D23

[OKW Lover]

We haven't had a good D23 conversation/rant of the podcast in a while.

I see that D23 has announced some events for Orlando this year that might be of interest to those of us local or who happen to visit at those times. Wondering how many D23 members we have and what you think of the value.

In the past I did not feel the membership was worth it as we could never get to any of the events. Val & I might reconsider....

 

[kbelle8995]

D23 is an interesting concept. But for me the expense can be a lot. Not just price of the membership but the price of the majority of the events. I guess I never was interested due to the cost and the fact that most of the events seem to take place in Anaheim and around Disneyland.

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

As many complaints/rants as there are about D23, when they do an event, it's typically very well done.

 

[jeanigor]

I've been a gold member of D23 for a while. Is it expensive? Yes. Is Disney on the whole expensive? Yes. I like getting quarterly Disney mail and if there is a bit of pixie dust with the magazine, then even better. I have not been to a D23 event, but they seem to be first rate.

 

[OKW Lover]

I've been a gold member of D23 for a while. Is it expensive? Yes. Is Disney on the whole expensive? Yes. I like getting quarterly Disney mail and if there is a bit of pixie dust with the magazine, then even better. I have not been to a D23 event, but they seem to be first rate.

Thanks for the perspective Todd. I got the magazine for the first year or so of D23 existence but didn't renew. Now that I see more activity that I could attend (being retired and living near the park has certainly helped that) I'm seriously considering re-joining, probably at the gold level. I did really enjoy the magazine....

Perhaps we will get a chance to see you at one of the events.

 

[Launchpad11B]

Hey Jeff, We were members when D23 first came out, but all the events were on the west coast so we let our membership lapse. We did the D23 scavenger hunt several years ago and that was a blast. They put on a great event. I just wish they would do more on the east coast.

 

[OKW Lover]

Hey Jeff, We were members when D23 first came out, but all the events were on the west coast so we let our membership lapse. We did the D23 scavenger hunt several years ago and that was a blast. They put on a great event. I just wish they would do more on the east coast.

Exactly why we dropped it too Paul.

 

[wdwscout]

I am a charter member. Living in NJ, I haven't been able to take advantage of any of their West Coast events.
But I did attend the Destination D Scavenger Hunt & lectures weekend in Orlando several years ago. The Scavenger Hunt was brutal and tons of fun! All the speakers were terrific, with the highlight being a live concert by Richard Sherman to cap it off!
This past November, I attended Destination D/Attraction Rewind in Orlando again. This time it was a World's Fair theme, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the 1964-65 NY World's Fair. Having attended the World's Fair as a child- I signed up for this weekend the minute it opened for registration! I loved the whole weekend.
I also attended the opening of the NYC Disney Store several years ago through a D23 event and got to meet Jodi Benson (before the first Podcast Cruise where she was our guest). She autographed a canvas oil painting of Ariel we bought that day.

I think they put on excellent events.
I agree that just for the magazine, it's very pricey. But for their events- it makes it worth the price. They are well organized and expertly run quality events. They are fun for any Disney lover.
I was excited to see they would be bringing more events to Orlando this year. We will be "locals" just 6 weeks from now- and I plan to take advantage of as many as possible!

 

[Cousin Orville]

As many complaints/rants as there are about D23, when they do an event, it's typically very well done.

Agreed. I've attended most of the Destination D's and Expo's. They're wonderfully well done. It has really spurred my interest in the history of the parks in ways no other media or events have. Just the ability to listen to many of the original imagineers talk and share stories with one another makes these events worthwhile. The most recent Destination D discussed Disney's involvement in the 64/65 Worlds Fair in amazing detail. I've heard VP imagineer Joe Lanzisero discuss the creative path of DCL, Joe Rohde discuss the creation of Aulani, and many more. If you're into Disney history and what's happening "backstage", there are 2 events I'd recommend. First (as a tangent) is ABD's Backstage Magic which gives you the opportunity to visit the physical places you would never have the ability to visit on your own such as Imagineering. Second is a D23 Expo or Destination D which gives you the opportunity to listen to the storytellers (imagineers and more) you would never have the ability to listen to anywhere else.

Admittedly the Achilles heel of the large events, especially the Expo, is the crowd level and lines. I've done VIP tickets in the past, but they are getting prohibitively expensive and are very hard to obtain. Still, if you can muster the patience, I'd recommend it.

Looking forward to the D23 Expo this August.