A family of 7 at the D23 Expo!

Our latest Disney trip included one day at the D23 Expo...and it was truly amazing! I was told by many people that the expo (Disney expo, none the less) was not a place for kids. This is why we chose to go only one day.

We strolled in to the expo around 11 am...and by strolled, I mean we actually got to the doors, then had to head right back towards the water fountain because my 5 year old HAD to take a picture with "Elsa" and "Anna" and a few other cosplayers that were posing by the fountain.

After going back inside, checking in and getting our badge lanyards and bags, we headed to the main floor. We were all a bit mesmerized for a while. There was so much going on!

We made it just in time to see the Teen Beach 2 cast get introduced on stage, and watched their dance party a bit.

The rest of the day was lots and lots of picture taking of cosplayers, playing new video games, browsing all of the vendor tables with amazing Disney merchandise, and listening to a few panels. My 5 year old was convinced that most of the characters she saw were the "real" ones...except Baymax. She said she knew he was fake, so she couldn't take a picture with him. Funny, funny girl.

As you can see from the picture above, we all dressed up too :) I didn't have a pink dress to be Queen Miranda, so I used my Belle dress...the rest of my family are Sofia the First characters. They LOVED dressing up, and loved when someone recognized who they were "suppose" to be.

My 3, 5 and 6 year olds loved all these cosplayers!

We supposedly went on a "slow" day. Even then, we saw so many amazing cosplayers. So many characters that you'd never see at any of the Disney parks! Personally, that alone is worth the cost of a weekend ticket to the expo (which is what we are planning for the next expo). My kids had many great talks with the amazing people there, they loved playing the new video games, meeting new Disney fans, and even loved seeing the cast of shows that they watch. 

Here are my top 3 tips for anyone planning any type of expo event with their kids (this is only our second expo):

1. Help them get a good night's rest the night before! For this trip, on the Saturday before the expo, I got the kids up EARLY. We spend the day at Disneyland. Because they got up early, and were active all day, they were all ready for bed by 7 pm. All 5 slept very good that night.

2. Eat before you go! To maximize your "browsing" time, make sure to eat before you go. You can buy food there, but who wants to show up to an expo like this, only to have to immediately sit down and eat for an hour or so?

3. Let your kids be kids! Really, let them have fun. Let your little one run up to their favorite character to ask for a picture. The cosplayer will love that! Let them pick a few things they would like to do that day. Let them have as much fun as you are (hopefully everyone is having a blast!).

Have you taken your kids to any expos with you? I'd love to hear more tips, as I am a beginner at the expo side of this!