Hiya Larry!
Thank you for sending us your question and welcome to planDisney. I see that your trip is coming soon - you must be so excited! You picked an especially magical time to come to visit during
The World's Most Magical Celebration and right in time for the
EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival, one of my favourites! As they are some of the most photogenic events, I would follow Simba's example and start working on your "Cheese!"
To answer your question, if you renewed your Gold Pass before the release of the
new Annual Pass program, you would still have access to your Gold Pass's perks, which includes complimentary PhotoPass. These perks will be available to you until your next renewal in which case you will switch from your Gold Pass to the new Annual Pass program. Therefore, after your next renewal, you will have to add Memory Maker to your purchase. As for the rest of your party, although they will not be able to benefit from your complimentary PhotoPass access, you will be able to
download the pictures of the rest of your party, provided that they are linked to your
My Disney Experience account. To do so, you would simply log into your account and click on "
My Family & Friends," or on "My Profile" and then "Family & Friends List" if you are using the mobile app. Then, you will be able to click on "Add a Guest" and enter their information. Just make sure that you enter the email that is linked to their My Disney Experience account as they will receive an invitation from you. Once they have accepted your invitation, you will be able to see them in your Family & Friends List, but also view and download their PhotoPass pictures.
If the rest of your party also wanted to purchase their own
Memory Maker, however, this can be done when purchasing tickets. Indeed, they would be able to add "Memory Maker" at checkout or simply purchase it as an addition to their ticket. Similarly, if anyone else in your party has an Annual Pass that does not include complimentary Memory Maker, they can
purchase it as an add-on to their Annual Pass. Memory Maker is such a wonderful service and I will always treasure my own PhotoPass photos as Cast Members truly know how to capture the magic.
I hope this was helpful, Larry, and that you have the most wonderful time on your upcoming Dinsey vacation. If you have any other questions in the time leading up to your trip, don't hesitate to reach out. We'll be there to help in a flash!
Have a magical day,
Ariane