For a long, long time, Disney events and theme parks had been renowned for their great guest experiences. Disney had set a very high standard that others struggled to emulate.
D23 Expo, renamed “D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event” for 2024, was first held in 2009. Since then it has grown into a celebration of “all the magic, wonder, and adventure of Disney,” including Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, ABC, National Geographic, Hulu, FX and ESPN, for its “most ionate and loyal fans.” D23 includes themed cosplay, informative s and presentations, shopping, special exhibits, entertainment previews and much more, including rows of food trucks parked along the Grand Plaza, in front of the Anaheim Convention Center. I enjoyed a delicious meal from the “German YumTruck” (@umTruck), which featured “daily fresh grilled & thinly sliced rotisserie meats.”
D23 has certainly grown over the years, but bigger is not necessarily better. D23 in 2024 included changes and severe restrictions that significantly lessened the sparkle of the Disney magic for many of the loyal fans for whom D23 was created.
Many of this year’s most popular presentations, and limited quantities of merchandise brought in especially for D23, required entering lotteries for difficult-to-get ission reservations, despite guests having already waited as long as hours and days in online cues, and spending hundreds of dollars months before D23, just to buy a badge.
Security for D23 was extremely strict, and there were long lines outside. Despite long waits inside for s and presentations — often in lines that barely moved — small, fully collapsible, lightweight stools that would easily fit in a backpack were not even allowed inside the Anaheim Convention Center for people with physical disabilities. Security said to throw them out or leave — no exceptions.
D23 has grown so popular that its three major, end-of-the-day, extra-cost events were, for the first time, moved offsite, from the Arena at the Anaheim Convention Center to the much larger Honda Center — a location which necessitated a drive to reach. For most, this meant spending some of their limited time at D23 waiting in lines to take shuttle bus rides.
Even though guests had been shopping all day and accumulating free stuff, bags larger than 5x9x2 inches were absolutely prohibited inside the Honda Center.
The stage was at one end of the huge Honda Center, way too far away from many thousands of fans to see more than an overview of the presentations. However, we served as a spectacular visual backdrop for the national audiences of ABC’s nightly TV newscast (Disney is ABC’s parent company) and Disney+.
Reaching our thousands of expensive seats at the upper periphery of that massive arena required climbing up precariously steep stairs, high above and far away from the presentations’ stage. While climbing up to the dizzying height of my seat, I nearly fell more than once. Once there, only one much-too-distant video screen that was located near the stage provided what was a hard-to-see, very inadequate view of the celebrities on-stage for the Disney Legends Awards Ceremony.
In addition to the strict no-bag rule at the Honda Center, we were not allowed to bring in cameras! As I feared, even the longest lens on my iPhone did not zoom in nearly enough to take recognizable pictures of the celebrities on the stage, to share with you in “AutoMatters & More.”
After the presentations were over, thousands of guests were once again stuck in long, slowly moving lines — this time to board shuttle busses that would return them to the Anaheim Convention Center.
Likewise, the magic has also been fading from the guest experience at the Disney theme parks, which was the envy of the industry. Gone is the free Fast option, which enabled access to shorter lines for select rides. That was replaced with PAID options. Guests with physical disabilities used to be able to for Disney’s Disability Access Service (DAS), which enabled them to get one-at-a-time attraction return times, instead of having to wait in long, slowly moving lines. Now only guests with developmental disabilities like autism are included in DAS.
If you are disappointed with Disney too, tell them. Maybe they will listen and improve.
To explore a wide variety of content dating back to 2002, with the most photos and the latest text, visit “AutoMatters & More” at https://automatters.net. Search by title or topic in the Search Bar in the middle of the Home Page, or click on the blue ‘years’ boxes and browse.
Copyright © 2024 by Jan Wagner – AutoMatters & More #850r2
