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WDW News Today confirmed on September 24, 2026, that Wayback WED still has tickets on sale for October 2 and October 3 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, eight days before the two-day Imagineer gathering opens. The organizer’s event site lists All-Access, VIP, and panels-only bundles, plus a free Inner Globe Society membership gate before checkout.
The decision for a Walt Disney World week is whether to buy a separate convention ticket, book a room on the monorail loop, and protect Friday and Saturday from park rope drop. Start with the Disney’s Contemporary Resort planning page if you need walking times, monorail access, and room types next to the convention center, then compare the three ticket tiers on the official Wayback WED site before you lock park reservations.
- Dates: Friday, October 2, and Saturday, October 3, 2026, at Disney’s Contemporary Resort Convention Center.
- Tickets: All-Access, VIP (capped at 50, includes resort parking), and a panels-plus-lunch bundle, sold at waybackwed.com.
- Membership gate: Exclusive to WDWNT Inner Globe Society members; joining on Patreon is listed as free.
- Check-in: VIP guests at 9:15 a.m.; general admission at 9:30 a.m. both mornings.
- Cast Members: 50 percent off regular ticket prices, plus a $25 Saturday autograph-only ticket, per WDW News Today.
Ticket Tiers and the Free Membership Gate
Wayback WED is a WDW News Today fan convention, not a Disney Parks ticketed event and not a D23 program. The Main Street Mouse independently reported the October 2 to 3 dates, the Contemporary Resort venue at 4600 World Drive in Lake Buena Vista, and the billed gathering of former Imagineers, including Disney Legend Tony Baxter and former Walt Disney Imagineering president Bob Weis.
The official site sells three named packages. The All-Access Pass covers Friday and Saturday panels, catered lunch both days, the Saturday evening meet-and-greet and autograph session, and event gifts. The Panels and Presentations bundle covers both days of panels, lunch both days, and gifts, without the autograph session. The VIP Package is limited to 50 tickets and adds reserved seating at every panel, early entry to the autograph session, VIP-only gifts, and parking at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Checkout sits behind the Inner Globe Society membership. The event site says you can join for free at Patreon.com/WDWNT, then return to waybackwed.com to buy. WDW News Today also lists WIGS and Cast Member discounts. Current Walt Disney World Cast Members can request a code by emailing the address on the September 24 event post for 50 percent off regular prices, and a $25 Cast Member Exclusive Saturday Autograph Session Ticket is listed separately.
Public dollar prices for All-Access and VIP were not readable on the Ticket Tailor checkout page used by WDWNT, which returned a blocked response during this report. Treat the live cart on waybackwed.com as the price of record, and screenshot the tier inclusions before you pay. The site’s countdown copy says tickets are going fast; that is marketing language, not a published remaining-inventory count except for the 50-ticket VIP cap.
Friday Panels at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Friday, October 2, is the denser history day. Check-in opens at 9:15 a.m. for VIP guests and 9:30 a.m. for general admission. Morning panels run 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in three blocks: Tom Morris and Tony Baxter on the original Walt Disney World with previously unheard production stories; Peggie Fariss, Tom Nabbe, and others on the Class of ’71 opening years; then Joe Lanzisero, Mike West, Paul Osterhout, and more on the evolution of Country Bear Jamboree and the Enchanted Tiki Room.
Catered lunch is in the Contemporary Resort Convention Center from 1:00 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. for All-Access, VIP, and panels-bundle guests. Afternoon panels run 2:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.: Women of Walt Disney Imagineering with Kathy Rogers, Peggie Fariss, Eli Erlandson, Paula Dinkel, and more; Tony Baxter on Western River Expedition, Big Thunder Mountain, and Frontierland; a Hall of Presidents 55-year session with Eric Jacobson, Kathy Rogers, and Paul Osterhout; then Don Dorsey, Eric Jacobson, and Steve Taylor on America on Parade, the Electrical Water Pageant, and the Main Street Electrical Parade.
Dinner from 6:15 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. is on your own. That gap is the moment to use Walt Disney World dining reservations at the Contemporary or a monorail hotel, because the convention center meal service stops after lunch. Friday VIP guests then move to a dessert reception from 8:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the Summer House at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, a second hotel hop that is listed only on the VIP evening line, not on general admission.
Saturday Imagineer Sessions and Autographs
Saturday, October 3, repeats the 9:15 a.m. VIP and 9:30 a.m. general check-in. Morning panels run 10:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.: Bob Weis, Rick Rothschild, and Jim Bockstall on the unbuilt Disney’s America park; Rick Rothschild and others on the American Adventure; then a Bob Weis conversation covering DisneySea, Disney California Adventure, and a preview of The Marty Sklar Archives book. Lunch returns to the Contemporary convention center from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Afternoon panels run 2:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Joe Lanzisero covers Mystic Manor, Tokyo DisneySea ports, the Society of Explorers and Adventurers, and Duffy. Tony Baxter, Tim Delaney, Kym Murphy, Mike West, and Brock Thoman follow with The Land and The Living Seas. The closing 90-minute block is the Journey Into Imagination reunion with Tony Baxter, Tom Morris, original Dreamfinder performers Ron Schneider and Steve Taylor, and more, the session The Main Street Mouse flagged as a likely draw for EPCOT fans.
