Welcome aboard, Heidi! You're going to be heading out on my favorite type of Disney vacation: a surf and turf trip! Spending a few days in the parks before or after your Disney Cruise adds even more magic to your trip!
The
Memory Maker is a great way to capture and take home all of your photos from the Walt Disney World Resort! Right now, this system is not the same as the photo system on the Disney Cruise Line ships. By all means, though, purchase it if you think you'll be taking advantage of lots of photo opportunities and attractions where photos are taken in the parks.
On your ship the
cruise photography services are a bit different. Your cruise Key To The World Card will serve as your PhotoPass of sorts. You'll hand it to the photographer each time your picture is taken. That assignment, along with photo matching software, will assign those photos to your stateroom. In Shutters, the onboard photo shop, you can scan your card at one of the digital kiosks to view your photos from the cruise, or see the prints in your personal album there. The difference here is that on the ship, you'll need to purchase the prints or a cd photo package before you leave the ship. Your cruise photos are not available to view after your cruise, so don't forget to purchase the must-have's while onboard.
I hope that clears things up about the two different photo plans, Heidi! One thing is for sure, you're in for quite a few memorable pictures during your vacation! Have fun planning!