Universal Photo Pass / Photo Connect

I need advice w/ Universal Orlando My Universal Photos. My family loves collecting our on-ride photos. I’ll be at Universal for 3, nonconsecutive, days. Is Universal’s “My Photos” worth it / easy to use? I read the TP website review and it left me with mixed feelings. We usually get Disney Photo Pass and LOVE it. I care less about saving money and more about just being able to quickly select my ride photo, save it to my pass and move on. I do enjoy how many photographers Disney has for the iconic photos / meet and greets, but that’s not a priority. I hear that Universal is lacking in photographers. Is that true? Any recent experiences appreciated. THANKS!

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I feel that if you like the on ride photos, it is worth it, especially if you can get it on sale. I find selecting my photo and getting it on the card very easy, especially at the locations that have kiosks. I have never had a problem. There are not a lot of free roaming photographers, but there are some at various places and several character meet and greets, such as Transformers, Shrek and his crew, Minions, Penguins, Sponge Bob, Spiderman, various other Marvel characters, and others.

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I called Universal and it turns out that a 5 day Photo Pass was only $8 more than the 3 day. Problem solved!

There are some posts in the pinned Tips thread about this. If you buy ride photos, it will be cheaper to get the photo pass. If you can get the photo pass on sale, it is DEFINITELY worth it. But if you compare it to the quantity of photos you get with Disney’s photo package, you will be disappointed. There are not a lot of roving photographers (they tend to be at the gates). And only a few character photo opportunities (Spiderman specifically) that are included. Most other character encounters -no Universal photographer, better have your own camera. But if you buy ride photos, you will save money.

Thanks! I did get the package for 5 days to cover my entire trip. The need for the days to be “consecutive” is silly, but for $8 more to get all my days … it’s fine.

We do collect our ride photos from everyplace, even local fairs & carnivals. That’s my family’s niche. I think it will be worth it. I’ve also scouted out the other places around the USF / IOA, like “The Dark Room” and photo spots like Transformers / E.T. I think it will be worth it. I wish Universal was a little proactive / thorough about advertising and publishing how their programs work. I know more now than Guest Relations did when I originally called them to inquire about it.

(We have our cell phones for other quick pics, which is fine with us. No need to carry expensive audio / video gear.)

I wonder if this depends on how busy the park is. We have found that many of the meet and greets had photographers there with them.

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Maybe. We were there is Sept during a very slow time. Crowd Level 3. Many of the character meets & greets we saw (Bumblebee, Wolverine, Captain America, Storm, Rogue, Minions, etc. Did not have official photographers but the "cast members (to use the Disney term) who was with the character willingly took our photo with our camera.

Other characters that we just met on the streets, Gru, Simpsons, Betty Boop, Doc Brown, Beetlejuice did not have cat members with them. So lower crowds levels would mean less employees deployed to take care of customers?

Maybe. I have always seen photographers with the Transformers and Minions, so I would think it would have to be related to crowd level.

I just got back from my trip. Let me start by saying the Universal Photo Connect is a great value. I got over 100 photos in 4 days. The crowd levels ranged from 6 down to 2. Most of the street characters had official photographers - Transformers, Donkey & Fiona, X-Men & Marvel, Minions and others I can’t remember. Plus there were photographers outside lands like Jurassic Park, Hogsmeade, Port of Entry / Universal Globe to take pics. Also, there were plenty of self service photo spots like the Back to the Future DeLoean, Jurassic Park Jeep and best of all the “Dark Room” in Hollywood - it has 6 self service photos and people didn’t seem to know it existed. I got posed photos with attendants at ride gift shops like E.T. & Spider-Man.

All of this plus all the on ride photos from most attractions - including the hard copy print outs on both Harry Potter rides.

Hope this info helps others in future searches.

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I thought that the printed photos from Gringots cost extra? Are they now included in the printed photos that come with the photo package? I recently purchased the 2 year AP Special they had on sale which has a 5x7, 8x10, and 16x18 poster print included, but I was under the impression that at least the Gringots photos were not included as one that could be used with the package prints.

They are both included! (At least they were with my 5 day consecutive Photo Connect Pass - Not sure about AP)

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So maybe Universal is getting the message and including more photographers throughout the parks. OR maybe it’s just related to crowd levels.
Yes, I could have chosen my Harry Potter ride photos (either of them) for my print outs - I chose the Spiderman comic book shot with my daughter for the poster size.
Thanks for all the update info!

so, i don’t see the 5 day pass online. do you have to call to order it? Second question, i notice in the info it says consecutive days? Our days at universal will not be consecutive because we are mixing in WDW days in the mixture. Anyone had experience with that?

I did purchase it over the phone. The consecutive days issue is why I had to go to five days instead of three. I had a WDW day planned / purchased on day 3 of my trip. There is no leeway in it. So… if you buy five days and miss a day or two because you went somewhere else you just don’t get those days. I liked the Photopass overall, but this was my big issue with buy it.

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thanks for the reply. i seen comments about an annual photo pass. I assume that is still an option if i call in. Our trip is spread over 10 days and i don’t know yet which days we will be where. so, 5 days may not even work.

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