Sunday, November 23, 2008

Tidbits from 25 Years Ago


It was a surprise to run across the late Steve Birnbaum's Walt Disney World Guide from 1983 during a recent thorough housecleaning. The book is truly a window on a lost Walt Disney World. It's also illuminating and thought-provoking when read a quarter of a century later, as you'll see!


Theme Park Prices

Magic Kingdom Club One-Day Ticket for EPCOT Center or the Magic Kingdom:
Adult -- $14.00
Junior (12-17) -- $13.00
Child (3-11) -- $11.00


Three-Day World Passport
Adult -- $32
Junior (12-17) -- $30.00
Child (3-11) -- $25.00

Four-Day World Passport
Adult -- $41.00
Junior (12-17) -- $38.00
Child (3-11) -- $32.00

Six-Day World Passport
Adult -- $54.00
Junior (12-17) -- $50.00
Child (3-11) -- $42.00

(Note: To put these prices in perspective, try visiting an inflation calcluator,
like this one or this one.)




Vacation Package Prices
WORLD VACATIONS -- This is the ultimate vacation experience, with unlimited access to Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, and dining and recreational facilities in the Walt Disney World Vacation Kingdom.

* Four-, five-, six- and seven-night plans
* Accommodations in the Contemporary Resort Hotel, Polynesian Village Resort Hotel, Golf Resort Hotel or a two-bedroom Vacation, Treehouse, or Fairway Villa
* Admission and unlimited use of all attractions and adventures in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center
* Unlimited use of all Walt Disney World recreational activities and facilities
* Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at a wide variety of Walt Disney World restaurants, including breakfast and dinner shows
* Unlimited use of the transportation system in the Walt Disney World Vacation Kingdom

Priced from $496 per adult, double occupancy


Introducing EPCOT Center
"Walt Disney's dream has become a reality. It's impossible to say whether Epcot (sic) Center is consistent in every detail with what Walt would have wrought, but there's no doubt that it embodies the spirit its originator intended. ...

"From opening day, Epcot Center will be the standard by which all other such understakings are measured, and the future phases that are planned will further expand even the current high level of attraction.

"There's never been anything quite like Epcot Center before; it's unlikely there ever will be again."

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, a six-day pass to two parks would be roughly $117 in today's money.

A four-day stay including tickets, hotel, dining, and all recreation would be about $1100 per person. Not that you could actually do everything in four days, but still a pretty good deal.

Anonymous said...

It looks like the Magic Your Way Premium package is the "lowest" package these days that would include both meals AND recreation. A Garden Wing room at the Contemporary Resort with a four-day park hopper pass and the Magic Your Way Premium package would cost $2,235 for one person these days, or about double the rate of inflation, based on Clay's calculations.

And Disney wonders why bookings are down?

Anonymous said...

The gold key! I went in 1987 and stayed at the Contemporary when I was only 13. The gold key program got you anything you wanted - it really was carte blanche at any restaurant and service. Too bad it's not there any more.

Anonymous said...

I don't know wether to cry over the tic prices or the abandonment of what they wrote about EPCOT.


=-(

I need one of SSE's TMV's to take me back to this better time.

Anonymous said...

Hi... just happen to cross your site...

Im planning to go to Tokyo or Hong Kong Disney this Christmas. Hoho and I found some stuffs from Hong Kong Disneyland here as well:
disneycloth.cwahi.net

I will definitely take tones of photos there!!!