D23 EXPO THREAD - See you in 2019!

[SMD]

Sorry, I know this has probably been asked, but it's a long thread. Crowds at DL after D23? Like Monday and Tuesday?

It's July, so yes, there will be crowds. Monday is the actual DL anniversary date, it draws it's own crowds. It's a good guess that most people who travel for D23 and add a park day will stay for that.

 

[wilkeliza]

Sorry, I know this has probably been asked, but it's a long thread. Crowds at DL after D23? Like Monday and Tuesday?

It is the summer so expect crowds. The only thing that makes them manageable is that the southern California APs are usually blacked out so fewer APs.

 

[keahgirl8]

@OhioStateBuckeye Per the 2015 App, the floor hours were 9am/10am - 7pm. There have been later presentations, but they aren't a regularly scheduled thing - that varies from Expo to Expo. People do go to the Parks after the floor closes.

People do, but I don't! I'm always too wiped out to go to the parks! I'm constantly on the go and on my feet all day at the expo.

 

[lurkergirl]

@keahgirl8 I don't know how people do it! Especially if lining up for big panels, it makes for a long day.

 

[Animation Fanatic]

If I attend the Legends Panel will I still be able to attend the Animation Panel?

In other words... if I sit closer to an exit and can zoom out of Hall D23 at the end of Legends, will I be able to get a seat for the Animation Panel?

 

[Animation Fanatic]

People do, but I don't! I'm always too wiped out to go to the parks! I'm constantly on the go and on my feet all day at the expo.

I personally am not planning on going to the parks during D23... I may on Sunday, but I'm investing too much to attend the expo to ruin my time by depleting my energy stores to go to the parks... I may go back to my room and relax in the pool a bit, but that's pretty much it... DTD for dinner, but yeah... too much to do at expo.

 

[Animation Fanatic]

FYI... talked to D23 directly today... GOLD lines for 1hr early access are gone... the way that they are rewarding Gold Members are to offer select priority seating in Hall D23 to Gold Members or Gold Family Members. The girl from D23 also told me that they will be enforcing Gold Member perks more strictly this year, so have those member cards with you. I personally hope that they do... many on here have mentioned how lax they've been in the past. Gold Members should be rewarded... this is the "D23" expo after all.

 

[keahgirl8]

@keahgirl8 I don't know how people do it! Especially if lining up for big panels, it makes for a long day.

No kidding. 3 early mornings and a lot of time on my feet. I usually do the expo pretty much open to close, because I like to soak it all in, so it's a lot. I can't imagine walking around the parks.

I personally am not planning on going to the parks during D23... I may on Sunday, but I'm investing too much to attend the expo to ruin my time by depleting my energy stores to go to the parks... I may go back to my room and relax in the pool a bit, but that's pretty much it... DTD for dinner, but yeah... too much to do at expo.

Agreed! I probably won't go Sunday either. I'll try to save energy for a long park day Monday.

FYI... talked to D23 directly today... GOLD lines for 1hr early access are gone... the way that they are rewarding Gold Members are to offer select priority seating in Hall D23 to Gold Members or Gold Family Members. The girl from D23 also told me that they will be enforcing Gold Member perks more strictly this year, so have those member cards with you. I personally hope that they do... many on here have mentioned how lax they've been in the past. Gold Members should be rewarded... this is the "D23" expo after all.

Interesting. It always makes me nervous when they start something new. It seems to take them a while to get the kinks out.

 

[lurkergirl]

If I attend the Legends Panel will I still be able to attend the Animation Panel?

In other words... if I sit closer to an exit and can zoom out of Hall D23 at the end of Legends, will I be able to get a seat for the Animation Panel?

So hard to predict, @Animation Fanatic. Theoretically, they are lining up for panel B as soon as panel A loads...maybe sooner, depending on space and demand. We have done back-to-back panels but they also weren't truly back-to-back. In 2015 there was a gap between the Live Action panel and the Parks & Resorts panel. So my vote is for a qualified maybe.

Keep in mind, past load practice has been to seat you. You haven't been able to choose a spot to sit.

 

[naoboo]

Hey all! This is going to be my first D23 Expo (though not my first big con) so I’ve got a few questions. I’m mostly just hoping for some general info, not anything too specific, as I know there’s no guarantee things will be the same this year. I also hope this is the right thread to ask on – I haven’t found any other Expo specific ones.

(Oh geez, this came out way longer than I expected. I tried to hold back, I swear!)

