D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—Coming to Anaheim Next August

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michmousefan

Well-Known Member
I've been to four Expos and yes, the lines thing always seems to surprise them. It's like "oh, shoot, there's a LINE?" Part of the issue might be significant turnover from Expo to Expo, with few veteran employees passing down their experience. Given that D23 cut a sizable amount of staff in the most recent round of layoffs, I am not necessarily optimistic for this year's event.

The StagePass system did help get rid of many of the very long waits; at the earlier Expos you had to be in line at 5am [or earlier] if you wanted a decent seat for the 10am movies presentation.

Will be interesting to see how they plan to move people around and accommodate the event crowds at the Honda Center presentations.
 

Surferboy567

Well-Known Member
Wonder when they will put the event on August 8th up at Disneyland. They announced it at Destination D23 and haven’t mentioned anything about it since.
 

HauntedPirate

Park nostalgist
Premium Member
I know this is said in jest, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they announced some changes to Genie at the expo. Could be done in a blog post as well.
I expect changes to be announced much sooner, from what has been said previously. And it'll likely be a Friday afternoon blog post.
 

BrianLo

Well-Known Member
One thing that D23 seems to always struggle with (and I don't know if they've improved as of their last expo or not) is organization. Getting into panels has indeed been a cluster, even when they implemented the online reservation system in 2019. My friend and I had reserved a spot in one of the panels, and when we went to the basement where we were told to line up, nobody on staff knew where we were supposed to go. There was confusion as to which was the reserved line, or which was the standby line, or which line was for which panel. Everyone was given a specific wristband depending on the panel and reservation status, but none of the staff seemed to know what each wristband meant, and they were talking back and forth with each other, trying to figure it out, while people were shuffled from place to place. Even with our reservation, we ended up waiting on the basement floor for an hour before being let into the panel (which, due to the confusion, started about half an hour late). I REALLY hope they've improved on that since the last time I've been, but I doubt it. In general, I don't prioritize panels for that reason. If I get into one or two small panels the whole weekend, I consider it a win.
I'm both excited and nervous to go this year. I'm really hoping they've gotten more organized and ironed out their panel reservation and line management system. But even if they haven't, I've found that it's still a great time as long as you manage your expectations (You won't be able to do everything, and you may not be able to buy the exclusive merchandise item you were hoping for, and that's okay) and go with the flow. And it will be interesting to see if spreading the event out to the Honda Center will help with crowding, or just be a massive pain. Hopefully it will be the former!

Mildly improved, but a bit different in 2022. The elimination of the Gold D23 coral sort of made things easier for them to comprehend. The trouble is the convention staff are not Disney staff and they seem to basically have no institutional knowledge every time it is run. They never start loading the hall early enough. The second issue I think they had last year was around the escalators. There are only two sets and yet the two sections are inevitably shoved up one, leading to one section often being loaded quite late (or missing) the first part of the panel (usually the left side of the Hall). They usually have this sorted by panel 2, but often the Legends panel is a disaster from what I understand.

I think the Honda Center will fix a lot of the conventions woes around the main panels. I assume there will just be assigned seating and the staff there clearly understand how to actually load their own stadium. Transport is what it is, but other than that I think the main conference experience is going to be so much more pleasant. Transport, if it's a mess, can just be circumnavigated with Uber/Lyft.

I've also historically had a very good time in recent years. Just with the correct knowledge that you need to go with the flow.
 

RSoxNo1

Well-Known Member
I've been to the D23 Expo twice, in 2017 and 2019. My biggest tip for avoiding the line to get in the building (and for any large convention) is: unless there's some reason you desperately NEED to be there right when it opens (i.e., a panel or something) wait for a couple of hours after they open before heading over the convention center. My friend and I tended to roll up to the convention center anywhere between 11:00 and 1:00, and we were always able to stroll right in. That leaves plenty of time to spend at the expo without having to start the day by standing in a massive line just to get in the door.

Lines in general are unavoidable, but the time spent in lines varies depending on what you want to see and do. Activities on the Expo floor tend to have pretty minimal lines, unless it's something that's a huge crowd draw (like the 2017 experience where you were able to jump into Scrooge McDuck's money bin. There was consistently a 2-4 hour wait for that one, because pretty much everyone at the Expo wanted a chance to do it). But just walking around, taking everything in is pretty low-stress, and it's a blast walking around seeing all of the great costumes and talking to people about your mutual favorite Disney media.

Also, a good way to avoid the food lines is to eat meals outside of the convention center. Have a good breakfast before heading out, and go somewhere nearby for lunch. There's a Starbuck's in the Hilton, and some restaurants and cafes adjacent to the Marriott. They'll still probably be crowded, but not as bad as the commissary in the convention center will be.

One thing that D23 seems to always struggle with (and I don't know if they've improved as of their last expo or not) is organization. Getting into panels has indeed been a cluster, even when they implemented the online reservation system in 2019. My friend and I had reserved a spot in one of the panels, and when we went to the basement where we were told to line up, nobody on staff knew where we were supposed to go. There was confusion as to which was the reserved line, or which was the standby line, or which line was for which panel. Everyone was given a specific wristband depending on the panel and reservation status, but none of the staff seemed to know what each wristband meant, and they were talking back and forth with each other, trying to figure it out, while people were shuffled from place to place. Even with our reservation, we ended up waiting on the basement floor for an hour before being let into the panel (which, due to the confusion, started about half an hour late). I REALLY hope they've improved on that since the last time I've been, but I doubt it. In general, I don't prioritize panels for that reason. If I get into one or two small panels the whole weekend, I consider it a win.
I'm both excited and nervous to go this year. I'm really hoping they've gotten more organized and ironed out their panel reservation and line management system. But even if they haven't, I've found that it's still a great time as long as you manage your expectations (You won't be able to do everything, and you may not be able to buy the exclusive merchandise item you were hoping for, and that's okay) and go with the flow. And it will be interesting to see if spreading the event out to the Honda Center will help with crowding, or just be a massive pain. Hopefully it will be the former!
All good advice. I learned after my first experience to bring food every day (I'd stop at Subway the night before).

