Disney D23 Membership Guide

Disney D23 Membership Guide

Disney D23 is the official fan club for the Walt Disney Company. So if you’re into all things Disney Parks, Disney Movies, Disney Vacations, Disney Characters, and the like, a D23 Membership is for you. Luckily, it’s free to join, at the general membership level.  Here are all the details about D23, the Gold memberships, the Annual Gift, and if it’s really needed for the next D23 Expo. Plus, why we think January is the perfect time to grab a paid membership to D23.

d23 Membership Gift 2022

If you’re not already a general member check out the D23 website for all the latest Disney news and stories. Add your name to the club charter by signing up here.

D23 Membership

The D23 Membership at the general membership level is FREE and includes a few nice perks and the knowledge that you’re among some of the most fun people on the planet. Know that the membership is attached to your Disney Account. 

  • E-Mail subscription to the weekly D23 Fanfare e-newsletter
  • Breaking news about all things Disney
  • Some Discounts and access to D23 Expo Tickets
  • Access to exclusive stories on D23.com

D23 GOLD Membership

As of this writing, a paid D23 Membership runs 99.99 dollars. This GOLD Membership includes quite a few neat perks for the Disney fan.

  • Quarterly Publication
  • Annual Gift
  • Early Access to D23 Expo Ticket Sales
  • Priority Access at D23 Expo Events
  • Access to VIP Events
  • Discounts
  • Chance to enter Sweepstakes and Giveaways

D23 Gold Membership DUO Plan

A D23 GOLD Duo Plan Membership is good for you and an “affiliate” person, and up to 2 guests each,  and is 129.99 a year.

  • Quarterly Publication
  • Annual Gift
  • Early Access and Discounted D23 Expo Ticket Sales
  • Priority Access at D23 Expo Events
  • Access to VIP Events
  • Discounts
  • Chance to enter Sweepstakes and Giveaways

D23 Discounts

To see all active discounts checkout the Discounts and Offers page.  These change regularly so check back often if this is one of the perks you most want. 

D23 Gold Member Discounts

D23 Gold Membership and Special Events

One of the best perks of being a D23 Gold Member is the ability to register for D23 exclusive events! Special movie screenings, VIP tours, events at the Disney Parks, and the Walt Disney Family Museum are all on the docket for Gold Members. Of course, these events FILL UP FAST. Most events take place in larger cities like Burbank, CA, Orlando, FL, and New York City and it was great that the Dumbo D23 screening this past year took place in 20 major cities. So if you’re hoping to take advantage of events, but don’t live near Disney Parks, consider your ability to travel for these and if it makes sense for you to have a paid membership. 

Should you get a D23 Gold Membership for the D23 Expo?

So before we jump into this, remember that D23 Expo 2022 is the Walt Disney World company’s 100th anniversary year. For this reason, we’re assuming it’s going to be even bigger and busier than usual. As with everything, take this with a grain of salt. We have only experienced one D23 Expo (in 2019) with a Disney Gold Family Membership and feel we need to share a few things that could make or break your purchase of a Paid D23 Membership, that is, if D23 Expo glory is your goal. The website clearly states that Gold Membership does get you priority access to panels and events but apart from getting closer to the front of the line at 2 am for the larger panels in Hall D23, we DID NOT see or experience this at all for other sessions.

D23 Gold Membership Perks at Expo 

If the D23 Expo is anything it’s chaotic. From the delayed opening of the registration website for the expo to a last-minute addition of a “fair” virtual queue for registration of panels. From everything being filled within 30 minutes of the queue opening to being turned away at panels for which we had both registration and gold family membership. Nothing about our gold family membership got us priority online or on-site. Mind you, we are those psycho people who will take off work to be ready when the site opens or up at 4 am so we can book things the second they go live. So this was a bit of a shock for us that months of planning meant nothing. And really, it’s about managing expectations. To be fair, this happened to everyone. If you’re hoping to flash your gold card and get in that session you registered for, think again. When lines are full, they’re full. It won’t matter if you registered, have a gold membership card or sold a relative to get into the session. Consider yourself informed. 

D23 Gold Member Annual Gift

The D23 Annual Gift arrives every year on your renewal anniversary. So, if you’re considering the Gold Membership aim for January to start your Gold Membership. Since the Annual Gift releases in January of every year, if you’re hoping to be one of the first to snag your gift, and show it off to friends, getting your gift earlier in the year is best. We say this from the envious place of having an October renewal date and having to wait 10 months before we receive the gift we see paraded on socials all year long. 

D23 Membership Perks and Review. Thinking of a FREE D23 Membership or springing for the paid gold membership? Here's what you get at each level, all the discounts, gifts and Expo perks. #d23 #d23membership #d23gift #disneyfanclub #polkadotpixies

Co-Founder and Director at Polka Dot Pixie Co LLC | Website | + posts

Rochelle Mariah is a writer, designer and photographer with an MLIS in Information Science and a B.S. in Arch and Design. Determined to make Planning a DIY Disney Vacation easier she makes lots of lists and drinks lots of coffee. When not designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's watching old movies and planning the holidays. She has been traveling to Disney destinations since 2010.


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