The anticipation that one feels before entering Disneyland is a big part of the park-going experience! Since the park has only been open for about 9 months at this point, it is very possible that the folks in this photo are here for their very first visit. They might have come straight from church (Progressland tells us that 4/29/56 was a Sunday).
Admission for adults, $1.00? Forget it! Children, 50 cents. What am I, made of money? Notice that servicemen (and women, hopefully) in uniform can get in for the child's rate. I wonder if this is why we often see people in uniform in vintage photos.
Main Street looks like it would have been so much more fun to explore in 1956, although I'm not sure I can explain why. Knowing what I know now, I would take my time heading to the other lands.
Admission for adults, $1.00? Forget it! Children, 50 cents. What am I, made of money? Notice that servicemen (and women, hopefully) in uniform can get in for the child's rate. I wonder if this is why we often see people in uniform in vintage photos.
Main Street looks like it would have been so much more fun to explore in 1956, although I'm not sure I can explain why. Knowing what I know now, I would take my time heading to the other lands.
It does make one wonder if Disney is gouging people these days at $80.00 per person. They bump the price $2-$3 every year now. I figure by 2019 it should be $100.00 per person. I wonder what the ceiling will be when people say "Forget it, Disneyland is too expensive" and they see a drop off in the amount of people going.
ReplyDeleteThose people in the picture are getting to Disneyland kind of late. It is almost 12:45pm and the park closes at 8pm. Then again, not as many attractions and the wait time was a lot less back then. I mean look at Main St. It looks almost deserted.
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ReplyDeleteAnonymous, being as it was a Sunday afternoon in 1956, it wouldn't be surprising if relatively few were going to the new fangled "Disneyland." Rather good looking figure in that dress suit. I do have the impression the shops had more on offer in the way of period interest then, so I do believe I would have a time of it if I could only step into that photo.
ReplyDeleteThank you, blog host, for the earlier welcome and sorry for the mixup with the deleted posts I seem to be having a problem on my end.
Now where is that TARDIS?
Anon, since I am not interested in an Annual Pass (well, maybe a little), I might visit the park 2 or 3 times a year if it weren't for the cost. As it is, once does me just fine. I'm sure some geniuses have done the math and figured out what brings in the most dough. As for the folks arriving late, I have read accounts of people going to Knott's and Disneyland in a single day. Arg!
ReplyDeleteTime Spectator, your points have occurred to me, although you articulated them much more clearly and intelligently! From what I've read about Walt Disney, I don't think he'd want his park to be aimed at the upper classes. Sad.
Ha, Time Spectator, it seems that I just replied to a comment that you removed!
ReplyDeleteI know that a "TARDIS" is a Dr. Who reference, but I have no idea what it is. Is that the telephone booth thingie?
Yes it is a kind of time-space ship. It could take one to anywhere, anytime.
ReplyDeleteThe post showed fine? Odd thing turned out all sorts of funny symbols here. I thought it had not turned out and deleted the jumble. Having typed all that I didn't want to try repeating it.
I noted comments about the "lightbox" feature and it seems to be appearing for me as well. You should be able to sort the option to disable it on this blog, if you chose.
What I had tried to post earlier and Pepperidge was responding to was in reference to the prices as mentioned by Anonymous commenter above. Anonymous is concerned if there is a tipping point should prices be raised too high. I would say the issue would be in pricing out the average person and making Disneyland into something more exclusive and elitist, which it was absolutely not intended to be or become.
ReplyDeleteDisneyland is iconic and would not have problems attracting enough rich from around the world. The so-called "working class" has been eroding and a lot of people the park was aimed for either are under-employed and can't afford vacations or are employed and are unable to get enough leisure time. Since the late 1980s, Disney has been doing their part to steadily downgrade their own working class despite record profits. It's no surprise they are also slowly "going upmarket." It betrays everything that created Disney and as that should suggest to anyone, it is not a very smart way to manage, but it does seem to be a predictable pattern.
Obviously I hope such trends stop and reverse. It is more crowded now but it should be as population increases. In turn that offers opportunity for expansions and that should make for better things than DCA, but that is another matter isn't it. Enough digression. If we sort a time machine, we'll set it around 1964. I have a few dollars to spring for some tickets for everyone.
Hi, welcome Anon if your new, and welcome TS! 'nother coupla nice vintage moments again Maj.
ReplyDeleteGotta love a girl in gray! She does look nice. So do the gents on the left in the Main St pic. We have Carl the film composer at the corner and Frank Sinatra has been caught strolling out of what ever was the second shop on the right. What was the second shop anyway? hehe love the horse's hat.
a great image of the train station, LOVE the bright yellow cars, looks like a brochure photo, so pretty.
ReplyDeletei have thought about that too, how much will eventually be too much to pay for a day at Disneyland or Walt Disney World, tho as long as those rich folks keep them going i am afraid that eventually i will not be able to come there even at years' intervals. :(
my only hope is to finally work there! still holding onto that dream, thats for sure.
