Disney World Price of Admission In 1971
When the Magic Kingdom opened in November, 1971, not only was it a very different place, but there were no "Park Hopper" passes, Passports, Annual Passes, etc. You actually paid to get in, and then had to buy a ticket for most of the attractions and shows!
Entrance to the Magic Kingdom was less than five bucks (which may have sounded like a lot at the time, considering you couldn't ride most of the rides!). However, instead of purchasing one ticket for admission to all of the rides in the park, you paid an admission price, but then had to buy individual tickets, or books of coupons, to ride an attraction. On Opening Day, 1971, the price of admission was $4.95, and each attraction ticket cost anywhere from 25 to 50 cents.
The tickets ranged from A through E, with an "E-Ticket" being for the best attractions. Each attraction, with the exception of a few that were free (believe it or not), required a different ticket, with E-Tickets being reserved for the best attractions in the park, such as Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Haunted Mansion. Over the years, certain attractions could even be "demoted," having their required ticket drop from a "D" to a "C" for example.
In the early 1980s, the ticket books were quickly phased out, in anticipation of the opening of Epcot Center. On November 23, 1980, "10-Adventure" ticket books were introduced, which replaced the "A through E" coupons. Now, instead of each ride requiring a lettered ticket, the tickets in the book could be used at any attraction. The decision was made to get rid of the A to E books in anticipation of EPCOT Center opening in a few years. In 1981, single and multi-day "Passports" were sold to members of the Magic Kingdom Club, and could be used for unlimited use of all of the Magic Kingdom rides and attractions. By the end of 1981, the old coupon books were completely discontinued in favor of the new passport system. However, guests with left over tickets could redeem them for credit towards the purchase of a passport.
Today, however, the E-Ticket lives on... sort of. For guests who are staying "on property," Walt Disney World introduced "E-Ride" nights. On certain nights of the week, the Magic Kingdom closes to the general public at a certain time On-property guests who purchased (of course) a wristband, can stay in the park for three extra hours and ride some of the "big ticket" rides (like Big Thunder Mountain, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, and the Haunted Mansion) after everyone else has left. You may even find some characters wandering the park, and food services stay open late as well. It's a GREAT way to hit the most popular rides with little or no wait, and you gotta love that feeling of being in the park "after hours!"
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