If you’ve been to a Disney park in the last few years, you’re familiar with the all-inclusive admission process. You buy one pass per guest, and it’s good all day, for every ride. But that wasn’t always the case.
Disneyland visitors used to pay per attraction, in what was called the A-E Ticketing System. In this system, attractions were sorted into several categories, with each category requiring a different level of individual ticket.
So how did this original ticketing system work, and why did Disneyland change it?
TIERED ATTRACTIONS
Disneyland offered 5 tiers of attractions. Though some attractions cost nothing and required no ticket, the most popular rides, shows, and transportation vehicles were each designated a letter, A through E. Letter A attractions were the less popular, smaller attractions, and cost the least (10 cents in the 70s). Each tier featured increasingly popular or “headliner” attractions, through E, the most sought after attractions in the park (75-85 cents in the 70s).
Here are some examples of attractions from each tier:
- A: Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough, Main Street Vehicles, King Arthur Carrousel
- B: Casey Jr. Circus Train, Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, Main Street Cinema
- C: Peter Pan’s Flight, Autopia, Mad Tea Party
- D: Storybook Land Canal Boats, Disneyland Railroad, Skyway
- E: Matterhorn Bobsleds, Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s A Small World
To save money, guests typically purchased tickets (also called coupons) in bulk books. Individual tickets and books were available at small ticket kiosks in each land.
THE SWITCH TO DAY PASSES
By the 1970s, Disneyland faced increasing competition in southern California. One big competitor, Magic Mountain, introduced a brand new, all-inclusive ticketing system. Instead of paying per ride like a traditional park or boardwalk, the day passes were one-price, good for every attraction throughout the day. The pass system proved overwhelmingly popular, forcing Disneyland to re-think the tiered books. By the end of the 70s, the park began phasing out the various tiers, until offering only a day pass in 1982.
Since the 80s, Disneyland visitors enter the park with a day pass, though they can choose different added bonuses, like multi-day or park hoppers. The all-inclusive pass simplified the attraction admission process, leaving the sometimes tedious ticket-scanning process back at the gates.
THE E-TICKET LEGACY
Even though the tiered system has been out of practice for decades, from time to time you’ll hear Disney fans refer to a ride as an “E-Ticket” attraction (especially when new rides are announced). When fans deem a ride an “E-Ticket”, they mean that it is big…it will be really popular, have big thrills, or change the flow of a land. Though there were four other tiers in the original ticketing system, the legendary “E-Ticket” survived the test of time and remains a fairly regular part of Disney fan nomenclature.
Did you visit Disneyland during the A-E Ticket era? Do you still have your ticket book? Share your memories in the comments below!
My friends and I went to Disneyland to dance on Friday nights. It cost $3.25 for admission if you didn’t buy a ticket book.
I lived through the transition and I still have a book with unused tickets intact, including E tickets (can’t believe I wouldn’t have used those 🙂 ). Great memories!
I grew up in southern CA and I am very familiar with the A-E ticket books. I remember paying for an extra E ticket with my own money to ride the Matterhorn. When I was in 5th grade and studying about music we went to Disneyland for a field trip and we got to go on the rides that had music. The Country Bear Jamboree, the Tiki Room, America Sings, Its a Small World and I think Pirates of the Caribbean. We were allowed to go on other rides if we purchased a ride ticket. My Mom worked for a newspaper for a few years when I was very young and after she left several people still got her ticket books. I think she still had a few(minus E ticket rides since we used them all) back in the early 80’s. We moved to Utah in the late 70’s so it was weird to go back in the 80’s when they switched from the ride ticket books.
That sounds like the greatest field trip ever!!! What wonderful memories of Disneyland. 🙂
omg nostalgia feels
OMG!!! Do I ever remember the days of the ticket books and having to buy more of them at times. I also remember the transition years when Disneyland was switching over and getting rid of the ticket books.
Amazing. My dad still has one of his ticket books from when he was a kid.
Very cool, Jonathan! What a great souvenir to have.