So here is my review:
Friday:
Panels: Disney+
-really enjoyed this one. Favorite parts were the Mandalorian, Obi Wan announcement, Lady and the Tramp, Anna Kendrick's Christmas movie and all the Marvel shows. Wanda Vision looks so weird and awesome. Also looking forward to Kristen Belle's high school theater reunion show.
I think they focused a bit too much on the Disney Channel shows. You need to know your audience and there weren't a lot of younger people in attendance.
Minute by minute of day:
Arrived at 5 am, placed into queue in the main basement. Friend arrived at 5:15, went into the overflow carpeted room.
Waited in the show floor queue. We were let upstairs and allowed to line up right outside the doors. We were let in just after 9. There were 3 of us and we all split up with different objectives. Friend went to MOG and was able to get right in. BF went to Music Emporium to get Anthony Gonzalez wristbands. I went straight to Talent Central to see how signings would be handled with no pass (wanted to meet the Broadway people). I was told that there would be standby, but the standby would only be accommodated if the pass people didn't show up.
I don't know what was happening at this point but the show floor was still very empty. I then went to Marvel to ask them about standby. I was the only guest in the pavilion. They said they would not be accepting standby for any of their signings, but that there would be standing room to watch the talks.
I met back up with my BF at the Emporium, we got our vinyls and there were no meet and greet wristbands this year, they scanned your badge which was nice. He probably waited 15 minutes in line in total.
We both went back to Marvel and got in line for the free giveaway. He got a water bottle and I got a Groot funko. I thought that was nice of Marvel, everyone got a chance to get a prize and they didn't require a reservation.
Our friend bought me a spaceship earth Phoenician shirt in MOG.
We met up with our other friend and took some pictures in front of the Star Wars booth. BF and I were cosplaying as Star Wars creators, he was Dave Filoni and I was Ashley Eckstein. After that I got recognized by a Her Universe rep who wanted my pic for their social media.
I got into the standby line for Broadway. I ended up ditching because a huge line was forming outside in the hall for Disney+ and we got worried. I heard later from my friend who was in standby for Jim Shore that none of the Broadway standby were ever able to go. They continue to let talent pass into line much later than they should have. The rules said 5 minutes before, but looks like the rules were never followed for passes. So much for standby.
At around 10:45 we got in line for Disney+. We were held upstairs for a long time before they let us in. We felt that the line was super long, but we got front row Gold A section.
Luckily, the volunteers were letting us leave the basement since we had wristbands on. We took turns going to the food trucks to get food. I won a Star Wars pin at the
Amazon prize truck.
We hung out in the basement until we were loaded into the room around 2:45. Panel started at 3:30. It ran a little long and I don't think we got out until about 5:45. The gifts were Disney+ hats and an I Love you 3000 pin.
By that time the expo was almost over. We had wanted to do the Treehouse panel but it had already started.
We went to the
Nat Geo booth, and did a quick 3 minute walk through. Then went to look around in the Epcot and Marvel Parks pavilions. That was pretty much it for that day.
Saturday:
Panels: Simpsons, HM 50 and Broadway.
-Simpsons: really good. Matt Groening, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith and a few writers were in attendance. Got to hear some good stories. They played tons of clips from when the show parodied Disney. They also showed a Stranger Things cilp from the upcoming Treehouse of Horros episode. I am kicking myself now, they opened the floor to questions and whoever asked a question got a signed sketch from Groening.
-HM 50: was a cluster to get in. We ended up in standby and were loaded into the 3rd floor after it had already started. There were plenty of seats still on the floor level. I enjoyed this panel, though I know others didn't. They showed how to do some of the illusions which was really cool. X Attencio's granddaughter spoke about him and his influence on the attraction. They had 2 jungle cruise skippers do a walkthrough with jokes on the HM, I really liked that because I love the JC. Then they did the script reading with the tightrope walker, X's granddaughter, and X's granddaughter.
-Broadway: we were held upstairs in the hall in line forever, and were finally allowed to enter after it had started. This panel was so good. All the performers were excellent and it was a great time.
Today we were doing a Captain Marvel/Top Gun mash up. Our friend was Carol Danvers in her flight suit, my BF was Maverick in his flight suit, and I was Goose in his flight suit but I had on cat ears and our friend made us a light up Tessercat toy on a string.
We actually got stage passes for the Simpsons, so we decided to sleep in and showed up around 8. We were held in the carpeted holding room, then led to outside the doors until the floor opened. We went to Marvel to get another giveaway, but ended up ditching because it was taking a while. We got in line for Simpsons stagepass.
We ended up getting pulled out of line while walking in and were led up to fill 4 empty second row seats. We all got Bart heads with Mickey ears on a stick.
Would have loved to do the signing but didn't bother with standby.
After that panel, we saw the cluster waiting to get into the gold line for HM 50 and went to the food trucks to get lunch. When we came back gold was closed so we got in standby. We were let in after the panel started and sat on the third floor.
The panel was over around 1:30. We decided to wander the show floor. Tried going to the vendor booth area, but it was so hot over there it made me sick. Tried to get standby for Ashley Eckstein signing but it was full.
We just wandered around some more checking out booths and the Pandora exhibit until we lined up for Broadway at about 3:30. It had been pushed back to 4 and we were seated as they were starting the first song.
Panel was over a little after 5:30. At this point we left early because we had got into the Disney Movie Rewards park meet up and had to DCA at 7-7:30 to check in.
Sunday:
Panels:
-Disney Parks: was super disappointed in this one. I felt it was just a giant commercial and that they had a bunch of filler. So many things that we already knew. Thank goodness for Dick Van Dyke, he saved the panel. I did not care about Target getting Disney stuff that we could instagram. Don't get me wrong, the Make A Wish was very touching, but I felt like it was filler because they didn't have a lot to discuss.
-Art of Disney Storytelling: Enjoyed this panel a lot. Was hosted by John Stamos and he called back to the panel he hosted in 2017 in which Marty Sklar was in attendance.
-Character Voices: by far the best panel. There were so many voices in attendance: Mickey, Donald, Goofy. Jim Cummings who does about 40 voices. Then they had Miguel (Coco), Tiana, Ariel, Belle, Judy Hops, Moana and Jasmine. I could have watched that panel for another hour, it was so interesting. Miguel and his little brother sang Remember Me and Moana sang How Far I'll Go.
This morning sucked. We ended up lining up at 3:30 for Parks because we didn't want to miss it. We got second row of Gold C. The panel went until noon and I was just meh with it. Our parting gifts were a $10 gift card (someone got a $2300 gift card) and a pin. I really wished they'd given the Mary Poppins attraction poster.
We went outside to get a food truck lunch. Then wandered around a bit. Went to the costume exhibit, then the Art of Storytelling panel.
Ducked out of that a few minutes early to beat the rush to Character Voices.
After Character Voices we did a quick run through of the vendors (most of the items were way too expensive for me there, and I don't collect pins of funkos). So not a lot to interest me.
We did a final circuit of the floor and got a lot of free stuff. Also signed up for Disney+. Were turned away from the Voluntears booth, they said they were at capacity for the day. Then kind of rudely said they were out of freebies anyway. I didn't even know they had freebies and was just trying to help, so whatever.
And that was it for the expo. I'll do my next post of critiques and praises.