Destination D23 is headed to Orlando again in two weeks. Ahead of the event, a schedule was released with write-ups for the panels. Some of these events will be live-streamed as well, but only on September 9th. However, the big question for many is, “Will we finally get some exciting announcements?”

At the last D23 Expo event in Anaheim, fans waited for the Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Josh D’Amaro, to make big announcements. Instead, fans were told that a Figment Meet and Greet was coming and that Disney might add IP to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad” in the Magic Kingdom.

This, of course, led to a lot of disappointment and memes about the “announcements,” which were, for the most part, not actual announcements.

Now it’s about a year later and D’Amaro is set to take the stage with yet another parks panel that promises “surprises.”  The panel is called “A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.”

Here’s the panel description:

“Join Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro and special guests for an entertaining presentation looking to the future of Disney parks, featuring updates from around the world and some fun surprises along the way.”

I hope it’s not more meet-and-greet announcements because, let’s be honest, that’s almost all that came out of the last D23. An upcoming Figment meet and greet and an Encanto one too.

Disney needs some project announcements as Universal Orlando’s EPIC Universe is coming for them. Even if they make an announcement for a new attraction or land now, it will be years before they actually get it done. If they don’t cancel it.

But given the current state of the company with plummeting stocks, job cuts, a stagnant streaming service, and box office bombs, do they honestly even have the funds for projects, or will they just announce them and hope that they get the money along the way and a likely stock boost?

Here is the full Destination D23 schedule

Friday, September 8, 2023

7 a.m. – 8 p.m. : Guest Services / International Credential Pick-Up Open
East Registration

Shopping Check-In Open
*Please do not arrive more than 60 minutes before your scheduled shopping time.
Porte Cochere

8 a.m. – 8 p.m. : Gift Pick-Up Open
Sorcerer’s Apprentice 2

Mickey’s of Glendale Shopping Open
Ballroom of the Americas, 2nd Floor

The Walt Disney Company Store
Grand Republic Ballroom D, 2nd Floor

Ink & Paint Marketplace
Grand Republic Ballroom B, 2nd Floor

Please note: Reservations required to access the shopping locations on Friday, September 8!

8 a.m. – 8 p.m.: Mickey’s of Glendale RSP Pick-Up
West Registration

The Walt Disney Company Store RSP Pick-Up
Sorcerer’s Apprentice 2

9:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.: The Plausible Impossible 60 Years of Disney
Audio-Animatronics^® Technology
Sorcerer’s Apprentice 3

Saturday, September 9, 2023

7 a.m.: Queue for both General Seating and Preferred Seating Opens
(Please do not arrive before this time – no official queue will be available until 7 a.m. and unofficial queues will not be honored.)
Disney’s Contemporary Resort Convention Center, 1st Floor Lobby

7 a.m. – 8 p.m.: Guest Services / International Credential Pick-Up Open
East Registration

8:15 a.m.: Doors Open – Preferred Seating Admission
Fantasia Ballroom H

8:30 a.m.: Doors Open – General Seating Admission
Fantasia Ballroom G

9 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Morning presentations, including:

Welcome!

A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Join Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro and special guests for an entertaining presentation looking to the future of Disney parks, featuring updates from around the world and some fun surprises along the way.

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Morning Break

D23 Updates with Michael Vargo

The Early ’Ears – Ub, Oswald, and Mickey

Join Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline on a journey back to the roaring ’20s and the “Early ’Ears of Disney” during this retrospective conversation, featuring iconic characters like Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Mickey Mouse, and the Legends behind them, like Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney.

100 Years of Classic Characters: Unforgettable Stories

Actress and fashion icon Ashley Eckstein catches up with fellow voice actors behind fan-favorite Disney characters, including Bret Iwan (Mickey Mouse), Kaitlyn Robrock (Minnie Mouse), and Disney Legend Bill Farmer (Pluto, Goofy), for a rousing tribute to the characters that have inspired us for a century.

12 p.m. – 2 p.m.: Lunch Break

1:30 p.m.: Doors Open – Preferred Seating Admission
Fantasia Ballroom H

Doors Open – General Seating Admission
Fantasia Ballroom G

2 p.m. – 5 p.m.: Afternoon presentations, including:

National Geographic Live – Secrets of the Whales

Dive deep into the groundbreaking science of whale families—and their startlingly human parallels—through the awe-inspiring work of celebrated National Geographic Explorer and photographer Brian Skerry.

Disney Cruise Line: 25 Years of Innovative Design at Sea

Get an inside look into designing and building Disney Cruise Ships from the Disney Imagineers currently working on its newest fleet. Learn of the intricacies that go into designing unique spaces and the complexities of ship design.

