D23 Expo 2015 - Who's in? Roll call!

[lurkergirl]

I think I can finally think coherently about the weekend - the exhaustion is always so much worse than I remember or think it will be. Hee!

I'm very pleased that the overnight lines were not as horrible as was imagined and discussed. We stuck to our previous 5am arrival plan and made it to every morning panel we wanted. I know there were logistic issues, but I found the staff I spoke with very helpful and willing to try to find an answer if I had question. The lines in Hall E were mostly orderly, which was a plus - I understand that people waiting upstairs on Friday morning had a less stellar experience. Saturday, improvements were made.

I heard conflicting stories about who was ultimately responsible for problems (Anaheim City said no lines under the Buzz balloon, forcing Friday's chaos? Disney took over everything from the ACC, which is why Disney was to blame for the understocked restrooms? ACC wouldn't allow Disney to allow us into the Convention Center early on Sunday morning because there was no overnight line?) but from what I could see, it went as I expected...perhaps even smoother. There were some things I didn't get to do, but I knew I couldn't do it all. So while disappointed, I'm OK with it.

Now, let's see what announcements are made for the future...true, the next Expo announcement is usually made at the end of the current one. It's been quiet.

 

[ashley0139]

First time poster here! Life long Disney fan and I would have loved to have been at D23 this year (I know the queues were insane but as long as I got into the Broadway Originals Concert and the Aladdin panel I'd have been more than happy).

I'm definitely planning to go in 2017, plus it'll be my first trip to Disneyland (being in the UK it's cheaper to get to World so this is the perfect excuse to spend a little more and visit the original).

Would anyone that went this year mind answering a few questions about the event?

What's the best on site hotel to stay at and how far are they from the convention centre? Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier? (probably couldn't afford the extra cost of the Grand Californian) Do Disney raise hotel prices significantly during expo week? The closest is probably Paradise Pier, but not by much. Those two are not too far apart.

How crowded was the Expo floor? Pretty crowded. There are definitely open spaces around the walls, but the popular booths are always pretty crowded.

How did the overnight queuing work out? Was it one line for all or was it split between show floor and Hall D23? Was there any distinction between D23 Gold members and general admission for the overnight queue? There were separate lines for the show floor and the Hall. Then there was further distinction between show floor for Gold members and show floor for general members.

If you wanted to be in the 1st major panel of the day (Legends, Live Action, etc.) was it necessary to queue overnight or could you still get in if you arrived at say 5am? I didn't go to any of these, but I heard someone say they got to Live Action at 6am and did not get in.

If you weren't bothered about the panel and just wanted to get on the show floor at 9am (Gold member), what time did you need to get there? I'm not a gold member, but you'd need to get there before 7 (for this year at least) because that is when they cut off the inside line, and the inside line goes in first.

If I bought 2 tickets as a D23 Gold member for myself (who is a member) and my wife (who isn't), can we be in different queues? Could I, in theory, queue over night for Hall D23 whilst she queues for 9am show floor access? Or would I need to be with her for her to have the Gold early entry to the show floor? You could be in different queues, but if she is not a gold member, she will not be allowed into the gold line alone (without a gold member). Theoretically I guess you could both go into the line together and then you could leave and go to the Hall line and she could stay and I'm not sure if they would notice, but that's not really what's supposed to happen. I'm not sure if they check again as you are entering, but probably not.

I read a lot of horror stories about the queues to get in the stores. Where these a separate line from the show floor before the convention opened or do you just queue for show floor then join the shop queues inside? IME (did not do overnight, but arrived at 5am Saturday), the line for the stores was the same as the line for the show floor and then you just joined the queues.

What was the queue like to get into the Broadway Originals concert? I know they did it twice this year due to popularity, did that make it easier to get in? Didn't do this one.

How do the signing sessions work? Is it a different queue per guest/session? Are the queues always bad or does it depend on the guest? I only did one signing, and it was the only one of the day in the Dream Store, so we had our separate line. I'm not sure about autograph central or the Disney/ABC tv autograph area.

How does the exclusive merchandise work? Is it limited to 1 per guest or is it a bit of a free for all? I know they did wristbands for some merchandise, but I didn't get any merchandise that required one. Not sure about limits for the rest of the merchandise.

Are Sorcerer tickets worth $2000 each? (if you can even get them!) Wish I knew. This is the kind of disposable income I would like to have. It definitely looks like it's worth it, if $2000 isn't a massive amount of money to you. You can get into all the panels you want without waiting.

Ok, that's actually a lot more questions than I'd intended! Thanks in advance to anyone who can answer any of them!!

I can answer some of these. My answers in red. Hope any of this is helpful!

 

[Mr. Bastos]

I can add that for the Saturday movie panel, it didn't really start to fill out until 5ish. My friend came down separately, and she slept in then came over around 5ish and was able to get in. She was near the back of the queue but she still made it.

