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casol967
09-08-2003, 01:11 PM
I apologize for this very dumb question ahead of time! I haven't been to DL in over 17 years (but I am planning a family trip) and am a little out of touch. What exactly is an e ticket? Is it different from fastpass? Thanks for your help!

Not Afraid
09-08-2003, 01:21 PM
An "E" ticket was a ticket reserved for the best rides, back when Disnesyland had a ticket book system. Currently, it refers to any great ride (ie: Indy) as an adjective. It is also the name of a Disney history magazine.

efoxx
09-08-2003, 01:29 PM
the long and short of it.

when Disneland first opened guests paid an entrance fee, and then bought individual ride tickets at each ride. this proved to be a bad idea. returning guests often would skip "rides" and only spend money on certain things. guests also complained about the need to constantly open their wallets.
so about a year after Disneyland opened they instituted a "ticket book". initially the tickets consisted of "A-D" coupons. "A" tickets were for the smaller rides and shows, such as the horse drawn street cars on main street. "B" tickets were for the slightly better rides. most dark rides like Peter Pan were "C" tickets , and the best rides were "D" tickets.
in 1958 Disney opened the Matterhorn, and the monorail. as new rides Disney decided to add a new ticket. the "E" ticket.
guests would buy tickets in bookes. the big fifteen book consisted of 5 E tickets, 4 D tickets, 3 C tickets 2 B tickets, and an A ticket. of interest this book only cost about $5 in 1965.
as time went by the "E" ticket came to symbolise the best Disney rides. Pirates, Haunted Mansion, IASW, MH, and SM were all E ticket rides. the "E ticket ride" became a part of the culture from the 60's to the mid 80's. it discribed something that was either really wild, really cool, or both. astronaught Sally Ride discribed a launch in the shuttle as an "E ticket ride".

Disney began phasing out the ticket books in the late 70's when they first issued the magic key ticket good for any ride. by the early 80's guests could choose between the tickets or a magic key pass that they would wear, and would give them unlimited access to all rides. in about 1982 Disney did away with all ride coupons in a publicised offer. returning guests could turn in their old tickets for discounts on admission to the park. this drove up attendance figures, and made those tickets rare. I have a complete set of tickets equivalent to a big fifteen book, as well as an "E" ticket from the mid 60's before SM and the later e ticket rides were added.

casol967
09-08-2003, 01:40 PM
Thank you so much for that explanation!

edtsch
09-08-2003, 01:51 PM
diito. That brings back memories. I went to Disneyland for the first and only time in 1978. I've been to WDW several times since then, but my visit next month will be the first to DL since the late 70's (I know, I won't recognize the place).

I still have that empty ticket book somewhere in a scrapbook, and remember how you could see at a glance which tickets you had left because of the way they cascaded them (making the "B" tickets a little longer than the "A", and so on). I think it's fun that Disney culture has retained the concept of the "E-ticket" ride. Now I wonder, would we all agree on exactly which those are?

adriennek
09-08-2003, 02:02 PM
Originally posted by efoxx
in 1958 Disney opened the Matterhorn, and the monorail. as new rides Disney decided to add a new ticket. the "E" ticket.
guests would buy tickets in bookes. the big fifteen book consisted of 5 E tickets, 4 D tickets, 3 C tickets 2 B tickets, and an A ticket.

Don't you have this part backwards? Didn't the books contain more A tickets and only 1 E-ticket? That was one of the things that made the E-tickets much more valuable and a reason why many people have books with many left over A, B, etc tickets?

Adrienne

ralfrick
09-08-2003, 03:46 PM
I can't speak for 1958, but the 1980 book I have in front of me has:
1 A
2 Bs
3 Cs
4 Ds
5 Es

The 1969 Guide I have in front of me shows the same, plus a 10 ticket book with:
1 A
1 B
2 Cs
3 Ds
3 Es

In addition to the completed book referenced above, I have five partial 15 ticket book leftovers my wife found cleaning her late mother's home. The ones not used are:

2 As out of 5
9 Bs out of 10
2 Cs out of 15
2 Ds out of 20
4 Es out of 25

The Es were prized because Pirates of the Caribbean is more fun than a bus. The book of 15 was $9.25 in 1980. No price is shown in the 1969 guide for the books, but you could buy a book of 5 Es only for $3 inside the park. Maybe if my dad had spung for $3 in 1969 I'd have memories of the Mine Train. In 1969, the Columbia and Mark Twain were Es, but in 1980 the Mark Twain was a D and the Columbia is curiously absent from the attraction list.