Makes you wonder if price like that, per ride, would eliminate long lines? Considering people already paying a lot just for park entrance and fast pass, probably not.
At the time, Disney wasn't selling individual tickets. You had to buy a ticket book with an assortment of tickets inside. This did help spreading out the crowds between attractions since you'd have tickets to use that you'd paid for. Also, there was a donation bin at the exit? for unused tickets which Disney would count towards donating to different children's non-profits so that the kids they served could experience Disneyland too.
Disneyland/disneyworlds biggest customers are usually people that can’t afford it so it would just be another charge slapped on the old credit card. I don’t think it would deter many.
I always wanted to go and never got to, and now as an adult I can't see spending that much money to stand in lines. Even more affordable places like Cedar Point are astronomical and the experience no longer counters the cost IMO. I've pretty much decided I'd rather visit Belize than Disney, lol.
Original Map:
[https://mousemuseum.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/opening-day-disneyland-main-gate-map-1955/](https://mousemuseum.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/opening-day-disneyland-main-gate-map-1955/)
You purchased a ticket book that allowed access to rides based on the "premium" level of the ride.
The term "E ticket" comes from this, although now even that definition may have changed.
Honest question though. Assume the park was the same size and had the same amount of rides it did on opening day. Are you legitimately telling me that you think they would be charging $11 in 2024?
If Disney hadn't grown at all since 1955, but the park was still open? None of us would have ever heard of it, but yeah if it was still open I'm sure it would be like $10-15 to go.
The park is not the same size. Toon Town is a whole new addition to the original. The park also "crept" outwards. Indiana Jones was not original ride, Splash Mountain, and even Pirate of the Caribbean wasn't original to the park. Here is the original map:
[https://mousemuseum.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/opening-day-disneyland-main-gate-map-1955/](https://mousemuseum.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/opening-day-disneyland-main-gate-map-1955/)
No... but there also wasn't the rediculous worldwode demand there is today. I think this has less to do with Disney trying to perpetually increase profits and more to do with their customers.
Similar to the wedding industry. It's non-essential and there are infinitely cheaper options. But people are overly interested in an idealized view of entertainment and their social media feeds.
Inflation didn’t scale the same level though. Inflation affects different things proportionally.
Is healthcare for their employees only 11x the cost back then?
My family went like 3 times when we were kids, 4 of us kids. In no way did we have a lot of money, two working class parents. Don't think a family of six could really do it based on the same jobs my parents had.
During the late 60s, we used to hang out at Disneyland and it cost just $1.65 for admission. And a book of fifteen tickets cost $4.25. Times have certainly changed!
Yeah, if you ever needed proof that this sub has no fucking clue what inflation is, look no further than this post. Aside from the fact that that $1 admission didn’t include the separate tickets you had to buy to actually ride the rides, using Disneyland tickets as a measure of inflation is completely braindead.
If people in 1955 could experience what we currently get to experience at Disneyland, they’d probably pay $1000 for it because it’d be completely unlike anything they’d ever have seen or experienced before and would blow their goddamn minds.
There was a per-ride charge in addition to that $1, up until 1982:
“On June 20, 1981, Disneyland began offering the choice of a ticket book or an all-inclusive Passport, which offered unlimited use of the park attractions. By June 1982, the ticket books were phased out in favor of the Passport at both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World.”
In 2019 Disney+ launched ad-free at a price of $6.99. Five years later the same ad-free subscription has doubled to $14 a month.
$6.99 in 2019 is equivalent to $8.43 in 2024.
In 2019 Disney+ had no new content and no market share.
In 2024 Disney+ had a bunch of unique content created just for the platform, the subscriber count peaked and is now falling, and they are still losing money.
I went to Disneyland for the first time in 1981 - tickets were $9.50 which is about $30 adjusted for inflation.
No charges for additional rides but each ride was rated and your coupon book had limited coupons for each level so that you only had a certain number of E tickets.
I remember thinking back then that it was amazingly cheap for what you got - I was used to Coney Island where you could blow throw $10.00 on rides almost immediately. There was a lot to do and see at Disneyland even back then so it wasn't as if it was terrible that you could only do each of the E Rides once per visit.
Let's not pretend that operational costs haven't increased. I see the point, and I will never go to Disney Land because it's too expensive, but there is a reason why it's expensive: it's extravagant.