 

[lurkergirl]

I can add that for the Saturday movie panel, it didn't really start to fill out until 5ish. My friend came down separately, and she slept in then came over around 5ish and was able to get in. She was near the back of the queue but she still made it.

B Section was full, A & C still had room when we walked in. I want to say that the sections were full sometime between 5:30am and 6am, then they started the overflow lines. We had pretty decent seats (considering we weren't going to try for the Live Action panel at all). The loading of people into Hall D was maddening and there were empty seats. We were almost in B and had a great view, I know that some people that were waiting in B and had been there all night probably had a less direct view of the stage.

 

[Mr. Bastos]

B Section was full, A & C still had room when we walked in. I want to say that the sections were full sometime between 5:30am and 6am, then they started the overflow lines. We had pretty decent seats (considering we weren't going to try for the Live Action panel at all). The loading of people into Hall D was maddening and there were empty seats. We were almost in B and had a great view, I know that some people that were waiting in B and had been there all night probably had a less direct view of the stage.

Yes, section B was fairly full but there were a few rows left. I thought it was odd some people went to Section B before filling up the sides. I was in A section 5th row. Which translated into some good seats. We were just behind the ladies who did their morning and evening reports for D23. We could see the stage well enough, but I still watched the screen a lot lol.

 

[ashley0139]

I didn't go to any of the presentations in Hall D23. Next time I'd like to do that. All my presentations were stage 23 or 28.

 

[ChrisLyne]

Thanks for all the answers Ashley, really helped clear up a lot, especially about how the queues were done

I think I'll definitely get my wife a D23 membership for the expo as I want to do a lot of the panel's whilst she really wants to do the shops (she's tsum tsum crazy at the moment)

I was mostly just curious about Sorcerer, like you say it's crazy expensive and I don't have that level of disposable income (unless I stopped paying the mortgage and eating!) $4000 for two is basically a week in Disney World! Can dream though!

 

[keahgirl8]

The only hall presentation I did this year was Frozen on Sunday. There was hardly anyone there! I literally got there with under an hour to do and was on the second row.

 

[ashley0139]

Thanks for all the answers Ashley, really helped clear up a lot, especially about how the queues were done

I think I'll definitely get my wife a D23 membership for the expo as I want to do a lot of the panel's whilst she really wants to do the shops (she's tsum tsum crazy at the moment)

I was mostly just curious about Sorcerer, like you say it's crazy expensive and I don't have that level of disposable income (unless I stopped paying the mortgage and eating!) $4000 for two is basically a week in Disney World! Can dream though!

Glad I could help! I was a general member, but I think I'll be a gold for the next one. I heard it didn't help a ton, but it couldn't hurt. Who knows if in 2 years tsum tsum will still even be a popular thing! Haha. I'm much more into the panels as well. We didn't even get into the Disney store until the end of the last day, when the line had died down a bit. The lines for the Disney store and Mickeys of Glendale were absolutely insane the whole time. Dream Store wasn't as bad.

 

[ashley0139]

The only hall presentation I did this year was Frozen on Sunday. There was hardly anyone there! I literally got there with under an hour to do and was on the second row.

We were waiting for the Marty Sklar signing at the time, and they kept announcing the Frozen presentation over the loudspeaker. I wouldn't have minded being there (especially since Kristen Bell was there), but we couldn't do both and Marty was more important for us.

 

[ashley0139]

We are now home. Fantastic trip with five full days at the parks and Saturday at the Expo. We LOVED the two panels we attended...Live Action and the OUAT evening. I think we were overwhelmed by the floor since we were only there for the day and had to make some tough choices.

We will be signing up for all three days next time. Definitely booking the Hilton and maybe a day or two max for the parks.

I'm glad you got into the OUAT panel! Did you get a stage pass? Where did you sit? I was SHOCKED by how absolutely insanely popular that panel was.

 

[Kathymford]

The OUAT panel should have definitely been in the hall. Very interesting. As far as the Frozen panel, had I realized that the cast was attending I may have considered it more. But I spent most of the weekend in that hall and I wanted to do some of the show floor, so that won out. All in all, I was pretty happy with the weekend, except ...

I'm broke and I'm still tired.

 

[jjharts]

Very disappointed and underwhelmed with the whole expo experience - will not be renewing membership or attending future expos unless it is moved to Orlando. Spent most of the weekend waiting in very long lines (I was prepared for lines but not at this level!!). Expo workers were very nice but disorganized and just too many people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When we received our passes the paperwork stated that there would be shuttles from the hotels to the convention center. When we asked about this at the hotel we were told that D23 failed to organize any shuttles and we either could walk or take a cab. Talked to many, many disgruntled gold members who will be cancelling their memberships because of how admission to the building was handled. All in all, a let down to what should have been a fun weekend

 

[Mr. Bastos]

I can understand the sentiment of moving to Orlando since they would have much more space, but would that really make a difference?

