Official D23 Expo schedule thread; August 19-21, Anaheim (Updated 8/17, post #179)

[AStamm]

Were those seats to the right in the closed off section maybe?

They butted up against the closed off section. With about 10 minutes to spare there was close to a section and a half available when they started letting additional people in there. Must have been poor counting of the number they let go through since they didn't fill all the seats.

While I haven't been to many large conventions like this, it definitely amazed me that the the CMs didn't have on headsets to communicate with one another about numbers of available seats. If they use them at floor shows like FOTLK at AK and at your local retailer, why not at something this large where organization is critical?

 

[HydroGuy]

Wow, okay, so talk about feeling doubted, dissected, and interrogated. I have never shared my viewpoints on a personal experience only to be questioned and examined as if I were on trial. Nice. To answer the harsh comments and questionings (so much for sharing my point of view comfortably):

I am genuinely sorry you feel this way. You mentioned some very specific things happening such as DVD's line cutoff at 4:30 and that is not what happened. If you made a mistake - note I gave you the benefit of the doubt at the top of my post - then that is fine. But if it did not get questioned then your report would be here forever for others to read and get the wrong idea about what happened.

If you meant to say DVD queue closed at 6:30 and not 4:30 then sounds about right to me.

It was bad. OK? I agree.

Ummm, the ONLY thing I think was bad was the presentation queueing issues. Everything else I thought was wonderful and I had a great time. Just to not be misquoted.

I too was referring to the queues which I thought was clear in context. I too thought the Expo was excellent aside from all the queueing issues.

No. It was my experience. First-hand. Not heaping anything on top of anything. Walking out of one presentation and seeing not one, but two future presentations full, including one stand by line is pretty difficult to process. It was bad. Plain and simple. Nothing heaped. Thank you.

Dreams, I had no intent to interrogate. You yourself said that you misstated two of your clock times. So your "first hand experience" included misstated clock times. How can that appear anything other than that your inital report made things sound worse that they actually were? Because that is what your report did.

I am fine with the fact that you had misstatements. I gave you the benefit of the doubt. I would appreciate it if you did the same with me here. I saw clock times misreported on queues that I myself was in. I took exception.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

[snip]

Dreams, I had no intent to interrogate. You yourself said that you misstated two of your clock times. So your "first hand experience" included misstated clock times. How can that appear anything other than that your inital report made things sound worse that they actually were? Because that is what your report did.

I am fine with the fact that you had misstatements. I gave you the benefit of the doubt. I would appreciate it if you did the same with me here. I saw clock times misreported on queues that I myself was in. I took exception.

I agree that it is important to correct the wait time experiences if they have been misstated or stated in a misleading way. Others may read this information and use it to make decisions in connection with the 2013 Expo.

Some people have mentioned when lines began to form. However, unless you needed to be first in line, it was often many hours later before even the regular line was closed and stand by started.

Also, for some presentations such as the Studios, you had to stand in one line to get into the ACC and then a totally different line for the Arena. People who were ahead of us outside the ACC ended up behind us in the Arena line, so the outside line up time did not completely determine whether you got into the presentation or not.

It is also important to realize that, as with theme park visits, 2 people visiting on the same day can report very different crowd perceptions. --Suzanne

 

[pinksand]

If EVERYONE in the room for once upon a time chose to stay and see 25 years of pixar and you waited 3 hours not knowing how many people would leave at the end, wouldn't you be more upset?

Honestly, no. But that's because I'm used to Comic-Con where waiting hours and hours and not getting in is Standard Operating Procedure. My point is that I should have had the option to do both. If there aren't enough events to go around, then maybe they shouldn't be putting on an Expo. And I say that with Disney Love.

Disney Dreams, I agree with much of your report and feel that your experiences and mine were similar. I think there was something strange going on with Dick Van Censored, because I had some friends who said they went up at 3:30 and it was full. And I had some other friends who went up later and got in. I couldn't explain it, but it struck me as odd.

