*Un*Official DIS Reunion Sept2021

[GKTW-Steven]

DIS Family Reunion:
Know Before You Go - Convention Portion
Thank you for your upcoming attendance at the DIS Family Reunion at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. This one-of-a-kind expo will celebrate all facets of the wonderful world of Disney – from Disney, Marvel and Pixar animation to film, television, theme parks, music and memorabilia. Proceeds from the event will benefit Give Kids The World Village (GKTW), an 89-acre, whimsical nonprofit resort in Kissimmee that provides critically ill children and their families with magical weeklong wish vacations at no cost.

To make your experience as enjoyable as possible, below are some key details about the convention portion of the event. Information for guests who have purchased tickets to the after-hours event at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be posted separately tomorrow.

Parking
Complimentary parking for DIS Family Reunion guests will be located at Magic Kingdom Guest Parking in the Scar Lot. Please show your ticket confirmation for entry into the lot. Guests will be shuttled to and from Disney’s Contemporary Resort, with wheelchair-accessible shuttles running continuously from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm. Due to construction restraints, there will be no parking available at Disney’s Contemporary Resort for this event.

Check-In
The following are the times you may check in at Disney’s Contemporary Resort Convention Center:

Wednesday, September 8: 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm(no shuttles will be available; please use existing Disney transportation to the event – ie, monorail, bus, etc.)

Thursday, September 9: 8:00 am – 10:00 pm
Friday, September 10: 8:00 am – 10:00 pm

Schedule
Please use the following link to make sure you have the most up-to-date schedule at the main site (links not allowed)

As always, the schedule is subject to change.

DIS Marathon Show
The DIS will be hosting a six hour live marathon show, running from 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm on Friday, September 10. The live show will be taking place in the Auction Hall and limited seating is available.

Presenters
Each of the presentations and panels will last around 45 minutes, allowing you to not miss anyone.

Vendor Hall
Guests can visit 26 vendor stalls featuring Disney art, toys, memorabilia, offers from travel partners, and more! The Vendor Hall will be open as follows:

Thursday, September 9: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday, September 10: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm

Auction Hall
More than 1,500 items will be on display for you to see and bid on, with 100% of the proceeds
benefiting Give Kids The World.

Online auction: The auction opens online at 4:00 pm on Friday, September 3, and closes at 4:00 pm on Friday, September 10. Guests may pick up their items at no charge to save on shipping and handling expenses.

Walk-through hours:
Thursday, September 9: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday, September 10: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Auction item pick-up:
Friday, September 10: 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Saturday, September 11: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

The link to view and bid on the items will be available this Friday.

Photos and Autographs
Most of the presenters at DIS Family Reunion will be available for photos and autographs, with the purchase of every item benefiting GKTW. To ensure we schedule enough time for the presenters, please consider pre-purchasing these offerings using the following link: go to DIS Fam site (links not allowed on this post)
Dining
Walt Disney World will be serving grab and go entrees and snacks for an additional cost on-site at the Convention Center, with seating at the porte-cochère during the event, providing you with an outdoor, shaded dining experience with a variety of delicious options. The resort’s existing dining locations will also be open for normal operation.

Safety
Guests must follow all Walt Disney World safety policies, which require that ALL guests, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, wear masks while indoors. Additional steps have been taken to ensure the health and safety of all guests, including additional distancing between chairs, outdoor dining options and increased hand sanitizer stations. You will also be receiving an email from Walt Disney World with a guest waiver for you to fill out for the event.

We look forward to seeing you at the DIS Family Reunion and truly appreciate your support for Give Kids The World Village by attending this event!

 

[ajv2001]

Good afternoon, everyone! I wanted to apologize for not having enough communication about the event. Our biggest challenge is that we are working through a lot of everchanging logistical details and want to make sure the messaging we do provide is 100% accurate.

With that, we have two 'Know Before You Go' emails scheduled to be sent out. The first one is in regards to everything related to the activities happening at the Contemporary on September 9-10 and the second one is in regards to all things about the after hours event at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.

