D23 Disney Fan Club Membership Review & Info

D23 is the official Disney Fan Club that offers paid Gold and free memberships. Perks include discounts at Walt Disney World & Disneyland, access to special events including D23 Expo tickets, an annual gift, and more. (Updated November 5, 2024.)

Before getting started, we wanted to highlight the D23 Gold Member gift for 2024. Celebrating the stories that foster classic Disney magic and paying tribute to magician kits of yesteryear, the D23 Magic & Mystery Box Collector Set includes a Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey Mouse collectible figurine, a mystery companion collectible figurine, a deck of playing cards, and a mystery pair of pins, as well as a Membership Card and Certificate.

That’s not all D23 membership offers in 2024. For one thing, this is the 15th Anniversary of the official Disney Fan Club, so there are celebratory events throughout the year. The bigger things are the flagship annual events held in Florida and California: Destination D23 and D23 Expo. The latter just occurred and will likely return in 2026, and Destination D23 will likely be back at Walt Disney World in Fall 2025! Beyond that, here’s what you need to know about D23, starting with an early Black Friday deal on memberships!

Early Black Friday Deal: Take $40 off a new D23 Gold or Gold Duo Membership* and get ready for a mystery box filled to the brim with the most mesmerizing magic! Your 2024 D23 Gold Membership will include the Magic & Mystery Box, special discounts, access to member-only events, and more!

Use Promo Code at Checkout: D23VIPDEAL24

$40 off the regular price of a Gold Membership or a D23 Gold Duo Membership must be redeemed by 11:59 pm PT on November 30, 2024. Limited time offer, while supplies last. Savings based on the current non-discounted price of a new D23 Gold Membership. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.

Offer does not apply to taxes or shipping & handling charges. Offer not valid for gift memberships, membership renewals or upgrades from Gold to Gold Duo Plan. Offer is not transferable and not redeemable for cash; offer subject to change or termination without notice. Cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions. D23 Memberships will automatically renew at the non-discounted retail price every year until canceled. Offer available to U.S. residents only.

Your D23 Gold Membership Card, D23 Gold Membership Certificate, and Magic & Mystery Box will ship within 3-6 weeks after enrollment or renewal. So the box should arrive in time for Christmas if you opt to order a membership in someone else’s name (since gift memberships don’t qualify).

As for whether you should take advantage of the early Black Friday deal on D23 Memberships, that largely comes down to whether you want the Magic & Mystery gift box, quarterly magazine, or would like to attend the 2025 Destination D23 event at Walt Disney World.

While the return of Destination D23 has yet to be confirmed, it’ll almost certainly be back at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Fall 2025. When, exactly, is unknown. In the past, it has been held between early September and November, which is a fairly wide range of dates. Our best guess is that it’ll continue in early September, as this is the off-season and that makes it a good time to lure fans down to Walt Disney World to help fill hotel rooms and boost attendance.

Destination D23 has become increasingly popular as it’s shifted from a history-focused event to an off-year, mini-D23 Expo. We’d expect that trajectory to continue, especially as there’s a lot on the horizon in the 5-year plan for Walt Disney World and Disneyland. The most likely scenario is some smaller-scale new announcements for the parks, plus major updates and reveals about previous announcements. If that sounds appealing to you, we’d highly recommend purchasing a D23 Gold Membership!

Here are the other highlights offered by the Official Disney Fan Club…

2026 D23 EXPO: Join D23 and the entire Disney family in Anaheim, California, for a one-of-a-kind fan experience that will bring together the best of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and more!

Disney has not yet confirmed that the D23 Expo will return in 2026, but it’s a foregone conclusion given its popularity this year. Despite being bigger than ever (and having higher capacity), D23 Expo also sold out faster than ever. If you want to attend, we’d recommend joining D23 in the second half of 2025, as the next D23 Expo is likely to occur in August or September 2026, with tickets going on sale that spring.

Disney “Twenty-Three” Quarterly Publication: Gold Membership includes a one-year subscription (four issues) to D23’s collectible magazine. When I say collectible, I really mean it. Twenty-Three is printed on nice and thick paper, and has a great glossy look. Slightly oversized, it is the perfect “Coffee Table” magazine.

If you’re a fan of all things Disney, and not just the theme parks, this is a pretty compelling justification to get the Gold Membership. In addition to the quality of the magazine itself, the D23 magazines frequently include little gifts with each issue that are also pretty nice (although way too many are patches).