 

[kikiq]

Just some clarification, most of the support staff for D23 were not Disney CMs. The D23 (Florida) event team hired an outside promotions company from Southern California. We attended Friday and my DDs met friends that were working with D23 staff shirts and were NOT Disney CMs. Disney CMs wear their name tags when working.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

[snip]Disney Dreams, I agree with much of your report and feel that your experiences and mine were similar. I think there was something strange going on with Dick Van Censored, because I had some friends who said they went up at 3:30 and it was full. And I had some other friends who went up later and got in. I couldn't explain it, but it struck me as odd.

D23 tweeted at 6:35 pm that the DVD presentation was full, although I beleive they were still accepting those willing to wait on a stand-by basis. So even if you back that time up a bit, the regular line probaby closed around 6:15. It is always possible that your freinds were given bad information. However, neither of the prior presentations in that venue (Pixar Shorts & D23 Trivia) were "sold out," so that makes this particluarly odd.

I am very glad they DO clear the rooms between presentations. We have never been turned away from a presentation after a lengthy wait (although I know that others have) and would hate to see that be the norm instead of the exception. -- Suzanne

 

[D23Ry]

“Legends”. When I look back now on the Expo the “Legends” ceremony was one of my favorites. The acceptance speeches brought tears to my eyes, especially the Princesses. Then getting to hear these women sing, then sing together was a once in a lifetime experience. The history that encompasses these gals is remarkable.

agree 100%, this was by far my favorite moment, just so cool

 

[nunzia]

Did everyone get the email with survey? I'm sure something of this magnitude is quite an undertaking and regardless of months/years of planning some things can only be worked out after experience. I'm looking forward to completing my survey, as I believe I have a little constructive criticism. It's good to know that D23 is interested in hearing our feedback.

Also, if you want to read a slightly different perspective on the events, here's a link. Hope you enjoy!

Insignificant as a Mouse?

I did not get a survey yet...what was the title of the email?

 

[nunzia]

Wow..interesting reading..as a Sorcerer I, of course, have a different perspective. Almost all the Sorcerers I talked to (and it seemed like it was 100 instead of the promised 50 which still worked out great) had been to the 2009 event, KNEW it would be crazy this year when word got out and went to great expense and planning to buy their top tier ticket a YEAR in advance, waiting on the computer through glitch after glitch just to be able to see things we had faith would be worth the price..and it was. Some of us got yelled at off an on, and one lady got hassled for her 'priorities' being wrong..really?? strangers judge you on how you choose to spend your money? I understand how frustrating it was for folks to wait and wait and not get in. My friend's DH and DD ended up stuck in a standby holding room for a couple hours for the Pixar 2th panel and still didn't get in, and by then another panel was full..very disappointing for sure and I agree they should make some changes for next time..they really need to split panels into shorter smaller focused segments..Studios could have been three Animation/Pixar, Live Action and Marvel..many others could have been split..the big Imagineers panel could have been several smaller 1 hour panels..YES they have to clear the room..it would be horrible to not to. Maybe they should make this just for D23 members..I heard alot of griping from non members who were mad because they had to get in later..well, D23 members should get a perk for commiting to them..I understand they have to have lots of people to make the event worth it..why not a cheaper ticket for floor access only? I don't know..I think they need to do something to offer more choices for each time period, but they can't FORCE units to come in (if I was Bob Iger I would) having an ABC screening room like last time would have been good, having more offerings from Cruise line, ABD, Theatrical, even ESPN could take pressure off..how about some panels dealing with behind the scenes at the theme parks, or folks from the food operations? So very many options.
I hope they continue and do this next time and implement some creative ideas to deal with challenges..I don't now if they really had a clue what attendance would be..lots of day of show ticket purchases..how could they know that? They pushed this show for a year and still people didn't buy until day of? Maybe that should be a perk..buy before this date & get guaranteed access to something..I don't know..the cost savings obviously didn't encourage enough early buying.
I really wanted this show to be bigger than 2009 so they would commit to doing it again, but maybe it was TOO successful from a numbers standpoint.

 

[TommyG]

It's been a week (almost), and I'm finally coming to grips with my feelings about the D23 Expo. In the end, I'd say that they were 70/30 on the positive side. Yeah, the crowds were massive and the lines long, but I still managed to have a great time.

