Need DCL Photo Package Advice (Multiple Staterooms)

[tarheelz]

From the title, you can already guess how this is going...

Next week, yours truly will be jumping on the Fantasy for 7 Day Western Caribbean. I will be joined by DW and DD (age 12) (Stateroom #1). In nearby staterooms will be Dear Brother & Sister-in-Law (Stateroom #2) and Dear Father-in-Law & Mother-in-Law (Stateroom #3). That's seven of us with just one kid.

Mother-in-Law wants to buy the package where you get to keep all the digital shots that DCL-contracted photographers take throughout the cruise. Is there a practical way for me to make that work without buying three separate packages, which would be over $1,000?

Hacks in my head:
1) Book the Package for my Father-in-Law's room (Stateroom #2) and then link it to his 12 year old "daughter's" stateroom (Stateroom #1). That would give us two staterooms linked and only one a separate package would be needed for the Brother-in-Law's room (Stateroom #3). (This isn't totally legit as "grandparent" isn't permitted for linking; only "parent.");
2) Book the package for my stateroom and then work to ensure (i) the seven of us all stay close together so that I can hand my KTTW to the photographer; or (ii) we give two of our KTTWs to our family members to use for their photos when they're not with us. (This gets dicey if we need to get off the ship or buy anything if only one person in our immediate family of 3 has a KTTW.)
3) Combine these above two strategies together.

Anything else y'all have tried and found workable?

 

[Marc D]

The first one might work, but it is against the rules. The linked cabin must include the child of the person in the first stateroom, the one that bought the package. Since your daughter is in your room, you would have to lie to the Shutters CM when you go to link both rooms.

The other option is not a solution. There needs to be one person from the stateroom that bought the package in each picture. The KTTW (or giving the stateroom number) is only part of the way they make pictures available. They also use facial recognition software. If no one from the stateroom is in the picture, they do make it available.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I believe that once on board, you can purchase a second stateroom's photos at half the price.

While the room key or number might work, I am not sure they don't use facial recognition and match it against room numbers to identify whose photos they are. If that happens, you might miss some. One thing to consider, if you are mostly in all the shots together, how many would you have to buy extra to get all of them?

Also, even if you convince them that your DD is actually your DF's daughter, that would only cover her in the photos, not you and your DW.

 

[tarheelz]

Foiled again...

Looks like booking it for my stateroom with the suspicion that the three of us are the most likely to be appearing in the others' photos, is the best strategy.

Anyone know whether pre-purchasing the photo package with my Disney Credit Card helps?

 

[FigmentSpark]

So, three rooms... One prepurchase is $295. The second is half-price (of the $350 on-board price), so that's 295+175=475. Then, if you wanted a third room, 475+295 (prepurchase)=770 for all three rooms. Yes, that's a lot of money, but it's not over a 1000

OR

One prepurchase is $295. The second is half-price (of the $350 on-board price), so that's 295+175=475. Then the third room could buy 10 photos (which should cover the amount that won't include any of the other people in your party) for $149. That's 475+149=624. Much cheaper.



**Edit: My math was off. Corrected it... I think.

 

[tarheelz]

Yep. Just saw the 50% off. That's a big difference in the math.

 

[yfamdiscruise]

I hate to weigh in with possibly wrong information, but I thought there was some catch to getting 50% off the package for the second room...like a minor child of the parent(s) in the first room had to be in the second in order for the second room to get the 50% discount. I could be way off, but I seem to remember some reason that we weren’t going to be able to get 50% off for a package for grandparents in a second room. Hopefully someone can weigh in and clarify. I’m curious for an upcoming cruise myself.

 

[nearlyfallinstar]

Really as long as one person from the purchasing stateroom is in the photo, it will be included in the package. So the only pictures that would not be included would be if your in-laws want pictures by themselves.

 

[Rob1872]

I hate to weigh in with possibly wrong information, but I thought there was some catch to getting 50% off the package for the second room...like a minor child of the parent(s) in the first room had to be in the second in order for the second room to get the 50% discount. I could be way off, but I seem to remember some reason that we weren’t going to be able to get 50% off for a package for grandparents in a second room. Hopefully someone can weigh in and clarify. I’m curious for an upcoming cruise myself.

No restrictions on getting a 2nd package at half off. What you are thinking of is that if a minor child is in another stateroom, then you can get the pictures of the child included in the parent's stateroom package for free.

In the case that is being discussed here, if the family of 3 gets a photo package, then any picture that has at least one of them in it is included. So a picture with all 7 is included. A picture of their child with the grandparents is included. A picture of the grandparents only is not. So the question for purchasing the 2nd package primarily comes down to will they want enough pictures of just themselves, pictures in the MDR during formal/semi-formal/pirate night, etc. to justify the 50% package instead of purchasing 10 pictures, etc.

