D23 EXPO 2019 Superthread - dates announced!

[Gaugersaurus]

Side question. We'll be there in July and staying at Paradise Pier. Does that also have dedicated security or do we line up with the general public? I've been to DL before but haven't stayed on site.

Paradise Pier is set up to use the DLH or DTD security entrances. Both should be less crowded than harbor side or M&F trams security but there is still the possibility that people walking from Katella hotels or from M&F will be lining up there. To be fair the GCH isn't actually dedicated to only hotel guests; there's just no way for people not staying at GCH to get to those entrances in the morning without going through security somewhere else first.

 

[Elias1901]

Thanks for your input so far, guys! It's been much appreciated.

 

[Elias1901]

Does anybody suspect that Rise of the Resistance will debut during the D23 Expo? Or are all bets pretty much off for that happening until LATE later this year??

 

[gtrist4life]

Hello folks. Me and my wife will be attending our first D23 Expo. I've watched a few of the Christan Millan videos, and am hoping that Disney does change things for the big panels this year. Overnight or 3AM queues seems a bit extreme.
We are also DVC members and though it was a little stressful, with a few hiccups/crashes, the online queuing for the Moonlight magic events overall went okay. If D23 did a similar online registration for the big panels, would you be okay with this? I've also heard rumblings about a lottery, not sure of the details. It just seems that there should be a more sensible alternative to camping out in the basement 24 hours before an event.
Peace, Cheers, and Mickey Ears!

 

[soniam]

Does anybody suspect that Rise of the Resistance will debut during the D23 Expo? Or are all bets pretty much off for that happening until LATE later this year??

I think later means later, but I am just guessing and have no insight or knowledge of the situation. I would hope for the best, but expect the worst

 

[Mathmagicland]

Does anybody suspect that Rise of the Resistance will debut during the D23 Expo? Or are all bets pretty much off for that happening until LATE later this year??

I would not put money on it, seeing how things are going with Disneyland and the SWGE opening, that would not seem like a good time to do so. A lot of the Available hotel space is booked for D23, so where would folks go who were not at D23 & wanted to some for the new attraction opening. Also, it might pull people from the Expo who would go to the park instead.

 

[kristenabelle]

Does anybody suspect that Rise of the Resistance will debut during the D23 Expo? Or are all bets pretty much off for that happening until LATE later this year??

It would be awesome if they pulled a Fantasmic, opened it that weekend, and gave panel guests first access passes. But that's super wishful thinking

 

[Katers]

Since you're staying a GCH you have a dedicated security area at the entrance to dtd from the hotel so I don't think you'll be spending hours in line for security. The line may be long but you're only competing with guests who also stayed at GCH not the general public.

Lines at the gates usually move pretty quickly one they start letting people into the parks. There have been reports of lines that stretch across half the esplanade not taking more than 30 mins. If you plan to be there 30 mins or so before EMH start you should have no issue getting into the park in the morning. Now leaving or park hopping and trying to get back into the park in the afternoon may be a different story but it sounds like you're a family with older kids who won't need afternoon breaks.

Thank you! This is exactly the kind of information I needed to ease my fears. I didn’t realize there was more than one security check and especially didn’t realize there was a separate one for GCH! Thanks again!

 

[gypsy_at_heart]

I'm still annoyed that the monorail doesn't directly leave from the Disneyland Hotel anymore

On a more SWGE related note, I was emailing the VIP tours the other day to book for one of our parks days and they made sure to point out that VIP guides are not allowed to enter SWGE at ALL until after 24th of June - not even with a group that has a reservation. I wasn't trying to book for our reservation day or to go to SWGE, but the CM said they have the directive to notify everyone booking VIP tours in that period, so it's good to know that they're on top of it. She did, however, say that after June 24th they have not been told that VIP guides will be restricted.

 

[EmJ]

I'm still annoyed that the monorail doesn't directly leave from the Disneyland Hotel anymore

On a more SWGE related note, I was emailing the VIP tours the other day to book for one of our parks days and they made sure to point out that VIP guides are not allowed to enter SWGE at ALL until after 24th of June - not even with a group that has a reservation. I wasn't trying to book for our reservation day or to go to SWGE, but the CM said they have the directive to notify everyone booking VIP tours in that period, so it's good to know that they're on top of it. She did, however, say that after June 24th they have not been told that VIP guides will be restricted.

The monorail doesn’t leave from Disneyland Hotel? I thought it connected the park and the hotel, no?

 

[dina444444]

The monorail doesn’t leave from Disneyland Hotel? I thought it connected the park and the hotel, no?

The outside the park station is at the tail end of DTD. It’s like a 90 second walk from DLH.

 

[crvetter]

The monorail doesn’t leave from Disneyland Hotel? I thought it connected the park and the hotel, no?

I believe the monorail is always where it was. However, when they built DTD they demo'd the Hotel structures in that area and rebuilt the monorail station. So to the towers still the monorail is in the same location it always was.

