My Trip to the 2011 D23 Expo - TR Complete! - The DIS Discussion Forums

franandaj · 08-16-2011, 01:10 AM

Welcome to my D23 Expo Trip Report!

For those who don’t know me, let me take a few moments to introduce myself. My name is Alison and I’ve been a Disneyholic all my life!

I live local to Disneyland and try to get out there as often as I can. I also love WDW and try to get there as often as I can, but that’s certainly not as often as DL! I went to the Expo in 2009 and am most definitely looking forward to this year’s Expo since I have an idea of what to expect and no idea what to expect!

I’ve been a D23 Member for about a year now, not that I haven’t been participating in D23 as we purchased a “family” membership back in 2009. However as the tickets went on sale for the 2011 Expo, only actual D23 Members could buy the “special” tickets. Of course it was after hours and when we realized that I had to purchase my own membership to get the Premier tickets, the membership was not activated in real time. That was the longest 14 hours as we waited and waited, refreshing the screen every time I typed my membership number into the computer hoping this was the time that I was recognized as a member and could purchase my Premier ticket. Would they be sold out before I could even purchase it? Luckily everything worked out and I have been a proud Premier ticket holder for the last year.

So with less than a handful of days left until the Expo begins, I thought it was time to start the Trip Report, gain some followers and lay out my game plan. Here are few shots of me at the last Expo.

We learned a lot of things last time, but the number one lesson was even though we live close, it’s not close enough! This time we have booked a room at the Hilton. This hotel is only a few feet away from the entrance to the Convention Center so this way we won’t have far to travel home at night. I thought that we might be able to sneak back to the room during the day and take a break, but every day is packed full with fun and exciting seminars, shopping experiences and interactive displays that I’m sure I will be on sensory overload.

The official opening of the Expo is Friday morning but Premier and Sorcerer Members get early access to shopping and other experiences (Sorcerer’s only). We plan to arrive at around 2PM on Thursday to check into the Hilton, even if the room isn’t ready yet, hopefully we can get our keys so that we don’t have to take time out of our shopping to come back and do it. 3PM is when check in begins and at 3:30 we can start shopping in the Treasure Trove of the Walt Disney Archives Store. At 5:30PM we can get into the D23 Expo Dream Store.

I’m hoping that we wrap up all our shopping by 7PM so that we can go have dinner. Since this will be my last night of civilized dinner for a few nights, I thought we would just make it easy on ourselves and stick with the Hilton restaurant. Of course it’s overpriced, but that’s expected from any hotel restaurant. I’ll just hang out downstairs after dinner in the lounge waiting for other DISers who may show up for the 8PM meet.

So I will not try to pull off this TR as a “review” of the D23 Expo, simply a documentation of my experiences. I hope to attend some of the most popular events in the Arena and some of the others as well. I will be avoiding the Disney Channel Presentations and the other kiddie attractions.

My interests are in the parks, the vacation destinations and some of the upcoming movie & television presentations. This is the “dream” schedule, but in all reality, unless the session is in the darker gray, we will probably have to skip them in order to see the show floor, shopping opportunities and keep our sanity!

Join me if you care to see a glimpse into my experience at the D23 Expo! I'll keep up as best I can during the Expo, but you can see the schedule is very full. I'll catch up what I don't cover once I return home to finish the TR!

Welcome aboard, it should be a fun and exciting journey!

JH87 · 08-16-2011, 01:15 AM

I can't wait to read about the expo! I might consider going to the next one. Would you mind telling me how much you pay to be a D23 member?

justtimm · 08-16-2011, 01:37 AM

I will be arriving on Thursday!! I cant wait to read your take on the event!!

franandaj · 08-16-2011, 01:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JH87

I can't wait to read about the expo! I might consider going to the next one. Would you mind telling me how much you pay to be a D23 member?

I think the main membership is $75. Since my spouse was already a member, I think mine was $45 for the silver (no magazines).

Quote:

Originally Posted by justtimm

I will be arriving on Thursday!! I cant wait to read your take on the event!!

You should come to our DISmeets on either Th evening or Fri morning. Both are in the Hilton. The night meet is in the lounge and the morning meet is at Starbucks.

