Wednesday, November 18, 2009

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


Monday, November 16, 2009

A Monday Quote from Mr. Disney

(photo (c) Disney)

"Disneyland is the star, everything else is in the supporting role." - Walt Disney

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Picking Rides for Kids and Babies at Disneyland

Going to Disneyland is a magical experience for the whole family and not just the older kids. Juggling the wants of older kids to ride rides and babies is always tough. One of the questions that I am frequently asked is what rides are okay for babies. We started taking our kids well before their first birthdays, so I got pretty good at knowing what my boys were comfortable on. Be sure to read about the baby care centers here, they are a lifesaver when you're at the parks with babies!



Here’s a list of ones that I think are fine to take babies on…



Disneyland Railroad: Great for all ages. A great way to give the kids “down-time” and still ride a ride.


Small World: Great for all ages. Nothing scary at all.


Storybook Canal Boats: Great for all ages. Just plain cute.


Finding Nemo Submarines: Great for all ages. One small scene where the lights briefly go out and there’s a loud sound, but should be fine for most.


Alice in Wonderland: Great for all ages.


Tiki Room: Great for all ages.


Jungle Cruise: Great for all ages.


Winnie the Pooh: Great for all ages.


Casey Jr. Circus Train: Great for all ages.


Peter Pan: Great for all ages.


Pirates of the Caribbean: Mostly great for all ages. You know the temperament of your kids. Don’t take them on this if they are skittish or have a tendency to get spooked. There are two small drops, but as long as you are holding on to them, it’s fine. I’ve seen newborns sleep through the ride in their mother’s arms but I’ve also seen one year olds cry from the moment they got in the boat to the time they get out of the boat.

For when you want to tackle some of the "big" kid rides, be sure to read up on the Rider/Baby Switch program here. 

-Katie

Saturday, November 14, 2009

The Merriest Place on Earth is back!!


I absolutely love the holidays and it is my absolute favorite time of the year at the Disneyland Resort. From now through Jan. 3, 2010, the holidays shine more brightly than ever at Disneyland. The holiday season is in full effect and this holiday season, you will be able to enjoy the return of special holiday versions of “it’s a small world” and Haunted Mansion, along with the beautiful holiday décor, “A Christmas Fantasy” parade and a nightly snowfall on Main Street.  California Adventure will also be celebrating the season with  beautiful decorations and the return of the Electrical Parade on Dec 18th.

I can't wait to head to the park tomorrow. I want to hear from you. Do you love the Resort during the holidays? What is your favorite thing about Merriest Place on Earth? Do you think it's too crowded? We would love to hear from you!

Aracely

Friday, November 13, 2009

Winner of Disney Bucks!

I'm a little late, but better late than never. Thank you all for entering and for your wonderful suggestions and comments.

The winner of the Kids and Mice $50 Disney bucks is.....(selected by Random.org) True Random Number Generator






Result:

19

Powered by RANDOM.ORG
 
comment #19 which is... Erin said...


This sounds great! we just got passes so we can take our little one. i will join your facebook page too. I would love to hear about some of the more "hidden" aspects to the resort. things you might not know about just walking in and riding the rides.



Email me at mom@daytrippingmom.com with your info and stay tuned for another fun giveaway. I have two passes to Disneyland to giveaway! Details coming soon!

Holidays At Disneyland





Today is Friday the 13th, of November.  That means Holidaytime at Disneyland kicks off today.  Go and see the enormous Chrimstmas tree in town square, the Christmas Parade running twice daily, fireworks, snow flurries and more!  For many, this is the best time of the year to visit Disneyland.

Crowds are expected to particularly heavy this weekend due to the cheerleader conference in town.  Be prepared for lots of people but also lots of holiday magic.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Disneyland MouseWait App for the iPhone

I’m the proud owner of an iPhone (and iPod Touch) and whenever I find an App that makes my life easier, I rave about it to anyone who will listen… but when it’s one that makes your day at Disneyland far more productive, well let’s just say it’s priceless! The best part is this one really is a free App and its called Disneyland MouseWait by app316.com (direct link to iTunes store here).




You can get real time waits for all the rides at Disneyland and California Adventure (as entered by other park guests). I love that it tells you what time the wait was posted at so you can make an estimate as to how accurate it still is (i.e. if a Parade has just ended you know a ton of people are going to be making their way to all the rides and will cause an increase in waits). I’ve used this App many times to plan out what rides have the shortest waits so when you head to next ride you don't find out the wait is too long (my husband hates waiting in line, let’s just say it was the boys and I that waited in line for 3 ½ hours on the day the Finding Nemo Submarines opened! I knew there was no way my husband would wait in that line…)



I’ve used this handy App many times trying to figure out how crowded the park is. We frequently head to Disneyland for dinner and a few rides).


One thing that sets this App apart from the other wait time Apps is that this one has far more features than I have seen on the others (I have several now). There are blackout date calendars, live chats and park hours. You can automatically post Facebook status updates, Tweets on Twitter and monitor real time discussions about the parks in a number of ways. You’ll just have to play around to find all the hidden jewels this App has to offer!


More information about the App can be found here.


The reliability of the App is dependent on guests entering accurate wait times, so the more people use the App – the better!



I’m anxious to hear if any of you are also using it!

-Katie