After looking through all of the comments, everything should be answered in those emails.

I appreciate everyone's patience as we navigate through a set of event variables that continue to change daily for us. The one thing I can guarantee is that everyone at Give Kids The World is so excited to be able to give you an incredible event with all of the funds benefitting the wish families that we serve each day.

I'm now registered here on DIS Boards and keeping an eye on this thread but know that we have communication coming out here shortly.

Will the Big Blue House Photo Op be refunded (if so, when?)
And why does Tyler Bunch's autograph link not work? Is that an error? Or is he not offering autographs?

 

[GKTW-Steven]

Will the Big Blue House Photo Op be refunded (if so, when?)
And why does Tyler Bunch's autograph link not work? Is that an error? Or is he not offering autographs?

Yes - working on everything now as that panel reduced in size. Appreciate your patience with the unexpected changes we are having. Thank you!

 

[ajv2001]

Yes - working on everything now as that panel reduced in size. Appreciate your patience with the unexpected changes we are having. Thank you!

Awesome! Thank you!! (It's definitely the panel i'm most excited for, even at it's reduced size )

 

[GKTW-Steven]

Awesome! Thank you!! (It's definitely the panel i'm most excited for, even at it's reduced size )

It has shifted to a Book of Pooh panel based off who is attending but they will still talk some Bear things, too!

 

[ajv2001]

It has shifted to a Book of Pooh panel based off who is attending but they will still talk some Bear things, too!

I saw that - being a huge Muppet fan, I don't care WHAT Tyler Bunch and Peter Linz talk about, especially steps away from the magic kingdom

 

[rlduvall]

Just saw we won’t even be allowed to park at the Contemporary during the event due to construction. Multiple speakers pulling out. Later attendees paying much less for same experience.

I understand this is for an outstanding cause but the lack of timely information, Pandemic or not, has been discouraging. I suspect I will not attend any of the events but the after hour party.

 

[GKTW-Steven]

Just saw we won’t even be allowed to park at the Contemporary during the event due to construction. Multiple speakers pulling out. Later attendees paying much less for same experience.

I understand this is for an outstanding cause but the lack of timely information, Pandemic or not, has been discouraging. I suspect I will not attend any of the events but the after hour party.

Good evening! I can understand the challenge with parking but please know this was out of Give Kids The Worlds hands. However, to try and make it a more seamless experience, we secured Orange County Police that will stop traffic for our buses to get on the road. Additionally, our buses pick you up directly from the Scar Lot so you don’t need to walk to another location. Lastly, I secured a fleet of buses so you shouldn’t ever have to wait more than a few minutes for a bus to dispatch. All of these efforts were out of pocket for Give Kids The World as we strive to give you the best experience possible. We appreciate your support as it’s been a challenging year for the wish families we serve each day and events like this make it possible to deliver on our promise of never saying no to a child. Thank you!

 

[rlduvall]

Good evening! I can understand the challenge with parking but please know this was out of Give Kids The Worlds hands. . . . We appreciate your support as it’s been a challenging year for the wish families we serve each day and events like this make it possible to deliver on our promise of never saying no to a child. Thank you!

Steven: I appreciate your gracious response. Sometimes it's just nice to be heard (at least that's what I tell my husband every time I need to nag). Thank you so much for the extra efforts taken in transportation - while I hate GKTW has incurred additional cost - it does mean a lot to me that efforts have been made to make it as painless as possible. There is no doubt in my mind that GKTW is a wonderful organization and I know you all have loving and giving hearts.

To put it more eloquently . . . #covidandconstructionsuck

 

[DanielleC]

Thanks - it's those sentences that triggered why I'm confused about a lot of things on this event. If we're only going to the After Hours Party, are we still considered DISFamily "guests" to attend the auction?

I'm surprised there hasn't been much talk about this in the podcasts advertising it and getting people excited for it. Strange...

