New D23 Expo Superthread! (6/24/2019)

[Elias1901]

Hall D23 is separate from the Arena - The arena is the actual built-in theater (of sorts) that's all the way over to the side of the complex. I think they used to hold the largest panels there until they needed to create Hall D23

Is Hall D23 upstairs then? One of the stages??

 

[dina444444]

I'm about with you there... however, I'd probably be willing to wait about an hour or so.

Anyways! I'm just curious... they say Hall D23, etc. that's the arena, correct? I just ask due to the fact that that Little Mermaid panel is scheduled at 10 AM in the arena on Sunday morning... how?? Doesn't Parks & Resorts start in the same venue at 10:30 AM?? Is the Little Mermaid presentation really only going to be a half hour? I guess it's possible but that's basically a hard stop and hard start in the timing of the two... thoughts?

As a poster above noted they don’t use the actual convention center arena anymore.

Here’s the map from 2017:

https://twitter.com/x/status/883358704078393345

 

[lurkergirl]

Anyways! I'm just curious... they say Hall D23, etc. that's the arena, correct? I just ask due to the fact that that Little Mermaid panel is scheduled at 10 AM in the arena on Sunday morning... how?? Doesn't Parks & Resorts start in the same venue at 10:30 AM?? Is the Little Mermaid presentation really only going to be a half hour? I guess it's possible but that's basically a hard stop and hard start in the timing of the two... thoughts?

What @kristenabelle said, the Expo Arena is the older Arena space at the Anaheim Convention Center. It holds 10,000 (I believe) in oval-ish space, although Disney doesn't utilize all those seats. They set it up as a concert type-venue, so some seats are blocked off. There are two or three levels, with tiered seating. Seating wise, it comes in way below the Hall D23 venue.

Hall D23 is literally Hall D, a MASSIVE convention hall they set-up with 7500 seats. It's all flat seating, no tiers at all. It's divided into three sections (A-B-C). It's loaded from the basement, with elevators directly into the Hall.

The Little Mermaid is the Arena, the Parks & Resorts presentation is in Hall D23 - two separate spaces. They are opposite each other on the ground floor, separated by Halls A-B-C (not to be confused with the same named sections of Hall D/D23) which make up the convention floor.

(All of this is based on past Expos, the actual layout could be different this year!)

 

[Elias1901]

Wait. So they aren't using the same arena (which had more seats in it) anymore? Forgive me, my last Expo was in 2013... oh dear! No wonder people have to wait overnight. Does anybody have anything positive to say about Hall D23 vs. the arena?? What was the point of making the change, I wonder...

So for Legends, Studios and Parks & Resorts... these will be in the newer Hall D23? This is what... to the left once you enter, opposed to the right where the arena queue area was (if memory serves)?? Wasn't where Hall D23 is just open space for like booths and stuff many years of Expos ago? I'm confused... haha...

 

[mickeytotallyrock]

Wait. So they aren't using the same arena (which had more seats in it) anymore? Forgive me, my last Expo was in 2013... oh dear! No wonder people have to wait overnight. Does anybody have anything positive to say about Hall D23 vs. the arena?? What was the point of making the change, I wonder...

So for Legends, Studios and Parks & Resorts... these will be in the newer Hall D23? This is what... to the left once you enter, opposed to the right where the arena queue area was (if memory serves)?? Wasn't where Hall D23 is just open space for like booths and stuff many years of Expos ago? I'm confused... haha...

The arena has always been smaller than Hall D23. The arena seats about 4000 people, while Hall D23 seats 6800 people. Hall D23 utilizes Hall D of the Anaheim convention center (which in the past has been used for the showfloor as it is just a big room). Hall D is the left most portion of the convention center and hall E is directly below it (which is where the line is held for Hall D23)

 

[lurkergirl]

Wait. So they aren't using the same arena (which had more seats in it) anymore? Forgive me, my last Expo was in 2013... oh dear! No wonder people have to wait overnight. Does anybody have anything positive to say about Hall D23 vs. the arena?? What was the point of making the change, I wonder...

So for Legends, Studios and Parks & Resorts... these will be in the newer Hall D23? This is what... to the left once you enter, opposed to the right where the arena queue area was (if memory serves)?? Wasn't where Hall D23 is just open space for like booths and stuff many years of Expos ago? I'm confused... haha...

No, they are using the Arena. They never utilized it to it's full capacity the way the stage was designed, I think the Arena at the Expo held 3000 or 4000. Hall D23 holds more.

Once Hall D was built, they utilize that for the huge panels and have used the Arena for smaller large panels. There are also two Halls (Stages) on the second floor they use.

 

[Elias1901]

Thanks for the clarification guys! I think I understand now...

 

[Mathmagicland]

This link may help clarify - floor plan diagram from the convention center website, about halfway down the page.