JH87 · 08-16-2011, 02:09 AM

Oh wow $75 is not bad!
Do they do the expo every other year?

skiingfast · 08-16-2011, 02:11 AM

It will be great to have more eyes on the floor as I experience Expo from a long way away. I hope that Dismeet at Star Bucks gets the blood pumping.

dgbg100106 · 08-16-2011, 06:57 AM

I am in....

nunzia · 08-16-2011, 07:37 AM

Whoo Hoo! Looking forward to this..I will be there, but love reading your reports

bangzoom6877 · 08-16-2011, 10:56 AM

I'm in!! I am hoping they will give some good info on the Fantasyland Expansion, like anticipated opening dates for certain things. Specifically, we are eagerly awaiting the opening of Beast's Castle and the Be Our Guest restaurant. Since we will be there at the end of July next summer, I am hoping it is open by then, but not totally counting on it. I was talking to DH about it the other day, and told him my theory...that this will be the first (or one of the very first) new attraction to open since it will make Disney A LOT of money.

mvf-m11c · 08-16-2011, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JH87

Oh wow $75 is not bad!
Do they do the expo every other year?

This is only the 2nd time since 2009 that the Disney company has put on the D23 Expo. The first one was great and hope that this one will be good as the 2009.

I will be there in just a few days and hope to meet you and the other DISers on Thursday & Friday. You have a good plan Allison during the D23 Expo, it is almost close as my planned schedule for this weekend except for just a couple.

Wonder2008 · 08-16-2011, 02:14 PM

I was at the Destination D event in May and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I really, really wish I could go to the Expo, but I live on the east coast and just can't get over to California right now.

If any of you are attending the Cars Land or Buena Vista Street panel discussions and they allow photography, please take lots of pictures!!

I hope you enjoy yourselves, and I look forward to reading as much as I can about the Expo!

Robert

Hawleys · 08-16-2011, 02:23 PM

Subscribing!

PrncesKMW · 08-16-2011, 02:33 PM

Yay - a new thread already populated by Nunzia and FranandAJ, my favorite Expo advice givers

I am in the airport right now waiting for the first leg of the journey to Anaheim - I am so excited!!! It's all I can do not to gush to the poor tired businessman trying to read beside me...

franandaj · 08-16-2011, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skiingfast

It will be great to have more eyes on the floor as I experience Expo from a long way away. I hope that Dismeet at Star Bucks gets the blood pumping.

Since I start almost every day with a cup of Starbuck's Coffee (either at brewed at home or from the shop), it's my minimum "get up and go"!

Quote:

Originally Posted by dgbg100106

I am in....

Cool! Glad to have you!

Quote:

Originally Posted by nunzia

Whoo Hoo! Looking forward to this..I will be there, but love reading your reports

I look forward to meeting you, hopefully we'll bump into each other in the premier/sorcerer's lounge or something!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangzoom6877

I'm in!! I am hoping they will give some good info on the Fantasyland Expansion, like anticipated opening dates for certain things. Specifically, we are eagerly awaiting the opening of Beast's Castle and the Be Our Guest restaurant. Since we will be there at the end of July next summer, I am hoping it is open by then, but not totally counting on it. I was talking to DH about it the other day, and told him my theory...that this will be the first (or one of the very first) new attraction to open since it will make Disney A LOT of money.

They covered the Fantasyland Expansion pretty heavily at the Destination D40, and this time they have 1 1/2 hours to cover all the Parks and Resorts, but I'll take good notes and try to provide any updates beyond what they told us in Florida!

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvf-m11c

This is only the 2nd time since 2009 that the Disney company has put on the D23 Expo. The first one was great and hope that this one will be good as the 2009.

I will be there in just a few days and hope to meet you and the other DISers on Thursday & Friday. You have a good plan Allison during the D23 Expo, it is almost close as my planned schedule for this weekend except for just a couple.

Cool!

See you Thursday!

franandaj · 08-16-2011, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wonder2008

I was at the Destination D event in May and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I really, really wish I could go to the Expo, but I live on the east coast and just can't get over to California right now.

If any of you are attending the Cars Land or Buena Vista Street panel discussions and they allow photography, please take lots of pictures!!

I hope you enjoy yourselves, and I look forward to reading as much as I can about the Expo!

Robert

I plan to be at the Carsland and we can probably take pictures. The 25 years of Pixar conflicts with the Buena Vista Street, and given the choice, I'd rather see the Pixar presentation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrncesKMW

Yay - a new thread already populated by Nunzia and FranandAJ, my favorite Expo advice givers

I am in the airport right now waiting for the first leg of the journey to Anaheim - I am so excited!!! It's all I can do not to gush to the poor tired businessman trying to read beside me...

