D23 Expo Adventures

Yesterday I had the pleasure of being the last person seated for the animation panel at D23. I count this as a blessing since about 2,000 people who waited hours didn't make it in. Lines are insane and I wish Disney could figure out how to count seats and only allow that many into the queue.  Sadly, they haven't figured that out.  As a result,  despite being in line since before midnight for the 10:30 live action panel,  chances are slim that I will get in. I guess that's what happens when you try for the big panels at cons. 

Animation was wonderful. Not only did I see John Lassiter.  I also saw every living Disney princess voice as all the princesses will appear in Wreck It Ralph 2, where Vanellope finally gets her place among princesses.  Fanservice ensues. It will be amazing. 

Another favorite highlight of mine was a preview of the Olaf short coming out in November.  Josh Gad was on hand to sing a song live and Kristen Bell also made an appearance. 

Finally,  we got a great sneak peak at Coco. I heard some people say they feel its missing something, but it feels like a solid movie. 

Overall, it should be a great day today,  too. As I said,  I may nor make it into the event I've been waiting for for hours,  but if I do,  I will have much more to report.

Here are some of my shots from day 1 (including a few in the parks and of the Wings of the City exhibit in front of the convention center from Thursday because why the hell not?):

More photos to come on the Day 2 Update.

Mommy and Me Trip Again

Today, I took my 3-year-old boy on a mommy and me trip for the first half of the day.  His twin sister when a few weeks ago and had a great time exploring.  My son was way more into powering through the rides than exploring and in a few hours, we managed to do quite a bit.  It was hot even before rope drop, which translated to lower crowds than I was expecting. At noon, when we left, my car said it was 99 degrees outside. 

So, what does my 3-year-old boy like?  Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Small World, anything that spins (carousel, teacups, Dumbo), Buzz Lightyear, and looking at Star Wars stuff.  We also popped over to DCA just to go on the Monster's Inc. ride and grab hot dogs for lunch before going home.  Overall, it was a wonderful day. 

Here are some pictures from the trip.  I made sure to get a shot of the wench scene in Pirates since it won't be around much longer:

As a bonus, a sign went up recently (since the last time I was here) with information on the return of Fantasmic!  I made my reservations on 7/6 for a dining package to see it with my oldest son on 7/25.  I cannot wait!

And, as a final sidenote, one of the CMs actually asked me where he could get a stroller like mine for his own kid as it's a good size for a larger child without being bulky.  My stroller for trips with just 1 kid is my First Years Ignite, which goes up to 50 lbs. and is tall enough that my 6'1" husband doesn't have to hunch over to push it.  It was discontinued a few years back, but the Summer Infant 3D Lite is very comparable and only costs about $60.  It has roughly the same specs and is a similar size. 

Prepping for D23 Expo

Less than a week until my first D23 Expo.  I am so excited!  I knew the event was much larger scale than I had been to in the past in terms of entertainment conventions, but wow!  There are so many offerings.  So many things to experience.  I've been reading the forums, watching videos from previous years, and checking out the app for schedules and maps.  I feel ready...mostly.

In terms of packing, I've got 3 Disneybounds to choose from (Kylo Ren, Rey, and Belle) and some shorts, jeans, and Disney t-shirts for times I don't feel like bounding.  I'm also bringing a backpack with snacks including:  beef jerky, water, fruit cups, protein bars, protein shakes, and cheese crackers.  My backpack will also hold a lightweight sweater if it's cold inside the halls, a book for waiting, tissues, a small supply of medicines, lotion, hand sanitizer, and a portable power supply for my cell phone so I can always have access. What do you put in your bag?  Comment on the bottom if you have anything to add.

Looking forward to posting from D23 next weekend assuming I can figure out how to post from my mobile device.  So, look next week for exciting new content.  And tomorrow you can look for my post in the evening about my solo trip with my 3-year-old son.  I took his twin sister a few weeks ago as you know.  Well, tomorrow is his turn.  I'll be posting in the evening about the day.

Girls Day and the "New" Fastpass

Took my daughter today for a 1/2 day girls only trip.  I try to take each of my kids individually when we have passes at least once in the year and with currently being off of vacation for a few more days, I took advantage.  My daughter is a preschooler and is afraid of the dark.  She is also very adamant about what she likes and what she won't even try unless her daddy or grandmother are around.  That being said, we had a great time going on rides she enjoys and meeting characters when available.  So, where did we go?

We started our day on It's a Small World, one of her favorite rides.  As it was rope drop, we were the only ones on the ride.  It was nice, however, to view everything without other people around.  Then, we went over to Casey Jr.  My daughter prefers the real train that makes a loop around the park, but since that one's still closed, we took what we could get.  Afterward, we headed to Autopia and Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters.  Then, it was time to switch parks as there were no other activities my girl wanted to do in Disneyland.

At California Adventure, we started off on her all-time favorite ride, Monster's Inc.  That girl would ride that one over and over if I let her.  Thankfully, it was closed after we rode the first time, so we were able to move on.  We went on The Little Mermaid, then headed over to Carsland to try to meet Cruz.  Unfortunately, Cruz had to drive away right when we got to the front of the line, but we did meet McQueen, so all was not lost. 

My daughter really wanted to meet the Toy Story characters, but the line was long.  However, she was willing to go on Toy Story Midway Mania to see her favorite characters.  The standby line is usually too long to wait, especially in the sun.  But, here's where we get interesting.  Today, a "new" fastpass system rolled out.  Now, you get a reminder card of when your return time is, but you have to scan your actual ticket to go in.  It's a bit like magic bands at Disney World, but without the bands.  I would prefer the bands honestly.  It's too hard to juggle tickets while waiting in line with a preschooler.  I'm wary to think what it will be like with my family of 5.  There are perks and limits to the system, but it aims to make distribution a little more fair perhaps.  Anyway, I'm not sure if it was due to being the first day of the new system or just that no one was using FP for the day, but when we got to the line for Midway Mania, the CMs actually told us we'd be better off getting a FP.  Return times were only 10 minutes later.  The standby line?  Much longer (maybe 30-45 minutes).  So, we used the new system and enjoyed barely waiting.  Scanning the tickets is cumbersome, but I like the concept.  As I stated though, we really need the bands to make it more streamlined.  I'll leave judging the new system to someone who did more than 1 ride on it today, but I enjoyed most of the process and it seemed to work properly from a technology standpoint, so at least there's that.

Anyone have thoughts on the new system?  How about the MaxPass (for an additional fee, you can book fastpasses online--coming soon)?