Reviewing Disney’s D23 Expo 2017

There’s no denying it. I am a super fan of Disney, and the biennial D23 Expo is always the prime opportunity to soak up all the latest news and properties from the Mouse.

D23 Expo 2017 has now wrapped, and it was a blast.

As a cruise travel writer, specifically, I am always on the lookout at the convention for anything Disney Cruise Line-related yet there was surprisingly little present on the show floor. All I could find was a small corner of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Pavilion dedicated to Star Wars Day at Sea with a single photo and short video reel within a longer rotation.

Otherwise, the exhibit was almost exclusively dedicated to the newly named Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, primarily occupied by one massive model of the new land headed to both Disneyland in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.

This was the highlight of the convention as far as the show floor was concerned.

The level of detail displayed the impressive breadth that is headed to the new set of attractions and overall atmosphere. It was breathtaking at scale, so I can only imagine how magnificent it will be once completed in reality.

Elsewhere, Aulani and Adventures by Disney were more prominently represented, each with their own photo-op. Collectively, the two in addition to the cruise line were showcased on the collectible bag handed out to each attendee.

Of course, Disney Cruise Line’s big showing was actually reserved for the announcement of a seventh ship in the fleet, which came as a surprise to us all. Most Disney rumors circulate ahead of time, but this one was kept tightly under wraps until the expo.

Also from a nautical perspective, I greatly appreciated the “Walt Disney Archives Presents––A Pirate’s Life for Me: Disney’s Rascals, Scoundrels and Really Bad Eggs” exhibit. Not only was the history of the international rides on display, but so too was the movie franchise and even offshoots such as “Muppet Treasure Island.”

The coolest film props to see in detail were the oversized ship models as well as Davy Jones’ pipe organ. As for the attractions, the audio-animatronic artifacts were particularly fascinating.

It’s always a treat to explore what outside vendors bring to the convention, and it was great to see Van Eaton Galleries showcase one of the sea serpents from Disneyland’s original Submarine Voyage ride. It's all still looking good and in operating condition after years of being under water and portholes passing by the silly faux creature.

READ MORE: D23 Promises Huge Disney Park Additions

Mostly, the panels themselves took the cake with lots of excitement all the way around. There was, however, one major hiccup to start on Friday.

After miscounting the thousands waiting in line for hours to see the animated feature films presentation, about a good third of the huge group could not fit inside—yours truly included. Disney stepped up and made right by us all by guaranteeing us seats at a panel of our choosing the next day, which thankfully saved me from having to camp out overnight to make it in for the live-action panel on Saturday morning.

Disney even gave each of us a one-day park-hopper ticket to the Disneyland Resort as further consolation. Color me very impressed.

Although I unfortunately missed out on the animation panel, the live action panel was a kick in the pants as we received previews of upcoming movies from “A Wrinkle in Time” to “Avengers: Infinity War.” Promoting the former, Oprah Winfrey was on hand to hilariously exclaim in her signature style that we would all be getting a poster of the film: “You get a poster! You get a poster!”

Following the excitement of all things "Star Wars,” it was awesome to see Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Gwendoline Christie and more in person, but that was only before 15 members of the “Avengers” cast also took to the stage.

Besides the many opportunities for hero worship, glimpses at other high profile projects show very promising new films such as a live-action “Dumbo” from director Tim Burton, “The Lion King” rendered photo-realistically a la “The Jungle Book” and the “Mary Poppins Returns” sequel. As a film score fan also, I’m thrilled that one of my favorite composers, Marc Shaiman, is writing the latter movie’s new music, which he previewed with a full orchestra for us all to hear.

In the same vein, watching “A Whole New World of Alan Menken" live was another awesome moment as the songwriter took us on a historical journey through his tunes with just him at a piano playing Disney and other career highlights. Personal stories about his process and time collaborating with the studio were fascinating, adding even more meaning to the classic numbers we’ve come to love from the master.

Still, the most jam-packed panel had to be the Parks and Resorts one helmed by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman, Bob Chapek. This is where the Disney Cruise Line news first broke, but there is so much more coming to land that’s exciting.

As a Disneyland annual pass holder, I admittedly had hoped to hear more details about the rumored Marvel presence expansion at Disney California Adventure besides just knowing that upcoming attractions would be themed to the Avengers and Spider-Man. However, it was neat to see much more concept art for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. I am beyond excited for both.

READ MORE: 7 Showstoppers at Disney’s D23 Expo

At Walt Disney World, I’m blown away by just how much is coming to the resort for its 50th anniversary. Major movie rides are on the way with “TRON” for the Magic Kingdom and “Ratatouille” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” for Epcot.

However, the actual Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is sadly going to close to make way for the new Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway ride. The displaced is one of my all-time favorite attractions and last remaining vestiges of the former Disney-MGM Studios.

It’s truly a bummer to see it shuttered instead of updated.

Nonetheless, the abundance of wonderful things coming from Disney far outweighs any lamentations. It’s just that we fans are a sentimental group. It’s difficult for us to say goodbye, but it’s not forever.

After all, as the song goes, “Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company. M-I-C- See you real soon! -K-E-Y Why? Because we like you! M - O - U - S - E.”

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