>> Does a service like PhotoMovie interest you readers out there?

Sure, it sounds great to me.  When I think of how many times my kids have watched "A Day in Disneyland" with it's outdated characters and attractions, I can only imagine how popular this would be.  I'd love it, too.

>> Do you think 50 clams is justifiable for a customized vacation video?

I think it's right at the edge.  If it were $70, I'd probably pass on it.  That said, it'll probably be $79.95 when it comes back again.  8-(

>> Or is it just another way of separating you from your money, even after you've arrived home?

Yup.  It seems that Disney has adopted this sad legacy (we'll do anything to charge you too much money, just so we can make more profit!) and the public knows it.  I hope they change their ways before it goes too much further.  So many things already feel like a rip-off--can you believe the rack rates of on-site "deluxe" hotels, or how low quality Disney character bed sheets are, or how yucky some of the foods are (my daughter won't even finish her Princess vitamins, and I won't buy the cereals again, ew!).

I wish Disney would go for the "great products at a premium price" niche.  This video sounds like an example of that, but I worry about how "premium" the price will be!  If they keep the prices at "premium" but not blood-letting levels, but for excellent quality merchandise and experiences, I'm sure I'd buy even more than I do now.

Sue in TX

Great article.  I've got a couple questions.

Is it burned on a blank DVD?  Or is it a pressed DVD, like you'd buy in a store?  A lot of DVD players, particularly older models, won't play blank DVDs.

How does the DVD come packaged?  Is it in a keepcase?  Can you personalize the artwork?  Or does it just come in a paper envelope?

How long was the whole video montage?  About how long is each picture on screen?

Thanks again for the informative article.

Yay!  Something to read besides the endless series of Scrooge articles!  Thank you!  ;)

>> Do you think 50 clams is justifiable for a customized vacation video? Or is it just another way of separating you from your money, even after you've arrived home?

I'd bite at $35, maybe even $40 if its as cool as the author says -- but when I return home after a WDW vacation, my cheap - ahem, I mean frugal side kicks back in.  Things I'm willing to overpay for on my vacation don't do it for me once I'm back home.   Essentially, this is just a glorified picture disc using some WDW stock photos & video overlays.  $50 seems high -- especially considering all the time, money and effort I'll put into my normal post-vacation scrapbook and the editing of my own home video footage anyway.

Also, anyone who's ever burned cds on a home pc knows $20 a copy is ridiculously high.  Copies would be a lot more reasonable priced around $10 -- and they'd sell more at that price too.  Not only would a person be more likely to buy one for Grandma & Grandpa, but at $10 bucks a pop, all the aunties and uncles could get one too.  

Its a cool idea, just not priced in a way that would get me to take advantage of it.

What about a digital version for 10 dolllars or so that you burn yourself?

I was going to do it last year until I saw the price. WAY too expensive.

I would maybe pay that much for a DVD like that if it was for a REALLY special vacation--a Honeymoon, Graduation present, 16th birthday, something of that nature. Not for the normal "family outing" trip, though--for that sort of thing regular photographs will do.

When I was in WDW back July '05 my friends and i used the photopass service and after every day of our 12 day trip, before bed we would check the photos on the site for fun, we knew we would never buy any b/c of the high prices per photo. so it's a very nice service. but little did we know that if you don't access the site and register the card, you can keep loading photos on to it for, what we've come to understand, a while. but apparently also, if you do access it and want the 30 days extended, you can easily call up and have a cast member extend the time period for you.  (Just a word, all the aforementioned is based off of what many cast members, including my sister have informed me about, so there is a chance i could be wrong)  This DVD service thing, sounds amazing, i would love to get one, but maybe if it held more photos.  Now back to 7/05, when i was in epcot there was a sign in one of the shops that you could use your photopass and have every picture that is on the card, put onto a DVD slideshow for you viewing pleasure (the cast member there said it was possible to put 250 pics on it, if not more)(??), but it was $99. that was a little much. that service is now discontinued, i'm guessing it wasn't as popular as this DVD movie service will most likely be. So i'm guessing Disney is just constantly working through the kinks of the photopass service finding different ways of making our memories more special and longer lasting.  it's nice to see that they're putting the effort behind this and changing with technology to give us better ways of preserving our memories. :-)

I make these for people.

Though Disney ones I usually make for my family, ive done wedding and funeral ones for years.

I dont have the special disney characters. But ive got an anthology of disney park music, and an amazing editing program. And i charge $19.99 plus shipping.

Its tradition to watch last years Disney At Christmas DVD before we leave for that years Disney At Christmas. Ive got stock photos, lots of stuff.

I would never pay for the Disney one. I know for a fact that its not personalized, or at least not "personilzed" to my rigorous standards. lol. Not when i can make the same thing and enjoy it much, much more.

There's very simple-to-use software out there that let's you quickly and easily do this yourself.

I have it on my machine at home (came pre-installed from Dell). I can't remember the exact title, but I know it has Director in the name ... DVD Director or something maybe?

Anyway, I can't imagine the software costs more than a hundred bucks. Why pay $50 to create one DVD when you could pay $100 and create as many as you want?

Back in my day, I can remember watching the cutting-edge color dot matrix printer in the gift shop at the base of Spaceship Earth slowly and meticulously printout your complimentary photo with Mickey. It took well over five minutes to print rat-tat-tat-tat-tat and we liked it!

The folks who think nothing of staying at the Grand Floridian or wouldn't be caught at the Contemporary unless it was on Concierge Level won't think twice about this - it's an automatic sale. In the old days - ok, the real old days - I would think the disks are just priced this high while they work out the kinks. Now - it just sounds like gouging. (It's like a thump sound)

I just can't imagine that the average family doesn't have at least one tech-savvy member that can do this at home. If you cut the price in half - to $25, or the price of a regular non-discounted hollywood dvd - I would think sales would more than double.

Until then, greenyskp is doing all my digital work and costuming.

curmudgeon:

I also did the painting in my avatar

(yes i know its an Alison lefcourt reproduction, my mom fell in love with the one in art of disney, and so I made her a smaller one for christmas)

;-)

and painting.

Do you do windows, too?