Is D23 Expo worth it?

[mfleeting]

We normally go to DL over Thanksgiving but due to a large trip in December we have to cancel it. We were thinking of doing a small DL trip instead before June to not miss out. However, we were also thinking of D23 expo. The question is: is D23 worth giving up Disneyland for the year?

 

[starry_solo]

The expo? It depends on what you want to get out of it.

 

[mfleeting]

Yeah sorry the expo (I updated it). We've never been so not sure what all it even consists of. Just wondering from people who have gone if its worth skipping Disneyland for a year to do it. My husband looked at it some and thinks it may be interesting but were not sure

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... However, we were also thinking of D23 expo. The question is: is D23 worth giving up Disneyland for the year?

First: I edited your title to clarify that you are referring to the Expo, not general membership.
Second: Personally, as a D23 member and repeat Expo attendee, my answer would be no. If I had to choose between one Expo trip or a year of DL, I'd go with DL. Expo is really fun, but it is a serious con -- 3 days of exhausting, non-stop all Disney (in all the company's guises: Marvel, Disney -- films/DVC/DCL/Pixar/archives/store/Star Wars/franchise licensees/etc.), all the time, in your face, hang on for the ride, wait in lines, sleeping on the floor or the ground overnight for panels, etc. We really do enjoy Expo (after we recover!), but I wouldn't give up a year of DL for it. I'd wait for the panel videos to be released (last time the quality was much improved and many videos were released pretty quickly), and watch those while planning my next DL trip!

 

[HydroGuy]

OP, why would you have to give up a DLR trip for the D23 Expo? Many folks, like me, who do not live in the area, do both. I will be coming to DLR for a 2-3 day trip the week before the Expo. Then just doing the Expo on Fri/Sat/Sun.

That arrangement is worth it for many Disney fans. But it depends on the person and what they are interested in. There is frankly an incredibly wide range of things that interest D23 Expo participants. For me, I am most excited by the sessions on live action and animated movies, as well as the "parks and resorts" plans. Those require you to arrive at like 3AM to get in line if you want to be one of the 8000 allowed in. So you have to really want to be there.

Other folks like the collectibles, the autograph signings by Disney personalities, the Disney history (e.g., archives), the Disney television related items, the costumes, the contests and probably a dozen other things.

If these interest you, and you are willing to sacrifice sleep and be willing to wait in lines for hours and hours, the Expo is worth it.

 

[tobikaye]

OP, could you do a combo trip? Since you have done DLR before, if your normal trip is 3 days in the parks, could you maybe do 1 day of the expo and 2 days at the parks?

I am going to the expo for the first time this year and combining it with my first DLR trip. If I only had a weekend to do the trip, I probably would have just chosen to do DL since I have never been. We will be doing the expo and then the parks, unless we arrive early enough the day before to get some time in at the parks before needing to get to bed.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

My first reaction was to say, yes, absolutely, D23 is worth it. I've only been once, but it was amazing. The thing is though, you have to go in with realistic expectation. Unless you camp out the night before, you will wait in line for anywhere from 1-2 hours just to get in the doors. Do you want to see big name panels like animation or live action? Then you can expect to spend your nights on the basement floor of the convention center in line. Do you want to see smaller panels? Those are easier to get into. Do you expect to get a bunch of high end merchandise? There's going to be a 90 minute line...at least once. Or do you just want to explore? If you go in with realistic expectations, it's amazing. If you go in thinking you'll arrive at 10AM and walk right in to whatever you want, don't waste your time.

If I had to give up Disneyland for a year to go, I don't think I would. I absolutely loved the experience and I am so glad that I did it. I camped out, got into all the big panels I wanted to see, and went all in. But I love Disneyland too much to skip a year for an expo that's intensely packed and exhausting.

 

[adamreisinger]

I did D23 Expo in 2017 as part of a combo Expo/Disneyland trip, and I honestly wish I'd just planned two separate trips. The Expo was amazing (though everything PP wrote about managing expectations applies), but I was so exhausted from it each day -- the waking up super early, the standing in lines, the walking from the hotel to the convention center and back -- that my plans to dip into the parks each night quickly fell apart, and I even ended up cutting my two post-Expo park days short.

