Overall Thoughts

D23 is exhausting.

D23 is fun and exciting, and there is SO MUCH to see, but it is also exhausting. There is a lot of standing, waiting, walking, crowds, early mornings, phone battery anxiety, reservation anxiety, and constantly figuring out where you’re supposed to be next.

My biggest takeaway is that a great hotel location, a plan for your must-dos, and the ability to abandon that plan when something isn’t worth the wait are more valuable than a perfect itinerary.

Because the funny thing is, we actually did A LOT. We went to panels, shopped, used virtual queues, explored the show floor, did experiences, met other fans, and went to the Honda Center presentations and we still had things we didn’t get to.

The problem wasn’t a lack of things to do. There was too much competing for our time and too much waiting, which, honestly, sounds like a true Disney day.

Big Mistake:

Arriving the night before the convention. Did we not learn from Star Wars Celebration 2025, when we arrived the night of badge pickup and rushed to the convention center to get our badges 10 minutes before they closed? Apparently not…

When we booked our flights in December 2025, we were scheduled to arrive at LAX at 4:15 PM the day before D23. The flight was later moved to an 8:30 PM arrival, and with limited alternatives, we stuck with it.

Then, while taxiing to the runway in Oahu, we had to return to the gate so three passengers could be removed from the plane. At LAX, we waited quite a while for a shuttle to the rental car area, and then Avis sent us looking for a car that didn’t exist. An attendant eventually picked one out for us.

We finally reached our Anaheim hotel around 2 AM.

Medium Mistake that turned into a little win at one panel:

Not understanding the reality of Panel Queues at D23.

The D23 guide recommended arriving 45 minutes before Premiere Stage panels, which I interpreted as: 45 minutes for good seats, 30 minutes for okay seats, and 15 minutes for any seats, etc.

That wasn’t quite how it worked.

What they actually meant was that the reservation queue closes 45 minutes before the panel, and then reservation and standby guests are merged, even though people aren’t actually being let into the auditorium for another 10–15 minutes.

For our first panel, The Simpsons: Stories from Springfield, we arrived about 45 minutes early and were around 50 people back from the front of the line. We still got decent seats: several rows from the front, mostly centered.

For our second panel, Walt Disney: 125 Years of Inspiration, we arrived about 30 minutes early and were moved from the reservation line to standby. And it turned out to be a win. The center seats had already filled, so we were placed several rows back to the left of the stage, behind the blocked-off accessibility seating. We had an unobstructed view without phones and heads in front of us.

So my advice is different from what I expected going in: having a reservation doesn’t necessarily mean better seats, or even guaranteed reserved seating.

Medium Mistake:

Thinking the convention would open smoothly at 9AM.

Friday was especially chaotic. We arrived at the Honda Center around 8:45 AM and got through the outside security line around 9:15 AM. They had started letting people in before 9, but the line was already ridiculously long. The rumor was that people had been lining up as early as 2 AM, despite being told not to queue outside the venue before 6 AM.

Then we discovered there was another massive line inside just to reach the show floor. We waited while our virtual queues were pending, but around 9:25 AM, people started swarming the front.

I backtracked through the crowd to get to my queue faster, while Jon got stuck and eventually had to backtrack too. He didn’t make it into the Center until around 9:40 AM.

Another important lesson: “The convention opens at 9 AM” does not mean you can casually show up at 9 AM and start your day.

Medium Mistake:

Getting sucked into a line that wasn’t worth the outcome.

We really wanted to do the Mickey F1 photo opportunity, but we didn’t really know what we were waiting for. The line took about an hour, and the payoff? A picture with Mickey dressed as an F1 driver next to a car.

Why did the line move so slowly? Why did each group take 3–4 minutes for one picture?

This was a good lesson for the rest of the convention: just because something has a long line doesn’t mean it is worth waiting for.

Other attendees had similar complaints about the show floor. Some photo opportunities were taking 30+ minutes, and people described this D23 as having some of the worst lines they’ve experienced at the event.

There were definitely experiences where I looked at the line and thought, “What exactly am I waiting an hour for?”

Big Win:

Booking the Best Western Stovall’s Inn.

I timed one of my walks from our door to the convention security line at just over 6 minutes when I didn’t have to wait for the stoplight to change.

This was HUGE. Being able to walk back and forth to the hotel made such a difference, especially with how much stuff we accumulated each day.

Being able to drop things off, take a break, use a real bathroom, or just get away from the convention crowds for a little while was worth the cost.

Big Win:

Crocheting all the Toy Story Aliens to give away and bringing stickers.

People really loved my little aliens. These were much easier to give than the bracelets.

This ended up being one of my favorite parts of D23 because it gave me an easy way to interact with other people. I’d find someone else dressed as a Toy Story character and have something fun to give them.

Little Mistake:

Bringing over 125 Disney-themed friendship bracelets.