I did have a Premiere pass, and took full advantage of the Premiere/Sorcerer lounge. And to echo someone's comment above, yeah - there were a lot more than 50 Sorcerer passes around. I'd guess closer to 100 - 120. The ability to get in the door without standing in that never-ending line was worth the price alone. (The massage in the lounge didn't hurt, either...) I didn't get any jeers or rude remarks from those waiting in the regular line, but a friend of mine got cussed out, and we did get some icy stares heading into the Arena.

I participated in the Trivia tournament (I was one of the semi-finalists), and had a total blast doing that. I also loved the Legends ceremony. The Parks & Resorts presentation was a bore, IMHO. There was no "wow" moment there. Other than that, I spent a lot of time on the showfloor, talking to people, taking a lot of photos, and meeting lots and lots of new friends.

My biggest beefs were the lines, the lines, and oh yeah -- the lines. It seemed that crowd control was non-existent, and the throngs of people in that Convention Center were just too much for Disney to handle. That, and the awful CC food, which I understand really couldn't be helped.

Will I go again in 2013? You bet.
Will I buy a premiere-style pass again? Absolutely.
Do I with they'd done some things different? Sure, but I'm hopeful things will be addressed.

So we'll see where it goes from here. In the meantime, I'll try to remember the fun, and forget the mile-long queues.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

Wow..interesting reading..as a Sorcerer I, of course, have a different perspective. Almost all the Sorcerers I talked to (and it seemed like it was 100 instead of the promised 50 which still worked out great) had been to the 2009 event, KNEW it would be crazy this year when word got out and went to great expense and planning to buy their top tier ticket a YEAR in advance, waiting on the computer through glitch after glitch just to be able to see things we had faith would be worth the price..and it was. Some of us got yelled at off an on, and one lady got hassled for her 'priorities' being wrong..really?? strangers judge you on how you choose to spend your money? I understand how frustrating it was for folks to wait and wait and not get in.... [snip]

Maybe they should make this just for D23 members..I heard alot of griping from non members who were mad because they had to get in later..well, D23 members should get a perk for commiting to them.... [snip]

Thanks for posting. I was interested in your perspective as one holding a Sorcerer ticket and would also be interested in more from those who held the Premier tickets as well. I expect that there will be even more tiers at the next Expo.

As one of the great unwashed who held standard members tickets, I had no issues with the benefits given to the Permier & Sorcerer ticket holders. It did create some intresting dynamics as there were good seats still available at the last mintute. While I think they dealt with these better as the Expo went on, we benefited from this at the very first presentation (DL Hotel History) at 9:30 on Friday when we were escorted to good seats even though we did not arrive at Studio 28 until about 9:35.

We refused to knowingly wait in a stand-by line, so never had the issue of long waits without any pay off.

On Sunday, I heard one of the red shirt crowd management people say that they had a separate line for the Premier members for the presentation in Studio 23 for Carsland. Not sure if this is accurate or if any of the Premiers even knew that this was being offered.

I aslo heard one the Premiers demanding such a special access line for Dick VanDyke and leaving in a huff when they were told there was still room in the regular line.

We made choices and did not see everything because of those choices. I think that it at the heart of an event like an Expo. Too much good stuff and not enough time to do it all.

I agree with your comment about benefits for D23 members. I think many non-members did not fully apprecaite how valuable that extra hour turned out to be. Since members saved about $7 per person per day, the break even for joining was buying 5 one day tickets. Even for a family of 4 going only 1 day, the $7 premium seems particularly small when if meant they could see the Legends Ceremony on Friday or the Studios presentation on Saturday.

I am glad you had a great time, but we did not reget our decision not to get the upgraded tickets. See you at the next Expo -- Suzanne

 

[fenrir58]

I loved this event. It was my first one, I had a regular, member ticket just o let you guys know to set this up.