D23 Arena is the blue oval on the right on level 1. Level 1 Halls A,B,C have been the expo show floor. Hall D is the larger Hall D23 for the major popular presentation sessions, Hall E in the lower level left is where the overnight lineups have been. And, as noted above, there are a couple of smaller panel rooms on the second level. There may even be one panel room on the third level,

http://www.anaheim.net/1126/Floor-Plans-Specifications

 

[mickeytotallyrock]

Did anyone else who is signed up for USPS informed delivery get a notification about a package coming from Compton, CA using DHL e-commerce. I know that that is where the D23 magazines ship from. Maybe the tickets are starting to mail (or it’s one of my packages I don’t know about)

 

[Elias1901]

So, I know there's some out there that have said at one point that Rise of the Resistance debuting during the D23 Expo weekend is unlikely... but I've heard some saying there's a rumor it could open in early September. Well, that's pretty close to the Expo... is it really that far of a stretch to contemplate the notion of ROTR opening during the Expo or even to debut to Expo attendees first... maybe kind of how they surprised attendees with an early showing of Fantasmic! 2.0 in 2017? Why not??

I don't know. I mean, I don't think it is a guarantee but if it is going to be ready by early September... I don't see a ROTR surprise during the Expo being COMPLETELY out there in terms of potentially happening... (that would be my secret hope).

Thoughts??

 

[skier_pete]

So, I know there's some out there that have said at one point that Rise of the Resistance debuting during the D23 Expo weekend is unlikely... but I've heard some saying there's a rumor it could open in early September. Well, that's pretty close to the Expo... is it really that far of a stretch to contemplate the notion of ROTR opening during the Expo or even to debut to Expo attendees first... maybe kind of how they surprised attendees with an early showing of Fantasmic! 2.0 in 2017? Why not??

I don't know. I mean, I don't think it is a guarantee but if it is going to be ready by early September... I don't see a ROTR surprise during the Expo being COMPLETELY out there in terms of potentially happening... (that would be my secret hope).

Thoughts??

It's definitely in the back of many minds...including mine.

 

[Elias1901]

It's definitely in the back of many minds...including mine.

Well, the Disney Parks Blog did make the first mention of it since the initial announcement that it would not be open at launch of the land, stating that it would be open "this year". Of course, there's still a lot of year left in "this year" so that could literally mean anything. But with rumors of internal this and that and such... and the fact that I've heard about D23 rumblings for ROTR more than once... I mean... it's certainly not impossible.

I know it would probably be a complete gongshow that weekend if that were the case... but I booked our trip before the announcement that ROTR would be delayed, thinking that it would open all at once. So... it would certainly make our trip that much more awesome if we were able to get a peek at it as we initially expected!

 

[justlai87]

I'm hoping Rise opens D23 weekend or at least give attendees a sneak peek, but will be OK if nothing happens.

 

[Mathmagicland]

The Main Street Electrical Parade will be back for two months and there during D23 Expo-

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...with-return-of-main-street-electrical-parade/

 

[PatMcDuck]

Last time the Hercules panel was in the Arena. I love the Arena, you can see so well with the theatre seating. Saw Menken concert in there too, one year.

That Hercules panel was a last minute decision on my part, just jumped into the end of the standby line, was not even sure I would get in. Got a great seat, that is easy when you are alone (my friends were elsewhere). I loved it. The medium and small panels can be real gems. Voices of the Parks is a good one, that they do not always run.

 

[lurkergirl]

The “Things to Know” section of the D23 Expo website has been edited to include the event hours (9am to 7pm), so information is slowly coming together.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Did anyone else who is signed up for USPS informed delivery get a notification about a package coming from Compton, CA using DHL e-commerce. I know that that is where the D23 magazines ship from. Maybe the tickets are starting to mail (or it’s one of my packages I don’t know about)

We received our DHL package today, which contained our Expo t-shirts. So, maybe tickets aren't far behind?

 

[Elias1901]

The Main Street Electrical Parade will be back for two months and there during D23 Expo-

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...with-return-of-main-street-electrical-parade/

This "lit up" my day! Pun totally intended!!

 

[Elias1901]

The Main Street Electrical Parade will be back for two months and there during D23 Expo-

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...with-return-of-main-street-electrical-parade/

Not to steer the topic of D23 off course with MSEP chat... but does anybody have a guess (based on past nighttime parades) when the MSEP will run each evening? It says nightly, so that's good. Nothing added to the calendar yet...

 

[Mathmagicland]

Not to steer the topic of D23 off course with MSEP chat... but does anybody have a guess (based on past nighttime parades) when the MSEP will run each evening? It says nightly, so that's good. Nothing added to the calendar yet...

Last time it was at Disneyland it ran twice each night, once before the fireworks and once after....I think maybe 8:30 and 10:00 or something like that.