E Ticket - What is it?

[disneyquestions]

I've heard of this E Ticket a few times, but I have no idea what it is. Can someone please explain?


TIA

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I'm sure someone else can explain it better, but a long time ago, WDW sold ticket books instead of MYW tickets. The books had tickets that you tear off for each ride, and the rides were rated A through E. E-ticket rides were the major headliners, like Space Mountain, and the same term is used now to describe the most popular rides (like Soarin', TSM and Expedition Everest), even though those rides were built long after the ticket system changed.

 

[disneyquestions]

I'm sure someone else can explain it better, but a long time ago, WDW sold ticket books instead of MYW tickets. The books had tickets that you tear off for each ride, and the rides were rated A through E. E-ticket rides were the major headliners, like Space Mountain, and the same term is used now to describe the most popular rides (like Soarin', TSM and Expedition Everest), even though those rides were built long after the ticket system changed.

Ahhh, thanks for that!

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

It is becoming a grossly over & miss used term outside of Disney and theme park circles, for example there were 3 weeks in a row during pre or post Nascar coverage one of the reporters used the term. Also heard it during a basketball game coverage.

PP had a great explination of the definition.

 

[POOHsie]

A poster on another thread has a picture up showing an "E" ticket. I think you'll get the idea from looking at the picture.

Go to Post #29. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2716732&page=2

 

[iheartpeterpan]

I've heard of this E Ticket a few times, but I have no idea what it is. Can someone please explain?


TIA

This is how it was when I was a kid. I think they got rid of the ticket books in the early 80s, so it was really only for MK since there were no other parks then. These were the e-ticket rides:

Pirates of the Caribbean
Jungle Cruise
Country Bear Jamboree
Haunted Mansion
Hall of Presidents
It's a Small World
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Space Mountain

The coupons were like 70 cents each, and you could buy them individually or in a book. They had these little kiosks through the park where you could get more.

I'm glad they don't do it this way any more!

 

[jayandstacey]

It is becoming a grossly over & miss used term outside of Disney and theme park circles, for example there were 3 weeks in a row during pre or post Nascar coverage one of the reporters used the term. Also heard it during a basketball game coverage.

PP had a great explination of the definition.

Not sure about grossly, as those tickets were also used for amusement piers and carnivals and such. So for a few decades, it was common that the best rides/attractions/offerings were "e tickets". And thus it was used elsewhere as a common descriptor for the best of something, and usually thrilling - I have an LP from about 1978 just called "e ticket"

In the late 70s or thereabouts, people selling rides began to experiment with pricing methods, quickly learning that if an "E ticket" translated to $2.75 without much math, people might think twice before buying such a ticket. So instead places took two paths:
- Each ticket is the same price, but different rides cost different amounts of tickets (usually 1 to 5 tickets, like the A to E tickets)
- General admission

When selling individual tickets, they try to make it pretty hard to figure out the cost of a ride very easily. So it might be 40 tickets for $25, and a good ride costs 5 tickets. Something like that.

 

[scion5220]

I remember when they stopped using the tickets and it was like WHOA!!! I can just go on any ride without having to budget out my tickets? CRAZY!!

Back in the lettered ticket days we spent a lot of time riding "If You Had Wings" because it was air conditioned and FREE! I still miss that ride.

 

[doconeill]

Note that printable tickets are also called "e-tickets", so a lot of the "overuse" of the term may not in fact refer to "top notch" attractions, but an actual ticket that you print at home and bring with you to an event or park.

They are quite common at sporting and concert events now with barcode scanners being extremely common. Universal uses them.

Disney even uses them for some purposes now.

But around here, E Ticket usually means a headliner attraction.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Disney even uses them for some purposes now.

Disneyland uses them regularly for all passes. It saves you $5 for having them mailed or picking them up at Will Call. Plus you can avoid the ticket booth and take them straight to the turnstyle where they'll exchange it for a regular ticket.

 

[Jen0504]

I remember when they stopped using the tickets and it was like WHOA!!! I can just go on any ride without having to budget out my tickets? CRAZY!!

Back in the lettered ticket days we spent a lot of time riding "If You Had Wings" because it was air conditioned and FREE! I still miss that ride.

I'm with you 100%...don't miss the tickets at all, but I DO miss "If you had wings"!

 

[fla4fun]

I'm with you 100%...don't miss the tickets at all, but I DO miss "If you had wings"!

Add me to the list of If You Had Wings fans! We would go in there two or three times a day. Some of my best memories of those early trips was just sitting around deciding what to use those precious few E tickets for. We could spend the whole day in the park with an 8 ticket book!

As part of the 40th merchandise, they have a note pad designed like a ticket book. The front side of each page looks like a ticket, with the back side lined for writing.

 

[Brandis]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I think that the ticketed attractions added to the theme park experience. First of all, it probably helped to keep the lines shorter. And then you would have to decide which rides where it worth to spend your precious tickets on. With that, the rides probably were appreciated more.

To use an analogy, it was more like sampling some expensive wines than eating at an All-you-can-eat buffet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_ticket

 

[Brandis]

It's perhaps also important to note, that a ticket to access the park was still necessary, but it was a lot cheaper of course. Some minor attractions, mostly those sponsored by big companies and often not much more than adverts for those companies were free and could be used without the need to pay with a coupon / ticket.

 

[julesingeorgia]

.....and the song is now ringing in my head.....If you had wings, had wings, had wings. I loved it too!

 

[mickey&minniealways]

The pixie dust flew in back then. While people were checking out of their resort or while leaving the parks they would hand you their extra tickets . At the end of the day you might want those extra ones for things like the trolley rides.

 

[Conan the Librarian]

IF you had wings...If YOU had WINGS...If you had wings, had wings had wings had wings.

I think you can still here the melody on the TTA around the CoP.