Okay, this was not a mistake because people LOVED them, but it was a ridiculous amount of bracelets to carry around, and I felt a little ridiculous when nobody else had brought swag to trade.

Big Win:

Choosing a relevant costume and meeting many other people dressed up as or supporting Toy Story!

There were multiple photo ops for Toy Story, which were fun to see.

This was another thing I would absolutely do again.

It made the whole convention feel more social. We met people just because we were all wearing or carrying something Toy Story related. And I loved how much Toy Story content there was on the show floor.

Big Win:

Getting section 208, row E, seats 13 and 14 at the Honda Center.

Avoid the floor seats at all costs! Sure, maybe on Sunday you were within spitting distance of The Rock or Anne Hathaway’s kids, but those seats are temporary and not made for human comfort.

Our seats were elevated enough that we could see the entire stage, but still close enough that the big screen wasn’t our only option.

I would take elevated seats with a good view over being on the floor and technically being closer to the stage any day.

Big Win that turned into much less of a win later on:

Snagging 5 separate Panel Reservations for D23.

This sounded like an amazing win when we got them. In reality, it didn’t mean nearly as much as I thought it would because not every panel was worth the time and effort required to attend.

I went into D23 thinking a panel reservation was one of the most valuable things I could get. By the end, I realized the reservation was only valuable if the panel itself was worth watching.

Little Win:

Renting a Tesla.

It didn’t make that big of a difference, but we scored great parking for EVs one day because of the Tesla. We were able to remove all our stuff from sight by putting it in the front trunk.

Charging it twice cost less than gassing it up. Gas prices were around $5.30/gallon in LA.

Medium Win:

Getting Virtual Queues for Friday

We were up at 5:50 AM on Friday after getting to our hotel around 2 AM, and it paid off: I got Disney Studio Store Hollywood Group 18 and Jon got into a backup group.

The virtual queues opened at 6 AM, so our convention days essentially started three hours before the convention opened. And this wasn’t just Friday; we tried Saturday again and got nothing, while Sunday we got YNSD Group 90 for me and Walt Disney Company Pin Store Group 126 for Jon.

We were actually lucky. Other attendees reported getting no virtual queues all weekend, and the 6 AM shopping scramble was especially brutal for limited merchandise and pins.

And “virtual queue” definitely doesn’t mean “walk right in.” We still waited about 60 minutes for Disney Studio Store Hollywood, 25 minutes for Ravensburger, and 30 minutes for the Walt Disney Company Pin Store.

Medium Win:

Getting to see something worth the icky seats in the Convention Center.

You’re expected to arrive 45 minutes early, then you may end up sitting on the floor or standing before you’re herded into an auditorium. Once inside, you’re squeezed into a tiny seat with barely enough room to sit like a normal human. Getting up can be difficult when you’re surrounded by people’s feet and bags.

And after all that, the panel itself may not deliver.

Some panels didn’t accurately reflect their content, while others lacked presenters with enough stage presence to entertain an audience for an hour. You’re also discouraged from leaving once the panel starts, making it even more frustrating when you realize you’ve committed a significant chunk of your day to something that isn’t very good.

We only attended five panels, and two weren’t worth the time or effort. We had reservations for more, but our schedule and the logistics of getting around meant we didn’t attend everything we originally planned.

The two standouts were D23: Disney | Marvel: A Legacy of Stories presented by M&M’S and A Whole New World of Alan Menken.

If I’m going to stand in line for 45 minutes, get squeezed into a tiny seat, and commit an hour of my day to a panel, I want it to actually be entertaining and worth it.

Big Win:

The Honda Center presentations, at least Friday and Sunday, were some of my favorite parts of D23.

Each was about 2.5 hours of entertainment, which gave us something guaranteed to look forward to each day. After spending so much of the convention deciding whether something was worth a 30-, 45-, or 60-minute wait, it was incredibly nice to simply sit down and enjoy a show without worrying about lines, virtual queues, or where we needed to go next.

Friday’s presentation focused on entertainment announcements, while Saturday’s parks presentation was less relevant to us since we don’t visit Disney often, haven’t cruised, and don’t closely follow every upcoming change.

Sunday’s Legends ceremony was packed with celebrities and surprises. I was excited for the KATSEYE performance, although it ultimately wasn’t as impressive as I’d hoped. I’m glad I didn’t spend the money on their Austin tour stop.

I also realized how much of the “wow” factor depends on recognizing the celebrities. I didn’t know everyone, so I probably missed some of the excitement the crowd had when certain names appeared. But Emily Blunt was there! I love her. Sadly, my favorite actor, Adam Driver, didn’t attend in person.

The production itself was excellent. The sound was great, our seats had a good view, and we could switch between watching the stage and the huge screen above it. I even enjoyed watching the teleprompter across the arena and comparing it to what the presenters actually said.

