What do you think was the best year to be in Disney World?

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I went to Eckerd Drugs. The fotomat booth always reminded me of that scene in Parenthood

Growing up there was a Lionel Playworld right next to the Eckerd. I always wanted someone in the house to get sick (just not me).

 

[jah4955]

Mid 00's when you had..
Free bus and luggage service from MCO
Fast Pass + existed and it was Free
Park admission was a heck of a lot cheaper
Extra Magic Hours for all Disney Resort guest being A FREE offering.....

All good points. I first attended "Not so Scary" in 2005. A younger brother needed a chaperone at the last moment. I was amazed how low the price was ($40ish if memory serves correctly?) PLUS they let me in to start enjoying attractions waaaay before the scheduled time. I felt I got my money's worth that day!

 

[TalkToEthan]

Fotomat…something our kids will NEVER get to experience

Ya I remember that cute girl working there.

**I bought $40 worth of film and I didn’t even talk to her**

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Ya I remember that cute girl working there.

**I bought $40 worth of film and I didn’t even talk to her**

Or own a camera…lol

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Fotomat…something our kids will NEVER get to experience

A bunch of those around me are just cigarette depots..

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Earlier I said 1986 to 1992. I’m going to amend that to: Any year prior to Social Media.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

A bunch of those around me are just cigarette depots..

Ours in Jersey are LONG gone…

 

[Goofyernmost]

Somehow, my family ended-up with one unused day on one MK/EPCOT "forever" pass. Based on occasional news stories/videos online, I'm sure they'll still honor it whenever it is used, but it's being saved for something special. But...at the rate of the price increases we may need to get an insurance policy for it

If I am remembering correctly, a few years back they made a major change to the "forever" pass. From what I understand they still honor it but only partially. In order to get to use it you have to go to one of the ticket kiosks and they will figure out what that ticket cost when it was purchase and credit it toward whatever the current price is when you use it. So if the original ticket cost $30.00 and the current price is $100.00 you have to pay $70.00 more to get in the park. I don't think it carries the park hopper perk either. That would be extra. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I think when they first ended the never expiring ticket they did accept them as full payment for entry, but shortly after they decided that just giving a discount would mean that what was paid before could count as a credit to the full price.

 

[jah4955]

If I am remembering correctly, a few years back they made a major change to the "forever" pass. From what I understand they still honor it but only partially. In order to get to use it you have to go to one of the ticket kiosks and they will figure out what that ticket cost when it was purchase and credit it toward whatever the current price is when you use it. So if the original ticket cost $30.00 and the current price is $100.00 you have to pay $70.00 more to get in the park. I don't think it carries the park hopper perk either. That would be extra. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I think when they first ended the never expiring ticket they did accept them as full payment for entry, but shortly after they decided that just giving a discount would mean that what was paid before could count as a credit to the full price.

Absolutely everything I've ever read, heard, & seen (including Disney!) says Disney has always/only honored the full day(s) remaining. The tickets are just like "Forever" stamps; no matter how much first class postage skyrockets, the price I paid for that stamp guarantees the 1st class delivery whenever I decide to use it (don't want to open a "Pandora's box" on the future of USPS lol). Disney proudly promoted back then that tickets "never expired."

Besides, I doubt there are all that many "unused" tickets floating out there (nevermind how many likely get thrown away b/c they're either mixed-in with other papers or whoever finds them doesn't think they're worth anything, etc, etc, etc), and no-doubt Disney took all that into consideration (for example, everything they sell now certainly has an "expiration.")

IF Disney ever were to try any inflation-adjustment-penny-pinching BS with me, not only would I never give them another penny again under any circumstance, but I would use my story at every opportunity to encourage everyone I knew to do the same (nevermind the plethora of other examples given through these forums and elsewhere).

However, I don't know of any instance of "Park Hopper" being included when someone redeemed an old ticket, which I'm fine with. I consider "Park Hopping" too much work now lol.

Besides (one more time) Disney still wins here with all the money spent for food, souvenirs, etc.

 

[WDWmazprty]

Wow, so many years you could say. Personally, I'd say 1995-2000. So many great things were at Disney and a lot hadn't changed over to what they are now (Downtown Disney, Fast Pass, Innoventions, etc.) 2000 I got married and went there for our honeymoon. Saw La Nouba for the first time and it was incredible; not to mention making a memory I'll never forget.
Overall, the 80s and 90s at Disney, for me, were the best years...despite all the new stuff the have now.

 

[DisneyFreak]

1987 - 1993

 

[Goofyernmost]

Absolutely everything I've ever read, heard, & seen (including Disney!) says Disney has always/only honored the full day(s) remaining. The tickets are just like "Forever" stamps; no matter how much first class postage skyrockets, the price I paid for that stamp guarantees the 1st class delivery whenever I decide to use it (don't want to open a "Pandora's box" on the future of USPS lol). Disney proudly promoted back then that tickets "never expired."

Besides, I doubt there are all that many "unused" tickets floating out there (nevermind how many likely get thrown away b/c they're either mixed-in with other papers or whoever finds them doesn't think they're worth anything, etc, etc, etc), and no-doubt Disney took all that into consideration (for example, everything they sell now certainly has an "expiration.")