That would be me! Have a great flight!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawleys

Subscribing!

Cool! Happy to have you along!

08-16-2011, 01:10 AM	#1
franandaj Saxy Boo Boo Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Long Beach, CA, VWL, BCV, SSR & VGC Posts: 18,363	My Trip to the 2011 D23 Expo - TR Complete! Welcome to my D23 Expo Trip Report! For those who don’t know me, let me take a few moments to introduce myself. My name is Alison and I’ve been a Disneyholic all my life! I live local to Disneyland and try to get out there as often as I can. I also love WDW and try to get there as often as I can, but that’s certainly not as often as DL! I went to the Expo in 2009 and am most definitely looking forward to this year’s Expo since I have an idea of what to expect and no idea what to expect! I’ve been a D23 Member for about a year now, not that I haven’t been participating in D23 as we purchased a “family” membership back in 2009. However as the tickets went on sale for the 2011 Expo, only actual D23 Members could buy the “special” tickets. Of course it was after hours and when we realized that I had to purchase my own membership to get the Premier tickets, the membership was not activated in real time. That was the longest 14 hours as we waited and waited, refreshing the screen every time I typed my membership number into the computer hoping this was the time that I was recognized as a member and could purchase my Premier ticket. Would they be sold out before I could even purchase it? Luckily everything worked out and I have been a proud Premier ticket holder for the last year. So with less than a handful of days left until the Expo begins, I thought it was time to start the Trip Report, gain some followers and lay out my game plan. Here are few shots of me at the last Expo. We learned a lot of things last time, but the number one lesson was even though we live close, it’s not close enough! This time we have booked a room at the Hilton. This hotel is only a few feet away from the entrance to the Convention Center so this way we won’t have far to travel home at night. I thought that we might be able to sneak back to the room during the day and take a break, but every day is packed full with fun and exciting seminars, shopping experiences and interactive displays that I’m sure I will be on sensory overload. The official opening of the Expo is Friday morning but Premier and Sorcerer Members get early access to shopping and other experiences (Sorcerer’s only). We plan to arrive at around 2PM on Thursday to check into the Hilton, even if the room isn’t ready yet, hopefully we can get our keys so that we don’t have to take time out of our shopping to come back and do it. 3PM is when check in begins and at 3:30 we can start shopping in the Treasure Trove of the Walt Disney Archives Store. At 5:30PM we can get into the D23 Expo Dream Store. I’m hoping that we wrap up all our shopping by 7PM so that we can go have dinner. Since this will be my last night of civilized dinner for a few nights, I thought we would just make it easy on ourselves and stick with the Hilton restaurant. Of course it’s overpriced, but that’s expected from any hotel restaurant. I’ll just hang out downstairs after dinner in the lounge waiting for other DISers who may show up for the 8PM meet. So I will not try to pull off this TR as a “review” of the D23 Expo, simply a documentation of my experiences. I hope to attend some of the most popular events in the Arena and some of the others as well. I will be avoiding the Disney Channel Presentations and the other kiddie attractions. My interests are in the parks, the vacation destinations and some of the upcoming movie & television presentations. This is the “dream” schedule, but in all reality, unless the session is in the darker gray, we will probably have to skip them in order to see the show floor, shopping opportunities and keep our sanity! Join me if you care to see a glimpse into my experience at the D23 Expo! I'll keep up as best I can during the Expo, but you can see the schedule is very full. I'll catch up what I don't cover once I return home to finish the TR! Welcome aboard, it should be a fun and exciting journey! __________________ Alison ~~~~ ...It's How You Play the Game \| We need a little Magic... \| TR - Pinch me... \| Destination D-75 TR \|It'll be a WONDER ... \| Cheating on Mickey w/ Harry, PTR \| D23 Expo 2011 TR \| D23 D40 WDW in Detail \| DCA F&W Review \| Jan 2010 DR Visits 2013: VWL, BCV, DCL, AKL, BLT, VGC, 2012: VGC, DCL, 2011: VGC, BLT, OKW 2010: THV, AKV, VGC, 2009: BWV 2008: SSR, 2007: AKL & GF, 2001: AKL, BC & DCL 1997: DXL & WL 1993: GF, DL Too many to count since 1973! Last edited by franandaj; 06-13-2013 at 01:21 PM.

