Using E-A to rate attraction quality.

[swampymarsh]

A lot of posters use these terms. Purely to educate I am posting an actual list of E-A ratings that may help make future posts more relevant.

A: Main Street vehicles and Cinema, Castle Walk Through and King Arthur's Carousel

B: Main Steet Cinema, Alice in Wonderland, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Swiss Family Tree House

C: Adventure through Innerspace, Dumbo, Mad Tea Party, Pinnochio, Mr. Toads Wild Ride, Snow White's Scray Adventure, Shootin Gallery

D: Railroad, Misson to Mars, Rocket Jets, Storybook Land Canal Boats, Skyway, Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Island Rafts, Mine Train through Nature's Wonderland

E: Matterhorn, Small World, Space Mountain, Submarine Voyage, Monorail, Country Bears Jamboree, Pack Mules, Mark Twain, SS Columbia, Haunted Mansion, POTC, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room

[LadyNimrodelle]

heh...kinda puts a different spin on things, doesn't it? 'Course the Mark Twain offered more entertainment back in the day...

[Dirton]

I actually think the ride around the rivers of america is more interesting today.

[BC_DisneyGeek]

It's interesting to see what constituted an E-ticket back in the day compared to what is considered an E-ticket today, but we must keep in mind that the use of the A-E ticket designation that is used today has a different meaning.

Back in the day, an E-ticket attraction was one that cost the most to ride, simply put. Today, we generally use the term E-ticket to describe an attraction that is top-of-the-line in terms of theme, excitement, expense, etc.

For example, if ticket books were still in use in the modern age the Little Mermaid attraction may have been an E-ticket attraction, at least initially. Not because it's the best of the best attractions, but because the demand to ride it would be greater due to its' newness. In modern terms, it's generally considered a C or D ticket, based on a ranking of where it fits amongst Disney attractions based on the factors I cited earlier.

[Jetlife]

Funny that you have Adventures Thru Inner Space as a "C" ticket.
Wasn't it sponsored by Monsanto, and therefore free?

[swampymarsh]

Funny that you have Adventures Thru Inner Space as a "C" ticket.
Wasn't it sponsored by Monsanto, and therefore free?

I only compiled the list. Disney had it on a C ticket in a ticket book I have. I took the remaining tickets I have to put this list together.

[bigcatrik]

Monsanto dropped their sponsorship of Adventure Thru Inner Space in 1977.

The Tiki Room was originally a separate ticket when it first opened since Walt's company owned it and entrance cost *more* than an E-ticket:
Vintage Disneyland Tickets: Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room

[Bob Weaver]

When it first opened, Adventure thru Inner Space was spnosored by Monsanto, so it was free from 1967 to 1977. In 1977, Monsanto dropped their sponsorship, so all references to Monsanto were removed, and the park started charging a C ticket for the attraction. So a C ticket was required from 1977 to 1982. Then in 1982 the park went to all-inclusve admission and eliminated individual attraction tickets, so Adventure thru Inner Space became free again from 1982 until it closed in 1985. ... Mine Train thru Nature's Wonderland had a long history, in summary D-C-D-E-D-E-D. It started as the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train in 1956, and a ticket was 35¢, and when D tickets were introduced in 1956 it was placed on the D ticket. When E tickets were introduced in 1959 the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train was lowered to the C ticket. When it reopened in 1960 as Mine Train thru Nature's Wonderland it was raised to an E ticket, because it was a longer and more elaborate attraction (and cost something like $2 million for the expansion, which would be about $15 million today). Then it bumped back and forth between D and E before finally closing in 1977 as a D ticket attraction. But I remember it mostly being on the D ticket.

[Jetlife]

Thanks Bob,
Good to know that the OP was correct. Sorry to derail the thread.
I remember running out of tickets when I was a kid, and being able to ride ATIS again and again. E, D, and C tickets were always used up first.

[Pizzapants]

I'm surprised that Alice in Wonderland is only a B while the other Fantasyland dark rides are a C. Why is that?

[Bob Weaver]

I never understood that. I think Alice is just as good as any of the other Fantasyland attractions. In fact it's still my favorite of the dark ride attractions. Alice was newer, as Peter Pan, Snow White and Mr. Toad's opened in 1955 while Alice didn't open until 1958. This page: Vintage Disneyland Ticket Books shows the 1959 tickets and Alice was listed on the D ticket for that year, as were Peter Pan, Snow White and Mr. Toad. I think that in the mid-1960s they were all moved to the C ticket, but I don't have documentation to prove that. And at some point, Alice was moved to the B ticket, while the others remained on the C ticket, but I don't know what year that happened and again I don't have proof. I'd have to research that more. I remember feeling glad to get to use a B ticket, because B tickets were generally considered less valuable and used for less-popular attractions. But I also thought the Alice attraction was the best attraction in Fantasyland, other than the Matterhorn.