 

[shortred]

My son and I are going to be staying at Disneyland Hotel opening weekend. He is starting a summer internship in Anaheim, June 3, so I decided to fly down with him as my birthday present and stay at DisneyLand. He actually doesn’t have a place to stay that weekend as he is subletting an apartment, so it works out well. Hopefully it will be an awesome bonding experience, and his brothers won’t be too jealous! We have never been to Disneyland-do we walk through Downtown Disney to get to the parks?

 

[gypsy_at_heart]

The monorail doesn’t leave from Disneyland Hotel? I thought it connected the park and the hotel, no?

The outside the park station is at the tail end of DTD. It’s like a 90 second walk from DLH.

I believe the monorail is always where it was. However, when they built DTD they demo'd the Hotel structures in that area and rebuilt the monorail station. So to the towers still the monorail is in the same location it always was.

Yep, the above posters are right. The monorail didn't move, just sadly part of the hotel was removed. I'm not actually bothered by the very very short distance, I'm just oddly attached as that's where we stayed when I was a kid and loved going right from the hotel to the parks. It's one of those silly things. I know Disney had a reason for it, I'm just clinging to childhood memories and being stubborn about it

 

[gypsy_at_heart]

Because I was curious and already emailing VIP, this is their direct response about access for VIP tours after the 24th:

"After the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge reservation period has ended, access to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will vary depending on time of day and operational capacity. It is our goal to make sure all of our tours experience Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but it is not guaranteed. Access to Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run will also be provided based on the same factors. Our VIP Tour will allow you to experience Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run faster than most park Guests, but please keep in mind this is not the same access you’re used to/getting (depending if they’re repeats) in the rest in the park. There’s no expedited access to Droid Depot, Savi’s Workshop, Oga’s Cantina or any of the food and beverage offerings."

 

[dina444444]

My son and I are going to be staying at Disneyland Hotel opening weekend. He is starting a summer internship in Anaheim, June 3, so I decided to fly down with him as my birthday present and stay at DisneyLand. He actually doesn’t have a place to stay that weekend as he is subletting an apartment, so it works out well. Hopefully it will be an awesome bonding experience, and his brothers won’t be too jealous! We have never been to Disneyland-do we walk through Downtown Disney to get to the parks?

Yes. It’s about 5-10 minute walk depending on how fast you walk and crowds in DTD.

 

[Dan Bee]

Hey everyone a couple of quick Q’s (apologies if already covered earlier in the thread)...

1. Our window is 5pm - 9pm. Will we need to be there at 5pm, or will we be able to enter at any time within the window?

2. Where will the actual entrance to Galaxy’s Edge be? And will there be multiple entries of just the one?

Thanks!

 

[dieumeye]

Hey everyone a couple of quick Q’s (apologies if already covered earlier in the thread)...

1. Our window is 5pm - 9pm. Will we need to be there at 5pm, or will we be able to enter at any time within the window?

2. Where will the actual entrance to Galaxy’s Edge be? And will there be multiple entries of just the one?

Thanks!

Note that details could change as we get closer, or even once SW:GE officially opens as the process is tweaked.

1. Please keep a watch for trip reports to see what people are saying about their experience once SW:GE actually opens. It was suggested to me by a CM at the DLH that you should be allowed to enter any time during your window, but by her own admission she didn't know for sure. Please consider the following: we do not know how long it will actually take to get in once you arrive. 5 minutes? 30 minutes? Also, we don't know how long lines inside the land will be (for the ride, for food, for lightsabers, etc). Also, we don't know how the line for Smuggler's Run will work: do you have to do it within your four hour window? Will they kick you out if you are in line when your time expires? Will you be required to be in line at a certain time within your window?

2. There are three paths connecting to SW:GE... Big Thunder Trail "Fantasyland" side, Big Thunder Trail "Big Thunder" side, and Critter Country. How these will be used for entering and exiting is not known at the moment.

 

[HydroGuy]

Does anybody suspect that Rise of the Resistance will debut during the D23 Expo? Or are all bets pretty much off for that happening until LATE later this year??

I do not suspect that in particular, but I do suspect that it will open as soon as humanly possible.

 

[Mathmagicland]

Hello folks. Me and my wife will be attending our first D23 Expo. I've watched a few of the Christan Millan videos, and am hoping that Disney does change things for the big panels this year. Overnight or 3AM queues seems a bit extreme.
We are also DVC members and though it was a little stressful, with a few hiccups/crashes, the online queuing for the Moonlight magic events overall went okay. If D23 did a similar online registration for the big panels, would you be okay with this? I've also heard rumblings about a lottery, not sure of the details. It just seems that there should be a more sensible alternative to camping out in the basement 24 hours before an event.
Peace, Cheers, and Mickey Ears!

I would not want online registration for panels, because there would still be people lining up for the no-show spots or those spots not included in the online aspect. Also, people would line up to get the front or center rows, so I don’t see that as really saving anyone any time. And it is kind of fun to line up early with a few thousand other Disney nerds

Also, there are multiple lines each day, one for the show floor/shopping opportunities, a line for the large hall panel, and lines for a popular first thing regular panel. While the crazy overnight line last year was for live action, all of them have a lot of interest.

With 70,000 or so people trying to get in each day, that takes time to get everyone through security and ticket scanned. I’d rather line up early to get to the show floor at openings, than to get in late because of hoards of people waiting to get in at opening.