It’s Almost Here! AAAUGH!!!

Many people view the oncoming…I mean upcoming D23 EXPO – sorry, I mean #D23EXPO with a combination of exhilaration and panic. There’s so much to do and see! Also, there’s SO much to do and see! How do you manage? One thing you can do is head on over to Andy Castro’s D23 EXPO Guide. Another thing you can do is read D23’s EXPO Survival Guide. But I’ve got a few tips of my own.

• Keep in mind that many, if not most of the employees you encounter at the Expo are just that. They are not Cast Members and may not be as polite nor knowledgeable as we are accustomed to experiencing with Disney-related experiences. Adjusting your expectations now will save you needless pearl-clutching later.

Guests with Disabilities

The D23 EXPO will be able to accommodate guests with special needs, including wheelchairs, and their service animals. For guests who are hearing impaired, the sessions taking place in Hall D23 will have sign-language interpreters. None of the venues for D23 EXPO presentations is able to accommodate early entry. There will be seating just outside if you are unable to stand in the session’s queue. You should join your group’s place in the queue once they arrive at the venue’s entrance to be seated.
For additional requests or needs, please visit our D23 EXPO Guest Relations desk in the lobby. Please note: motorized scooters are not allowed in the seating area of Hall D23. Scooters may be parked outside of the Hall after guests have transferred to their seats.”

In the past, attendees have reported that there are little to no special accommodations for people with physical disabilities and even less for those with cognitive ones. You’ll wait in line with everyone else or can be seated while the rest of your party waits and join them at the door. If you are alone, you’re pretty much out of luck. There have been some horror stories in the past, along with some positive experiences, but with new blood at the helm, I have high hopes that this year’s version will go a lot more smoothly. The one piece of advice that seems to work across the board: go to the Guest Relations Desk to find out about accessibility for the event, session or area you wish to enter far ahead of time. If you will have any special accommodations, make every effort to get them in writing. Remember, you are dealing with non-Disney, and often temporary workers, many of whom are not familiar with ADA compliance at the queues and doors of many sessions. Fortunately, it’s a rare few that have caused trouble in the past; most of the staff at past D23 EXPOs have been fantastic.

Overnight Queueing

While we do not encourage guests to wait overnight for sessions, to ensure guest safety we will be opening up the Anaheim Convention Center Thursday and Friday nights and allow guests to remain there. Hall E. Advance lineups for access to the Show Floor (Gold, Silver, and General Admission) and Hall D23 will take place the evening prior to the Friday and Saturday dates of D23 EXPO 2015.

If you are attending D23 EXPO 2015 on Friday, August 14, lineups will begin on Thursday, August 13th at 10 p.m. in Hall E. If you are attending D23 EXPO 2015 on Saturday, August 15, lineups will begin on Friday, August 14th at 10 p.m. in Hall E.

If you arrive at 7 a.m. or later on Friday, August 14 and/or Saturday, August 15, please use the queue at the main entrance to the Anaheim Convention Center for access to the Show Floor. To attend the presentations in Hall D23, please proceed directly to Hall E for the queue.

For Sunday, August 16, the Show Floor lineups will begin no earlier than 5 a.m. at the main entrance to the Anaheim Convention Center. Please proceed directly to Hall E to attend the presentations in Hall D23. No overnight lineups will take place the evening prior.

For the overnight lineups in Hall E, please do not bring anything that cannot easily be put away into a backpack or smaller-size bag since there is not a place to store/check items until the Show Floor opens. Please do not leave items unattended.

A concession stand offering a limited menu will be open in Hall E for your convenience. No re-entry allowed, and all members of your party must be present (no holding space in line for others to join later).”

If you have a Kindle or other device, bring that for long lines instead of books – it’s lighter. That said, bring a book for when your battery dies. Waiting is a good time to meet those around you as well. I’ve made lifelong friendships with people I’ve met in Disney-related lines. Also, if you need to use the lua or get a bite and you’re traveling solo, they’ll save your place for a few minutes. If you knit, crochet or do something handy that isn’t too messy, that might be good, too. It should be something that can be swept into your backpack – because of COURSE you have a good backpack – at a moment’s notice so that you don’t hold up the line once it starts moving.

• STAY HYDRATED – I take my Brita Bottle and refill it every chance I get.
• WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES – BRING A SPARE PAIR (of shoes or insoles) like Lou’s Crew says, that floor is hard concrete!
• Dress in thin layers – the Convention Center is air conditioned, outside is going to be hot, hot, hot!

The Chattiest Place in Hall B

I may be a little bit biased, but if you want to have fun, come by MiceChat.com and The Walt Disney Birthplace at the D23 Expo (booths – B1210 and B1212). Find out just SOME of the special guests, fun, freebies and contests HERE.

Also appearing will be my Fairy Godmother, Teresa Cory of Fairy Godmother Travel! She’s handling all the arrangements for mine and Alice’s trip to Walt Disney World this coming October, and I couldn’t be happier with the spoilage we’re getting. And NO, I’m not getting paid nor getting anything free or discounted to say so. She’s magic and you should meet her!

Signings and Such

There will be a TON of signings and autograph sessions at the Expo; here’s a tiny sampling of some of my favorites:

Maggie Parr

She’ll be at the Dream Store Saturday at 2:45PM and Sunday at 10:30AM (I know it says 10:45 in places. Trust me.)

Larry Nikolai

Larry, one of my favorite artists and Imagineers and a genuinely sweet person, will be signing at the Dream Store Saturday at 1:30 and Sunday at 1:00.

Eric Scales

Eric Scales will be at the expo dream store at 9AM today for you Sorcerer Types and 8AM on Friday to sign this “Ink and Paint Department” project. I love the Haunted House artwork he did for the cups and popcorn buckets last Halloween. He really captures Ub Iwerks’ skeletons perfectly. He’ll be signing Steamboat Willie, pictured below, and some special one-of-a-kind pieces created for Disneyland in the past.

Lynn Barron and Ken Pellman

The hosts of MicePod’s own The Sweep Spot Podcast will be signing their book in Hall C, booth C2006.

Amy Mebberson and James Silvani

I’ll…let them speak for themselves. I adore them both.

They’re also doing some great cover art too:

That’s about one-tenth of a percent of what to expect this coming weekend. If you see me, please say hi! I’ll be running around and working, trying to gather as much information as possible in three short days. At the end of this all, I’m going to need a vacation. If you want to find me weekend after next, I’ll be by the pool at the Cinderella Hotel in Fresno, enjoying the calm before, well, you know.

Let’s Crowdsource This Thing

Here’s the important thing. The best way to help others decide what to do is to ask the real experts . . . YOU! Give me the top 5 things you recommend that folks not miss (it can be a booth, panel, presentation, merchandise item, etc.).  Let’s hear you!