Membership Card and Certificate: Your membership card, which you will need for events, and a certificate that could only appeal to children. Disney describes it as “suitable-for-framing.” I can’t imagine anyone on earth actually framing this thing.

Surprise Collectible Gift: This is something different every year. Once, it was a member watch. Another year there was a calendar. This year, it was a collectible pin set. This is something different every year, and it’s usually a thoughtful and interesting choice. Whether it’s something you’ll actually want is another story entirely, but the point is that Disney does put some effort into the Gold Member gift.

Exclusive Special Events and Merchandise: If you live in California or Florida, or make regular trips to either coast, this is a big draw. When D23 first debuted, many Walt Disney World regulars complain that “all of the events are in California.” That is no longer the case.

While many events are in California (including the D23 Expo), this is fair given that Disney’s corporate headquarters are in California, as are most divisions of Disney and Disneyland. Moreover, celebrities that attend these events are primarily located in Los Angeles, and convincing them to do a conference in Florida would probably be a tough sell.

In any case, D23 has responded to these complaints with various ‘on the road’ offerings located in major cities throughout the United States. In addition to that, there are now a handful of major events that take place in Florida at Walt Disney World, including the popular Destination D23 event. We’ve done this many times, and absolutely love it.

There is no way to purchase tickets to most events without being a paid member (most events sell out before being available for the Free Members), so if you want to attend any of them, you’re basically forced into buying the Gold Membership. Additionally, in years when the D23 Expo is held, members receive a discount to the Expo.

The greatest of these perks, for most, is the Twenty-Three magazine. Some argue that all of the information available from D23 is available for free, online. This is undoubtedly true, but for me, “information” isn’t the only reason to buy something. There is something to be said for the tangible feel of a magazine. Sitting outdoors with a cold beer on a summer day, I don’t want to be squinting as I try to view the poorly illuminated text on an iPad or similar device. But that’s just me. I am a fan of printed publications. Your mileage may vary on that one.

The second perk, and if you can avail yourself of this one it’s likely the greatest, is the opportunity to purchase admission to the events. While I was not overly impressed with the first Magic & Merriment we attended, we had an absolute blast at the second Magic & Merriment, and even more fun at the D23 EPCOT Center 30th Anniversary events!

We also are huge fans of the D23 Expo, and have attended most of these. This event isn’t for everyone (lines can be long and it’s always a bit chaotic the first morning), but as huge Disney history geeks, we love the panels–especially the ones on the Walt Disney Archives stage, which tend to be less popular.

If you’re unable to plan your trips around these events or take weekend jaunts when they’re offered, you might be disappointed with the event schedule. However, if you can attend even an event or two per year, Membership quickly becomes worth the while for you. If you cannot or will not attend any events, I do not see a lot of intrinsic value in the membership, and I wouldn’t recommend becoming a member, unless you’re interested in the magazine.

With that said, the question is whether the magazine is worth your money. Like I stated above, if you’re a fan of the whole company, most likely yes. If you’re a fan of just the theme parks, it’s questionable. When presented with the question of whether I should become a Free or Gold Member, I opted for Gold after looking at the prices of used magazines on eBay. Most were selling in the $10 range, meaning the magazines roughly paid for themselves.

Most magazines also include a collectible gift of some sort that also have some value. So as long as you don’t mind dealing with eBay, the subscription is probably worth it as an upgrade from the free membership to Gold. From a pure value perspective, I would have a hard time justifying the cost of the subscription if I only wanted the magazine, but I am primarily a fan of the theme parks.

Ultimately, D23 membership benefits vary widely: a SoCal local AP holder may be able to attend 10 D23 events in one year and have membership be well worth the price whereas someone in Topeka, Kansas may never be able to attend an event, and may not care about the watch or magazine.

That being said, while it’s really a personal decision, it’s neither a “terrible” or “great” club. Right now it’s just sort of mediocre. What Disney does with it in the next few years will determine its ultimate fate. On the plus side, D23 is actually run by passionate Disney fans (we’ve met them at a few D23 events, and they really seem to care about Disney and the Club), but it doesn’t seem like they’re the ones making the high level decisions concerning the direction of the club.

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Your Thoughts

What do you think of D23? Is it worth the money, or have you let your subscription lapse? Have you attended any D23 events? Will you be signing up to take advantage of the Disney+ discount? Any questions? We love hearing from readers, so please share any other thoughts or questions you have in the comments below!