Let’s Discuss Some Theme Park Basics

I’ve been playing with a new app recently, and it’s shown me a bunch of topics that Disney fans shyly admit they don’t know.

The moral here is that I sometimes run when I guess I should walk a bit. So, let’s slow down the pace.

Let’s discuss some theme park basics, just in case you are ever too embarrassed to ask.

Are All Disney Rides the Same?

I realize some people will scoff at this question, but it’s actually very fair in context.

The answer is no. Disney rides are not all the same, even the ones that are duplicated at multiple parks.

For example, Pirates of the Caribbean existed first at Disneyland Park, but Magic Kingdom added its own version in 1973.

The rides are quite similar in the broad strokes, but each one possesses a few identifying quirks.

In some instances, the differences are dramatic. For example, Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland features a steep drop.

Magic Kingdom’s version doesn’t have that. Similarly, Haunted Mansion at Disneyland was home to the Hatbox Ghost in 1969.

That mysterious trickster vanished for a while before returning to Disneyland Park in 2015.

Magic Kingdom wouldn’t add this character until 2023 and only then due to popular demand.

In other instances, Disney rides may share the same or similar name(s) but are markedly different.

Frozen Ever After at EPCOT is a great example of this. You can watch the ride here:

More recently, Tokyo Disneyland introduced the world to Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey. Take a look at it:

As you can see, the rides are similar in the broad strokes but still quite a bit different.

Disney decides on how duplicative a ride should be during the design phase.

Generally, E-ticket attractions aren’t exactly the same, but only Disney experts can spot the differences.

What’s an E-Ticket Attraction?

Whoops, you’re right. I shouldn’t have used that term without explanation.

Fortunately, you don’t need to understand much about Disney to get the point here.

An “E-ticket attraction” is basically just one of Disney’s very best attractions.

During the earliest days of Disneyland, park admission was free or minimally priced.

Walt Disney earned his money by charging for individual attractions.

Guests would save money by buying in bulk. They’d purchase a booklet of Disney ride tickets.

The attractions with the least demand were the cheapest ones. They were the letter A in the book.

At the time, the categories were A-ticket, B-ticket, C-ticket, and D-ticket.

In 1959, Uncle Walt paid for a very expensive expansion project that included an entire artificial mountain, the Matterhorn.

To justify the purchase, Disney needed to make money quickly.

So, the park added a new tier, the E-ticket, which cost even more.

For the past 65 years, people have used that term, “E-ticket attraction” to clarify which rides are the best of the best.

What’s the Fifth Gate?

I see you, super-persistent person on social media!

You have repeatedly asked a question that I guess it’s easy not to understand without context.

I’ve frequently referenced the mythical fifth gate at Walt Disney World. It’s mythical since Disney hasn’t built it yet.

The fifth “gate” is me using a bit of industry jargon when I guess I should have been clearer.

As a writer, I hate using the same word several times in a few paragraphs. The thesaurus exists to avoid that fate.

In this instance, my terminology obviously caused you confusion, and I sincerely apologize for that.

In Disney terms, a “gate” is synonymous with a theme park, which makes more sense in context.

At Disneyland Resort, you’ll discover two different theme parks, Disneyland California Adventure and Disneyland Park.

Walt Disney World is home to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Magic Kingdom.

So, Disneyland hosts two gates, while Walt Disney World offers four gates.

The proverbial fifth gate is the yet-to-be-built Disney World theme park that Disney may or may not construct over the next 15 years.

What’s an Imagineer?

There’s a nuanced conversation to be had with this question, but I suspect that’s the problem.

When you don’t know what an Imagineer is, you prefer the simplest answer.

For my friends in need, an Imagineer is someone who works in Walt Disney Imagineering, a special division of Disney.

The people who work in this branch create all the technologies and immersive effects that make Disney theming the gold standard.

To be an Imagineer is to achieve the highest standard in theme park design. You’re among an elite select few.

Anyone who tells you that they are or ever have been an Imagineer is someone worthy of your respect.

These professionals had a hand in everything that you love about Disney theme parks.

Historically, Imagineers come from the earliest days of Disneyland, technically even before the park existed.

Walt Disney had cross-trained a bunch of his most skilled employees while creating films and television series.

Eventually, Disney created a new division, WED Enterprises, where these loyal workers dazzled with their skills.

Disney’s prowess at attraction creation caused many of the finest corporations in the world to hire the Imagineering team.

Imagineers proved their skill during the legendary 1964 New York World’s Fair.

The pavilions at this event included attractions that have stood the test of time, such as It’s a Small World and Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress.

Ever since then, Imagineers have remained the gold standard in theme park design.

What’s the Difference between Disneyland and Disney World?

Okay, I’ve mentioned both multiple times in this very article. So, that may have caused some confusion as well.

You can already tell how much base knowledge people need to talk shop about Disney theme parks. It can be overwhelming.

That’s why we need to have these Disney Basics articles from time to time. Otherwise, new vacationers are totally lost.

In the case of the parks, Disneyland even comes in two forms as an answer.

When I say “Disneyland,” I generally mean Disneyland Resort, the theme park campus in Anaheim, California.

This place is widely considered the world’s first iconic theme park, having opened in 1955.

So, Disneyland is The Happiest Place on Earth. But, as I mentioned, the Disneyland campus includes Disney California Adventure and Disneyland Park.

Ergo, “Disneyland” is sometimes a reference to the entire campus, but it can also mean just Disneyland Park.

Disney World, aka Walt Disney World, came later. This park opened in Orlando, Florida, in 1971.

During the early 1960s, Walt Disney sneakily purchased land here under aliases to get it for cheap.

Tragically, he died in 1966, five years before the park’s debut.

His former employees named the place after him even though he never set foot in it.

While Disneyland is the original, Walt Disney World has proven far more popular as a tourist destination.

Also, just so that pedants don’t pick at you, Walt Disney World is the “Most Magical Place on Earth,” not the Happiest.

The latter title belongs to Disneyland and Disneyland alone.

Why Is EPCOT in All Caps?

I love questions like this because they’re so basic yet so earnest.

This particular query isn’t some big mystery, though, and it hasn’t always been the case, either.

When Walt Disney announced the E.P.C.O.T. project, he envisioned a futuristic capitalist utopia.

E.P.C.O.T. is an acronym that stands for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.

When this park opened in 1982, its name was EPCOT Center.

This title reflected Uncle Walt’s ambitions and his Imagineer’s concessions.

EPCOT wasn’t a capitalist city but rather the second gate to open at Walt Disney World.

Over the years, EPCOT evolved, causing management to rename the place (in lower case) as Epcot ‘94 to reflect its current year, 1994.

Management maintained that strategy by renaming the park Epcot ’95 in 1995.

By 1996, everyone realized that the year thing was confusing and obnoxious. So, the former EPCOT officially became Epcot.

The name remained the same until 2020, when Disney (rightfully) switched it back to EPCOT.

So, at this point, there’s no specific reason for the all caps, and the word EPCOT doesn’t mean anything now.

Still, by using this title, park officials pay tribute to the vision of the company’s founder, Walt Disney, who dreamt of a better tomorrow.

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