The countdown to D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event just got real for ticket holders. Panel reservations are officially open, and attendees have a firm deadline of July 24 to lock in their picks for the August 14 through 16 event in Anaheim.
How The Reservation Lottery Works
Rather than a first-come, first-served scramble, D23 is using a selection system. Attendees browse the panel lineup and submit their choices between now and July 24, and after the window closes, guests will be randomly selected for reservations to the panels they picked. That means there is no advantage to refreshing the page at midnight, but there is a very real penalty for forgetting to submit before Friday’s cutoff. And a reservation is not the only path into a presentation: as in past years, attendees without one can still try their luck in standby lines, though for the biggest showcases those queues form early and fill fast.
The stakes are high this year. The panel slate announced so far includes the Disney Entertainment Showcase on Friday, August 14, where film and television announcements traditionally break, and the Neil Patrick Harris hosted Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at the Honda Center on Saturday, August 15, where the parks, resorts, and cruise line reveals land. Beyond the two tentpoles, the lineup features a Kingdom Hearts deep dive, a Muppets music panel with Seth MacFarlane, and plenty more. Full programming details are available at the official D23 website, where reservations can be submitted.
A Packed Anaheim Weekend
The panels are only part of the picture. The celebration actually begins a day early on August 13 with D23 Day at Disneyland Resort, headlined by Disney Princess: The Ultimate Concert Celebration at Disney California Adventure, before the show floor opens at the Anaheim Convention Center the following morning.
If you are attending, do not sit on this one. Submit your panel picks before July 24 and cross your fingers for the lottery.
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