Did Disney E-Ticket Night Flop?

To make sure that participants would feel special, Disneyland capped attendance at 5,000 for its first E-ticket Friday night, but the park needn’t have worried. Walt Disney Co. sources say just a small fraction of that number showed up for the test event.

The program, an import from Walt Disney World in Florida, allows guests at Disney’s two Anaheim hotels and holders of more-expensive Disneyland annual passes to pay $12 each for the privilege of staying three hours past the 10 p.m. closing. The idea is to get access to the park’s major attractions with no crowds.

The program has been popular in Florida, where there are 28 hotels on Disney property and most parkgoers spend several days. But last Friday night fewer than 1,000 people showed up for E-ticket night at Disneyland, which “looked just desolate,” according to one insider. “There were tumbleweeds rolling across the central plaza.”

Disney spokesman Tom Brocato said those in attendance were extremely satisfied with the test event and the attendance “met our projections.” He said word-of-mouth appears to be spreading about a second, upcoming test of E-ticket night.

The list of available attractions last week included Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Tarzan’s Treehouse, Big Thunder Mountain, the Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Star Tours, Honey I Shrunk the Audience and the Rocket Rods.

The only other E-ticket night scheduled so far is Nov. 5. After the turnout for event No. 1, “the bet is that that Friday will be the last,” the insider said. In any case, it figures to be more elaborate, adding numerous costumed characters, a Christmas-themed It’s a Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean to the previous lineup.