I think they have played the event down a lot since the event was announced. Unlike the 2019 event Dis Unplugged isn't running this event, GKTW is and GKTW is/was hoping that a lot of The Dis fans would attend. It's very hard to even find it on the GKTW website.

 

[wiihoo888]

I guess an odd question for this group…last minute trip down planned here. When is the latest one can purchase access to any of the events? Still on the fence as to whether we want to do a lot inside, but definitely still considering stopping in for a few and contributing to the cause

 

[DanielleC]

I'm finally settled in a new job, so I booked a room tonight and I;ll be there staying at Coronado Springs. I'll be joining for pre-boo bash social/stroll on 9/10, food & wine meet up on 9/11. It will be nice to see everyone.

 

[pgsle]

Looks like from the revised schedule sent in the E Mail today that screenwriter John August has dropped out. Bummer. That was the panel I was looking forwad to most of all. Well, I guess we're just lucky the event is still taking place.

 

[pgsle]

What are any unanswered questions that y'all are still waiting to hear. Pete wants to address them on the show tomorrow, but he needs an actual list of questions.

Thank you, Craig and Pete. Wondering if the Patreon and Margaritaville Resort happenings Pete has mentioned for this event are still happening. Totally understand if they are not, things being what they are. Very grateful this event is still happening for such a great cause with whatever elements are still happening.

 

[ajv2001]

Good afternoon, everyone! I wanted to apologize for not having enough communication about the event. Our biggest challenge is that we are working through a lot of everchanging logistical details and want to make sure the messaging we do provide is 100% accurate.

With that, we have two 'Know Before You Go' emails scheduled to be sent out. The first one is in regards to everything related to the activities happening at the Contemporary on September 9-10 and the second one is in regards to all things about the after hours event at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.

After looking through all of the comments, everything should be answered in those emails.

I appreciate everyone's patience as we navigate through a set of event variables that continue to change daily for us. The one thing I can guarantee is that everyone at Give Kids The World is so excited to be able to give you an incredible event with all of the funds benefitting the wish families that we serve each day.

I'm now registered here on DIS Boards and keeping an eye on this thread but know that we have communication coming out here shortly.

Just thought of one more question- will the guests have items available to autograph (I know at conventions I've been to before, guests often have 8x10s available to be signed), or must we provide our own items to sign?

 

[GKTW-Steven]

I think they have played the event down a lot since the event was announced. Unlike the 2019 event Dis Unplugged isn't running this event, GKTW is and GKTW is/was hoping that a lot of The Dis fans would attend. It's very hard to even find it on the GKTW website.

Good evening! To find information about Give Kids The World events, including DIS Family Reunion, all guests need to do is click the Events button the main page and there is a direct link to this event on it. We typically don't put events on our front page as it's more of a destination for wish granting organizations and wish families to learn more about their upcoming trips. Thank you and see you soon!

 

[GKTW-Steven]

Looks like from the revised schedule sent in the E Mail today that screenwriter John August has dropped out. Bummer. That was the panel I was looking forwad to most of all. Well, I guess we're just lucky the event is still taking place.

We hope to welcome him at an upcoming event but he did provide some really great autographed items for the auction! John and I actually went to the same college in Des Moines, Iowa and was my connection to get him to the event

 

[GKTW-Steven]

Just thought of one more question- will the guests have items available to autograph (I know at conventions I've been to before, guests often have 8x10s available to be signed), or must we provide our own items to sign?

Yes - we do have photos available for guests to have autographed for the event! Great question.

 

[GKTW-Steven]

I guess an odd question for this group…last minute trip down planned here. When is the latest one can purchase access to any of the events? Still on the fence as to whether we want to do a lot inside, but definitely still considering stopping in for a few and contributing to the cause

Good evening! You can purchase tickets for the Convention in person at the event. Thank you!

 

[MB_Ellie]

In terms of questions, since the DIS marathon show is from 1pm to 7pm on Friday, do attendees stay for the full 6 hours since seating is noted as limited, or are they able to come and go as they please (as long as there's space)?