From Camp Rock 3 and Dancing with the Stars to live podcasts—here is my ultimate fan experience walkthrough from the ultimate Disney event.
What an absolute whirlwind of a weekend! As a lifelong Disney fan, attending D23 was a complete dream come true. The energy on the floor was electric, filled with pure nostalgia, star-studded surprises, and incredible community moments. If you couldn’t make it in person—or just want to relive the magic—here is my firsthand look at the biggest throwback hits, panel highlights, and unforgettable floor activities from D23!
Camp Rock 3: The Next Generation Panel One of the absolute highlights of the entire weekend was the fun-filled panel for the brand-new Disney Channel Original Movie, Camp Rock 3: The Next Generation! The panel introduced us to a dynamic new group of campers headed to Camp Rock, where legendary band Connect 3 (played, of course, by the Jonas Brothers) is searching for their next big opening act.
MEET THE NEW CAMP ROCK 3 CAST
Lark (Panel Moderator): Sherry Cola
Fletch: Malachi Barton
Sage: Liamani Segura
Rosie: Lumi Pollack
Desi: Hudson Stone
Cliff: Casey Trotter
The chemistry among the new cast members was instant and contagious. During the panel, they shared sweet stories about bonding before filming even began—including attending a Jonas Brothers concert together, going out for group dinners, and frequent hangouts. They also revealed the single biggest piece of advice given to them by original franchise icons Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers: “Be in the moment and take it all in
Fun Trivia & Cast Quiz Highlights
The cast played an entertaining trivia game where they guessed facts about each other:
Malachi Barton revealed that he absolutely loves Jazz music and can actually juggle!
Liamani Segura showed off her inner villain side and delivered a spot-on, hilarious Jennifer Coolidge impression.
Lumi Pollack listens to almost 100 playlists and can name all 50 states in Alphabetical order
Hudson Stone is a daredevil and sang in Irish pub at 8 years old
My Thoughts on the Movie
Having watched the new Camp Rock 3 movie, I can gladly report that it recaptures that classic Disney Channel magic! I enjoyed most of the new soundtrack, and it carries as much heart as the first two films. With Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers serving as executive producers, you can really tell they took great care to protect and honor their original legacy while passing the torch to a brand- new generation.
Interactive Fun at the Disney+ & Hulu Pavilion
The Disney+ and Hulu Pavilion was easily the most bustling spot on the show floor. It was packed with fantastic photo opportunities, interactive exhibits, and the super-popular Mystery Pin Quest! My favorite stop was the High Potential and Camp Rock photo booths, where visitors actually got to hold a real guitar for their photos sit at the desk of Morgan! The experience was simple but rewarding: take 4 photos across different stations, collect 4 stamps on your card, and redeem them for an exclusive throwback mystery pin. It was such a fun keepsake to take home from the show floor!
Learning to Dance with the Pros
To break up a day full of standing in long lines, I headed over to the Spotlight Stage for an absolute bucket-list experience: learning choreography directly from the pros of Dancing with the Stars!
The pro lineup on stage was stacked with talent:
Val Chmerkovskiy & Jenna Johnson
Britt Stewart & Brandon Armstrong
Rylee Arnold & Ezra Sosa
Val and Jenna took center stage and guided the entire crowd through a few 8-counts of high-energy choreography set to “Zoo” by Shakira (from Zootopia 2). Getting to learn a routine directly from the best dancers in the business was a total dream come true and provided the perfect boost of energy!
“Hey Jonas!” Live Podcast Recording
This was without a doubt the hardest panel to get into all weekend—and easily the highlight of my D23 experience! The standby line started earlier than most and was farther than almost any other line on the floor, and security was everywhere. I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d make the cut, but when they finally gave us the green light to enter the room, I was the most excited I had been all weekend long. The live podcast recording featured amazing special guests, including David Henrie (Wizards of Waverly Place) and pop singer/actor Jesse McCartney. They were quick-witted, hilarious, and had standard-setting banter as they reminisced about the Disney Channel Games, the iconic JONAS series, and what it felt like to officially become Disney Legends.
Unforgettable Fan Moments: The best part of the panel came when they took questions from the audience and went out of their way to make dreams come true. In true legendary fashion, they randomly bought a Roomba for a fan, invited an aspiring TV host up to interview them on the spot, and opened a Disney Lorcana card pack with a fan right there on stage just because they could!
A Dramatic reading of Jesse McCartney’s song Beautiful Soul!
Final Thoughts
I am so incredibly proud to be part of this fan community. Experiences like this remind me why Disney holds such a special place in our hearts. A huge thank you to the entire D23 team for putting together an event to remember. What a weekend!
