Annual pass history - part one

When the gates to Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955, visitors paid a mere $1 to get into the park. This fee, however, did not include attractions and rides. Those additional tickets, roughly $2.50 for eight attractions, could be purchased in books, with the prices depending on which attractions you wanted to attend.

Those books ranged in classes from A to D. A few years later, an "E" class was added, which was for all of the big thrill rides. This style of tickets continued until 1982, when Disneyland officials abandoned the books and charged a single price ticket to each patron entering the park, a price that included all rides and attractions, with the exception of the arcades and the Shooting Galleries.

I first got an annual pass in 1984.  If I recall, it was $99 for adults and $69 for children.  We would go to the park every Friday from around 4 PM until closing at 6 PM.  With rare exception, I have continued to have an annual pass to Disneyland every year since that time.  Many people don't believe me, but it's true.  The first year, we had to enter at the first turnstile on the left where are a 3 ring binder was kept.  Each pass was then hand recorded into the book before allowing entry.  About a year or so later the first bar code was attached with a pen scanner.  This was eventually embedded in the lamination when you had your photo taken at Guest Relations when initially purchased the pass.

The prices always rose slowly, usually coinciding with the regular ticket price increases.  One major exception was in 2000, when a dual premium pass that would allow entrance to DCA, once it opened in 2001 and Disneyland, cost a whopping $299.  This price dropped back to $199 the following year but has steadily increased since that time.

The convenience now for SoCal resident's to pay their pass over time has been a huge plus.  I can still get the premium pass, which allows me to visit on any whim and only pay around $30 per month, instead of having to fork over almost $400 per pass for everyone in my family.

Disneyland Adult Ticket Prices (Since 1982)

Year	Prices	Year	Prices
1982	$12	1996	No increase
1983	No increase	1997	No increase
1984	$14	1998	No increase
1985	$17.95	1999	$39
1986	$18	2000	$41/$43 (two increases)
1987	$21.50	2001	No increase
1988	no increase	2002	$45
1989	no increase	2003	$47
1990	$25.50	2004	$49.75
1991	$27.50	2005	$53/$56
1992	no increase	2006	$59/$63
1993	$28.50	2007	$66
1994	$31	2008	$69
1995	no increase	2009	$73