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

[HydroGuy]

Best. Expo. Ever.

 

[dmeets]

I did the same, hope you stuck with it as there were plenty of seats, the panel started late, and it was amazing!

I did, and yes it was!!

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I'll do a bigger write up later.

But my final thoughts are just kind of meh.

Went to a few fantastic panels, but besides those the expo was kind of a bust and not near as good as 2017.

I know people will just say I have a bad attitude about it, but I think the reservation system just really messed it up for me.

Had no talent signings, every standby line I waited on for the ones I wanted none of us were ever pulled in.

We spent about our entire day Friday waiting for Disney+. It was a really good panel, but 10:30- the end of the panel around 5:30 was taken up.

It was discouraging. I doubt I'll go again.

 

[dmeets]

Organizationally I think it was smoother than previous expos. At first I wasn’t sure about the expanded security zone, as it made the Hilton/Marriott not as convenient for early entry, but ultimately I liked having the food trucks inside the zone since ACC food was as appealing as ever.

I’m probably biased since I lost in last weekend’s lottery but I don’t agree with the My Magic + approach to stagepass/storepass. I think if they were to do online it should’ve been 1 or 2 tops and not included talent signings or especially not the Hall D23 panels... standby only by midnight is ridiculous.

Despite having no store passes I was able to get into all three by the end of the weekend (and saw the dream store was zero wait at several points). However, I had the luxury of having 3 days to go. Unfortunately Disney Store was kind of a busy for me as the only shirts left today were size 2XL.

I think I attended fewer panels this year (only hit Stage 28 and the Arena once each and never made it to an Archives panel unfortunately). Of the big Hall D23 panels, Disney+ was surprisingly the best IMO. The studios panel had no big news from Lucasfilm or Marvel since the latter opted to focus on comic con instead apparently (of course there was going to be a Black Panther 2). The parks panel was a little underwhelming since most was already known but that was mostly my fault for believing the Brazil rumor (this is like the 4th time I fell for it). I was pleased by the Mary Poppins news. Nice to see another country get an attraction. Felt like Chapek’s biggest news was the Disney Store/Target deal which I was totally meh on. It looked like the generic stuff like stuffed animals, princess clothes and dolls “for girls” and marvel clothes and toys “for boys.” As for Disney + it sounds loaded. That had the big Marvel/SW news that Saturdays presentation lacked. I just wish Disney+ would pull shows from Disney Channel’s premium era. Just please tell me the folks doing D23’s IT won’t be allowed near Disney+.

As far as the expo itself, there seemed to be much less chaos and the staff/CMs seemed friendlier and a bit more knowledgeable this year. If the stagepass situation didn’t end up becoming a haves vs have-nots situation I’d say this was one of the best expos. But SP did put a damper on things for me a bit and caused me to line up earlier than I ought to have due to paranoia about standby availability.

 

[dina444444]

Best. Expo. Ever.

I had a wonderful time.

 

[ashley0139]

I enjoyed the expo this year. My friend and I were saying that this year was by far the best logistics wise, but the worst content wise, at least for the panels we went to. Having the separated lines made it easy to know where to go. Everything ran very smoothly for us in that respect. The panels we went to were kind of meh. I was most excited for the 50th anniversary Haunted Mansion panel and was underwhelmed. Same with the collecting the creepy panel. I love the parks panel and still enjoyed it, but no particularly exciting announcements for me. I wish I'd gone to the character voices panel as that seemed the best, but we were up at 3 to make sure we got into parks so we were done by 3:30 at the expo. We'll definitely be back though.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Overall, we enjoyed this Expo. It was low key for us, and that worked out well. Gold member lines worked very well -- better than SP. Stand by worked fine for our panels upstairs. Hit the Dream Store today with a 25 minute wait. Loved the Archives exhibit, especially after attending the Costumes panel with Becky Cline. The 3 Voluntears bags and pins are some of our favorite souvenirs of this Expo -- super cute! Today was the first day that anyone questioned what was in my backpack at bag check. A supervisor was called who wanted to deny my items until I told him about my letter from DLR Accessibility Services. (Thank goodness for that letter!) He hesitated, then asked to see the letter, read it and saw the name and direct number at the bottom. Then he decided to tag my bag, but said that normally he would not allow it. This was the North Entrance. I told him that we've been using the East Entrance all the other times and no one there has ever questioned anything or suggested that I needed a tag for my bag. He said that they were supposed to be tagging things that were medically allowed. Oh well...
Favorite panels included Character Voices, Little Mermaid 30th, Aladdin, and Disney on Broadway. After all the planning and re-planning, it's hard to believe that Expo is really over.