One thing we do have to remember is that the prices listed are for admission only. Paying four to eight bits gave you the right to stroll around the park and buy souvenirs and food, but didn't get you on any of the rides. Those were extra. They weren't terribly expensive and current prices don't reflect equivalent price increases solely due to inflation, but you didn't get what you get today for the price of admission. And with no FastPass in 1956, you'd have to wait a really long time to get on Pirates of the Caribbean... :-)
ReplyDeleteThat said, the current cost of admission at both US parks is a large part of why we haven't been able to visit for several years and don't expect to for several more. There are other significant costs like airfare or gas to get us there, lodging, and food, but the cost at the gate is still prohibitive.
I understand they are a business and are focused on generating profits for their shareholders, but I am dubious of the operational need for admission prices to double in less than 15 years, especially since crowds keep increasing.
It's tough to explain to my youngest - the other Park-obsessed male in the family - why we can't go back to either Kingdom yet again this year or next. He just doesn't understand. We make do with the 50th Anniversary audio CD set, the it's a small world LP, family photos, memories, and Gorillas Don't Blog. Thanks, Major, for an inexpensive alternative for family fun.
Less than a year from opening. The fresh looks fresher the clean looks cleaner some how.
ReplyDeleteScratching head and wondering when the last time I saw a woman wearing heels to the park (?)
Great conversations here in the comments!
ReplyDeleteSuper post Major, I want that park hours sign in the first photo!!!
The current daily admission cost is pretty crazy, none of my friends (that don't have an AP) will even go to the park anymore (unless I give them Vintage tickets!!).... The Annual Pass is the only "deal" available and is of no help to out of owners.
I suspect that Disney will hang back from the $100 mark as long as possible. It's that psychological thing that results in $19.99 price tags. And you know that the day it goes to 100 clams it'll be on the evening news as a sign of the times. A bit of bad publicity, though, so one suspects that Disney will put it off as long as possible, probably by raising the prices of in-park items at a faster rate.
ReplyDeleteOne dollar! Doesn’t it almost make you weep?
ReplyDeleteThat picture of Main Street is particularly interesting. I think it has something to do with the fact that the street looks “used” . You can see the tire marks from the Main Street vehicles.
Poor little wire barriers! They are always slightly bent.
Chuck, if Major ever decides to charge admission to GDB I’m buying an annual pass! :-)
Looks like we are back to the “slide show” mode :-(
Time Spectator, now I am getting the lightbox feature. I see nothing in Blogger's settings that even mention anything different, but I'll dig around and see.
ReplyDeleteChiana, I like "Carl the film composer"... he does have kind of a Bernard Herrman vibe to him. Looks like Sinatra is coming out of the Tobacco Shop!
Nancy, first of all you need to live a lot closer to either WDW or Disneyland! You'll spend all your money commuting.
Chuck, you are right about the old admissions not including rides, but even a whole ticket book would eventually only cost $3 to $5. Maybe with inflation that would be the equivalent of $20 - $25 today... a relative pittance compared to the $100+ that the average person is going to spend. A few years ago my mom had the bright idea to treat the whole family to two days at Disneyland, and I can only imagine how much that cost.
Thufer, it does look pretty shiny, doesn't it?
VDT, I thought you'd like that. I'm always tempted to get an AP, but to be honest I just don't need to go to the park the five or six times that you'd need to in order to make it worthwhile. Some Disneyland fan I am!
HBG2, I hope you are right, although a one day park-hopper ticket is already $105 for anyone over 10 years old. I know that I don't go as often as I would if the park was a bit more affordable.
SundayNight, now you've given me a great idea; charging my readers! You might be the only one left if I ever did that, ha ha. But I appreciate the compliment!
Right, to the Major and any other blog owner reading this wishing to decline the "lightbox" feature for viewing images:
ReplyDeleteIn short: Settings > Posts and comments > Open images in Lightbox.
Fuller instruction: Go to your settings. In the new interface at present, that entails clicking the Blogger symbol link in the navigation banner on the left top, which takes you to "your dashboard" or what ever it is called. There you click on the title of the blog, which should be upper centre.
On the left is the list of options: Overview, Posts, so forth. Click settings. This will uncover Posts and comments. The 3rd option is "Open images in Lightbox" and one simply selects No. Click Save settings on upper right and one is done with all that bother.
Regards,
TS
THANKS, Time Spectator!! I have changed the settings. Now everyone will be happier!
ReplyDeleteyay, its fixed!
ReplyDeleteyeah, my plan is to pitch my tent somewhere along the Seven Seas Lagoon down in Florida and go for it! a job at EPCOT Center (Future World of course) or Tomorrowland at MK is my aim....although I admit i will do just about any job except cleaning resort rooms....
THANK YOU, Time Spectator! I just turned the Lightbox/Slideshow feature off on my blog as well. Geez, that was annoying! Thanks again!
ReplyDelete"knowing what I know now"...Major, your comment hit the nail on the head. If I could go back in time I think I would spend at least 4 hours on Main Street alone!! I also hope that my six memory cards would be sufficient to capture all the photos I'd be taking!
ReplyDeleteQuite welcome Major Pepperidge and TokyoMagic!, pleased to be able. I do so enjoy your blogs.
ReplyDeleteWow, many thanks to Time Spectator and the Major.
ReplyDeleteGood pics, commentary and the terminus ad quem to the miserable light box feature.
JG
PS: TARDIS =
Time
And
Relative
Displacement
In
Space... or so I was taught..