Competition/Inquiry: How long have you had a pass?

[Scribby]

I'm looking to find out who on this site has the ultimate Disneyland passholder bragging rights. For how many consecutive years have you had an annual pass? But even if you don't compete for the top honor of King of Passholders, it'll still be interesting to see how long each other has had their pass, and through what type of trends the Disneyland pass phenomenon has gone over the years.

I've got a very beatable 12 years of membership to my name. How about you?

[merlinjones]

When did they first introduce it, like 1983...(I seem to remember the first one - - no limitations - was around 40 bucks... I could be wrong)? I always had one from then on - - until I worked at the studio and had a SilverPass for some years, when that stopped, I went back to APs. I did discontinue several times in more recent years out of disgust with the park upkeep and entertainment, etc. (and because it was becoming more expensive) - - took a whole year off the year before last.

But contrary to popular opinion, since I have had one for so long - - while my friends and I could always find something to criticize (like Gummy Glen and the destruction the Blair murals, etc.), I must say there was no getting stale on the park in the 80's and early 90's, as something new and quality-based was always being added, and the old proceedures were largely still being followed (by comparison) - - The sorts of burnout that happen now (since the Pressler era began) are a result of the park's management, not the existence of the Pass itself.

Never was a problem back then...

[Scribby]

The early 90's were great times for passholding. Although there were no new big attractions until Indiana Jones, this lull in public excitement had the side effect of leaving the park completely empty during the week. Sometimes you felt like you had the park to yourself with literally nobody waiting in line for rides like Splash and Space Mountain. The opening of Indy, the remodeling of Tomorrowland and the continuous rise in passholders from the mid to late 90's has caused these days to become fewer and far between.

[Fire at Will]

My wife an I have been AP holders since 1983. If my memory serves me right the cost of the pass was $ 50.00 back then. Disneyland was closed on Monday and Tuesdays in the off season. Back then you could count the number of guests on Main Street with both hands on a weekday in October and still have a couple of fingers leftover. You could catch the 5:00 Golden Horseshoe Revue with out a reservation on a Thurday afternoon.

Those were fun times.

[CENTER]Bring Back The Golden Horseshoe Review for The 50th!![/CENTER]

[SCUBAbe]

I got my first pass when DCA first opened....and only because DCA was there. The next year I renewed...then got DL burnout...I didn't go or have a pass for over year. Then for some reason we went in a dec and decided to get passes. Those expired on 12/10/04 and I'm now on DL burnout again. I just get bored doing the same thing over and over...same rides...same food...same thing...and a couple of times I felt like going I remembered the crowds and I really hate the crowds...so DL burnout is still in effect. I'm thinking as the 50th gets closer I may want to go again....(even though it will be crowded...LOL)

[Robert951]

I'm not in the running, but I've had a pass for 10yrs straight, plus one earlier (in '92 or '93). I used to get free passes occasionally (through work: gifts, promotions) before AP's and yes, I remember those very uncrowded days in the off season. What I miss most were the occasional things they did for AP's - remember the Passholder Nights they used to have? The walk-thru on the dark rides in FantasyLand were cool..or riding Space Mt with the maintenance lights full on? What about the E-ticket nights they had? RocketRods, Indy, POTC, Thunder Mt, 3 or more times in a row without getting out of the seat?
Robert

[DznyVan]

We started with the AP's in 1988 (funny thing, I still have them). We would let them expire and then get a new one the next time that we went down, so I didn't always have one. Now that we get six a year, the discounting for renewing prior to the expiration date is worth it. Plus we seem to be on a regular cycle for park visits (three one week trips, plus a short one snuck in there for kicks). I always get the Premium, the rest of the family gets the (now) Deluxe. We stay away from the parks during the summer, so the blackout dates don't bother us.

[AP2CM]

[CENTER]Bring Back The Golden Horseshoe Review for The 50th!![/CENTER][/QUOTE]

I'm not sure if you're aware, but that is actually in the works.