A larger venue can hold more people, but may also attract more people. So if you have 3x the space but attract 3x the people, you're back to the same issue. The problem isn't just the size, it is the (lack of) organization. With the right organization, you could scale the expo more easily to accommodate any number of people.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Thanks for all the answers Ashley, really helped clear up a lot, especially about how the queues were done

I think I'll definitely get my wife a D23 membership for the expo as I want to do a lot of the panel's whilst she really wants to do the shops (she's tsum tsum crazy at the moment)

I was mostly just curious about Sorcerer, like you say it's crazy expensive and I don't have that level of disposable income (unless I stopped paying the mortgage and eating!) $4000 for two is basically a week in Disney World! Can dream though!

We tried to purchase Sorcerer tickets this year, but they sold out in less than a minute! Instead, we attended by Twitter and YouTube. -- Suzanne

 

[Mr. Bastos]

We tried to purchase Sorcerer tickets this year, but they sold out in less than a minute! Instead, we attended by Twitter and YouTube. -- Suzanne

I knew they went fast, but didn't realize something that expensive would sell out *that*fast. Wow.

 

[keahgirl8]

Glad I could help! I was a general member, but I think I'll be a gold for the next one. I heard it didn't help a ton, but it couldn't hurt. Who knows if in 2 years tsum tsum will still even be a popular thing! Haha. I'm much more into the panels as well. We didn't even get into the Disney store until the end of the last day, when the line had died down a bit. The lines for the Disney store and Mickeys of Glendale were absolutely insane the whole time. Dream Store wasn't as bad.

I got a Storepass for 2 out of the 3 stores. It was awesome!

We were waiting for the Marty Sklar signing at the time, and they kept announcing the Frozen presentation over the loudspeaker. I wouldn't have minded being there (especially since Kristen Bell was there), but we couldn't do both and Marty was more important for us.

Josh Gad was also there. It's hard to choose sometimes! I always feel like I missed something because it was the same time as something else.

Also, yes...the Once panel was NUTS. I kind of expected it when they announced who would be in it though! Well worth the hassle.

 

[SMD]

Very disappointed and underwhelmed with the whole expo experience - will not be renewing membership or attending future expos unless it is moved to Orlando. Spent most of the weekend waiting in very long lines (I was prepared for lines but not at this level!!). Expo workers were very nice but disorganized and just too many people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When we received our passes the paperwork stated that there would be shuttles from the hotels to the convention center. When we asked about this at the hotel we were told that D23 failed to organize any shuttles and we either could walk or take a cab. Talked to many, many disgruntled gold members who will be cancelling their memberships because of how admission to the building was handled. All in all, a let down to what should have been a fun weekend

I was a charter member who did not renew after the 2013 expo because it was so awful. It wasn't because I couldn't get into panels I wanted or the lines per se. I'm a convention veteran and I know that lines are inevitable, that you have to pick and choose, and that you can't do or see everything. It was basically because of the staff's poor response to their inability to get the members inside for the promised early hour. I waited outside in line for hours while they held some dumb media event. Then while I wound through the area where they had just had characters out for the press (nothing for us while we stood in the same spot for 2 hours where there had just been characters) they were tweeting away about how great the early member hour was. When they finally managed to move the lines inside, they had let general members in first. And their response was to complain about the members who were complaining and say we should be happy. They never addressed the issues (heard it happened again this year), never apologized and never said anything about their staff's rudeness. It was also becoming near impossible to get tickets for free events and screenings. If I even got an email the event would be full before the email arrived. And the screenings were becoming more and more expensive. Meanwhile the same 20 people who apparently have time to watch the D23 feeds all day were going to everything, and weren't really nice people to be around at mixers. I noticed that this year they had a wall with the name of the paying members. There didn't look like too many of them were listed. It certainly wouldn't have placated me 2 years ago.

 

[ashley0139]

I got a Storepass for 2 out of the 3 stores. It was awesome!



Josh Gad was also there. It's hard to choose sometimes! I always feel like I missed something because it was the same time as something else.

Also, yes...the Once panel was NUTS. I kind of expected it when they announced who would be in it though! Well worth the hassle.

We tried to get Store Passes and they were sold out every time. We got in super early one day also.

I don't think the Once panel was worth the amount of time we spent waiting for it. My whole day was taken up by it. I wish I had foregone it to do other things I found interesting. Oh well. Now I know for next time.

 

[keahgirl8]

We tried to get Store Passes and they were sold out every time. We got in super early one day also.

I don't think the Once panel was worth the amount of time we spent waiting for it. My whole day was taken up by it. I wish I had foregone it to do other things I found interesting. Oh well. Now I know for next time.

I went straight there on Friday and had no trouble getting 2. I did wait almost an hour, but that was less time than I would have waited for those two stores.

For the Once panel...I guess it is a matter of opinion. It also took up a large part of my Saturday, but I thought it was worth it.