Photopass coming to RunDisney events!

[Barca33Runner]

Agreed. So are we looking at runDisney potentially managing registrations on their own, and not having Active.com do it?

That may be a bridge too far seeing that it would actually require them to update their website...Although, I'm sure they see those active.com fees on each registration and lament what they are missing out on. The struggle is real.

 

[roxymama]

I'm not a big disney race veteran in that I only have attended this years WDW weekend. But I think my family (we had multiple runners) would have 100% gotten memory maker for our trip if it included the race photos. I'd likely have stopped for a few extra characters as well. Instead we decided to just do regular photo pass where we picked a few shots that we didn't have great Iphone pics of and I still haven't decided which one pic from marathonfoto of the finish line to buy. If we had ran a challenge it would be even more incentive but we only ran one race.

Edited to add (and hopefully someone else didn't mention it) would people be able to share memory makers with other running friends or family members running with them? They must have thought about that right?

 

[Ariel484]

That may be a bridge too far seeing that it would actually require them to update their website...Although, I'm sure they see those active.com fees on each registration and lament what they are missing out on. The struggle is real.

Exactly. Registration seldom goes perfectly but I'd rather see Active.com keep managing it than runDisney try to do it.

 

[DVCFan1994]

I'm not a big disney race veteran in that I only have attended this years WDW weekend. But I think my family (we had multiple runners) would have 100% gotten memory maker for our trip if it included the race photos. I'd likely have stopped for a few extra characters as well. Instead we decided to just do regular photo pass where we picked a few shots that we didn't have great Iphone pics of and I still haven't decided which one pic from marathonfoto of the finish line to buy. If we had ran a challenge it would be even more incentive but we only ran one race.

Edited to add (and hopefully someone else didn't mention it) would people be able to share memory makers with other running friends or family members running with them? They must have thought about that right?

I assume/hope it would work like MM currently. Every photo any of your MDE friends are in during the same time period shows up. So for instance when we were at WDW for GSC a few weeks ago, my mom got MM for the whole family. Every time one of my kids, my nephews, or any of the adults in our group did pictures or scanned their MB at the end of rides with photos, it linked to her account. So, now all those photos are available for her to download. Then she can do with them what she chooses, including sharing them with the rest of us.

 

[kathleen27]

I noticed at Princess half last month there were a few character stops that did NOT have marathon photo photographers - use your own camera or phone only, though they had them the previous year - Mary Poppins, and I think Genie too.

I did actually use photopass in Epcot during Princess Half this year - the park was open. There were 2 marathonfoto photographers with lines and a photopass photographer between them with no line, so since I had my magic band on & had free memory maker, I had the photopass photographer take my photo.

I've never bought from marathonfoto. I had planned to buy them last year, but kind of lost interest while waiting for them to get all my photos up. It took two weeks for my finish line photos to appear, and some character photos never did, I can't tell you how many unidentified photos I searched through!

So I don't know how photo pass will be, but I can't say I'm impressed with marathon foto.
I think they do have "photopass sports photographers" at ESPN for events / competitions? Not really sure, but I've seen it listed on Disney's job listing website. If its included in my annual pass memory maker I am more than happy to be in the first group trying it out.

I'm intrigued not so much for the actual photos but the implications & execution of the technology that I assume they will use and what that could mean for all road races...

If I had to guess- they'll utilize 'active rfid' tracking either via magic band or more likely stickers on the bibs (since requiring everyone to get a magic band isn't practical esp since dlr doesnt use my magic..) which would link the pics to accounts like ride photos (so wouldn't need to scan bands at the finish etc)

But looking at the other 'perks' having the whole field with 'active rfid' chips you'd easily be able to know exactly where everyone is on course, be able to pin point specific data like what miles got crowded when down to porta potty wait times.. With the right algorithms you could easily know who ran the whole course, who cut, whose pace didn't match day to day (challenges etc) being able to offer min by min runner tracking etc.. The data available would be mind blowing...

-em

I love data, and I'm all for anything that helps with lines and crowding.

 

[kathleen27]

Edited to add (and hopefully someone else didn't mention it) would people be able to share memory makers with other running friends or family members running with them? They must have thought about that right?

My family's photos all showed up in my account last month. We were not always in the same place, so a lot of the photos were not scanned to my band, and I could download all of them. All our accounts are linked together as family & friends in my experience.

 

[clemsondisneygirl]

This makes me strongly consider buying MM now...This will be my first trip with my husband, he hasn't been since he was like 8, plus my sister, her fiance and our parents are all going so I would love to get some good family pics during our trip too. And half of us are running the half. Can anyone link me to more info on MM? or just give me your experiences, did you use it, is it easy, pictures of good quality, etc?! I'm kind of excited about this!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Exactly. Registration seldom goes perfectly but I'd rather see Active.com keep managing it than runDisney try to do it.

I don't think that it costs Disney much, if anything, to have active.com manage this. Active.com charges their fee directly to the person registering. It would cost Disney a lot of money to develop and implement a system to do what is being done for them now for free. I just don't see it happening.

 

[SunDial]

This could work out for those that get or already have the new annual pass that includes all photopass photos for the length of the pass.

 

[StartedByAMouse]

This could work out for those that get or already have the new annual pass that includes all photopass photos for the length of the pass.

That's what I'm thinking! I had been trying to price out whether or not to upgrade my Disneyland AP to a Premier Passport since I'm doing a quick weekend trip for Star Wars - Dark Side and planning on about a week around Dopey. So far the break even point was a bit far away to justify the upgrade but if I can get WDW race pictures "for free" as part of Memory Maker on the Premier Pass instead of going through MarathonFoto, this might be what pushes me to do it.