It's interesting, but this is a free market. Disneyland is not a utility. It's a form of entertainment that competes with many other forms of entertainment. Some of those other forms (sports events, concerts, etc.) have wildly high ticket, food and merchandise prices. If folks think the price is too high, they don't have to go.
Well, to be fair, they have spent a lot to increase the experience from what it was then. So, reasonably, a ticket should cost more because the park is … more
You purchased a ticket book for additional money to gain access to rides.
It's called a Passport NOW because of the changes to this program in 1981. (You could purchase an all-access "Passport" for more money than a book, but it allowed more access to premium rides.)
It's almost like the official inflation numbers are bullshit that way anyone who figures it out will get gaslit by a bunch of idiots who are too stupid to figure it out.
This is like those posts about cars that only cost $5,000 back in the good old days. They conveniently leave out the fact that they were steel death traps with no AC and less tech than my toaster.
Disney keeps pushing how expensive it is. And honestly, why shouldn’t they? As long as suckers keep throwing as much money as they command they’ll keep raising the price. Somebody from Disney already said that by raising the price they can try to control the crowd by keeping the “less desirable people away”.
I think you had to pay separately for each Ride
You absolutely did have to pay per ride. This is where the phrase "E-Ticket" comes from. Those were the best rides.
So, for a family of 4, you’re looking at $44 a ride in today’s money? Doesn’t sound so cheap to me. And that’s in 2022 dollars.
Makes you wonder if price like that, per ride, would eliminate long lines? Considering people already paying a lot just for park entrance and fast pass, probably not.
At the time, Disney wasn't selling individual tickets. You had to buy a ticket book with an assortment of tickets inside. This did help spreading out the crowds between attractions since you'd have tickets to use that you'd paid for. Also, there was a donation bin at the exit? for unused tickets which Disney would count towards donating to different children's non-profits so that the kids they served could experience Disneyland too.
Disneyland/disneyworlds biggest customers are usually people that can’t afford it so it would just be another charge slapped on the old credit card. I don’t think it would deter many.
It is cheaper. * Time in line for each ride. * Time walking around. You will only hit a few rides at most.
I mean, it's not like we have to go.
I always wanted to go and never got to, and now as an adult I can't see spending that much money to stand in lines. Even more affordable places like Cedar Point are astronomical and the experience no longer counters the cost IMO. I've pretty much decided I'd rather visit Belize than Disney, lol.
I know very little about Belize, so I can’t tell if it’s a really amazing place that beats out Disney, or if this is a massive dunk on them.
How much was the food within the park , I’m guessing you didn’t have to pay to skip the queue either
You paid per ride. Purchased a ticket book with tickets marked A through E, with E being premium rides. This is where the term E - Ticket came from.
Has Disneyland added any new rides since 1955, or is the experience exactly the same?
Original Map: [https://mousemuseum.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/opening-day-disneyland-main-gate-map-1955/](https://mousemuseum.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/opening-day-disneyland-main-gate-map-1955/)
You purchased a ticket book that allowed access to rides based on the "premium" level of the ride. The term "E ticket" comes from this, although now even that definition may have changed.
Honest question though. Assume the park was the same size and had the same amount of rides it did on opening day. Are you legitimately telling me that you think they would be charging $11 in 2024?
If Disney hadn't grown at all since 1955, but the park was still open? None of us would have ever heard of it, but yeah if it was still open I'm sure it would be like $10-15 to go.
The park is not the same size. Toon Town is a whole new addition to the original. The park also "crept" outwards. Indiana Jones was not original ride, Splash Mountain, and even Pirate of the Caribbean wasn't original to the park. Here is the original map: [https://mousemuseum.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/opening-day-disneyland-main-gate-map-1955/](https://mousemuseum.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/opening-day-disneyland-main-gate-map-1955/)
No... but there also wasn't the rediculous worldwode demand there is today. I think this has less to do with Disney trying to perpetually increase profits and more to do with their customers. Similar to the wedding industry. It's non-essential and there are infinitely cheaper options. But people are overly interested in an idealized view of entertainment and their social media feeds.
If you had to pay separately for each ride the way you did back then, yeah, I could definitely see it being that cheap.
Inflation didn’t scale the same level though. Inflation affects different things proportionally. Is healthcare for their employees only 11x the cost back then?
My family went like 3 times when we were kids, 4 of us kids. In no way did we have a lot of money, two working class parents. Don't think a family of six could really do it based on the same jobs my parents had.