 

[dina444444]

Overall, we enjoyed this Expo. It was low key for us, and that worked out well. Gold member lines worked very well -- better than SP. Stand by worked fine for our panels upstairs. Hit the Dream Store today with a 25 minute wait. Loved the Archives exhibit, especially after attending the Costumes panel with Becky Cline. The 3 Voluntears bags and pins are some of our favorite souvenirs of this Expo -- super cute! Today was the first day that anyone questioned what was in my backpack at bag check. A supervisor was called who wanted to deny my items until I told him about my letter from DLR Accessibility Services. (Thank goodness for that letter!) He hesitated, then asked to see the letter, read it and saw the name and direct number at the bottom. Then he decided to tag my bag, but said that normally he would not allow it. This was the North Entrance. I told him that we've been using the East Entrance all the other times and no one there has ever questioned anything or suggested that I needed a tag for my bag. He said that they were supposed to be tagging things that were medically allowed. Oh well...
Favorite panels included Character Voices, Little Mermaid 30th, Aladdin, and Disney on Broadway. After all the planning and re-planning, it's hard to believe that Expo is really over.

I had snacks in my backpack all 3 days and only entered from Katella. Security didn't even give it a second glance.

 

[montreid]

Expo 2017 and 2019 veterans and San Diego Comic-Con for 5 years --- Being on the opposite side of 40s, I appreciated the lack of strongest survivor endurance test that Expo brings compared to SDCC. Queuing for lines 3+ hours simply isn't for everyone and the stagepass/storepass/reservation signing allowed to have a more balanced approach to cohort of folk participating in the functions at all levels.

This was Disney's first stab on full online reservations. Even though we got 1 in within 5 minutes this year and made out with multiple reservations, there was a disproportionate advantage on the signings and other loopholes some folk got into earlier than 12noon.

ASK: deployed a waiting room entry for 1 hour THEN lottery into the reservation/purchasing line. That interim step will be able to filter out the super F5/loophole seeking maniacs. Do that for the Sorcerer release too next time.

ASK 2: 1 stagepass per day. 1 storepass per day. 2 signings per day ENTIRE SHOWFLOOR. That will spread out the opportunities to many more folk while keeping some open for spur of the moment folk

I really liked the tiered loading - Gold members, stagepass, then standby in that order and this year got the balance a lot better than 2017.

Floor access also a lot better than 2017 and each day improved here in 2019. They need to balance the three stores more though -- Dreamstore this year was barren by PM days 2 and 3 while MOG was impacted at 9AM onwards.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I had snacks in my backpack all 3 days and only entered from Katella. Security didn't even give it a second glance.

The supervisor didn't really question the snacks (and never looked at the bottles of water), but wanted to toss my UV blocking mini-parasol which fits in the backpack (and abides by the guidelines, too). When I said it was a medical necessity, he didn't want to accept that until I mentioned my letter. That letter changed everything.

 

[dina444444]

Expo 2017 and 2019 veterans and San Diego Comic-Con for 5 years --- Being on the opposite side of 40s, I appreciated the lack of strongest survivor endurance test that Expo brings compared to SDCC. Queuing for lines 3+ hours simply isn't for everyone and the stagepass/storepass/reservation signing allowed to have a more balanced approach to cohort of folk participating in the functions at all levels.

