Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>On the other hand ticket books are horribly inconvenient for guests.<< Seems like MagicBands would be a way to make it much more convenient for guests to keep track of their 'tickets'. Even during my 1998 visit to TDL (when they still used individual tickets), they had it all set up with barcodes, so it was easy to wear a lanyard (sold separately) so you could scan as you got on each ride. It wouldn't be as easy to see how many tickets you had left (and they would need to come up with a system that scans faster than in WDW, where FP return lines frequently get clogged up), but it seems like a logical way to do it >>It's interesting ... they charge you the same fee .. all year round - whether every ride is working ... or if only half the park was operating!<< According to their logic (whether you agree with it or not), if you visit during the busy periods of the year, everything will be open, but there will be long lines. If you visit during a slower time, fewer things will be open, but the lines will be shorter. On a spreadsheet, it balances out to roughly the same number of attractions per visit, but I agree that the real result isn't as clear (especially if you're there during a busy weekend during the off season)
Originally Posted By Dabob2 The RR was a D for at least as long as it was at the highest level (C at opening, D for a few years and then E from 1959.) My 1966 guidebook shows it as a D, and it was definitely a D from then till 1983 when tickets went away. So it was highest level from 1955 to no later than 1966, and a D from no later than '66 till 1983. Mintcrocodile has the same 1966 guide book I have: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://mintcrocodile.blogspot.com/2010/09/looking-back-disneyland-guide-book-66.html">http://mintcrocodile.blogspot....-66.html</a> (Note that Lincoln was considered such a marvel that he was an E ticket for adults, though kids got free tickets just for Lincoln in their ticket books.)
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>Because it's engrained into our culture!<<< We are all supposed to be intelligent, clear thinking adults, isn't it about time we un-engrain it? >>>You never know, you might find yourself surprised.<<< I wouldn't be surprised if many had heard of it. I would be shocked if almost any could define it or logically understand what constituted an "E". I don't think even we Disney Geeks really know what they used for a guideline completely. However, whatever it was, it no longer applies.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>So what? The tickets still cost the same.<<< I understand what you are saying, but, we have to inject reality even in a fantasy theme park. Not everything will be operational at all times. Yet, the ticket prices do not change from day to day. If they are putting a major push on "fixing" what is broken, then doing that during the less busy times is really a nod at acknowledging that they want to effect as few as possible. Now add to that what I had said about DLR being a heavily slanted local park, with many, if not most of the regular visitors using a yearly pass. Their per visit cost is considerably reduced to begin with and if something is closed or a group of things are closed during a visit, they will or should know that by the next visit many of those things will be open again. They are not feeling the pinch nearly as hard as day or short term guests. The main thing that I have a hard time accepting is how upset those people get if something is closed, yet, are the most vocal if something isn't kept up and refurbished. Can't have it both ways.
Originally Posted By berol If a TV is broken, a hotel will give you a discount since it's the only ride in that 12'x20' amusement park. Amusement parks have lots of rides and admission is at a price that can bear rides being down up to a point.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "The main thing that I have a hard time accepting is how upset those people get if something is closed, yet, are the most vocal if something isn't kept up and refurbished. Can't have it both ways." Yes. When reading park updates, in one paragraph they complain about all the closings, and the very next they complain about things that need closed and refurbished.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "But people were paying for the same for Flying Saucers as Matterhorn, Jungle Cruise, and the Submarine Voyage." In 1961 Dean. It's 2014 now.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt >>On the other hand ticket books are horribly inconvenient for guests.<< "Seems like MagicBands would be a way to make it much more convenient for guests to keep track of their 'tickets'." Good point.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip ^^ It would... if you are looking to spend another billion on development costs...
