Making sure you get the best photos out of your Orlando theme parks vacations is an essential element of making a good trip great. Thanks to the PhotoPass system, getting the best pictures from your trip is a breeze! Participating in the PhotoPass system at the Walt Disney World Resort is as easy as tracking down any Disney cast member with a camera around their neck. Usually located around the best spots for a snapshot in the parks, this cast member will offer to take a free photo of you and your group. Instead of handing you a slip and directing you to a certain shop to go pick up your family picture, you are given a credit card-sized PhotoPass. This handy item is your ticket to an array of photo options later on in the day.

Thinking of riding Test Track at Epcot or Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom? Most of the larger rides in the parks now contain kiosks that allow you to swipe your PhotoPass and save your souvenir photo directly onto the card. With one quick swipe you are ready to go off to the next ride, so the PhotoPass saves you a lot of time since you no longer have to wait in line.

So what happens once you’ve taken a few photos and want to take a look at them? Located at the center of every Walt Disney World park is a photo center headquarters, so make sure you check your maps or ask a cast member for the photo center closest to you. Your pictures are good for 30 days after they are taken, so these photo centers allow you a number of options for printing and saving your pictures from the card.

Along with prints, you can make and order a variety of lovely souvenir items with your photos. The Disney PhotoPass system is constantly updating their custom souvenir website with new and unique options. Make a puzzle out of your Cinderella Castle snapshot, or a calendar out of your meetings with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Of course, regular prints of various sizes are available to order as well.

If you want more traditional options, Kodak Picture Maker Kiosks are also located in the parks, usually within the photo centers themselves. You can burn up to 120 photos from your PhotoPass or even your camera’s memory card onto a CD, or directly print out 4X6 prints on the spot.

Whichever option you choose, the Disney PhotoPass is a great addition to Walt Disney World Resort. Thanks to the PhotoPass, making unique souvenirs out of your gorgeous photos is as easy as swiping a credit card!