Hi Tina,
Your trip is almost here! That is so exciting and I bet you've got a countdown going.
Disney's PhotoPass is one of my favorite services offered at Walt Disney World. I am usually the family photographer and not in most of our vacation pictures, so this is a great way to have the entire family in some great photographic memories of our trip.
There are several ways to utilize this amazing service. First is the basic PhotoPass. With this you can simply find a photographer, have your photo taken. If it is your first photo, ask them for a card. Then, hold on to this PhotoPass card and hand to to the photographer each time after this. One tip is to write down or take a picture of the number on the back with your phone to have for safe keeping. Even if you lose the card, as long as you have that number, you can retrieve your photos either at the parks or when you return home. If you choose not to purchase any of the photos, you are not required to. You could choose to purchase one photo or all of them. There is an option to pre-purchase a PhotoCD for a discount.
The next level of service is
Disney's PhotoPass+. This upgraded service includes all your PhotoPass Photographer photos as well as those from select attractions and dining locations all for one price. You will receive a voucher to redeem for your special PhotoPass+ card/lanyard (which looks different than the standard PhotoPass card), a code for redeeming your photos onto a PhotoCD once you arrive home with ALL of your photos (included in the price of the package), as well as a gallery CD of over 400 stock photos from all around Walt Disney World Resort.
Whatever you decide, I hope this clarified it a bit. Say Cheese.
~Allison L