestone trip like that first Disney vacation, anniversary, graduation, multigenerational vacation or a big family celebration, I can absolutely see the appeal. And this option is going to be a lot more relaxed than an in-park shoot.
Personally, I’m excited to see what the new Signature Portrait Sessions look like in action. We had such a great experience with the old resort sessions that I’m very curious to see what Disney PhotoPass has done with them this time around.
And, yes, I’m already planning outfits.
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