From rumour to reality: Disneyland Paris has just begun trialling its very own Disney’s PhotoPass-style service for souvenir character photos. Word spread across Twitter last month that it might be happening, now low and behold @InsideDLParis has provided the very first look at one of the new cards. The “Disney’s PhotoPass” branding is conspicuously absent (and so is some of the functionality — see below) but the essence of the system is there: By handing this card to an official photographer before posing for a photo with characters, they’ll be able to “link” all your souvenir snaps into a single “account” on the resort’s computer system, meaning you can view and purchase all your photos in one go. Currently, guests have to fumble around with a separate paper ticket for every single photo. This credit card-sized slip, being less easy to lose or spoil, should also translate into more photo sales for Disney — if guests bother to check out their photos at one of the nine boutiques listed on the reverse. Because it’s the clever online element to the American parks’ PhotoPass which appears to be missing, at least from this trial. Over the in US, guests can actually log into www.disneyphotopass.com after their visit using the details on their card, where they can then order prints or photo souvenirs at their leisure. Quite why Paris don’t simply jump in with the same smart functionality (and branding) of the US system is a mystery, but at least this is a welcome first step to a more user-friendly (read: sales-friendly), 21st Century system for photo sales at a time when the resort’s guest spending levels remain stagnant.

VIA @InsideDLParis (Twitter)