Just a random question

[sbkline]

My mother in law recently found a copy of Birnbaum's 1986 book in her house and gave it to me, knowing what a WDW nut I am. In looking through that book, I notice that the phone number area code is different as is the prefix. In the 1986 book, the area code is 305 and the prefix is 824. But in all the times I have called to book reservations, the area code is 407 and the prefix is 939. Just out of sheer curiousity, I thought I would see if anyone here knows when they changed the area code and prefix and why. Was it part of a nationwide revamping of the phone system, or unique to Florida? :shrug:

 

[Monty]

I don't know, but it looks like Disney wielded some influence...

824 doesn't equate to anything useful for Disney when transposed to the letters [tuv][abc][ghi], but 939 magically becomes WDW!

So if they wanted to have numbers like WDW-DINE for dining reservations and 939 wasn't available in the 305 Area Code, get the phone company to create a new Area Code and voila! it's available.

 

[sbkline]

I don't know, but it looks like Disney wielded some influence...

824 doesn't equate to anything useful for Disney when transposed to the letters [tuv][abc][ghi], but 939 magically becomes WDW!

So if the wanted to have numbers like WDW-DINE for dining reservations and 939 wasn't available in the 305 Area Code, get the phone company to create a new Area Code and voila! it's available.

That makes sense. I totally forgot that 939 = WDW. With that in mind, I'm sure your explanation is the correct one as to how and why the numbers got changed.

 

[unkadug]

Plus, with the proliferation of cell phones, modems, fax machines, etc., many new area codes have been created since the 80's.

 

[Nemo14]

Plus, with the proliferation of cell phones, modems, fax machines, etc., many new area codes have been created since the 80's.

True - my mom lives in central FL and I remember her area code was changed a few years ago too.

 

[The Mom]

Many areas of the state got new area codes in the late 1980s or early 1990s due to the increased population. WDW probably was then able to get the WDW prefix, whereas some orange grove owner probably already had it with the 407 area code.

 

[rsoxguy]

The Mom is right on the money. Much of Florida's phone system has changed in the past twenty years. The further South within the state, the more changes made. (The Miami area now holds the 305 area code, but it used to stretch all the way to mid-Florida)