First question – originally, it was just going to be me and my mom going on the trip, but my sisters are now tagging along as well. Mom and I have tickets for all three days and my sisters have Friday only tickets. Unfortunately, my mom has a close family member in California that we recently learned has been diagnosed with something serious and she is considering going to visit for a day. So, if she chooses not to attend the con for one of the days, would one of my sisters be able to use her ticket instead? The past cons I’ve been to used badges that were not tied to one specific person and could be used by different people, but I noticed when buying D23 tickets the webpage specifically said they were non-transferable.

Second – what are the merchandise queues and shops like? I looked at the con map from the 2015 D23 Expo and there are three different Disney stores – I assume they had different types of merchandise? The bare minimum I’m hoping to get is a con t-shirt and pin – is the con logo merch sold in only place? Have those items sold out in the past? For Star Wars Celebration this year, my group got in line for the show floor a few hours before it opened on the first day and made a beeline for the store but it still took a total of three hours to get in and check out (the wait was even longer later in the day). Are the D23 Expo stores similar?

Third – merch related again. Does anyone have any idea if the poster designs that have been released will be for sale? The BB-8 one would be a great companion to the poster I got at Star Wars Celebration. I looked at past D23 Expo merch posts on the Disney Parks Blog, but they don’t say anything about posters for sale.

Fourth – I currently am not planning to try to make it into any of the huge panels, but what are lines and wait times typically like for the ones not in Hall D23? Are the rooms cleared out between panels or will some people camp out all day in a room waiting for a specific panel?

Fifth – any idea what the Disneyland crowd will be like before the con? I’ve only seen a few people talk about the days after the con. Regardless, I expect it to be busy anyway so we’re probably going to do four full days.

Sixth (and final!) – are there any other websites or resources I should keep an eye leading up the Expo? Besides the obvious official Disney ones?

Thanks so much if you read through the whole thing! I’m just starting to plan for the con and trying to get all the info I can!

 

[wilkeliza]

@naoboo

1: Officially no your sister can't use your mom's badge. I don't know if saying much more would be against board policy.

2: Last year I could have gone into the "expo shop" a billion times before I ever reached the wait I did for Celebration last week. Mickey's of Glendale and Disney Store usually have massive lines (still not nearly as long as Celebration) but the Expo Shop may get a 30-45 minute wait but not hours long. On Force for a Change day I got in and out in under 30 minutes.

3: I don't remember there being a poster but I could have missed it.

4: Rooms are cleared between all panels even teh smaller ones. For the smaller ones if there is a stage pass for it get one. There is 0 guarantee you will get into the room if you don't have a stage pass no matter how long you wait. I did the Adventures by Disney/Disney Cruise/ DVC panel as well as the Inside Out Panel and no standby were let into either.

5: Busy buy manageable. It will have summer crowds but I find DL summer crowds to be tame compared to WDW.

6: Not sure before but during definitely use twitter to your advantage. Usually #D23Expo #D23Line etc will have information from people on the con floor about what the line situation is, anything about cool stuff going on, etc.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

It's official. I may not be able to attend the Dis 20th anniversary party but I'm going to D23 expo! Flight booked, rental car booked, hotel booked.
Next up will be all the reading to catch up on what's what.

I'll be solo so I won't have a stand in line for me helper when I need to use a rest room or grab a bite to eat. Hopefully I'll have a great time!

 

[wilkeliza]

It's official. I may not be able to attend the Dis 20th anniversary party but I'm going to D23 expo! Flight booked, rental car booked, hotel booked.
Next up will be all the reading to catch up on what's what.

I'll be solo so I won't have a stand in line for me helper when I need to use a rest room or grab a bite to eat. Hopefully I'll have a great time!

Don't worry about lines as a single. You'll make a line buddy who will end up holding your spot. If the people in front of your aren't chill buddy up with the people behind you.

 

[naoboo]

2: Last year I could have gone into the "expo shop" a billion times before I ever reached the wait I did for Celebration last week. Mickey's of Glendale and Disney Store usually have massive lines (still not nearly as long as Celebration) but the Expo Shop may get a 30-45 minute wait but not hours long. On Force for a Change day I got in and out in under 30 minutes.

That is SUCH a relief! I think we missed George Lucas and Harrison Ford at the Star Wars Show Live stage while we were in the checkout line, but at least we had the whole selection to pick through since it was day one.

4: Rooms are cleared between all panels even teh smaller ones. For the smaller ones if there is a stage pass for it get one. There is 0 guarantee you will get into the room if you don't have a stage pass no matter how long you wait. I did the Adventures by Disney/Disney Cruise/ DVC panel as well as the Inside Out Panel and no standby were let into either.

So basically, if a panel has a stage pass and I don't get one, don't bother?

And I have one more probably dumb question I forgot to ask. One of my sisters is bringing her year old infant (which is why she's only going for a day). I assume infants can be brought in for free? I figure the expo has a similar policy as the parks - free admission for children under three. I feel silly asking, but I haven't been able to find an official answer.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

So what movies does everyone think will be represented at the panels? I'm trying to figure out which panels are going to be my must sees.