 

[rteetz]

This makes me strongly consider buying MM now...This will be my first trip with my husband, he hasn't been since he was like 8, plus my sister, her fiance and our parents are all going so I would love to get some good family pics during our trip too. And half of us are running the half. Can anyone link me to more info on MM? or just give me your experiences, did you use it, is it easy, pictures of good quality, etc?! I'm kind of excited about this!

We have used photo pass or now memory maker every trip. I think it's worth it but you have to make use of it. If you are running in an event I think you will really make use of it plus then getting ride photos in the parks, and photos with characters or in front of the castle, etc. the quality is good and you can customize the photos afterword.

 

[bumbershoot]

I may be wrong, but I like to assume that MarathonFoto photographers have some training or experience with race/sports/action photography.

I met a marathonfoto person during our trip in January 2015 for the half. He was ALSO a lifeguard at Boardwalk (which is how I met him, because he was stationed outside the pool telling people that since it was 30ish degrees the pool was closed, and I found that to be amusing and we chatted for a bit). Photography is a hobby and something to earn money with for him.

So I bet it will be the exact same people working for run/photopass as it has been for marathonfoto...

I don't think that it costs Disney much, if anything, to have active.com manage this. Active.com charges their fee directly to the person registering. It would cost Disney a lot of money to develop and implement a system to do what is being done for them now for free. I just don't see it happening.

Oh please let Disney hear and understand that, instead of deciding to reinvent yet another wheel.

 

[bevcgg]

While the quality of photos is sometimes not as high as I would like- I have found Marathonphoto customer service to be exceptional. They will often find missing photos (they did for me again today) even without my bib showing, they will frequently combine photos if you ran with another person, they will honor expired coupons, etc. Meanwhile Disney photopass is not as friendly or flexible and they recently raised all their prices considerably. But since I buy both- one way or another- it would be nice to have them combined somehow. Doing DDD this fall- I will be watching to see how all this roles out Coast to Coast.

 

[lovethattink]

Some questions answered about Photopass taking over.

http://land.allears.net/blogs/kristin-ford/2016/03/what_you_need_to_know_about_di_1.html

 

[cavepig]

While the quality of photos is sometimes not as high as I would like- I have found Marathonphoto customer service to be exceptional. They will often find missing photos (they did for me again today) even without my bib showing, they will frequently combine photos if you ran with another person, they will honor expired coupons, etc. Meanwhile Disney photopass is not as friendly or flexible and they recently raised all their prices considerably. But since I buy both- one way or another- it would be nice to have them combined somehow. Doing DDD this fall- I will be watching to see how all this roles out Coast to Coast.

Wow I wish we were lucky with the customer service like you, when I call they won't search for anything for me unless I have picture numbers for them to go by, I think we made 10-12 calls after Dopey to get all the pictures added with us. One girl was rude and lazy and wouldn't help me find or add pictures with me in them so I had to call back for someone else to help....to me they are fine but their customer service is lacking amongst some.

I think Picture quality will probably be the same for running shots, fast moving people in low light half the time you are going to get some off focused/blurred shots since they are rapid firing or over flashed or missed flashed, it's the nature of action photography. But maybe they can have more photopass people out so more action shots, seems like there's a lot more places they could be shooting at that they aren't or more shooters in certain areas so you aren't missed. Or maybe have some Photopass shooters standing so all our shots aren't up our noses.....I mean I stand all day at a wedding shooting, they can stand to shoot at a race in my opinion, unless they sit to be sneakier....

 

[Barca33Runner]

Some questions answered about Photopass taking over.

http://land.allears.net/blogs/kristin-ford/2016/03/what_you_need_to_know_about_di_1.html

That clears some questions up. As with anything I'll have to see it in action before deciding whether I like the change, but I am cautiously optimistic.

 

[Keels]

At Princess, there were VERY few MarathonFoto shooters out ... they were in the starting area doing pre-corral group shots, the were in the parks and occasionally, they were at character stops and then they were at the finish line (they use chip technology to match up bibs with photos when runners go through in big packs like that). BUT, all my character stop photos fed into my MarathonFoto whether there was a MarathonFoto shooter there or not.

With RFID, they should be ultimately able to match running photos that involve crossing a mat to line up to your MDE account - IF you're wearing your MB. Unless something happens where your bib is linked to your MB, but I doubt they can link the two different forms of technology seamlessly.

But as an AP Holder, I guess I can learn to wear my MagicBand when I run if it means I don't have to pay for pictures.

 

[cavepig]

BUT, all my character stop photos fed into my MarathonFoto whether there was a MarathonFoto shooter there or not.

This isn't true at all because if there's no MarathonFoto person they don't have that picture. They assign those based on bib number recognition only, so they can't assign a picture they never took. For the Jan 1/2 I stopped for Mary Poppins and there was no MarathonFoto person so unless you had a camera yourself no one took your picture. I had to go digging for my 10k rat picture because my bib was curled, and to assign it to me automatically it couldn't tell what the bib number was, marthonfoto took it but just couldn't read the bib.

 

[flvy]

I have a random question because I didn't try to attempt this at Wine and Dine, but when leaving the expo do they care what bus you get on? I have a lunch reservation at a different resort than I'm staying at. It wouldn't bug me to take my bags to eat I just have no idea if they're going to poo poo it. I know they count everyone but I don't recall them checking what resort you're at.

 

[rteetz]

I have a random question because I didn't try to attempt this at Wine and Dine, but when leaving the expo do they care what bus you get on? I have a lunch reservation at a different resort than I'm staying at. It wouldn't bug me to take my bags to eat I just have no idea if they're going to poo poo it. I know they count everyone but I don't recall them checking what resort you're at.

No they don't. I left on the Polynesian bus to go to the MK.