This was Disney's first stab on full online reservations. Even though we got 1 in within 5 minutes this year and made out with multiple reservations, there was a disproportionate advantage on the signings and other loopholes some folk got into earlier than 12noon.

ASK: deployed a waiting room entry for 1 hour THEN lottery into the reservation/purchasing line. That interim step will be able to filter out the super F5/loophole seeking maniacs. Do that for the Sorcerer release too next time.

ASK 2: 1 stagepass per day. 1 storepass per day. 2 signings per day ENTIRE SHOWFLOOR. That will spread out the opportunities to many more folk while keeping some open for spur of the moment folk

I really liked the tiered loading - Gold members, stagepass, then standby in that order and this year got the balance a lot better than 2017.

Floor access also a lot better than 2017 and each day improved here in 2019. They need to balance the three stores more though -- Dreamstore this year was barren by PM days 2 and 3 while MOG was impacted at 9AM onwards.

The problem I found with MOG is it had the fewest registers out of the 3 stores. The Dream store could handle a lot of people because of how many registers they had and the space they had for people to wait to check out.

 

[azdisneylover]

Did Disney+ address the bundle price if you have Hulu and ESPN+ already?

 

[dina444444]

Did Disney+ address the bundle price if you have Hulu and ESPN+ already?

They did not. We did hear that they are going to be working on some sort of add-on price for those of us that signed up for the 3 year deal at the expo.

 

[squirrels17]

Overall had a great time for my first D23! Didn’t camp out for anything, and didn’t have stagepasses for most of the big panels, but did thoroughly enjoy the Broadway, Agents of Shield, Little Mermaid, and Character Voices panels. Overall was able to do a LOT with very little waiting, which was a huge plus for me and one reason I think I enjoyed this more than comic con. On the floor, I loved the costumes and Voluntearing exhibits (got a new bag/pin everyday!).

One thing I think could be improved was the efficiency of seating guests for panels. I felt that they often waited until right before the panels (eg, HM50) to even BEGIN to start the seating process; therefore, many of the people in line - SP or standby - were not seated until 15-20 minutes into the panel (I missed Jodi singing Part of Your World even with a SP, unfortunately). Also, the SP’s all said that you had to be there either 30 or 60 minutes before the panel, but it took so long to enter in the morning that it was impossible to be there on time for the 10AM panels unless you arrived 2+ hours in advance (and what would be the point of SP, then?).

That was the main aspect that bothered me, which is relatively minor and possible to fix for next time, so overall had a fantastic experience!

Looking forward to 2021

Edit to add: also, suggest that next time they scan badges when they split lines in the morning for Hall D23. Anyone could just say they had stagepass and be allowed to cut the line from the Katella side. We had 10AM SP for little mermaid, and asked the line managers if we’d be able to get in by 930 since that’s when it says we’re supposed to be at the expo arena by. But they said we had to wait until everyone else who arrived earlier entered, so we didn’t get in until 940. But if you had a Hall D23 SP, you could go straight through at any time. Saw many people say they had one and went ahead, but no one actually checked...

 

[Cookiemonster156]

Did Disney+ address the bundle price if you have Hulu and ESPN+ already?

I asked one of the employees and was told that we would be receiving emails about this bundle closer to November. Will also address if you want the non-ad version of Hulu.

 

[Mathmagicland]

This was my 4th or 5th expo. Mixed feelings re the weekend -

The good -

- Aladdin, Character voices, Little Mermaid, Ken Anderson in Archives, panels

• More CMs to help maintain line integrity
• CMs adapting the overnight /early morning line handling daily as situations warranted due to guest behaviors
• We were able to bring in water & snacks after all, though the stress of uncertainty was not fun at all and I did not have as much as I’d liked due to not wanting to lose it if it was confiscated
• D23 taking feedback from last Expo to try to make things go smoother
• Security at the perimeter of ACC property rather than at the doors.