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>So it was highest level from 1955 to no later than 1966, and a D from no later than '66 till 1983.<< I was under the impression that the DLRR got a huge boost in popularity when the Primeval World diorama was added. I suspect that faded pretty quickly (especially with POTC opening shortly after), but I'm surprised that the additional big scene and its associated maintenance costs didn't keep it higher Were all train trips a full lap around the park until 1983, or did a lot of people use it as a hop-on/hop-off transportation system? I know they added the Videopolis station in 1984 (or 85?), and that changed the way things functioned to an extent
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "But people were paying for the same for Flying Saucers as Matterhorn, Jungle Cruise, and the Submarine Voyage." Not only is it not 1972, nor is it 1965. "The idea of E tickets being the big must-do attractions is one that was more-or-less created from the guest mindset." And that's pretty much what it means nowadays.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>And that's pretty much what it means nowadays.<< I don't deny that. However, if they were to return to the ticket system, as is being spitballed in this thread, they would most likely do it primarily based on operating costs rather than pure popularity. I'm sure some things would buck the trend (the Frozen meet & greet for example, though a M&G is fairly expensive for it's incredibly low capacity), but I believe they would generally base it on the expenses that they incur, only using popularity as a tool to manipulate crowds (much like MM+)
Originally Posted By phruby If all parks had to discount their tickets based on what rides were running, Magic Mountain would be free for the first have of the day. I swear they don't get any thing running until the afternoon.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <I was under the impression that the DLRR got a huge boost in popularity when the Primeval World diorama was added. I suspect that faded pretty quickly (especially with POTC opening shortly after), but I'm surprised that the additional big scene and its associated maintenance costs didn't keep it higher> The longest line I ever waited in until Splash soft-opened (and I knew I wouldn't be back for at least a year, so I waited through breakdown after breakdown) was for the DLRR in December of 1966. The dinos were new, everyone wanted to see them, and people in fact wanted to see them more than once - refusing to get off the train at Main Street (despite cm's begging them to if they'd already been around once), meaning very few people could get on each train that came through. It was a huge Christmas crowd, and the MS station actually opened a large switchback section I've never seen before or since. It was a PAINFULLY slow line. I'm sure they could have charged an E ticket for them at that time, but for whatever reason, they didn't. They were a D, and remained a D until the end of tickets. <Were all train trips a full lap around the park until 1983, or did a lot of people use it as a hop-on/hop-off transportation system? I know they added the Videopolis station in 1984 (or 85?), and that changed the way things functioned to an extent> In the 60's and 70's I think most people would ride around once or "once plus" just because it wouldn't seem like you'd gotten your money's (ticket's) worth if you just rode it from MS to NOS, for instance. We would very often ride it 1 1/4 times around; say from MS to NOS, i.e. full circle plus one stop. After the dino-mania died down, that was never a problem. FaL didn't have a station from 1965 to 1985. So once in a while we might ride just one stop from NOS to TL to save some steps (or to cross the parade route). But when you had to spend a ticket for it, I think fewer people used it purely for hop-on/hop-off transport. Of course, you could if you wanted. <Was Peter Pan ever considered an E ticket?> When the park first opened it was a top ticket, as were Mr. Toad and Snow White. Briefly you had to buy a ticket for EACH attraction, as there were no ticket books. Pretty quickly they developed the ticket books, with only A-B-C tickets, and the FaL dark rides were a C (the best.) For a couple of years they expanded to A-B-C-D and they were D's. But when the books expanded again to A-B-C-D-E in 1959, the dark rides remained D's. They stayed there until about '64 or '65, when they went down to C's. They stayed there till the end of tickets, except Alice, which for some reason became a B in about 1973, which always seemed like the best bargain in the park.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <FWIW, an attraction's ticket level was mainly dictated by the operations and maintenance budget of each attraction.> Eh. I don't really buy this argument. Maybe internally. But for guests, the E-Ticket attractions were considered to be the 'best' or 'not to miss.' 'Pirates of the Caribbean' 'Haunted Mansion' 'Matterhorn Bobsleds' et al, were E-Ticket attractions because they were the cream of the crop and the 'must see' attractions. Yes, even 'it's a small world' when it was a ticketed experience, was an E-Ticket. It was considered to be pretty spectacular in the day. "Omnibus' "Main Street Vehicles" "King Arthur's Carousel' were A-Ticket. And perhaps it's because I grew up in So California, but describing something as an 'E-Ticket' was definitely a 'thing.' Heck, even astronaut Sally Ride In 1983, the first American woman in space, when asked about the experience of a Space Shuttle launch, famously described it by saying: "Ever been to Disneyland? …That was definitely an E ticket!" I'm surprised that some here think that it is not a thing.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Was Peter Pan ever considered an E ticket?" No, like all the FL dark rides (except Alice which was a B) it was a C ticket. I may be wrong, but weren't the first ticket books A-D with Es added later? Using the old metric maybe there'd be an F value added to the assortment if the system were still in use today.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Ooops, should have read the thread before posting. Dabob explained it nicely in post 75.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "I'm surprised that some here think that it is not a thing." If you're under 40, which is a pretty large segment of Disney park goers, it probably isn't.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance I grew up in Pennsylvania, and had never heard the "E-ticket" term until I started freqenting Disney boards in the last 5-6 years. As a kid, we went to lots of theme parks, but only Disney World once in my teen years.
