The DVC annual pass discount began in 2005. Before then there were some discounts on regular theme park tickets available to members but none were all that flexible or great. Couple examples:
(a). a four-day park ticket introduced after Animal Kingdom opened. You could not buy more than four days (unless purchasing another four-day ticket) and they could only be used once at any given park , e.g., you could not do two of the park days in MK but instead could do each of the four parks only once. In essence, you had a ticket discount that anyone going to the parks more or less than four days, or wanted to do one park two times, thought useless.
(b) A 10% discount on a Length-of-Stay (later renamed an Ultimate Park-Hopper) pass that had a stated 10% discount which was not really 10%. It was 10% off the stated full price of the length of stay ticket but that stated full-price applied only to those buying the tickets upon arrival to WDW. Anyone could get a UPH for about a 6% to 7% discount if purchased in adance of arricval. Moreover, your supposed DVC discount was further reduced in value if you were not going to a park your arrival and departure dates or planned a non-park day
After the creation of the AP discount, other DVC theme park ticket discounts disappeared. The only AP discount currently is simply doing renewals of the Sorcerer's Pass using the same price as Florida residents. Unknown is whether buying new ones will ever return.
