D23 EXPO 2019 Superthread - dates announced!

[theluckyrabbit]

We are thinking about going to the expo this year, and would want to take advantage of the early bird gold member discount. Do both my husband AND I have to be gold members to get those tickets, or can I just be gold and buy a second ticket at the same time to take him as my guest?

For buying the tickets, I think the pp is correct that only one of you needs a gold membership. But if your husband and you want to use the gold member lines for the larger panels (assuming those are still in place for next year), then I think you will both need your own gold cards. At the last Expo, D23 CMs were checking the gold lines to see that each person in the line had a gold card.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

For buying the tickets, I think the pp is correct that only one of you needs a gold membership. But if your husband and you want to use the gold member lines for the larger panels (assuming those are still in place for next year), then I think you will both need your own gold cards. At the last Expo, D23 CMs were checking the gold lines to see that each person in the line had a gold card.

You're allowed a guest with a gold membership.

I had the gold membership (not the family one) and my boyfriend was able to join me in the gold member lines last d23.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

You're allowed a guest with a gold membership.

I had the gold membership (not the family one) and my boyfriend was able to join me in the gold member lines last d23.

That's interesting. DH and I were checked separately for our own cards in every line. As usual, it all depends on which CM you get.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

That's interesting. DH and I were checked separately for our own cards in every line. As usual, it all depends on which CM you get.

That usually seems to be the deal at Disney. To be fair...I think we only did 2-3 gold member panel lines. But I don't remember having any trouble and I know I'm the only one with a card.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Isn't that one of the few constants from Expo to Expo? You will always get different answers and have different experiences with different CMs!

 

[soniam]

Completely agree with this. Expo is very fun, but very tiring and physically challenging. The lines and the waiting are wearing on the body and the soul, so if young kids (and their parents!) are not prepared and able to cope, it will not be a fun day. And the tickets are expensive if the experience will be disappointing for everyone.
Worst case scenario: We saw a family with 4 kids (ranging from about 11 to 2) throughout the third day of the last Expo. They started out full of energy, but as we saw them repeatedly at different events, the parents looked more and more exhausted and the kids looked more and more fed up. The 2 yo was out of control by the last event (Alan Menken concert), the mom really wanted to see that concert, the dad finally had to take the toddler out half way through, the 11 yo fell asleep, and the other two kids disrupted the show for everyone else around them. This was the same story for all the other events they attended. It would have been better for the mom to attend the Expo alone to see all the things she wanted, rather than putting her family through an exhausting day and having her kids disrupt the events for other people who had also waited in the same long lines and also really wanted to see the events without the constant interruptions.

That's what I had planned to do. Send DH and DS to the parks and attend the Expo on my own with friends, until the Expo was scheduled after DS starts school. Doing this for Destination D too. DS is 12 and loves listening to Connecting with Walt, but I don't know if he could handle the Expo. Heck, it seems a lot of adults have a hard time handling the Expo.

 

[ashley0139]

Heck, it seems a lot of adults have a hard time handling the Expo.

This is true but I think most of those people have unrealistic expectations. They've done no research and expect to walk in and do everything they want to do. It's much more enjoyable if you know exactly what to expect and plan for that.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

All very true. Just go in with the expectation that multiple times you are going to think to yourself 'are monkeys running this?! this is ridiculous!'. But then you'll have those couple of WHOA moments that make it all worthwhile.

 

[PatMcDuck]

And there are definitely kids there who are the exception. Some are veterans of prior D23 Expos and even Comic Con in san Diego. They sit, play cards, and tolerate the lines well. Some kids say ages 10 and up, might be interested in the panels. But generally, no. They seem to generally prefer the floor though, with the giveaways and meet and greets, etc. There ARE things for them to see and do, but usually not the panels.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... There ARE things for them to see and do, but usually not the panels.

And even with the designated kids' room, things can go spectacularly wrong (the Murphy's Law D23 rule...). I think it was the last Expo where the a/c went out in the kids' room for multiple days -- friends told us that it was soooo hot in that room that they just couldn't take it, even though there were fun things in there for the kids. July in Anaheim, on an upper floor, with no a/c?! Ugh.

 

[ej119]

I usually attend many of the larger panels, BUT looking back, on the last 4 Expos, it is the smaller ones that "stick with me". Often they are panels that I was not 100% sure I would love. Last time I loved the Hercules panel, got in on standby last minute. One year it was an amazing presentation of Silly Symphony cartoons, accompanied by a large LIVE orchestra, playing the same music that was in the original cartoons. Other times it was "Voices of the Parks". There is so much to see.

