Photo Credit: EH
I have been a D23 Gold Member since the Charter Year of 2009. I did not sign up on the first day but waited until April. I have been to several D23 events:
- 2009 – D23 Expo
- 2009 – Magic and Merriment
- 2010 – D23’s 1st Anniversary Party
- 2011 – D23’s Great Disney Scavenger Hunt at WDW
- 2011 – D23’s Destination D: Walt Disney World 40th
- 2011 – D23 Expo
Other than information gained at events, I have also met many Disney fans. On several of the events I was a solo attendee. Several participants welcomed me into their groups to prevent me from being alone. Over the years, I have kept in touch with people I have met and still meet up with them during D23 events.
I look forward to attending the 2013 D23 Expo with friends and the planning has begun. I did notice a big change between the 2009 and 2011 expo. The 2009 expo was over a course of four days vs. the 2011 one being three days. I do remember long lines in 2009 but the lines in 2011 were ridiculous. If you wanted to attend programs in the Arena you had to be in line at least a hour before and was still not guaranteed to get in.
I have registered for D23 Disney Fanniversary Celebration in Orlando on 6/23. It was nerve racking to get registered due to the site being overloaded. Per the website, “each show will be hosted by a Disney archivist and D23 team member and will highlight the rich behind-the-scenes stories of these magical moments through rarely (or never-before) seen film footage, concept art, photography, and exclusive interviews with many of your favorite Disney Legends and luminaries.” The event is being held on different dates in Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco (which is reported being sold out), Chicago, and New York. I cannot wait to do a post on my experience at this event.
There are so many different views about D23, the events, the price of events, location of events, lack of perks, etc. I feel this “official club” could use a makeover in some areas. However, I will still renew my membership and attend events.
Are there any memorable D23 events you have attended? One of my favorites was touring Cinderella’s Suite during Magic and Merriment.
Photo Credit:EH
Photo Credit: EH
Photo Credit: EH
Photo Credit: EH
Great photos from the Castle suite Elantrice! I love them! I was a member of D23 that first year, but living in Canada I have very few opportunities to attend events. That first year my daughter and I were in Disney the weekend of Magic and Merriment and when the tickets went on sale I was waiting to get them. I was crushed with disappointment when the tickets were sold out in seconds! I swear it broke my heart, especially because trips to DW are not more then once per year and sometimes even less for us. At any rate, I let my D23 membership go the next year. I still love some of the swag we got, but it was not worth the money to never be able to attend an event. I am glad you are able to enjoy it as must as you have. I look forward to more photos!
Suz
Good morning MapleMouseMama!! Thank you so much for reading. I am sorry to hear about your experience. It is like the luck of the draw when attempting to get into D23 events. I was hoping the registration process would get easier, but the site appeared to of crashed when the registration for the Fanniversary event opened. If you follow me on Twitter, @DizThruBrwnEyes, you will be able to see pictures as my adventures happen 🙂