

How theme parks like Disney World left the middle class behind - smacktoward
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2015/06/12/how-theme-parks-like-disney-world-left-the-middle-class-behind/

======
joezydeco
The article misses a critical detail of DisneyWorld pricing in 1971 compared
to today: $3.50 would allow an adult into the park, but it wouldn't get you on
any rides.

Ride tickets were purchased separately. A typical book cost an additional
$4.50 and got you on seven rides - and not 7 of any ride. Rides were coded "A"
(like the railroad) to "E" (Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion). The book had
1 A/B/C, 2 Ds and 2 Es. This is where the phase "E ticket ride" came from.
Those were the rides you came for.

If you wanted to ride more than 7 rides? You needed more tickets. Tickets
could also purchased onesies, but it added up.

The ticket books were phased out in the early 1980s and transitioned to the
"passport" ticket plan where one price got you into the park and could ride
any ride as much as you wanted. I remember this distinctly because I was a
test visitor for the passports, which we wore on lanyards and flashed at hosts
as we walked on to rides. At the time it seemed as radical an idea as the
MagicBands are today.

Interestingly, if you added up the individual prices of each ride at Disney
World in 1971 on top of the admission, you wind up at $18.40...or $107.49 in
today's dollars. Not really far away from the current admission price.

The best deal was probably the first years of the passport system. A 1-day
adult admission at MK was $12.00, or $31.23.

Source:
[http://allears.net/tix/tixpix70.htm](http://allears.net/tix/tixpix70.htm)

Inflation Calculator:
[http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm](http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm)