IF Disney ever were to try any inflation-adjustment-penny-pinching BS with me, not only would I never give them another penny again under any circumstance, but I would use my story at every opportunity to encourage everyone I knew to do the same (nevermind the plethora of other examples given through these forums and elsewhere).

However, I don't know of any instance of "Park Hopper" being included when someone redeemed an old ticket, which I'm fine with. I consider "Park Hopping" too much work now lol.

Besides (one more time) Disney still wins here with all the money spent for food, souvenirs, etc.
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With today's Disney the phrase "Disney still wins" is not enough. I haven't had the experience, but I know I read about it someplace. I didn't just dream it. However, my source might have been incorrect. Even what you posted really doesn't say "at no additional charge" but it may be true. This isn't necessarily about newer unused tickets which aren't "forever" anyway, but old tickets that really weren't called park hoppers because they were good for any park and anytime. Every old ticket doesn't let you just walk in. At best, you have to go to the ticket kiosk where they have to take that one and give you an updated one that will work with the system that is currently being used. Legally all they really have to do is repay you for the original cost of the ticket and apply it to the "new" cost.

I hope for everyone's sake your interpretations is correct. All that says is that they will honor the ticket, not necessarily in what way they would do it. It could just mean they will give you credit for it towards a current one so whatever was spent to purchase it originally will be applied to the current charges. I only know what I read about it. Like I said. I hope you are correct on this point.

To your point of never spending anymore, let's say you drove a long distance or flew there at considerable expense would you pass up on a discounted ticket, on principle, and just go home. I think that Disney is pretty sure you wouldn't and they don't seem to be overwhelming concerned about return business anymore anyway. That's what DVC is for!

 

[jah4955]

Every old ticket doesn't let you just walk in. At best, you have to go to the ticket kiosk where they have to take that one and give you an updated one that will work with the system that is currently being used.

This part was always my understanding. All I've read/seen said that this is exactly what happens.

Below is but the most recent example I know of (though there are others who "made the news" with their old tickets), this one is from just last year, and I haven't found anything regarding any "change" since:

A guy found an unused $8 Disney World ticket from 1978 and tried to get into the park

He didn't see any expiration date.

www.upworthy.com

To your point of never spending anymore, let's say you drove a long distance or flew there at considerable expense would you pass up on a discounted ticket, on principle, and just go home. I think that Disney is pretty sure you wouldn't and they don't seem to be overwhelming concerned about return business anymore anyway. That's what DVC is for!

I can only speak for myself. As a child I dreamed of visiting over and over and over--every chance I got. I now live very close to WDW, but regardless of how easy it is for me now to go (even on an impulse...no hotel necessary), I haven't been to a park in years because of so many reasons, their penny-pinching towards (or at) the top. So if Disney were to say "that'll be an extra $___," for the ticket they explicitly and repeatedly said "never expires," it'd be no big deal for me to turn around and go home (but to be safe I'd still try to "call first" to "make sure"...I hate driving down the street if I can help it lol). And although I realize Disney wouldn't miss losing me as only 1 "customer" (they say we're "guests" but lately I haven't felt that way), they should lament the fact that I would do all I could for Disney to, hypothetically lose many more customers based on the bad publicity I would give them every chance I got. I can elaborate on the very substantial "following" I have (not here!), but I enjoy my anonymity here.

But I'm not worried at all about that scenario. Unless I see something on one of the many Disney newsfeeds I get in my email (and between them all, they seem to cover every angle, including the possibility of Disney shifting to an inflation-adjusted system for old tickets), I think I'll be safe. My current plan, if I'm so fortunate/blessed, is to "put off" redeeming the ticket as late as possible. The ticket is already over 40 years old.

But to be clear, I'm not writing-off Disney...just yet. I've been encouraged by some of their most-recent behaviors, but time will tell if I return.

Thank you @Goofyernmost (& everyone else!) for letting me "go on" about this

 

[Marien klin]

Absolutely everything I've ever read, heard, and seen (including Disney!) says Disney has always honored the full remaining days. The tickets were just like “Forever” stamps — no matter how much first-class postage increased, the price you paid guaranteed that delivery whenever you used it. Disney proudly promoted that their tickets “never expired.”


Besides, there probably aren’t that many unused tickets left out there anyway. Most were likely lost, thrown away, or forgotten, and Disney surely factored that in. Nowadays, of course, everything they sell comes with an expiration date.

That’s honestly a really fair take and I respect how you’re standing by principle. It’s true that Disney used to pride itself on the “never expires” promise, and it would be a shame if they ever tried to walk that back. I’ve seen that same story you mentioned about the guy with the 1978 ticket pretty cool how they still honored it after all those years.

 

[jah4955]

That’s honestly a really fair take and I respect how you’re standing by principle. It’s true that Disney used to pride itself on the “never expires” promise, and it would be a shame if they ever tried to walk that back. I’ve seen that same story you mentioned about the guy with the 1978 ticket pretty cool how they still honored it after all those years.

I'm all the more impressed they honored a ticket from the "A-E" era...If i remember correctly, he just had a general admission...no separate individual attraction tickets...but he still got full access. My old ticket is from when admission included attractions.