First time D23 and DLR

[TinkGirl27]

Hello! My boyfriend and I are WDW veterans. We are heading to SoCal in August for the D23 expo and, of course, DLR. I "feel" like I am behind on planning, but know I still have time as this is a completely different planning set-up than WDW. We are looking for some help and input!

We would like a hotel in walking distance to both the Convention Center and DL. We were looking at the Anabella or possibly the Ramada. For us the location of the hotel is more important to us than the amenities it offers. Realistically, we only shower and sleep there! Any suggestions?

We are planning on traveling August 10-17, getting a five day park hopper and enjoying the Expo on the weekend. If there is any extra time we will probably go to visit the park for an hour or two. Is this realistic with the expo? My boyfriend and I enjoy the details and can spend hours just looking around.

I remember the legacy fast pass days at WDW and am not worried about that so much, but are open to details and tips.

We are looking for suggestions for dining, as well. We know we want to try to book breakfasts or brunch with characters Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday.

Also if anyone has any information on the D23 expo that will be helpful, please let us know. I am looking forward to downloading the app as we get closer.

I have done my research but nothing quite includes both the D23 expo and a DLR vacation together! Any info would greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[MrsWendy]

When I did the expo in 2011, I stayed at the Candy Cane Inn. It was roughly halfway between the convention center and the gates to the parks. If I remember correctly, the walk to both was about 10 minutes. There are several choices that are similar. The Anabella and Ramada are two that should also work well as far as being within easy walking distance to both destinations.

I spent the daytime hours at the expo and then would go to the parks in the evenings. The days were long but since I had to spend many, many hours sitting in lines to get into the expo presentations (since improved I have heard), I had enough energy to spend several hours at the parks. I also stayed an extra day after the expo to have time to do one of the tours.

 

[SMD]

Unless you have the Sorcerer's package, you should expect to spend hours waiting in lines at the Expo. In the morning there are separate lines for the Arena and the rest of the hall. You need to get there hours early to make sure you have a chance at the arena. Inside if you want to buy merch, the lines will be an hour or more to get into the space and then up to an hour to pay. If there's 2 of you, it would be wise to have one get in the cash register line just in case the other finds something to buy. To see the archive exhibits the line was over an hour, but they did have some things to look at in part of the line. For the panels there was a line to get an express pass for 1 panel, so if there's one you want to see outside the arena, I'd definitely do that. There are things you can see without waiting in lines, such as vendors showing Disney licensed items. If their booth has a free giveaway though, expect a line. There's also a dealer's area where people sell collectibles, there were some art dealers with cels, MiceChat and MousePlanet had booths. That had less traffic if the crowd gets to be too much. The programming didn't go very late, and there will be longer hours in July, so you should have a good 3-4 hours park time, even if you stay until the end of the expo on some days.

 

[bamagoofy]

Last Expo there was an email sent with "convention tickets" pricing. I can't remember exactly when it was sent but I do remember the tickets were cheaper. I'm waiting until this email is sent to save some money that I know I will use for merchandise.

 

[HydroGuy]

Hotels...

I looked seriously at the Anabella this year but decided against it. That is a fine choice for D23 Expo but a somewhat poor choice IMO to visit DLR.

We did Candy Cane Inn in 2011 and 2013 for D23/DLR. This year I decided to do a hotel switch to gt closer to DLR for DLR and closer to D23 for D23. That would be BWPPI and Anaheim Hilton.

Visiting Days...

People experience the D23 Expo in so many ways it hard to answer what is reasonable as far as visiting DLR. Aug 10-14 will be no problem. For us the Friday and Saturday of D23 Expo there is absolutely no time to visit DLR. On Sunday there may be time.

FP...

See "The Fastpass Encyclopedia: Everything you need to know about FPs at DLR" by mysteriouspnai http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3094011

Dining...

No advice here for character meals. We have never done one. This thread may help: "What WDW Vets Need to Know About Dining at DLR" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2914467

D23 Expo...

Early arrival is key to get into the major sessions. Plan to wait in a lot of lines. Once inside the Expo plan to switch off holding spots so one of you can go explore the Expo offerings. Figure out what is important to you. Major sessions on movies, animation or parks. Legends ceremony? Collectibles? Celebrity meet and greets/autographs. Products? TV? Other?

 

[PatMcDuck]

We would leave our hotel (Paradise Pier) at around 6 am to walk over and get inline each morning. And we would be WAY back in that line, too.

Since we would wake up around 5 am, we usually did not go to the parks on Friday and Saturday nights, esp if we got into the Sat night large event in the Arena.

But some guests might leave early to go to the park, all depends on their level of interest of the exhibits, presentations, and retail offerings.

 

[TinkGirl27]

We are coming from the East coast, so hoping to stay on our regular schedule so 4/5am early doesn't really feel as early as it is when we are there. Thank you all for your help. We are definitely open to suggestions or advice on anything else.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I've been to every D23 event. I think the thing to remember is that it is an Expo, and you're not going to be able to see every single thing. The person who said earlier to find out what YOU like the best, has the best advice. For some, it is making sure you are in the main theatre for the BIG events. For me, I really need to attend the Studio Live action events. The Archives are always a must for me, too. Wear comfortable shoes because you're either going to be sitting or standing. I'd also make sure you have enough power or portable chargers for your smart phone as you tend to take video and pictures more than you think.

Look at the schedule ahead of time and plan.

Also, I've found the convention food is awful! Go just across to the hotels for better food options.