Is the Disney Cruise Photo Package Worth It? My Honest Review After 3 Sailings
- odienadventures
- Apr 15
- 3 min read
Over the past year, my family has sailed on three Disney cruises, two 3-night sailings on the Disney Wish and a 7-night on the brand-new Disney Treasure. I wanted to share my honest Disney Cruise photo package review to help families decide if it’s worth it. And every single time, we purchased the Unlimited Photo Package. After hundreds (literally hundreds) of photos and lots of trial and error, here’s my honest take on whether it’s worth the price.
Spoiler: for us, it absolutely is.
How the Disney Cruise Unlimited Photo Package Works
The price varies depending on:
The length of your cruise
Whether you buy before your sailing (cheaper!) or onboard
Once you’re on the ship, the Shutters team makes everything super easy. You can:
View your photos on the DCL website using the ship’s Wi-Fi
See them right on your stateroom TV (my kids LOVED this)
Track everything in the Navigator app, which updates in real time
You get 45 days after your cruise to download everything.
The only photos not included are the Signature Private Photo Sessions, which we haven’t tried yet, so I won’t speak to those.
What’s Included? A LOT. Here’s the Breakdown.
I’m splitting these into sections so you can see exactly what you’re getting.
Character Meet & Greets (Including Royal Gathering)
Every scheduled character meet-and-greet (unless a character is roaming) includes a photographer. This alone is a huge win if you have kids, or a kid at heart, who wants every memory documented. We met so many characters, including some rare characters (that you don't see at the Parks), so this alone was worth it.
Donald - Disney Treasure Formal Night Belle - Royal Gathering Treasure Mirabel and Bruno - Treasure Ant Man & Wasp on Treasure Sanderson Sisters on Disney Wish Halloween Donald Duck and Talia Goofy in Costume on Disney Wish Halloween Jasmine and I during Royal gathering Treasure Rapunzel - Royal Gathering - Wish Rey and Chewbacca on Wish Tiana and Naveen on Treasure Captain Mickey on Treasure Minnie in costume on Disney Wish Halloween Pirate Goofy on Treasure
Dining Room Photos
On the Wish: photographers came around every night since we were only on a 3-night
On the Treasure: on select nights, but made sure we had a photo at each restaurant.
These are great for getting dressed-up family shots without hunting down a backdrop.
Pirate Night at Arendelle on the Wish Formal Night on the Disney Treasure Halloween on the High Seas Dining Room photo on the Wish Halloween on the High Seas Disney Wish 1923 on the Wish Plaza De Coco on the Treasure 1923 on the Wish
Magic Shots
These are sprinkled around the ship and at the nightly backdrops. We’ve had:
Characters magically appear next to us
Fun themed overlays
Special effects that make the photos feel extra whimsical
They’re some of my favorites.
Moana Magic shot on the Treasure Halloween on the High Seas magic shot on the wish Funnel Magic shot on the Treasure Haunted Mansion parlor Magic Shot on the Treasure Halloween on the High Seas Tree on the Wish Frozen Magic Shot on the Wish Encanto with Isabel Magic Shot on the Treasure Captain America Shield Photo on the Treasure
Iconic Ship Locations
Think:
The Grand Hall staircase
The ship’s statue
Beautiful spots around the decks
These are the photos you’ll want framed.
Disney Treasure Mickey raft photo Aladdin and Jasmine Statue photo on the Treasure Iconic Grand Hall Stairs photo on the Treasure Photo at the DCL terminal Disney Wish Mickey raft photo Disney Wish Mickey raft photo Grand Hall Stairs on the Disney Wish Disney Wish Chandelier photo
Immersive Portraits & Themed Backdrops
Every night, Shutters sets up unique backdrops, and they change depending on the ship and sailing.
Examples we’ve gotten:
Pirate Night portraits (different on Wish vs. Treasure!)
Halloween on the High Seas themed sets
Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge lightsaber photos
Worlds of Marvel props like Captain America’s shield (Wish) and Thor’s hammer (Treasure)
Coco’s Hector’s guitar
The Enchanted Rose
And my new favorite: Haunted Mansion Parlor photos on the Treasure
Each ship has its own personality, and the backdrops reflect that. The Treasure especially had so many options because of the longer itinerary.
Haunted Mansion Parlor Photos on the Treasure Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge Lightsaber photos on the Wish Pirate Night photo on Wish Cocoa themed photo on the Treasure Pirate Night photo with treasure chest on the Treasure Halloween on the High Seas backdrop DCL Backdrop on the Wish Enchanted Rose on the Treasure Jace with Thor Hammer on the Disney Treasure Worlds of Marvel Haunted Mansion Backdrop on Treasure Jace having fun with the photographer on the Treasure Captain America Shield photo on the Wish Worlds of Marvel
Tip: If there’s a backdrop you really want, get in line early. We lined up an hour early for the Haunted Mansion photos and were first — by the time we finished, the line was wrapped around.
Photos on Disney’s Private Islands
On Castaway Cay or Lookout Cay, photographers are out:
With characters
At iconic ship viewpoints
Sometimes, even roaming the beach (we got lucky once!)
Castaway Cay Buoy Castaway Cay on the Disney Wish as backdrop Me on Castaway Cay Beach Iconic Castaway Cay Sign with Disney Treasure in background Pluto on Castaway Cay Captain Jack Sparrow on Castaway Cay Mickey on Castaway Cay
These are some of the most beautiful photos from our trips.
So… Is the Photo Package Worth It?
For us? 100% yes.
Here’s why:
We take a LOT of photos
To put it in perspective:
Disney Treasure (7 nights): 565 photos
Wish – April (3 nights): 266 photos
Wish – Halloween on the High Seas (3 nights): 297 photos
I did the math, and every cruise came out to under $1 per photo. That’s wild value.
It’s perfect for families
Kids grow fast. Their reactions are priceless. The photographers capture moments, and I am part of the memories (rather than behind the camera).
You get to know the photographers
They’re genuinely amazing humans. By the end of each cruise, we knew many by name, and they made the experience even more fun.
The variety is unmatched
Between characters, themed nights, magic shots, immersive portraits, and island photos, you get a huge range of styles and memories.
Who Should Skip It?
If you:
Don’t plan to stop for many photos
Prefer taking your own pictures
Only want a few character shots
…then you might not need the package. And remember, you can always ask crew members to take photos with your phone.
Final Verdict: My Disney Cruise Photo Package Review
If you’re like us and love capturing the magic, the characters, the themed nights, the ship, the islands, the little moments, the Unlimited Photo Package is absolutely worth it.
It’s become one of our favorite parts of sailing with Disney Cruise Line, and the memories we’ve captured are priceless.
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