Originally Posted By tashajilek I think with all the people at the expo I would rather be across the street at DCA.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Me too. Most of the stuff presented gets posted online within a few hours anyway.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance I agree, would never make a special trip to California and go to the Expo instead of the parks.
Originally Posted By 999HAUNTS I will always attend the D23 Expo - I think it's an amazing experience if you are organized. Blink and you can miss something you wanted to see if you aren't paying attention. It's a chance to see famous people in person that you probably wouldn't see otherwise. And, if you are lucky, you can catch them walking the show floor and grab a picture with them. It's a great opportunity to trade something great for something even greater. It's perfect for meeting that one Disney person you have always wanted to rub elbows with, and actually have a open conversation in passing. I also enjoy visiting the different booths to find out about new products and maybe take home a free sample or informative brosure. I do think that the presentations this year left me a little unsatisfied, but all in all it was a fun experience. Just make sure to find another place other than the Convention Center to eat. The food there sucks!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>It's a chance to see famous people in person that you probably wouldn't see otherwise.<< I geuss I get the allure of it for some people, but this doesn't do much for me. I'm not the type of person to approach someone in public, so there's a big element missing there. And while I'd love to hear them talk about something, I can appreciate it just as much in a video as in person I do like to hear the news right from the source, and it's always exciting to learn new things, but it just didn't seem like there was a lot of that going on at this year's event With the right panels and sessions, I think it has the potential to be a great event. In 2011, I randomly ended up in the session (because my feet were tired) that showed the pilot of Once Upon A Time with the creators, a couple months before the series debuted. While I had heard nothing about it before the panel began, I was extremely excited for it by the time it was over. The pilot was really compelling, and the Q&A after made me really interested to see what's next, and how everything would eventually be related. It's moments like this that can make an Expo great. (Sadly, I don't get as excited about OUAT as in the first few episodes, but I still think it's a good show) Sadly, it sounds like there weren't too many of those this year, which makes me really question the event. D23 knows that they're limited by the information that the various branches of TWDC can share, so it seems strange that they would push forward with the event at a time that they knew would be scarce on new information. I wonder if they could have pushed the event back ~6 months, if it would have been a lot more exciting Related question: was ESPN represented in any way at the Expo? I don't remember them having a presence in 2011
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance I wouldn't mind rubbing elbows with Tom Hiddleston. (Loki from Marvel movies) MMMMMMMMMMM!
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Just make sure to find another place other than the Convention Center to eat. The food there sucks!<< Heed well this warning, travelers. Take heed, I say. We're talking Captain Kidd levels of toxicity here. In fact, I'd say it was the most vile alleged food I've ever attempted to eat that did not contain the word "natto" in the description. It warn't cheap, neither.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <t might be alright to do with some fellow Disney nerds but not when you have to be up at the crack of dawn and stand in line for hours or risk not seeing what you want to see. Shouldn't be that difficult.> That's my feeling about getting FastPasses for Radiator Springs Racers.
Originally Posted By 999HAUNTS :It might be alright to do with some fellow Disney nerds but not when you have to be up at the crack of dawn and stand in line for hours or risk not seeing what you want to see. Shouldn't be that difficult. " That is some of the appeal for me. Hanging out early with friends is not a bad thing. Anyway, they had fastpasses this year for most of the presentations for the lazy people
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I do think that the presentations this year left me a little unsatisfied, but all in all it was a fun experience." Thanks for the quick review. It sounds like fun thing to do if I lived nearby. "Just make sure to find another place other than the Convention Center to eat. The food there sucks!" It does. I've been to the ACC and it's basically the same bad food you find at every convention center.
Originally Posted By oc_dean So now that the expo is behind us .. none of us are surprised there were no new announcements on new rides, lands, parks - As they said - There would be no NEW announcements. But, what I do find quite odd - Are two projects that have been announced for a while now, and are well into construction - * DLP's Ratatouille ride * Shanghai Disneyland You would have thought they would have shed light on the details to the Ratatouille ride. That ride is so "for sure" ... they are definitely beyond foundation footings! Now ... Shanghai Disneyland - For Disney not to take their D23 Event as the perfect place to preview the lands .. you know something is up. Despite land being cleared, and SOME construction happening ... it appears they don't know what they want to do - No wonder 2015 is off for an opening, and Iger wanting to extend his role as CEO into 2016 .. and I won't be one bit surprised that park does not open till close to the end of that year. We are more than halfway through 2013. It takes a good 2 years construction on major structures - So, seems to me, the specifics for SDL are still in a state of flux. Seems, the expos (3 of them now) are never the place to announce new things.
Originally Posted By Brad "Now ... Shanghai Disneyland - For Disney not to take their D23 Event as the perfect place to preview the lands .. you know something is up." Another HKDL? Promising years in advance things like Dinosaur Adventure Jeep attractions in Adventureland and Giant Pirate sub-lands and then, upon opening.........a lame Lion King show hut and about two E tickets in the smallest MK in the world?
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm also curious about Shanghai. At the Expo 2 years ago, they had a model of the resort layout, showing the configuration with the park, hotels, lake, and transit area. It wasn't especially detailed, yet it's one of the most detailed things we've seen for the park yet. I understand that they may be skiddish about releasing too much information, lest other Chinese companies try to copy it, but it is a little suspicious that they didn't have *anything* from it. I've heard that a huge portion of WDI is being shipped over to Shanghai in the relatively-near future, so the project is definitely still on. And since they don't usually start sending people until fairly late in the game, and China has looser building codes, they may still be on track for 2015, but it does seem like it will be tough
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "<t might be alright to do with some fellow Disney nerds but not when you have to be up at the crack of dawn and stand in line for hours or risk not seeing what you want to see. Shouldn't be that difficult.> That's my feeling about getting FastPasses for Radiator Springs Racers." I KNEW you were going to say this Jim! Even as I was typing it, I knew that would be your reply. lol
Originally Posted By Captain Neo >> Seems, the expos (3 of them now) are never the place to announce new things<< They announced Star Tours 2 and the Fantasyland Expansion of WDW at the D23 Expo
Originally Posted By inlandemporer I wouldn't mind a Star Wars movie, or anything really, to replace Eo. But I don't see how they can make it look like "Star Wars Land" when they're obviously not going to touch Space Mountain, or Buzz, or the Submarine/Autopia area.
Originally Posted By tonyanton I agree...though they could potentially re-theme everything but Space Mt. and Buzz to Star Wars (even the subs could get an undersea Naboo retheme, though I doubt it!)...
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<But I don't see how they can make it look like "Star Wars Land" when they're obviously not going to touch Space Mountain, or Buzz, or the Submarine/Autopia area.>> Space Mountain would not look out of place in Coruscant, Buzz could be re-themed to shooting Storm Troopers, and the Subs could make a visit to Otoh Gunga. It could all work out really well.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "But I don't see how they can make it look like "Star Wars Land" when they're obviously not going to touch Space Mountain, or Buzz, or the Submarine/Autopia area." Although the stories don't fit, I think architecturally those areas could be incorporated in the short term. I think Buzz could easily be rethemed and upgraded down the road to a similar ride but themed to Star Wars. I hate to drag out this old link again that shows a rather spiffy looking Star Wars themed land for DLP, but it does a good job of illustrating what a Star Wars Tomorrowland might look like. <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://thedisneyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/star-wars-dlp-concept-art.jpg">http://thedisneyblog.com/wp-co...-art.jpg</a>