For us, the Honda Center presentations were definitely worth it. If you don’t care about the specific content, though, I can understand why someone might prefer to just watch the livestream.

Big Win, Little Mistake:

Getting too many souvenirs and gifts.

We maxed out our luggage space: 2 checked bags, 2 carry-on rollers, and 2 backpacks. Both checked bags were right at the 50-lb limit, and we even brought a travel scale to make sure we didn’t go over.

And we were carrying more than just D23 stuff. We also had souvenirs and gifts from Hawaii and Japan.

Still, being able to find so many souvenirs, gifts, exclusives, and Toy Story items was a good problem to have. We managed to get into a lot of stores and came home with plenty of fun stuff.

Big Win:

Checking out the day after the show so we could SLEEP IN for the first time in days was sooo nice.

Having an extra day in California was also nice.

We booked a surprise extra day near the LAX airport and went to see The Odyssey in 70mm at the Hollywood theatre, which was epic in many ways.

After three days of D23, that extra sleep day was honestly part of the vacation. I would absolutely build a recovery day into the schedule again.

Big Mistake:

Thinking We Could Do Everything.

Okay, we didn’t actually think we could do everything, but I expected we’d be able to see more. Instead, D23 often felt like more time spent waiting than actually doing things.

D23 isn’t really an event where you can make a perfect schedule and execute it. There are too many things competing for your time: panels, reservations, virtual queues, shopping, photo ops, food, giveaways, celebrities, and show floor experiences.

Saturday was a perfect example. We bounced between the Marvel Experience, Disney Hulu Theatre, F1 Disney experience, a Ravensburger virtual queue, an Archives Stage panel, and the Honda Center.

Sunday was even more chaotic: show floor, Imagineering Horizons, a 30-minute wait for the Avatar experience, the Honda Center Legends Showcase, another virtual queue, and the Alan Menken panel.

There were constantly things happening at the same time that I wanted to do. You aren’t just deciding what’s fun, you’re deciding what you’re willing to sacrifice to do it.

So many times we’d see a line and think, “Oh, we should do that!” only to realize it would cost us another hour.

That seemed to be one of the biggest complaints from other attendees too: too much waiting and not enough doing. There was a lot of FOMO, long lines, and jumping through hoops to access experiences that sometimes lasted only a few minutes.

Final Notes

1. Give us more things we can simply walk up and enjoy.

My favorite show floor experiences were the ones that didn’t require a line, like the Pizza Planet Car, Simpsons meme bushes, and Imagineering Horizons open walkthrough. Give me more of that.

I’d much rather have 20 smaller things I can explore, take pictures with, and enjoy than five attractions that each require a 45-minute wait.

Sunday was a good example of the problem. By 10:15 AM, many lines were already capped, and the show floor was packed. Even Imagineering Horizons, which I chose specifically to avoid a long wait, was so crowded that I left after seeing only a few things.

2. If it’sjust a photo opportunity, keep the line short.

If your booth is essentially a line to take a picture, it should be a 10–15 minute experience and not an hour. Waiting an hour to see Mickey is a “why bother?” moment when he’s available in the parks anyway.

3. The longer the wait, the better the experience needs to be.

If I’m willing to wait 30–45 minutes for a Disney ride that’s three minutes long, the same principle should apply at D23. And if the wait is 45–70 minutes, the experience needs to be worth that investment.

4. Keep increasing anti-scalper measures.

I don’t mind exclusives. I mind exclusives becoming a competition between actual fans and people trying to make money from them.

It’s frustrating hearing about people using the 90-mile radius for virtual queues to have others collect merchandise for them, hoarding merchandise to resell, or buying beyond purchase limits.

5. Bring back the Marketplace.

I’d love more opportunities to browse smaller booths and discover things without spending half the day waiting in lines.

6. Make the panel seats roomier.

Please don’t give us airline-economy-sized seats when the average D23 attendee isn’t child-sized.

7. Make the reservation system actually mean something.

The messaging and queue system need to be more consistent. What’s the point of an advance reservation if reservation and standby guests end up in the same line?

I understand that some flexibility is necessary with thousands of attendees, but reservations should provide a meaningful benefit instead of creating another layer of confusion.

8. Give people more shade.

I planned to attend the Disney Princesses, Heroes & Villains cosplay meetup, but it was at noon in direct sun and simply too hot. I ended up skipping it.

If you’re scheduling outdoor activities in Anaheim in August, shade needs to be part of the planning.

9. More things todo thataren’t shopping.

This was probably my biggest takeaway from reading other attendees’ experiences. There was a lot of discussion about D23 feeling increasingly focused on merchandise, exclusives, and shopping queues.

I don’t mind having shopping at D23, but I’d much rather see more interactive exhibits, open walkthroughs, displays, things to explore, and fan experiences that don’t require an hour-long commitment just to end at another merchandise opportunity.