3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.: Afternoon Break

Marvel: Beyond Earth’s Mightiest – Celebrating 60 Years of The Avengers

Celebrate 60 years of Earth’s Mightiest Super Hero team, the Avengers! Since their debut in 1963’s The Avengers #1, this all-star roster of beloved characters has been uniting to fight the foes that no single hero could withstand. Now, join Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski to trace the comics history of the Avengers across six decades—and BEYOND! Surprising stories and tantalizing teases await in this can’t-miss panel about how the Avengers rose to become a pop culture phenomenon! Avengers, assemble!

100 Years of Innovation: Magic in Every Medium

At its core, The Walt Disney Company lives by its ability to “keep moving forward,” as curiosity leads us down new paths. Imagineers Daniel Joseph and Karin Hanson reconcile a century of innovations in which Disney stories have been brought to life through magic, connecting how they have been inspired by the innovations of yesterday, to the exciting ways they innovate through storytelling today.

EPCOT: Always in a State of Becoming

A look into the design and ideas behind the transformation of EPCOT and its new neighborhoods, attractions, and experiences. Explore the legacy of the park and discover more about the collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney World Resort throughout this ambitious process. Highlights include details uncovered by the Marty Sklar Archives and the inspirations that have guided the evolution of Disney’s first park without a castle.

5 p.m.  Dinner Break

Sunday, September 10, 2023

7 a.m.: Queue for both General Seating and Preferred Seating Opens
(Please do not arrive before this time – no official queue will be available until 7 a.m. and unofficial queues will not be honored.)
Disney’s Contemporary Resort Convention Center, 1st Floor Lobby

7 a.m. – 8 p.m.: Guest Services / International Credential Pick-Up Open
East Registration

9 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Morning presentations, including:

Walt Disney Studios Showcase

A sneak peek at exciting upcoming projects from The Walt Disney Studios.

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Morning Break

100 Years of Walt Disney Animation Studios

Becky Bresee and Wayne Unten, heads of animation on Walt Disney Animation Studios’ upcoming feature Wish, sit down with legendary animator Mark Henn to revisit some of their favorite filmmaking memories.

Disney Global Ambassador Showdown

Join Disney Parks Ambassadors from every Disney destination around the world, as we learn more about each of their home resorts and engage them in a friendly competition to see whose resort is the “best of the best!”

Weird Disney: Centennial Edition

Get weird with the Walt Disney Archives and experience 100 years of “weird Disney” moments in the centennial edition of a Destination D23 fan favorite!

12 p.m. – 2 p.m.: Lunch Break

1:30 p.m.: Doors Open – Preferred Seating Admission
Fantasia Ballroom H

Doors Open – General Seating Admission
Fantasia Ballroom G

2 p.m. – 4 p.m.: Afternoon presentations, including:

The Road to 1923: Walt Goes West

Disney Legend Don Hahn provides new and fascinating insights into Walt Disney’s fabled journey that would lead him to join his brother Roy in California, where the two would establish the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio—the beginning of what is now The Walt Disney Company.

Down the Rabbit Hole: The Disney You Didn’t Know

Join Disney archivists and authors Kevin M. Kern and Steven Vagnini for a journey down the rabbit hole as they uncover astonishing Disney discoveries, connections, and little-known facts that will change everything—well, at least some things—you thought you knew about the Disney universe!

100 Years of Creativity:  A Playful Look at Disney Imagination

Join Imagineers Diego Parras and Jason Grandt for a decade-by-decade look at some of the more interesting and lighthearted moments of Disney creativity from the last 100 years.

See Ya Real Soon: A FAN-Tastic Finale

5 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Dinner Break

7 p.m. –  9 p.m.: DISNEY+ HALLOWSTREAM COSTUME BASH

Kick off the scariest season in style and enter the world of Hallowstream with Disney+, the streaming home of your favorite Halloween stories. With phantomized photo-ops, chilling treats, and spellbinding surprises, guests will find all their hearts’ desires in this lavish lair of scares. Don’t forget to don your favorite costume so that you can dance the night away!

Attendees in costume must adhere to the following guidelines:

• Costumes may not be obstructive, offensive, objectionable, or violent.
• Guests may wear costume masks. However, costume masks must not obstruct vision and must be removable. Costume masks must be removed at security screening.
• Costumes should not drag on the ground.
• Costumes should not contain sharp objects, pointed objects, or materials that may accidentally strike another guest.
• Costumes should not contain any weapons that resemble, can be used as, or could easily be mistaken for, an actual weapon. Costume swords must be anchored to your costume in such a way that they can’t be drawn. No firearms, projectiles, or arrows (simulated or otherwise) will be allowed.
• Guests who do not adhere to these guidelines may be refused entry into the event unless his or her costume can be modified to meet the above standards. The appropriateness of the guest costume will be determined by Disney at its sole discretion.

The event is currently sold out but you can learn more by visiting D23 Here.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!