Last year I was "fortunate" enough to get the front of the line pass for the big presentations and I told myself I wouldn't go again unless I could do that in 2024. However, since they introduced the alternate site for those presentations I'm very curious about how that would work and whether the premium pass would even be necessary.
 

vikescaper

Well-Known Member
All good advice. I learned after my first experience to bring food every day (I'd stop at Subway the night before).

Last year I was "fortunate" enough to get the front of the line pass for the big presentations and I told myself I wouldn't go again unless I could do that in 2024. However, since they introduced the alternate site for those presentations I'm very curious about how that would work and whether the premium pass would even be necessary.
That’s a very good idea for food at D23! In 2022, since we had to wait in the standby queue for the main panels, we would have breakfast delivered to our hotel and we would then take it to the convention center. Except for the final day, it worked pretty well!
 

BrianLo

Well-Known Member
How are the DL crowds the days after the event? Turns out our trip is booked for the week after D23.

Fairly unaffected and disconnected. D23 is still primarily Californians coming in specifically for it. Some might come in for a day and go over to the parks after on the same day.

Hotels will be more expensive (during that weekend), the parks less so. Particularly since they are promising for a park related event the day before D23, I don’t think there will be much spillover for you. DVC was competitive for the days of the event, but not after.

Though this is the earliest D23 I’ve personally been to and summer crowds are still at play.
 

trainplane3

Well-Known Member
Fairly unaffected and disconnected. D23 is still primarily Californians coming in specifically for it. Some might come in for a day and go over to the parks after on the same day.

Hotels will be more expensive (during that weekend), the parks less so. Particularly since they are promising for a park related event the day before D23, I don’t think there will be much spillover for you. DVC was competitive for the days of the event, but not after.

Though this is the earliest D23 I’ve personally been to and summer crowds are still at play.
I kind of figured it would be something like that.

We somehow got DVC for GC on the Monday right after D23. I was just curious since I've never been to DL and we booked 5 days for just there and a day at Knotts. Thanks!
 

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
While waiting for the streaming investment to turn a profit and after paying off Comcast for Hulu, Disney doesn't have the cash on hand to do big things *now*. Unless... they borrow, which looks bad.

That's why Disney's promise of $60B for parks is for the next decade (more later in the decade than sooner). And that's why all this blue sky stuff is blue sky and not green lights.

Temper your expectations for D23. Temper your expectations for a "response" to Epic Universe. Disney's playing the long game. Because it has to.
 
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SirLink

Well-Known Member
While waiting for the streaming investment to turn a profit and after paying off Comcast for Hulu, Disney doesn't have the cash on hand to do big things *now*. Unless... they borrow, which looks bad.

That's why Disney's promise of $60B for parks is for the next decade (more later in the decade than sooner). And that's why all this blue sky stuff is blue sky and not green lights.

Temper your expectations for D23. Temper your expectations for a "response" to Epic Universe. Disney's playing the long game. Because it has to.

If Disney were to have had a "response" it would of had to been green lit and cement pouring in early 2023 to have their "response" open by 2028.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
I think the Honda Center will fix a lot of the conventions woes around the main panels. I assume there will just be assigned seating and the staff there clearly understand how to actually load their own stadium.

Agreed. Moving the biggest presentations and concerts to the Honda Center makes sense, at least on paper.

The Anaheim Arena at the Convention Center only seats 7,000 people in its end-stage concert setup they used at D23 Expo. But the Honda Center has a center-stage capacity of 19,000, or an end-stage capacity of 14,000. That's at least double the capacity for those D23 headline events. However...

Transport is what it is, but other than that I think the main conference experience is going to be so much more pleasant. Transport, if it's a mess, can just be circumnavigated with Uber/Lyft.

That could be a real mess. Especially for out-of-towners who blindly trust Disney to get them the two and a half miles to/from the Honda Center via some sort of bus fleet. If only half the people in that 14,000 person crowd rely on Disney to bus them there, it could be disastrous. Or rather, it will be disastrous.

I've also historically had a very good time in recent years. Just with the correct knowledge that you need to go with the flow.

I have too. I usually just slide in to the expo hall on a Sunday afternoon, just to wander the showfloor, people watch, check out the WDI Pavilion, and take in the drama from a detached distance. I will say though, the WDI Pavilions have been noticeably decreasing in scope and showmanship the past few Expos. Let's hope they get their 2010's bravado back.
 

BrianLo

Well-Known Member
Eagerly awaiting! It’s pretty late compared to historical precedent, which I assume is related to Honda Center logistics.

The question is, will each main presentation carry its own upcharge with seating options? That would be the way to do it.

IF they do that, they need to really plump up the Parks Panel to justify. Maybe;
1) Legends + Parks
2) Live Action Movies
3) Disney on Broadway + Animation
 
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