Going again next year!

Like others, completely agree (and I loved both Silly Symphonies and Voices)! In 2017, the Golden Girls panel stood out to me. Not at all the most well-attended panel, but even though no cast members attended (for obvious reasons), I could have listened to the producers tell stories from the set for hours. Very happy I skipped the animation panel for this one.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Last Expo was my first one and before going my husband and I made the choice not to wait for any of the large panels and we were just fine with that in the end. The only one that really tempted us was Parks and Resorts. We had so much fun on the floor and at the small panels. I loved all of the Archives panels that I went to, I probably could have stayed in that room all day and been happy. My favorites overall were the Pirates, the Kiss Goodnight Panel with Richard Sherman, Park Stars, Legends of Imagineering, Marc Davis Goes to Wed, and the Alan Menken concert. I was also walking the show floor and ran into Imagineers Bob Gurr and Tom Nabbe walking the floor too and they were very fun to talk to when I stopped them. I'm a little nervous about this upcoming Expo because I had such a great time at the last one that I want this upcoming one to be just as fun. I'm a fairly positive person so I'm sure I'll have a good time.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

Sorry this is a bit off topic...

If anyone is near the Texas area, Alamo City Comic Con in San Antonio has quite the list of Disney celebrities attending this year so far. It is the weekend before Halloween and so far these guests have been announced:

Margaret Kerry: the body model for Tinkerbell
Paige O'Hara: belle's voice from beauty and the beast
Jodi Benson: ariel's voice from the little mermaid (the last con I went to she had her panel and sang a Whole New World)
Irene Bedard: Pocahontas' voice
Christopher Barnes: eric's voice in the Little Mermaid
Bret Iwan: mickey mouse's voice
Bill Farmer: goofy's voice
Mary Gibbs: boo's voice from Monster's Inc.
Sean Gunn: Rocket's body double and Yondu's second in command Guardians of the Galaxy
Michael Rooker: Yondu Guardians of the Galaxy

And if we want to go to Disney owned properties:
Steve Whitmire: Kermit the frog (and other muppets)
Caroll Spinner: Big Bird and Oscar the grouch

 

[thetallone101]

If any ladies are interested in sharing a room send me a message (female coming from Canada). Someone in a disney FB group was able to already book a block of rooms at the Hilton for a rate of $199 per night, which will be cheaper than what the offer will be for D23 guests once the tickets go on sale. I will be staying there from Aug 19-26/19...even if someone just wants to come for part of the time I'm gunning for a sorcerers package too...eek!

 

[PatMcDuck]

I booked today at Paradise Pier. Jumped right on it.

 

[Nonsuch]

I booked today at Paradise Pier.

How did you do that?
Disneyland.com has not released 2019 dates. Is there a D23 link?

 

[Firepath]

I am considering attending this year with my DD. Neither of us are gold members. Does that allow early access to tickets? If not a member, is it impossible to get tickets? Is it reasonable to arrive 4-5 am, not expecting to get into the super popular events, but still have a worthwhile experience? I realize there will be very long lines and waits, but if there are restrooms nearby and I'm not in the sun, I can do it.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I am considering attending this year with my DD. Neither of us are gold members. Does that allow early access to tickets? If not a member, is it impossible to get tickets? Is it reasonable to arrive 4-5 am, not expecting to get into the super popular events, but still have a worthwhile experience? I realize there will be very long lines and waits, but if there are restrooms nearby and I'm not in the sun, I can do it.

Non-members can get tickets, but I'm not sure there will be any discount. It will be very possible to get tickets, so don't worry! Lining up at 4-5 am should be fine, but be aware that you may well end up in the sun. The morning lines outside the convention center (if the lines are where they have been in past years) can be directly in the strong sunlight. People wear hats, bring parasols, wear lots of sunscreen, etc. Once you are inside, there should be no problem with the indoor lines (unless you are also sensitive to light coming through the floor to ceiling windows).

 

[lurkergirl]

How did you do that?
Disneyland.com has not released 2019 dates. Is there a D23 link?

The 2019 reservations went live Tuesday online, I think, via the Disneyland website. I booked those dates at the Grand Californian with no issue yesterday. I figure I can contrast the D23 Hotel link when it is available, because my GC reservation can be canceled.

 

[Mathmagicland]

https://d23.com/d23-expo-2019-ticket-prices/

D23 Expo 2019 ticket prices posted today.

Sorcerer is $2500
Early bird tickets only available thru November 30 which seems earlier than last Expo