One thing to remember: You get a discount with pre-purchasing the package (that is bigger than the Disney Visa discount while onboard). You DON'T get any advantage in booking the 2nd/3rd stateroom ahead of time. I actually don't remember any ability to get the 50% discount before you are on the ship. So, you can wait for a few days on the ship to decide if you are taking enough pictures to justify the additional package.

 

[nancyjo1998]

This has me thinking about our upcoming situation. We will have 2 cabins, the first cabin will by myself and adult niece, the second cabin will be my mom and minor son. If I pre purchase the photo package for my cabin will we be able to add the 2nd cabin photos on free? Including ones of say my mom by herself?

 

[starry_solo]

This has me thinking about our upcoming situation. We will have 2 cabins, the first cabin will by myself and adult niece, the second cabin will be my mom and minor son. If I pre purchase the photo package for my cabin will we be able to add the 2nd cabin photos on free? Including ones of say my mom by herself?

not according to the information stated above

 

[Rob1872]

This has me thinking about our upcoming situation. We will have 2 cabins, the first cabin will by myself and adult niece, the second cabin will be my mom and minor son. If I pre purchase the photo package for my cabin will we be able to add the 2nd cabin photos on free? Including ones of say my mom by herself?

Your mother would not qualify for being added for free from the 2nd cabin; your son should be able to be added. So you would have photos included with any combination of the first cabin and your son.

Having said that, you never can tell what will happen. On my last 4 night Dream, we had my MIL along and my wife was 'technically' in her stateroom for cost reasons. When I went to purchase a 2nd photo package for the other stateroom, the Shutters agent said, "We'd add your wife anyways, and your mother in law probably won't have too many pictures with just herself, so I'll just add both rooms on your package." Always nice to get some pixie dust!

 

[yfamdiscruise]

No restrictions on getting a 2nd package at half off. What you are thinking of is that if a minor child is in another stateroom, then you can get the pictures of the child included in the parent's stateroom package for free.

In the case that is being discussed here, if the family of 3 gets a photo package, then any picture that has at least one of them in it is included. So a picture with all 7 is included. A picture of their child with the grandparents is included. A picture of the grandparents only is not. So the question for purchasing the 2nd package primarily comes down to will they want enough pictures of just themselves, pictures in the MDR during formal/semi-formal/pirate night, etc. to justify the 50% package instead of purchasing 10 pictures, etc.

One thing to remember: You get a discount with pre-purchasing the package (that is bigger than the Disney Visa discount while onboard). You DON'T get any advantage in booking the 2nd/3rd stateroom ahead of time. I actually don't remember any ability to get the 50% discount before you are on the ship. So, you can wait for a few days on the ship to decide if you are taking enough pictures to justify the additional package.

Great to hear!! Thanks!!

 

[nancyjo1998]

Your mother would not qualify for being added for free from the 2nd cabin; your son should be able to be added. So you would have photos included with any combination of the first cabin and your son.

Having said that, you never can tell what will happen. On my last 4 night Dream, we had my MIL along and my wife was 'technically' in her stateroom for cost reasons. When I went to purchase a 2nd photo package for the other stateroom, the Shutters agent said, "We'd add your wife anyways, and your mother in law probably won't have too many pictures with just herself, so I'll just add both rooms on your package." Always nice to get some pixie dust!

Thanks! I'll go in planning on buying the 2nd package and see what happens.

 

[FigmentSpark]

LEt us know what happened. And have a great trip.

 

[Calantha]

Having said that, you never can tell what will happen. On my last 4 night Dream, we had my MIL along and my wife was 'technically' in her stateroom for cost reasons. When I went to purchase a 2nd photo package for the other stateroom, the Shutters agent said, "We'd add your wife anyways, and your mother in law probably won't have too many pictures with just herself, so I'll just add both rooms on your package." Always nice to get some pixie dust!

We had something similar. 4 rooms - 1 room pre-purchased and 2 purchased on board (with 50% off) ...and the last room was MIL/FIL and they just added the few solo pictures of them to my SIL's package.

 

[monkeydawn]

Really as long as one person from the purchasing stateroom is in the photo, it will be included in the package. So the only pictures that would not be included would be if your in-laws want pictures by themselves.

Agree, if the kid is the main draw for the photo package buy the package for the room the kid is in. Always give the kids room number when the photographers assistant asks for a room number and you should be golden for all those photos to end up in that room's package.

We did a similar thing when we cruised with a friend with a kid, we wanted the pictures and were even willing to be the ones to pay for the photo package and just made sure we gave the kids room number whenever we took a picture, even if the parents werent with us.

 

[cmash95]

i didn't know they used facial recognition because the last cruise I took they asked our room number every time pictures were taken and we had two rooms but just gave them our room number every time and we got all the pictures taken. but we had five people plus a baby in our total party.