Ticket pre-sales began Tuesday for D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, scheduled to take place August 9-11 in Anaheim. Disney has made a number of changes to the format of the event for 2024, but the biggest is the decision to host the marquee presentations at the Honda Center each evening after the main show floor closes at the Anaheim Convention Center.
This year, fans who want to see everything the Ultimate Disney Fan Event has to offer will navigate two different venues, and for the first time ever purchase tickets with assigned seating. The logistics are a bit more complicated for guests with disabilities. After reading the information provided by Disney, and based on details learned during the first pre-sale date, it seems nearly all of the accessible seating is more expensive. If I'm right, then I'm left wondering why that is true?
As some readers know, my husband relies on a motorized wheelchair to get around these days. Having been season ticket holders for the Anaheim Ducks, we have extensive first-hand knowledge of just how… challenging… the Honda Center can be for visitors with mobility impairments. With the Visa pre-sale starting today, and tickets on sale Thursday to all D23 members, my goal here is to make the ticketing options more transparent for all guests with disabilities, and draw some attention to issues Disney still has time to address
Number crunching
Disney is selling tickets on three levels of the Honda Center – 100 (floor) level, 200 level and 400 level. Floor seats are the most expensive, ranging in price from $999 to $2,599 for a three-day pass.
Wheelchair accessible spaces are only offered in the middle two sections of the floor level, at $1,499 or $2,099 for a three-day pass. There are no wheelchair accessible spaces offered in the back section of the floor, where three-day passes are $999, though guests who can transfer from their wheelchair or ECV into a seat may sit in this section. I also notice that there are no wheelchair accessible spaces or transfer seating offered in the most expensive section, closest to the stage.
A screen shot with pricing for the upper level of the Honda Center for the D23: The Ultimate Fan Event. MousePlanet graphic.
Move up a level, and there are no wheelchair spaces in the “stage adjacent” section of the 200 level, which sell for $189 each. There are a total of 4 semi-ambulatory seats in these sections, which requires guests to navigate 6 steps to the seat. Guests who prefer to remain in their wheelchair must purchase tickets in the higher-priced areas of the 200 level, at $249 each.
There are also 4 semi-ambulatory seats each in sections 221 and 209, priced at $567 each for a 3-day ticket. Again, there are no wheelchair spaces in these sections, so guests looking for the 3-day ticket on this level will pay $747 per person.
On the 400 level, all of the wheelchair spaces are in the lower rows, at $149 each. There are no wheelchair accessible seats in the lower-priced upper rows, which are $99 each, or in the lower-priced sections 412 and 433.
As for semi-ambulatory seating, there are 8 seats available in sections 412 and 433, priced at $99 each, but all other ambulatory seating in the lower rows, at $149 per ticket.
For guests who are deaf or hard of hearing, Disney states that CART services & ASL viewing are available in sections 301 & 326. These tickets are $149 each. These sections are not wheelchair accessible, but Disney spokesperson tellthat, “Guests who are in a wheelchair or ECV and cannot sit in the designated CART/ASL Section can request CART/ASL support to DLRAccessibilityServices@disney.com in advance of the event and accommodations will be made.”
Disney also clarified that CART Services and ASL Interpreter Viewing will be provided via monitor in the designated sections.
A screen shot of the pricing for the CART and ASL viewing section for D23: The Ultimate Fan Event. MousePlanet graphic.
The D23 website states, “Disney has an unwavering commitment to providing a welcoming, inclusive environment and accessible experiences for our Guests,” but the details show that, with few exceptions, guests who use wheelchairs, who need seats they can access without climbing an entire flight of steps, or who need access to CART services or ASL interpretation will have to purchase accessible seating in more expensive sections of the Honda Center.
I fully understand Disney is limited by the physical constraints of the Honda Center, and can't control where the (extremely limited) accessible seating was built. Disney can't add wheelchair-accessible seating to the upper reaches of the 400 level, bring it any closer to the stage in the 200 level, or create it on the 300 level.
But Disney is 100% in control of their pricing, and they have the ability to offer accessible seats at all pricing levels. They absolutely can price the accessible seats to be comparable to the lowest tier of each seating section.
The problem becomes how to prevent abuse. As with any online sale, Disney has no way to ensure that people who purchase accessible seats really need them. If Disney posted these seats at the base price for each section online, you'd likely have people see the cheaper seats and grab them. The Honda Center website says management “reserves the right to take appropriate legal action against guests who fraudulently obtain wheelchair and companion seats,” but it's hard to know how Disney would enforce that on the spot.