Do they ever reference/have stars from a movie that was just released? Or are future movies only represented?

I'm looking at the Disney movie release schedule and this is how it is looking...

ANIMATED

June 16: Cars 3
November 22: Coco (I'm assuming this one will be heavily represented)
2018
March 9: Wreck It Ralph 2 (it will be too early for a teaser trailer, or will it?)
June 15: Incredibles 2
November 21: Gigantic
2019
June 21: Toy Story 4

LIVE ACTION

May 26: Pirates
July 7: Spiderman
November 3: Thor Ragnarok
December 15: The Last Jedi
2018
February 16: Black Panther
April 6: A Wrinkle in Time
May 4: Avengers Infinity War
May 25: Han Solo
July 6: Ant Man and the Wasp
November 2: Mulan
December 25: Mary Poppins Returns

That is a lot of live action movies coming out over the next year and a half. How many movies do they usually discuss in the panels?

 

[keahgirl8]

So hard to predict, @Animation Fanatic. Theoretically, they are lining up for panel B as soon as panel A loads...maybe sooner, depending on space and demand. We have done back-to-back panels but they also weren't truly back-to-back. In 2015 there was a gap between the Live Action panel and the Parks & Resorts panel. So my vote is for a qualified maybe.

Keep in mind, past load practice has been to seat you. You haven't been able to choose a spot to sit.

You also have to keep in mind that past experience doesn't mean much, because anything can and will change. Plus Saturday is generally the most crowded day, so it's a whole different animal than the other two days. I practically walked into a Frozen presentation on Sunday in 2015, got a good seat, and the Lopez's, Kristen Bell, and Josh Gad were there. The place wasn't even full. That never would have happened on Saturday, unless it was during another big presentation.

Don't worry about lines as a single. You'll make a line buddy who will end up holding your spot. If the people in front of your aren't chill buddy up with the people behind you.

Definitely true! I made a couple of friends in 2013 who saved me a seat and even grabbed a Stagepass for me while I was in another line.

 

[wilkeliza]

That is SUCH a relief! I think we missed George Lucas and Harrison Ford at the Star Wars Show Live stage while we were in the checkout line, but at least we had the whole selection to pick through since it was day one.


So basically, if a panel has a stage pass and I don't get one, don't bother?

And I have one more probably dumb question I forgot to ask. One of my sisters is bringing her year old infant (which is why she's only going for a day). I assume infants can be brought in for free? I figure the expo has a similar policy as the parks - free admission for children under three. I feel silly asking, but I haven't been able to find an official answer.

It really depends. Sometimes you get lucky because stagepass holders skip and sometimes they close the doors with chairs empty after stagepass is loading due to timing. It is so hard to say what will happen. If you don't have a stage pass then best to show up super early.

Children under 3 get complementary admission so no worries on the baby. Just be prepared that a 1 year old isn't really goinig to want to sit in panels so try to get a aisle seat so you can leave quickly if need be.

 

[lurkergirl]

@OhioStateBuckeye They can (and do!) present a lot of movies in the Live Action and Animation panels. Some are in-depth with teaser trailers and/or footage, others are vague as concepts are still being fleshed out. The Good Dinosaur was one movie in 2013 and a completely different movie in 2015.

The Animation panels tend to run long in my experience, John Lasseter loves his job!

 

[PatMcDuck]

I got into a couple of panels on standby. Once Upon a Time, and Merrie Melodies (which was amazing! they played really old cartoons while a live orchestra played the original soundtrack music, perfectly in sync. It was actually so much more amazing than I expected). Anther year, got into Monsters University (before Stage pass but it was an "overflow"line). I have also failed to get into a few.

One problem with the standby lines, they tend to load the rooms too slowly, because the panel before may run overtime. So, they may stop letting standby inside, even if there are seats left available. I saw this both times I did standby in 2015. I made it into OUAT barely, they literally had us RUNNING to get inside before the doors closed. Luckily I was alone at that point (my friends do not watch it), so I could jump into any random seat.

I struggle with the large Studios and Parks presentations, VS. the small intimate interesting small ones. It is so hard to choose. One or Two years I skipped Studios (before it was split into Animation and Live Action), and missed Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr, etc. But wow, I got to see some great smaller ones, Pixar and ride development ones. So cool to hear stories of how they work on various ideas and approaches to rides, movies, and shows. I have never seen Legends, because I am doing other things.

I can't wait until July!

 

[naoboo]

Thanks for the help @wilkeliza and @PatMcDuck - I'll be sure to keep all this info in mind when planning with my family!