The lines- after hearing the attendance size, I knew lines would be bad. Face it people, with that kind of attendance, there will never be the 100 percent full proof method to deal, and people will always be left out( I had to sacrifice the 25 Years of Pixar, I knew I would once I actually managed to get in the Studios presentation). Each day I got there well after 7 (my apologies to missing the morning meet, I slept through my alarm), and each day I got in in the morning swiftly and with little to no issue. As for the non-members who did not have the luck of getting in, with how long the member line was, I'm sure people bought a membership just for that purpose so I didn't think it was that unfair.

I like how the Studios presentation was planned out(I did think it was weird though that they brought the Avenger people out only to have Robert Downey Jr. announce that we were watching the same clip... again). The Art of Brave was really cool, I can't wait to see the film and pay attention to and truly appreciate the details that they thought of. The Star Tours talk was a major highlight for me, I had no idea it was so long in the making.

I don't think separating the Studios talk into 3 parts is a great idea, especially if it is in fact the Arena presentation. Just my opinion though.

I thought it was weird when I heard presentations weren't filling up but here was my experience which might help explain what happened. In the Studios presentation, we were the last group to be let in in the bottom before they fed people to the balcony. We had all sat down. A few minutes go by, and the one from their group gets up and leaves. Then, 5 more minutes pass, they check their watches look out into the crowd, then up and move( I assume they found a better spot). So perhaps after a section fills up, they block it off. I wished they would've grabbed some more people to take those 5 seats, but perhaps they are worried about running late and the chaos that would ensue. Maybe if enough people write about that in the survey(I know I did), they'll find a solution.

Everybody I talked to at the stands around the floor seemed really excited about what they were promoting, which is always awesome. There was only one sour grape I met there( my guy went to ask him a question and he basically blew him off), and I mean, one out of all the people I met, that's a good rate of success.

I hope I get called or emailed about my messed up Lion King Vinylmation chaser soon(it had the wrong head) soon, but it's good to know they were willing to help out.

All in all, this was my first D23 Expo. I thought originally "eh, I'll go once, have a blast, but once will be enough." now I had so much fun I can't wait to plan for the next one.

Oh and I saw a few LGMH's in line in the morning, but you were a few rows over from me so unfortunately, I wasn't able to say "hi." I thought just screaming out "Hey dudes I don't know- DISboards woo!" would be a bit creepy lol.

 

[pinksand]

I think they need to do something to offer more choices for each time period, but they can't FORCE units to come in (if I was Bob Iger I would) having an ABC screening room like last time would have been good, having more offerings from Cruise line, ABD, Theatrical, even ESPN could take pressure off..how about some panels dealing with behind the scenes at the theme parks, or folks from the food operations? So very many options.

Nunzia, I hope you get your survey! Pass those on! Fantastic ideas, I think. They have so many more places they can go with panels, presentations, maybe more hands-on activities or classes...I just feel like they aren't thinking big enough or outside the box enough or both.

 

[franandaj]

I had a Premiere Pass (if that has any bearing on my experience).

I would definitely pay for it again, and do the Sorcerer if I could. We are keeping up two D23 memberships in the family from now on just for that purpose.

I thought it was a great time. I was at the 2009 Expo and we had to wait in lines there, so I totally expected it. I did NOT know they had a Premiere line for Radiator Springs and I would have liked to have known that as we got in line as soon as we got out of the Cruise presentation and had several Premiere members waiting near us. However, my plan was to wait all morning because I really wanted to see that one.

I thought they really improved the lines over the last time and I'm sure they will take the survey information into account. I really liked the reserved seating in the Arena because we wouldn't have waited that long otherwise. I would have liked to have seen seats for the nighttime performances included. I missed the massage in the lounge! I could have used it!

The show floor was just a little too crowded for me to take (at least on Saturday) but I should have expected that. I think that the D23 Expo should be for D23 members, their families and friends. Otherwise I like the idea of a showroom floor only ticket, and more tiered packages would be nice.

Does everyone finally believe nunzia and I when we were saying the food was pretty bad? I broke down and got a hot dog one day because I was sick of eating my cold salads, yogurt, cottage cheese, meal replacement bars, and 100 calorie packs. It was pretty meh! In the presentation queues I watched people bring in trays of food saying they had waited 30-45 minutes in line to get these things. It's too bad they don't have a DDP (with decent food) for the Expo!

