- Although Disneyland called them coupons, guests called
them tickets. Why?
Because the coupons were sold in ticket books.
- The type of ticket required for an attraction could change over the years.
For example,
America Sings and the Mine through Train Nature’s Wonderland were both
bumped from “E” down to “D” before being closed.
- Guests typically came home with unused tickets, especially A and B
coupons. They could be used during future visits.
- In Southern California slang, the expression “E” ticket came to
mean any activity or event that was especially worthwhile or exciting.
- Astronaut Sally Ride, describing her first Space Shuttle voyage, said, “This is
definitely an ‘E’ ticket!”
- The beginning of the end for “A” through “E” tickets was the 1971 opening of
Magic Mountain (now Six Flags Magic Mountain), northwest of Los Angeles.
Magic Mountain sold all-inclusive admission tickets for $5.00.
- Tickets were phased out in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
First, Magic Kingdom Club members could buy unlimited passports.
Then the option was extended to other guests.
- Tickets were eliminated in June 1982, when
all-inclusive passports became the only form of Disneyland admission.
- After ride tickets were eliminated, guests could apply unused tickets towards
the cost of passports.
- Disneyland still allows guests to apply old, unused “A” through “E” tickets and old, unused
gate admission tickets toward current passports. But it’s hardly
worth the trouble to save a dollar or two.
- Collectors pay good money for completely unused ticket books—with park admission still attached—but they don’t pay much
for partially used books because these are fairly common.
- The best thing to do with old tickets is to hold onto them as keepsakes of the past.
© 1995-2009 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks
Updated July 9, 2009.
Scanned Disneyland coupon images courtesy of Dennis Caswell.
The coupons are Copyright Disney, and are included here for historical illustration.
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