That said, I wouldn't trade my 2017 Expo experience for anything. Getting to see all the living Disney princesses on stage at the same time was incredible (and had that been the only thing I got to see at the Expo, I would've been perfectly content). It's hard to say whether I'd trade an entire year of park visits for one Expo trip, especially this year. Now, the 2021 (WDW's 50th anniversary) or 2023 (TWDC's 100th) Expos might be a different story.

 

[HydroGuy]

I did D23 Expo in 2017 as part of a combo Expo/Disneyland trip, and I honestly wish I'd just planned two separate trips. The Expo was amazing (though everything PP wrote about managing expectations applies), but I was so exhausted from it each day -- the waking up super early, the standing in lines, the walking from the hotel to the convention center and back -- that my plans to dip into the parks each night quickly fell apart, and I even ended up cutting my two post-Expo park days short.

That said, I wouldn't trade my 2017 Expo experience for anything. Getting to see all the living Disney princesses on stage at the same time was incredible (and had that been the only thing I got to see at the Expo, I would've been perfectly content). It's hard to say whether I'd trade an entire year of park visits for one Expo trip, especially this year. Now, the 2021 (WDW's 50th anniversary) or 2023 (TWDC's 100th) Expos might be a different story.

For folks in general, I would highly recommend against trying to do the Expo and parks on the same day.

At the last Expo I got a FP to the opening night of the revamped Fantasmic. As badly as I wanted to do that, I had no more energy. So I skipped it until a later trip.

 

[mfleeting]

We normally go to Disney for about 5 days however the expo is the week school starts so we can’t add more days. We were already going to pull the kids out for Friday (being the 3rd day of school they won’t actually be doing much as supplies/computers/textbooks aren’t available until Monday or Tuesday). We wanted to try to add in a small trip before June for DL but my son has a school trip to Vegas that just came up last week and he has to attend it and spring break flights were ridiculously high (400+ a person). We will be in LA over Christmas so may arrive a day or two early to do a day or two at DL if the budget is available. But we were also thinking of not wanting to deal with Star Wars land this year.

We have done a few cons (PAX east/south, RTX, some comic book cons in our areas) and our kids wanted to do more cons over the next few years so that’s why we thought of the expo.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We normally go to Disney for about 5 days however the expo is the week school starts so we can’t add more days. We were already going to pull the kids out for Friday (being the 3rd day of school they won’t actually be doing much as supplies/computers/textbooks aren’t available until Monday or Tuesday). We wanted to try to add in a small trip before June for DL but my son has a school trip to Vegas that just came up last week and he has to attend it and spring break flights were ridiculously high (400+ a person). We will be in LA over Christmas so may arrive a day or two early to do a day or two at DL if the budget is available. But we were also thinking of not wanting to deal with Star Wars land this year.

We have done a few cons (PAX east/south, RTX, some comic book cons in our areas) and our kids wanted to do more cons over the next few years so that’s why we thought of the expo.

This gives more context to your question, so things make more sense. But given your situation, personally, I would still take DL over Expo. Even with SWGE, you have plenty of time to read updates and reports here to stay on top of all the tips and strategies on how to handle the crowds. And Holiday Time at DLR is so special -- too hard to pass up!

 

[mfleeting]

This gives more context to your question, so things make more sense. But given your situation, personally, I would still take DL over Expo. Even with SWGE, you have plenty of time to read updates and reports here to stay on top of all the tips and strategies on how to handle the crowds. And Holiday Time at DLR is so special -- too hard to pass up!

Yeah we love Disney during the Holidays. We normally go over Thanksgiving break (tried Spring Break once and we didn’t like it as much). But we also have an expensive trip in December so we didn’t want to do DL that close to the other trip. But since we’re doing Great Wolf Lodge in the area this year (instead of Dallas) we may be able to throw in some DL time before we fly to Sydney if our budget allows it.