All in all, I had a great time, nothing was unexpected and I will do it again in Spring of 2013. The only thing is that changes my possible vacation plans, because it might coincide with the return of F&W (hopefully) and a trip to TDL that I was planning. However, I will gladly shift my plans around to make the next Expo!

 

[panthergirl]

My experience with a Premier pass was very good. On Friday I had a bit of trouble finding the line for Premiers to enter the Convention Center, but once I did it was a short wait until we were admitted. I watched the Disney Store opening ceremony, did Carousel of Projects and Mickey's of Glendale then headed over to the arena for the Legends Ceremony. Since that ran late there wasn't much hope for getting into afternoon sessions I was interested in so I visited the Premier lounge, toured the Archives and the archive store (Treasure Trove?) and shopped at the Dream Store. I saw the Parks and Resorts presentation and toured the show floor in the afternoon. I didn't plan to see Dick VD so headed out at around 7 to meet my sister for dinner in DTD. The next day my sister was with me. Since she didn't have a Premier pass I elected to wait with her for the Studios presentation. The lucky thing was that she was allowed to enter the Convention Center with me so we were close to the front of the line for the arena. We waited about and hour and a half before being admitted and had decent seats. Alot of Saturday was spent repeating things since my sister had not seen them. We were not able to get into the Archives - the line was rediculous - but did see Carousel of Projects and all of the stores. Since we weren't going to the auction we took a look at the auction lots - very interesting. We really enjoyed seeing Lion King in 3D and the appearance of the filmakers was a plus. We headed out after the movie.

We kind of lucked out on the dining thing on Saturday and found a place with decent sandwiches right outside Mickey's of Glendale. Lines were very reasonable and moved quickly. Finding a place to eat was another story! Pixar saved our lives earlier that day with the free cupcakes. We had skipped breakfast and were starving! On Friday I just snacked in the lounge and grabbed a Mickey bar before I passed out from hunger later in the afternoon.

I doubt I could have accomplished as much if I had not had the Premier pass. Even with that I did not attend any sessions but I really could have if I had been willing to wait in line and forego other things. I really had a wonderful time, met some super nice people and soaked up a ton of Disney magic.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

[snip]
Does everyone finally believe nunzia and I when we were saying the food was pretty bad? I broke down and got a hot dog one day because I was sick of eating my cold salads, yogurt, cottage cheese, meal replacement bars, and 100 calorie packs. It was pretty meh! In the presentation queues I watched people bring in trays of food saying they had waited 30-45 minutes in line to get these things. It's too bad they don't have a DDP (with decent food) for the Expo! [snip]

After buying a grab and go sandwich onto the second floor on Friday (which included the option to add some scary looking mustard from a pump dispenser), we ate at the Hilton food court. We figured it was just as close to Studio 23 and 28 as the vendors at the back of the show floor. It was still fast food, but with the difference that it was actually fast. On Friday we left the Parks & Resorts presentation at about 5, ordered, ate and made in line for Dick VanDyke by 5:35. On Saturday and Sunday we brought food bags in with no issue. -- Suzanne

 

[MrsWendy]

After buying a grab and go sandwich onto the second floor on Friday (which included the option to add some scary looking mustard from a pump dispenser), we ate at the Hilton food court. We figured it was just as close to Studio 23 and 28 as the vendors at the back of the show floor. It was still fast food, but with the difference that it was actually fast. On Friday we left the Parks & Resorts presentation at about 5, ordered, ate and made in line for Dick VanDyke by 5:35. On Saturday and Sunday we brought food bags in with no issue. -- Suzanne

I did the same. I tried the grab and go on Friday and then on Saturday and Sunday I hit the food court at the Hilton. It was just across the courtyard from the convention center, there were no lines when I went, the food cost less, and I had no problem finding a place to sit. I would definitely recommend it instead of waiting in the long lines in the convention center.