The not so good -
- inconsistency re chairs & etc. My back really missed my small collapsible chair and it was a bit frustrating to see chairs in the basement after being told no chairs. I even saw two people on the show floor sitting in their collapsible chairs, same as mine, in the Arena queue area watching the center stage show

• Not being able to get store passes on the show floor like prior two expos. I only made it to MOG and that was only by rearranging plans and going first thing in the morning on Friday. Each time I passed the other stores during the days, lines were too long for me to wait as I had limited time between panels.
• CMs not respecting the required stage pass advance arrival times - the policies said stage pass had to be there 30 min ahead for Archives and Stage 28 or the spot would be given up, yet in Archives I saw SP people being waved in 20 or 10 min ahead of start time as the Stand by queue people were being let in to panels which ended up full with not all stand by able to be accommodated.
• Still saw some attempts at line cutting for the first thing show floor after we were brought upstairs and lined up at the entrance doors. I reported one group to CM but saw others I wasn’t sure of or where peeps did not have the wrist bands.
• The mad and scary rush towards MOG each morning, which was not fun. Come on people, it’s only a pin for goodness sakes! Not worth someone getting hurt or an argument.
• Some of the Archives panels. I loved them all last Expo; this time it was hit or miss. My experience with archives panels on Friday & Saturday prompted a schedule change Sunday to skip Archives for Stage 28 on Sunday where I had a conflict
• A few panels seemed like marketing pushes tied to book, music, TV, or movie releases, more so than last time....like I was in an hour long infomercial
• Some duplication of content in the various HM panels - this is the danger and my concern with having 4 or 5 panels with the same subject. I can see a bit but it was more than I’d liked to see.
• Show floor seemed less robust to me, and not as many booths with signing personalities as with past expos.
• The way Talent signings were handled - with stand by queues being hit or miss. I skipped buying something because I was not sure I’d make it in the stand by queue, and if it could not be signed then it wasn’t that important for me to get it at Expo. Need more signings Like the Disney music emporium where a purchase guarantees you a signing.
• The way the online reservation system worked, significantly skewing towards those able to get through quickly.
• Fewer interesting panels overall to choose from - this is totally personal preference. I’m not interested in Marvel, Star Wars, or the Fox properties, so all of those panels were not in my consideration set, thus giving me fewer choices of panels. I ended up in some I wasn’t that interested in because I didn’t want show floor and didn’t want to just sit somewhere doing nothing. This is where a store pass would have been nice, as it was not enough time to wait in the store lines between panels.

Right now, not sure if I will be back in 2021...will have to wait a few months to let the memories of this one subside a bit to decide. If I had to decide today or this week, the answer would be No.

 

[dkostel]

I enjoyed the expo and had no big stage passes. The only big presentation I attended was parks (lined up in standby at 5:45ish). I ducked out of that presentation when they brought out the Target guy. So glad I did because I had a pass for the Marc Davis presentation and it was the highlight of the weekend.
They need to add capacity for the Archives presentations. These were always full & turning people away. The room was larger than what they set up for, they just needed to add another screen and more chairs.

 

[HydroGuy]

On my way to LAX in an Uber and want to add some thoughts.

1. After 2017 Expo I was not sure if I would come back. The Lion King session at the end of Day 3 was the highlight of 2017 for me. I had mixed feelings about 2019. So glad I came back as this was the best Expo for me.

2. Chairs - please let us have our chairs!! I got mine in on Day 2 but had to leave it at security on Day 3. Came back at 7pm on Day 3 to get it and someone took it - even though I had a clear name tag on it. The concrete in Hall E just is not that fun.

3. I got 6 stage passes and used 5 of those. The one I didn’t was because I got into something better. Everything I attended was top notch and surpassed my expectations - except perhaps for D+.