08-16-2011, 01:15 AM	#2
JH87 DIS Veteran Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Central Cali Posts: 1,914	I can't wait to read about the expo! I might consider going to the next one. Would you mind telling me how much you pay to be a D23 member? __________________

08-16-2011, 01:37 AM	#3
justtimm Earning My Ears Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 10	Expo I will be arriving on Thursday!! I cant wait to read your take on the event!! __________________

08-16-2011, 02:09 AM	#5
JH87 DIS Veteran Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Central Cali Posts: 1,914	Oh wow $75 is not bad! Do they do the expo every other year? __________________

08-16-2011, 06:57 AM	#7
dgbg100106 Brandi Boo Boo Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 39,060	I am in.... __________________ Brandi & David Thanks Lulu's Mom 73 Cont, 74 Poly, 91 Swan, 02 CBR, 05 BWV, 09 Jambo House AKL (F&WF), 10 Jambo House AKL (F&WF), 11 BWV, 11 BCV (F&WF) 2013 Cruising adventures 3rd times a Charm, F&WF2011 Celebrating Graduations at the world2010 F&WF, AKV with Sunrise Safari and 7 nights on Cruise

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The DIS Register to remove Join Date: 1997 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 1,000,000

08-16-2011, 02:11 AM	#6
skiingfast Has had no bacon Skiing fast to chocolate But, will he succeed? Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Drive to DL, Fly to WDW Posts: 28,456	It will be great to have more eyes on the floor as I experience Expo from a long way away. I hope that Dismeet at Star Bucks gets the blood pumping.

08-16-2011, 07:37 AM	#8
nunzia You can't top pigs with pigs, but you CAN top Toys with Toys Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: New Mexico Posts: 7,065	Whoo Hoo! Looking forward to this..I will be there, but love reading your reports __________________

08-16-2011, 10:56 AM	#9
bangzoom6877 DIS Veteran Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 4,139	I'm in!! I am hoping they will give some good info on the Fantasyland Expansion, like anticipated opening dates for certain things. Specifically, we are eagerly awaiting the opening of Beast's Castle and the Be Our Guest restaurant. Since we will be there at the end of July next summer, I am hoping it is open by then, but not totally counting on it. I was talking to DH about it the other day, and told him my theory...that this will be the first (or one of the very first) new attraction to open since it will make Disney A LOT of money. __________________ -Bonnie DH DS7 DS5 8/1985, off-site; 8/1989, off-site; 5/1992, HS trip off-site; 5/1994, HS trip off-site; 7/2008, 1st family trip Pop Century; 7/2010, 1st DVC trip BWV; 7/2012, 2nd DVC trip BWV; 7/2014, next DVC trip

08-16-2011, 02:14 PM	#11
Wonder2008 Mouseketeer Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 126	I was at the Destination D event in May and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I really, really wish I could go to the Expo, but I live on the east coast and just can't get over to California right now. If any of you are attending the Cars Land or Buena Vista Street panel discussions and they allow photography, please take lots of pictures!! I hope you enjoy yourselves, and I look forward to reading as much as I can about the Expo! Robert __________________ Disney Dream's first 5-night cruise - May 29 - June 3, 2011

08-16-2011, 02:23 PM	#12
Hawleys DIS Veteran Join Date: May 2009 Location: Oakland Posts: 642	Subscribing! __________________ High Season TR: Aug 2009 Low Season, High Life TR: Jan 2010

08-16-2011, 02:33 PM	#13
PrncesKMW Mouseketeer Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Harrisburg, PA Posts: 224	Yay - a new thread already populated by Nunzia and FranandAJ, my favorite Expo advice givers I am in the airport right now waiting for the first leg of the journey to Anaheim - I am so excited!!! It's all I can do not to gush to the poor tired businessman trying to read beside me... __________________ Kelly James Max Chairman Meow May 1989 - Villas at Disney ~ September 1993 - Caribbean ~ May 1996 - Villas at Disney ~ July 1999 - Off-site ~ March 2003 - Off-site - Spring Break!!! ~ May 2006 - Off-site - First trip with just the family! ~ September 2010 - P.O.F.Q with Dining Plan ~ August 2011 - First Disneyland Trip and D23 Expo! Say hello to me at PrncesKMW on Facebook and Twitter!

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