Coupon or 10¢

This week the Main Street Gazette is going to take a little journey back to the first few years of Walt Disney World. In fact, we’ll take a look at the Magic Kingdom in 1972, moving through the park land by land and discussing what was there, has since become extinct, and what has been imagineered since then. In order to start this excursion we have to look at what it took to get into the park and experience any and all of the attractions.

For starters, entrance into the Magic Kingdom for an adult was $3.75 as of February 1972, as opposed to an admission ticket cost of $79.00 that was set in August of 2009. In 1972, however, the only attractions that guests could experience with their general admission were the Diamond Horseshoe Revue, If You Had Wings, and America the Beautiful. The remainder of the park attractions required a coupon with an A through E designation. Moving through the categories, starting at A and moving up to E, denoted popularity and novel attractions. Working under the assumption that guests would want to partake in each and every attraction on their visit, this was after all within the first year of Walt Disney World’s opening, these coupons could add up to $14.65 per adult.

For discounts on individual adult attraction tickets, especially for guests who may not wish to take the Omnibus and the Fire Engine down Main Street U.S.A., the parks also offered coupon books. In early 1972 these books were offered with coupons in quantities of 7 or 11. 7 Adventure Books, available for $4.95, and included one each of the A, B, and C coupons and two each of the D and E coupons. The 11 Adventure Books, costing $5.95, consisted of one A and B coupon each, two C coupons, three D coupons, and four E coupons. In October of 1972 the 7 and 11 Adventure Books were discontinued and 8 and 12 Adventure Books were introduced. The 8 Adventure Book increased the price to $5.40 and added an additional E ticket over the 7 Adventure Book, while the 12 Adventure book raised the cost to $6.30 with the addition of an extra D ticket.

The General Admission, Adventure Books, and attraction coupon system remained in use in the Magic Kingdom until 1981. Also, as compared to the current fold out park guide maps, the 1972 pamphlets included more information and a land by land breakdown, including dining, shopping, and entertainment in addition to the attractions. But, I suppose, that is a story we’ll begin exploring tomorrow on Main Street U.S.A.