4. I attended Legends, Disney+, Swiss Family Robinson on Day 1. Movies, Storytelling in the Parks with Joe Rhode and Aladdin on Day 2. And Parks, The Imagineering Story documentary coming to D+ with Iwerks and Weis, Conversation w Kristin and Bobby Lopez, Impact of Storytelling with John Stamos and Tarzan on Day 3.

5. I agree with a PP that the show floor exhibits were not as good as past years. I spent maybe 3 hours on the show floor. I liked the POTC at 2017 and wished they had something like that for HM this time.

6. I met several old friends and and made some new friends - which was nice. Tom Bell @ImTooExcitedToSleep, Mary Jo @WebmasterMaryJo who owes me some beer , and Louella from my alma mater UCSB were friends I have met before. Also met Dina @dina444444 and Mike who does Disney podcasts on Disney history - both first time.

7. Queue management and having well trained D23 workers plus many, MANY Disney CMs was just 10 times better than any previous Expo.

 

[FrozenCrown]

I had alot of fun this expo. It was my first and even though it was exhausting it was alot of fun. Things I think could be improved in the future:
More storepasses: stagepasses have a seating limit but there shouldnt be one for stores. Besides its better for them because people will buy more stuff. I didnt go to any of the stores. I was not impressed by this years limited edition dolls so I didnt go to the Disney store and I wasnt going to get in a 2+ hour line just to see if I wanted anything else they had to offer. Same goes for MoG and Dreamstore. The latter of which I know was easier to get into however I attended two panels a day and didnt have enough time between panels to get into lines. After my second panel I was wiped out and went straight to bed since all my morning panels took up a 5-7 hr wait time.
Stagepass: I dont know if this is possible but your ticket should be tied to your Gold status. So instead of showing your Gold card to get into the Gold line they can scan your ticket instead. (Not that they always did that which they shouldve) That way someone who has stagepass shouldnt also have the ability to get into the Gold line. Also people that work there shouldnt direct stagepassers to the gold line just to fill Gold. Stagepass should of been limited to one a day not two.
Talentpass: I dont know too much about this since I didnt bother with standby. But you shouldnt allocate all quantities to reservation only.
Overnight: turn down the ac and stop blasting movies right where the gold section is because those are the people that need the most sleep.
Pros: I got into all the panels I wanted and had a good time. My favorite were Disney plus, Studios, and Character voices. On the showfloor what i enjoyed most were the costumes. Id definitely go back.

 

[ashley0139]

I had alot of fun this expo. It was my first and even though it was exhausting it was alot of fun. Things I think could be improved in the future:
More storepasses: stagepasses have a seating limit but there shouldnt be one for stores. Besides its better for them because people will buy more stuff. I didnt go to any of the stores. I was not impressed by this years limited edition dolls so I didnt go to the Disney store and I wasnt going to get in a 2+ hour line just to see if I wanted anything else they had to offer. Same goes for MoG and Dreamstore. The latter of which I know was easier to get into however I attended two panels a day and didnt have enough time between panels to get into lines. After my second panel I was wiped out and went straight to bed since all my morning panels took up a 5-7 hr wait time.
Stagepass: I dont know if this is possible but your ticket should be tied to your Gold status. So instead of showing your Gold card to get into the Gold line they can scan your ticket instead. (Not that they always did that which they shouldve) That way someone who has stagepass shouldnt also have the ability to get into the Gold line. Also people that work there shouldnt direct stagepassers to the gold line just to fill Gold. Stagepass should of been limited to one a day not two.
Talentpass: I dont know too much about this since I didnt bother with standby. But you shouldnt allocate all quantities to reservation only.
Overnight: turn down the ac and stop blasting movies right where the gold section is because those are the people that need the most sleep.
Pros: I got into all the panels I wanted and had a good time. My favorite were Disney plus, Studios, and Character voices. On the showfloor what i enjoyed most were the costumes. Id definitely go back.

I couldn’t believe how loud the movies and commercials in the waiting area were! So unnecessary!