After a summer of convention-going, I’m absolutely exhausted. Quick turn around dates made for a near non-stop summer. But, what this really boils down to is that I stood in a lot of lines this summer. At San Diego Comic Con, I waited for the Bladerunner 2049 Experience three times, I waited to get into convention halls, but nowhere were there as many lines as at D23.
As a positive, Disney does own Star Wars and Marvel, allowing them to present footage, hand out giveaways, and reveal designs for the new lands. The model for Star Wars land and the explanations they gave for the storyline were entrancing. I stood gazing at this world that I cannot wait to be a part of.
At their theme park panel, they announced the expansion of a Marvel land at Disney’s California Adventure. There they also announced the Westworld-style Star Wars hotel. If I check in, I am never checking out.
They also had a volunteer opportunity (VoluntEars) and had live music throwout the show floor, including a parade down the center of the convention floor.
As far as giveaways and swag, I got some of the best “free” stuff of any convention I’ve been to. I could easily walk up to the Marvel booth, where I received several posters and a Marvel Studios lanyard. The con gave out the most pathetic lanyards, so I was happy for this.
Lularoe was there with their line of Disney leggings, which were given away each day. I got two pairs. Havaianas sold their Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel flip-flops, but were also giving away tote bags, free ice cream cones, and wallets. I certainly came away with some of the most useful swag of my con experience.
However, for all of that, the main detractor is the length of the lines. Because it is purely a convention of Disney and its franchises, one must be willing to wait in line for everything. In order to sit through any of the major panels, sleeping in line is required. And it was sleeping inside, under florescent lights, with televisions blaring around you.
For other panels, you often have to be in line two or more hours ahead of time. Basically, there is not enough happening for everyone in attendance, so wait you must. For the giveaways, like the Lularoe leggings, I waited in line for two hours.
To even enter the convention center, even several hours after the convention floor had opened, you still had to wait a minimum of 30-minutes (and on Sunday, an hour and a half!) to enter the space. I commend Disney for their security, but if they intend to do bag searches and use metal detectors, they need to be prepared for the amount of people in attendance.
Overall, I’m glad that I attended D23. I got it out of my system. However, it’s not something that I will likely attend again. There wasn’t enough to do, and there were simply too many lines with very little payoff. If you are a hardcore Disney fanatic, you might enjoy it. But I’ll stick to San Diego Comic Con and the like.
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