D23 Expo: Our First Experience
By Kevin Hoskinson
Entertainment Editor
The D23 Expo took place this weekend at the Anaheim Convention center and it was one for the books. Billed as The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, it takes place every two years and is a Disney lovers dream come true. There are shops and experiences that you can only find here and if you are lucky enough to make it to the Honda Center in the evening, you are in for a night of announcements regarding everything from film and television to theme parks and cruise ships. While we didn’t make it to those later events, we did make it out to the convention all the way from Portland Oregon and left with a lot of thoughts.
Before we get into it a couple of things need to be said up top. First and foremost, we are Disney fans and D23 has been a bucket list convention for my family and I to attend. We have been to quite a few conventions and are fully aware of the ups and downs of them as a whole. What you are about to read is about our experience at D23 without comparing it to other cons, it’s not a competition. We learned quite a bit on this adventure and will certainly be back again to put some of what we learned into action.
Overall, it was a lot of fun but was also super overwhelming, there was a lot going on. The first day we arrived we got there at 9:11, a few minutes after the doors opened. That was a mistake. The line wrapped around multiple buildings and took almost an hour to get in. The second day we arrived early and it was a much smoother experience and we didn’t wait as long. The key takeaway from this is to show up early, especially if you want to avoid the crazy lines inside. Speaking of lines, the virtual queue system wasn’t the best. Listen, Disney fans are used to waiting in lines and virtual queues at this point in the company’s history, but I was expecting something more from this. We were up when we needed to be (in time to get a queue) and they weren’t available almost instantly. For most of the booths that required one, a stand by line wasn’t available until later on in the day.
Despite the lines and crowds there was still a good time to be had for any Disney nerd. Marvel Studios hosted a TVA Experience that showed off props and costumes from the history of the MCU, up to and including Avengers: Doomsday. Pixar had a 40th anniversary booth where you walked through the history of the studio with photo ops with popular characters along the way. My favorite part was the Imagineering Horizons pavilion. It was in a massive area and hosted panels with Imagineers and also featured models and artwork from attractions coming to Disney Parks around the world. These were all super easy to access as well as the Hulu/Disney+ area, which offered a cool freebie if you completed a fun activity.
There was plenty of shopping to do with lines that didn’t require a virtual queue. Build A Bear workshop had some exclusive bears and RSVLTS had some cool shirts and an incredible Tale Spin jacket. There was lots of food but oddly the show floor lacked any Disney centric food or treats. The floors above the main show floor hosted a Disney Archives Auction and so many panels, all of which required reservations through a lottery system. They did allow stand by but odds of getting in were slim. We didn’t get a chance to do any of the panels but would love to next time we go.
D23 was an amazing experience with some caveats. If I had to break it down into pros and cons it would be the following. Pros: awesome panels with some incredible guests, great merch, cool experiences and being surrounded by people who love Disney. Cons: too many panel choices, impossible to get into most panels in standby, lines and queue system and also very crowded. Like stated earlier, we will definitely be back and will be better prepared for the weekend. And hopefully we can get into more panels and will try to get into the Honda Center events next year.