 

[nunzia]

Agreed..but on Saturday lunch time the lines were ridiculous and we couldn't get near a place to order, so went back to the grab and go place on the 2nd floor of the convention center and all it had left was bagels and cream cheese, so had that for lunch. Then went to Baja Express for dinner and was in line there behind Rose Marie..which I didn't realize until Dick VanDyke introduced her.

 

[Armadillo4]

A big "thank you" to everyone who posted their experiences. It was also good to read the reports from the Sorcerers and Premieres. I'm definitely considering a Premiere package for the next Expo. And I'm guessing the demand for the both VIP packages will be high.

I was there for part of Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday. Not being able to attend the Legends Ceremony was my biggest miss. But that's because of work, I couldn't get to the Expo until 1:30pm on Friday. I immediately grabbed lunch from the Hilton Food Court and got in line for the Parks & Resorts presentation. Like a few others have posted, that panel was a slightly underwhelming since there were no big announcements. I joined up with some friends right afterward and we checked out the Carousel of Projects Pavilion.

I split from my friends, who were going to try for the Dick VanDyke performance. But I wanted to see the Voices of the Parks presentation. I got into that line about 5:40pm (for a 6:45pm start) and was towards the end of the line. They cut it off shortly thereafter and started the standby line.

The Voices of the Parks panel was AMAZING. Probably one of my favorite experiences of the entire weekend. Lots of clips are up on YouTube if anyone is curious what went down.

I got in the D23 Member line on Saturday morning at 8:10am and was in the first standby group for the Studios Presentation. Even though it was announced to us that the Arena was at capacity, everyone around me felt good about our odds of getting in. And sure enough, we made it in easily. I would guess that at least 200+ people in the standby line made it into the Studios Presentation.

One big difference from the 2009 Expo. Back then, the Studios Presentation was split in two: the first was the WDS presentation (with the surprise Johnny Depp appearance) on Friday; and a second Feature Animation panel on Sunday. There are pros and cons to both approaches. I think I prefer the split panel strategy personally.

I had to sacrifice the 25 Years of Pixar, I knew I would once I actually managed to get in the Studios presentation.

Same here. Once I got into the Studios Presentation, I knew I wouldn't make it to the Pixar Presentation. And that was totally okay by me. With so many people unable to get into the Studios Presentation, it was only fair that they had the best opportunity to get into the Pixar Presentation. I went and joined another group of friends and we spent most of the afternoon on the floor. We had to wait about 30 minutes to get into the Treasures of the Archives and felt a little underwhelmed about that too. Although depending on your interests, you might have felt differently. I was hoping for more Parks-related items, rather than what seemed to be a heavy-emphasis on movie props and costumes.

Saturday evening was extremely memorable after we left the Convention Center. We went to Trader Sam's at the Disneyland Hotel for drinks and possibly a dinner of bar appetizers. About halfway through our drinks and food, John Lasseter, Bob Gurr and a few other Imagineers arrived. It looked like it was John's first time in Trader Sam's and I was sitting 4 bar stools away from him! It was pretty awesome.

Sunday was a pretty mellow day. I was only interested in the Imagineering Carsland panel. I did a grab-and-go lunch from the 2nd floor kiosk and sat down in line at 11:30am (for a 1:30pm start). That was much earlier than anyone needed to get into line, but I figured it was better safe than sorry. It was a pretty cool panel and made me even more excited for the opening of Carsland next summer.

Overall, I had a great time at the Expo. On the downside, there was a lot of waiting in lines, crowd control needed to be improved, and seating capacity for the popular panels were lacking--pretty much what a lot of others have already posted above. But knowing the crowd situation and having been there in 2009 too, helped guide my expectation of what I could and couldn't attend. I hope the D23 staff addresses the many concerns for the next Expo. But I definitely found the 2011 Expo worthwhile and will plan to attend the next one in 2013, or whenever it's scheduled!

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Wondering how "kid-friendly" the D23 Expo was? Take a look at this video through the eyes of our kid reporters.

DIS Unplugged: Video - A Kids' Eye View of Disney's D23 Expo