We recently went to the D23 Expo in August. We got a three day pass and stayed at the Paradise Pier Hotel. We had been anticipating this for soooo long. It was strange to go after buying our tickets a year earlier (August 2018). We can tell you that the expo was well worth the wait. While we had an amazing time, we are still unsure if we do it again. Here are some of our big takeaways from the entire experience.
- Free Stuff: We can not believe how much free stuff we walked out with every day. We went to two major panels: Disney + and Sneak Peak, Disney Parks and Experience (more on that later). At these panels, we got a Disney + hat, a love you 3000 button, a $10 Target gift card, and an Avengers Pin We also signed up for posters giveaways and got amazing embossed Frozen II and Onward Posters. We also got tons of free things from the showroom floor including photos, pins, bags, and countless other goodies.
- Unique Exhibits: We really enjoyed the exhibits that were at the expo. While people rushed to the stories we headed to exhibits in order to avoid long lines. The Heros and Villains costume exhibit was really amazing. It was cool to see Mary Poppins costume from the original movie, the Musical, Mary Poppins Returns. There were also lots of costumes from various live action Disney films. The detail in the various costumes were amazing to see up close. We also saw an exhibit that showcased the World of Avatar It was fascinating to see clothing and weapons to scale with the height of Avatars (they are giants).
- The Panels: This year, attendees were allowed to make reservations for panels ahead of time to get guaranteed seating. In theory this was a good idea, but we did not get to go to all the panels we wanted to due to sign up issues. Nevertheless, we still got to go to some really cool panels. On Friday we went to the Disney+ talk and heard about all the cool up and coming shows. On Saturday we sat in the first row for the ‘Ish Universe discussion. Then on Sunday we went to the Parks and Experience Panel where we got to hear about all the upcoming attractions coming to the Parks and to the seas.
- Cosplay abound: We were blown away by seeing the level of cosplay that was present at the D23 Expo. Everyone was so nice and polite and welcomed photos by convention goers. We missed out on the costume parade, but there was plenty to see everyday. People were constantly walking around and were really nice about letting people take pictures with them. We dressed up as well! Michaela dressed up as Russell from Up and I dressed up as Killmonger from Black Panther.
- Celebrity Sightings: Besides seeing celebrities in various panels and interview, there are some walking around being regular people. For example, we saw Khleo Thomas from the movie Holes walking around the showroom floor geeking out like the rest of us. The sightings continued at the parks as well. All day and night we were seeing Instagram posts of celebrities at the park. We even walked by Hilary Duff on our way to Indian Jones. Next time the D23 Expo comes in to town, hit the parks if you can’t get a ticket; There will be tons of people to see.
Our final verdict: We had an amazing time at the expo; there was so much to see and do every day. We definitely walked away with memories that we will have for a lifetime. We recommend that any Disney/ Pixar/ Marvel/ Star Wars fan should attend at least one in their lives. Consider it a fan pilgrimage ^_^. Will we go again in two year? We would love to! Would we go for three days again? The jury is still out on that one. Find our post on Instagram and tell us what you thought of the expo.
