Has it been two years already? Expo time has rolled around again for the Disney Faithful over at the Anaheim Convention Center this upcoming weekend. With the recent release of the final schedule of the three-day event (http://d23.disney.go.com/expo/D23Expo11_GuideBook.pdf,) it may be time for attendees to start analyzing a plan of attack. Here are some of my thoughts as I peruse this year’s program.

One difference as far as how the layout of the convention stands this year, is a consolidation of the rooms used for the various presentations. Last Expo, there were a handful of large Arena/Theater rooms, and then a variety of smaller conference rooms; this year, there are basically three different rooms–the Arena, Stage 23, and Stage 28–with different activities and meet and greets taking place at different pavilions out on the floor.

On the one hand, this should eliminate some of the confusion of finding the correct room for the correct panel, and on the other hand, this means the flow of humanity trying to get into a given room at a given time will be that much heavier. I haven’t seen any numbers as to how many people fit into each room, but it is to be hoped that the organizers have learned from last time, when some of the rooms’ maximum occupancy proved to be woefully inadequate to the demand.

Another thing I’m hoping they’ve streamlined is the whole process of security while entering the big Arena presentations. Last year, entrants had to undergo a multi-step process which involved getting searched for electronics, bagging and handing in any phones, cameras, or recording equipment, and then getting wanded on the way in. The whole thing took an incredibly long time to the point where some of the presentations looked like they closed a lot of people out with still-empty seats because they just ran out of time to let people in. Unfortunately, even after you got in, the nightmare wasn’t over because you had to go through a huge chaotic mess to reclaim your contraband when everyone was let out. I’m not necessarily advocating people show up to these events buck naked, mind you, but it might facilitate the whole ordeal for the rest of us.

With the elimination of last year’s fourth day, it appears there’s a heavier integration of the Disney Channel programming throughout the whole weekend, with an emphasis on Sunday, where they seem to drop Stage 28 entirely. It seems odd that after cutting a day they would actually end up having fewer panels, and would choose to have the lighter schedule on one of the weekend days, which one would assume would be more heavily attended. Friday, by contrast, has a plethora of presentations, often scheduled simultaneously, presumably as counter programming to break up the crowds. A lot of the historical content is absent, partitioned off, no doubt, for the Destination D events, as are the large ABC pavilion/presentations. Maybe they got tired after the huge Pan Am publicity blitz they just had at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Putting aside the merchandising events and meet-and-greets, the number of presentations per day breaks down like this: Friday–13, including the popular Legends Ceremony, Parks and Resorts talk, and Dick Van Dyke performance; Saturday–11, including the Studios presentation, Pixar, and Legends panel; Sunday–8, with the big presentations being Marvel and Disney Channel, and the other offerings including the DCL announcements and three panels at least partially presented at other events. For the traditionalist Disney fan, unless they add more events between now and then, it appears that Sunday’s going to be a fairly light day.

The other thing of note is that they look to have eliminated most of the late-evening programming. Last Expo, each night they showed vintage films or new documentaries until around 11pm, with appearances by such celebrities as Richard Sherman and Mary Costa. This year, you’re pretty much free to head out to Electronica after about 8:30pm.

Ultimately, the key to surviving Expo with your sanity intact is going to be prioritizing what’s important, and taking into account the amount of time each factor is worth to you. Would you rather meet Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry? Or see the Studios presentation? Don Hahn’s “Why We Create,” or the Parks and Resorts show? If you want to see Parks and Resorts, is it worth missing the four other panels that’ll be going on while you wait in line to get in?

The lighter schedule is likely to win approval from people who found last year draining and stressful from so much going on. Personally, my tendency is to want to go full-bore and just forego food and sleep for the whole weekend…then check into a hospital after it’s over, but your mileage should probably vary.

In any case, it looks to be a great weekend filled with all the Disney information, minutiae, and magic we’ve come to expect from D23. See you at the Expo!