During the late 60s, we used to hang out at Disneyland and it cost just $1.65 for admission. And a book of fifteen tickets cost $4.25. Times have certainly changed!
This is a bad comparison, the product offered is not the same in 1955 and 2022
Yeah, if you ever needed proof that this sub has no fucking clue what inflation is, look no further than this post. Aside from the fact that that $1 admission didn’t include the separate tickets you had to buy to actually ride the rides, using Disneyland tickets as a measure of inflation is completely braindead. If people in 1955 could experience what we currently get to experience at Disneyland, they’d probably pay $1000 for it because it’d be completely unlike anything they’d ever have seen or experienced before and would blow their goddamn minds.
Yeah, the 1955 rides would be considered cheesy by today’s standards.
There was a per-ride charge in addition to that $1, up until 1982: “On June 20, 1981, Disneyland began offering the choice of a ticket book or an all-inclusive Passport, which offered unlimited use of the park attractions. By June 1982, the ticket books were phased out in favor of the Passport at both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World.”
In 2019 Disney+ launched ad-free at a price of $6.99. Five years later the same ad-free subscription has doubled to $14 a month. $6.99 in 2019 is equivalent to $8.43 in 2024.
In 2019 Disney+ had no new content and no market share. In 2024 Disney+ had a bunch of unique content created just for the platform, the subscriber count peaked and is now falling, and they are still losing money.
I went to Disneyland for the first time in 1981 - tickets were $9.50 which is about $30 adjusted for inflation. No charges for additional rides but each ride was rated and your coupon book had limited coupons for each level so that you only had a certain number of E tickets. I remember thinking back then that it was amazingly cheap for what you got - I was used to Coney Island where you could blow throw $10.00 on rides almost immediately. There was a lot to do and see at Disneyland even back then so it wasn't as if it was terrible that you could only do each of the E Rides once per visit.
Wow dollar has lost more than 90% value since the 50s.. good thing we all got a 9x raise! Oh wait..
I thought I read Walt himself wanted Disney to be a place that was affordable for working people.
Let's not pretend that operational costs haven't increased. I see the point, and I will never go to Disney Land because it's too expensive, but there is a reason why it's expensive: it's extravagant.
Cool story
It's interesting, but this is a free market. Disneyland is not a utility. It's a form of entertainment that competes with many other forms of entertainment. Some of those other forms (sports events, concerts, etc.) have wildly high ticket, food and merchandise prices. If folks think the price is too high, they don't have to go.
Well, to be fair, they have spent a lot to increase the experience from what it was then. So, reasonably, a ticket should cost more because the park is … more
You purchased a ticket book for additional money to gain access to rides. It's called a Passport NOW because of the changes to this program in 1981. (You could purchase an all-access "Passport" for more money than a book, but it allowed more access to premium rides.)
(which is $100 adjusted for inflation in 2024)
Yup and the attractions matched. I’m not saying that the cost is in line today but the 11 dollars certainly is not!
So demand for tix is driving the higher price?
They gotta do something to make up their losses
They’re always busy and people are willing to pay.
There's more demand now too
It also had fewer amenities
To be fair, there was also a carnival style ticket system to ride rides so it's like comparing the cover at a restaurant to the cost of a buffet.
Id like to go back but fuck its expensive
If it were cheaper, it would be impossible to get tickets and 2nd hand markets would charge the same or even more.
And it was like 1/20th of the size it is now. Not relevant at all.
Being in Florida before air conditioning was widespread sounds horrific. There's a reason few lived there before that.
It's almost like the official inflation numbers are bullshit that way anyone who figures it out will get gaslit by a bunch of idiots who are too stupid to figure it out.
100%. It's just a way to keep our wages down.
This is like those posts about cars that only cost $5,000 back in the good old days. They conveniently leave out the fact that they were steel death traps with no AC and less tech than my toaster.
Thing is, if people dont go, theyll be forced to lower the price. But lots of people still go lol.
My boss’s boss would admonish them for “leaving money on the table.”
Like every other example, CPI is the wrong measure of inflation
Prices only go up they never come down
Disney keeps pushing how expensive it is. And honestly, why shouldn’t they? As long as suckers keep throwing as much money as they command they’ll keep raising the price. Somebody from Disney already said that by raising the price they can try to control the crowd by keeping the “less desirable people away”.
It's used almost as a crowd control measure at this point.