Dinner is again on your own from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The Saturday evening meet-and-greet and autograph session runs 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., with VIP Package guests admitted at 6:50 p.m. WDW News Today says attendees receive a gift suitable for collecting autographs. If autographs are the reason you bought the trip, skip the panels-only bundle; that tier does not include the Saturday evening session.
Parking, Monorail, and Rooms for the Weekend
The venue is Disney’s Contemporary Resort Convention Center. The event site does not list a Walt Disney World park ticket as required for Wayback WED itself. You still need a valid park ticket and a park reservation if you add Magic Kingdom or EPCOT hours around the panels; those are separate products on the Walt Disney World tickets guide.
VIP parking at the Contemporary is the only parking inclusion published. General-admission guests should plan Disney’s standard resort parking or use the Resort Monorail, which stops inside the A-frame hotel. WDW News Today previously told D23 lunch guests the same weekend to park at the Transportation and Ticket Center and continue by bus or monorail; treat that as a crowd-management hint for October 2, not a published Wayback WED parking rule.
Staying on property is optional and sold out of a different cart. A Contemporary stay puts you in the same building as check-in, lunch, and the Saturday autograph line. Grand Floridian is the Friday VIP dessert hotel. If those towers are priced as a special-event weekend, compare nearby monorail or boat hotels rather than assuming the convention ticket includes a room. Disney does not operate Wayback WED, so a Disney vacation package will not bundle the WDWNT ticket.
Bring a charged phone, a small bag that meets Disney resort convention rules, and a plan for the two dinner windows. The published schedule has no evening park time built in on Friday for VIP guests, who are at the Grand Floridian until 10:30 p.m. Saturday ends at 9:00 p.m., which can still leave a late Magic Kingdom hour if you already hold that park reservation and can clear the autograph line on time.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Want panels, lunch both days, and Saturday autographs | Buy the All-Access Pass on waybackwed.com after joining Inner Globe Society for free. |
| Want reserved seats, 6:50 p.m. autograph entry, and Contemporary parking | Buy one of the 50 VIP Package tickets; Friday also includes the 8:00 p.m. Grand Floridian dessert reception. |
| Only want the history panels and lunch | Buy the Panels and Presentations bundle; you will miss the Saturday 7:00 p.m. meet-and-greet. |
| Are a current Walt Disney World Cast Member | Email the address on the WDW News Today event post for 50 percent off, or buy the $25 Saturday autograph ticket. |
| Already hold Magic Kingdom tickets for October 2 or 3 | Keep those park reservations, then buy a separate Wayback WED ticket; park admission is not the convention credential. |
Now through October 1 is the buying window. Join Inner Globe Society for free, compare the three live tiers on waybackwed.com, and book a Contemporary or monorail-loop room if you want to cut commute time on both 9:15 a.m. check-ins.
October 2 at 9:15 a.m. is VIP check-in, with general admission at 9:30 a.m. Friday panels run until 6:15 p.m.; VIP guests then go to the Summer House at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa from 8:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
October 3 at 6:50 p.m. is the VIP autograph cut-in, with general All-Access entry at 7:00 p.m. The session ends at 9:00 p.m. Do not buy the panels-only bundle if autographs are the trip’s point.
When is Wayback WED at Walt Disney World?
Wayback WED runs Friday, October 2, and Saturday, October 3, 2026, at Disney’s Contemporary Resort Convention Center. Check-in is 9:15 a.m. for VIP guests and 9:30 a.m. for general admission both days.
Do I need a Walt Disney World park ticket for Wayback WED?
The event site does not list a park ticket as required for the convention itself. You still need a park ticket and a park reservation if you add Magic Kingdom or EPCOT hours around the panels.
How much do Wayback WED tickets cost?
WDW News Today lists a $25 Cast Member Saturday autograph ticket and 50 percent off regular prices for current Walt Disney World Cast Members. Public All-Access and VIP prices display in the live waybackwed.com cart; VIP is capped at 50 tickets.
Who can buy Wayback WED tickets?
The event is exclusive to WDWNT Inner Globe Society members. The organizer says joining at Patreon.com/WDWNT is free, after which you can purchase on waybackwed.com.
What does the VIP Package include?
VIP is limited to 50 tickets and includes reserved seating at Friday and Saturday panels, lunch both days, early 6:50 p.m. autograph entry, VIP gifts, Contemporary Resort parking, and the Friday 8:00 p.m. dessert reception at the Grand Floridian Summer House.
Which Imagineers are scheduled to appear?
The published lineup includes Tony Baxter, Bob Weis, Tom Morris, Joe Lanzisero, Peggie Fariss, Rick Rothschild, Kathy Rogers, Tim Delaney, Mike West, Paul Osterhout, Ron Schneider, Steve Taylor, and additional named former Imagineers and performers.
