Fridays with Jim Korkis: Walt Disney World Prices 50 Years Ago
By Dave Shute
Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.
PRICES OF WALT DISNEY WORLD IN 1971
By Jim Korkis
As we bring to an official close the 50th anniversary celebration of Walt Disney World, here is a quick look back at prices in October 1971 when Walt Disney first opened.
An adult admission to the Magic Kingdom for one day was $3.50 (plus additional cost for tickets to individual attractions) and fifty cents for all day parking. A Junior (under 18) was $2.50 and a Child (under 12) was $1.00.
Basically, the cost of admission to the park was the same cost as buying about three gallons of milk at the local grocery store. To put that price in better perspective, in 1971 a movie ticket cost $1.50, gas was forty cents a gallon, a Malibu Barbie doll was about two dollars, and postage stamps were eight cents.
Admission only got you into the park—not on any rides (except free rides paid for by corporate sponsors). For each ride, you needed to pay for an additional ticket—the famous A through E tickets.
An “A” ticket (ten cents) was good for a one-way ride on Main Street’s Omnibus, Horse Cars, or other Main Street vehicles. Or you could choose a spin on Fantasyland’s Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel.
A “B” ticket (twenty-five cents) was good for a visit to the Main Street Cinema, Frontierland’s Shootin’ Gallery, Mike Fink Keelboats, or Adventureland’s Swiss Family Treehouse.
A “C” ticket (fifty cents) was good for Tomorrowland’s Grand Prix Raceway, Fantasyland’s Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Peter Pan’s Flight, Snow White’s Adventures, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Mad Tea Party or Frontierland’s Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes (these closed at dusk with a reminder of that fact on the ticket itself, to avoid disappointing guests).
A “D” ticket (seventy-five cents) was good for the Main Street Railroad Train Grand Circle Tour, Tomorrowland’s Skyway to Fantasyland, Flight to the Moon, Fantasyland’s Skyway to Tomorrowland, Frontierland’s Country Bear Jamboree, Liberty Square’s Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat or The Hall of Presidents.
An “E” Ticket (eighty cents) was good for Fantasyland’s “it’s a small world”, The Mickey Mouse Revue, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Submarine Voyage, Adventureland’s Jungle Cruise, Tropical Serenade (name changed in September 1972 to Enchanted Tiki Birds and dropped to a “D” ticket), or Liberty Square’s Haunted Mansion.
Riding all the ~30 listed rides at the ticket prices was about another $15/day—more than four times the cost to enter the park. Many guests chose to save money on a few of these rides by buying a ticket book. Admission and seven assorted tickets for adults were $4.25, and an eleven ticket book was $5.75.
To entice guests to come to Walt Disney World, Disney offered a bargain “Vacation Kingdom” package.
It included accommodations for three nights at either of the Contemporary Resort or the Polynesian Village Resort, four days of unlimited use of Walt Disney World transportation system, four admissions to the Magic Kingdom, twenty-eight “Theme Park Adventure” ticket coupons good for any of the attractions, and thirty dollars worth of recreation coupons. (Total cost was Adult $90, Junior $36 and Child $35.50)
Recreation coupons? As a vacation destination, Walt Disney World was more than just another theme park experience, so there were many other options from golfing to recreational watercraft to tennis, horseback riding and more.
The cost of a room at the Contemporary or Polynesian varied according to the size, location and season but in general a guest would expect to pay between $22 -$48 a night.
Pets could stay at the Kal Kan Kennel Club for fifty cents per day and a dollar overnight and that included a free meal for the pet. Wheelchair rental was a dollar.
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Thanks, Jim! And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!
In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, Off to Never Land: 70 Years of Disney’s Peter Pan and Final Secret Stories of Walt Disney World!
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