Originally Posted By mickey_ring I posted a trivia question about this and got to thinking. I asked what year WDW switched from ticket books to passes. I found the answer, but not a lot of detail about how the whole transition worked. Is there a book or website that has any info on how the park pass idea was planned and implemented at WDW?
Originally Posted By dshyates <a href="http://allears.net/ae/issue299.htm" target="_blank">http://allears.net/ae/issue299.htm</a>
Originally Posted By RobinsonCrusoeEsq Hi. This brought back memories. A-Es were dropped in time for the opening of EPCOTCenter, because that park couldn't use them. EPCOT opened with considerably fewer attractions than the MK, which had around 40 to 50 at that time. When you purchased a hopper-type passport that allowed you to enter both parks, management felt that A-Es in one park vs. no tickets in another park would be confusing. Also, regional parks like Six Flags were hyping "one price rides all the rides, unlike at Disney" in their national advertising. So the Coupons had to go. I personally miss the A-Es because they actually distributed the crowds better. When everyone had to use As and Bs, those little attractions were always busy. Once the Coupons were obsolete, hardly anyone went on canoes or jitneys, and now they are gone, due to lack of popularity. I think that everyone here misses some smaller-but-pleasurable attraction that is gone since the demise of tickets. Thanks for reading!
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost The first time I went was in 1983 just about 4 months after EPCOT Ctr. opened. So all I have seen are tickets. I don't remember if they were Park Hopper or if one ticket got you both places.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo >>>I personally miss the A-Es because they actually distributed the crowds better. When everyone had to use As and Bs, those little attractions were always busy. Once the Coupons were obsolete, hardly anyone went on canoes or jitneys, and now they are gone, due to lack of popularity. I think that everyone here misses some smaller-but-pleasurable attraction that is gone since the demise of tickets. Thanks for reading!<<< Not just miss riding them, but also seeing them go past.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 Swan Boats----gone. Then there were the paper tickets that I pinned on the kids shirts and hoped they didn't get ripped, Those tickets got a lot of abuse. Today's cards are a major improvement over any previous tickets. But I do miss some of the A & B rides.
Originally Posted By brotherdave In 1980, the Unlimited Attraction Passport was something you had to wear or display on your person. It was approximately 3 inches wide by 6 inches long and attached to a string. It was very cumbersome to wear and took a lot of abuse, not to mention easy to lose or tear. A very bad idea, to say the least. A-E ticket books were still available then, but were gradually phased out until EPCOT Center opened. A smaller, park hopper pass was offered for multi-day visitors then, or a single-day, one park ticket was offered. The minimum number of days that you could buy on a multi-day park hopper ticket was three. But, park hopping was included free, not upcharged like it is today. Here are some excellent examples of tickets over at WaltDatedWorld.com. Scroll down to see the various types that they had over the years... <a href="http://www.waltdatedworld.bravepages.com/id99.htm" target="_blank">http://www.waltdatedworld.brav...id99.htm</a> (And yes, some of those tickets were supplied to the site by me!)
Originally Posted By avromark Now is it just me or is there something wrong with the rise of ticket price vs. what you get (Ie Streetmosphere/smaller attractions/maintenance) today compared to then? I wonder if this is related to the bloat of upper management (and respective pay)? I think I could put up with paper tickets (I recall the first time I went to TDR I had to put my ticket in a plastic sleeve and display it on my body). A Plastic sleeve could solve that problem. I like how things like Park Hopping / Water Parks etc are added cost (I could go on but I think Dave can do it for me).
Originally Posted By brotherdave I should clarify that the smaller, park hopping "World Passports", started when EPCOT Center opened. That's when the A-E tickets were stopped altogether.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>Now is it just me or is there something wrong with the rise of ticket price vs. what you get (Ie Streetmosphere/smaller attractions/maintenance) today compared to then?<<< It is the nature of life and economics. For example, in volume, do you get more gasoline at $4.00 per gallon then we used to for $.29 per gallon. No, it's just that everything cost more. If you ask for more money in your pay, it means that what ever service or item your workplace sells costs more when it is sold. Those that pay the price, in turn, have to have more money to pay for whatever they want, and so on and so on. I feel that when compared to other things, the cost of a ticket...even a single day ticket is a pretty good value, entertainment wise. Check out the cost of a 90 minute show at Cirque, for example. Good show, but is it worth more then a whole days admission to a Disney Theme park? Not even close.
Originally Posted By dshyates "Check out the cost of a 90 minute show at Cirque" I rarely want to spend a week at Cirque. And I'm not flying to FL for one day. And I am not isolated from other food options other than Cirques overpriced concession stand for a week. People when talking price compare WDW to an evening at the Wicked Road Show or a Hockey Game when it really is more like a week in New York City with a Broadway show every night for a family of 4.
Originally Posted By fkurucz <<Once the Coupons were obsolete, hardly anyone went on canoes or jitneys, and now they are gone, due to lack of popularity>> I wonder why the canoes survived at DL?