I'm not sure what the answer here is, but charging more for access doesn't seem to be it.
A map of the accessible seating options at the Honda Center for D23: The Ultimate Fan Event. MousePlanet graphic.
The nitty gritty of seating sections
If you're looking to purchase accessible tickets to this event, I've done a pretty deep dive on your seating options, and created a map to show the various sections relative to the stage.
Only 18 of the 56 seating areas in use for this event offer access to guests using wheelchairs and ECVs, with another two able to accommodate wheelchairs only. Disney has designated 52 wheelchair accessible spaces on the floor level. There are a total of 40 wheelchair-accessible and companion seats on the 200 level, and 18 on the 400 level, with another 6 wheelchair-only spaces on the 400 level. Which could mean no more than 32 spots available to wheelchair users if they each have one companion. Guests who can transfer from their wheelchair or ECV may also purchase seats in six of the floor sections.
Wheelchair/ECV accessible spaces are available in:
- Sections 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109. (52 seats total)
- Sections 203 (10 seats), 204 (10 seats), 226 (10 seats), 227 (10 seats).
- Sections 401 (3 seats), 403 (2 seats), 405 (2 seats), 407 (2 seats), 438 (2 seats), 440 (2 seats), 442 (2 seats), 444 (3 seats).
Wheelchair accessible only spaces are available in:
- Sections 409 (3 seats) & 436 (3 seats) only.
CART Services and ASL interpretation are available in:
- Sections 301 (60 seats) & 326 (60 seats) only.
I should note that Honda Center also sells the “wheelchair” seating and companion seats to guests of size, who can not fit into the standard stadium seat. If seat width is a concern for you, know that the seats in the 400 section seem to be narrower than seats in the 200 section.
Guests who are semi-ambulatory have quite a few more options. The end seat of certain rows is considered an accessible seat, and often features a lift-up armrest. On the 400 level, some of these sections have a small storage space where the arena attendant can store a walker or cane during the performance, but you should not count on that.
Disney says these semi-ambulatory seats can be selected when you purchase tickets for the event, and that there are 68 semi-ambulatory seats on the 200 level, and 60 on the 400 level. Note that there are usually only two of these seats per section.
From personal experience, I know the end seats in Row E of the 400 section have movable arm rests, but I'm not sure where the designated seats are in the 200 section, and I've never seen them identified in any way on the Ticketmaster site. I'm hoping Disney's interface makes it easier to find these seats, but I was not able to look at that during the first presale date.
Of course, all of the seats in the floor, or 100 section, should be accessible without steps, using the same entrance Disney will for guests with wheelchairs or ECVs. Guests who can't navigate the flight of steps from the entrance at the 200 level down to the floor just need to ask for the alternate entrance.
Exceptions to the No Bags policy
Like many major arenas, the Honda Center now has a strict no bags policy for most visitors, though there are exceptions for guests who need to carry medical devices or baby supplies. Bags and purses can be no larger than 5″ x 9″ x 2″, and will be inspected prior to entry, which may include passing through an x-ray device. You can bring clear bags, but they will still be inspected. Mini backpacks, like the popular Loungefly styles, are not permitted.
The Honda Center says, “Guests who require a diaper bag or purse/bag for medical items, such as prescription medication, breast pumps, and other special medical equipment, are permitted to bring a bag no larger than 12 in. x 12 in. x 12 in. These medical and diaper bags must undergo additional screening and inspection.”
The Honda Center does not offer bag check or lockers, so you'll need to leave your merchandise purchases in your hotel room or car before entering Honda Center.
Rolling between venues
More than 3 miles separate the Anaheim Convention Center and the Honda Center, and thousands of visitors will need to travel between the venues each night to catch the marquee events. Disney has said they will provide complimentary round-trip transportation between the two centers, but says that additional details on all transportation options – including shuttles, busses and rideshare options for the Anaheim Convention Center and Hondar Center – will come in the months leading up to the event.
We assume Disney will deploy the same fleet of buses they currently use to provide transportation to and from the Toy Story parking lot. These buses can generally accommodate only one or two wheelchairs or ECVs per trip, and larger devices do not fit on all bus models.
We also do not know if parking will be available at Honda Center during the event. The arena has just kicked off a massive multi-year expansion project, which is already impacting traffic around and parking at the venue. We will keep updating this article as we learn more about the transportation and parking plans.
A Disney spokesperson tells MousePlanet that guests who need more information about accessibility at the Anaheim Convention Center and Honda Center can email the Guest Services team at DLRAccessibilityServices@disney.com.
