Well hey there Teresa, and welcome to the shores of planDisney!
It sounds to me like you've found yourself a little bit of Disney history for yourself in the form of original
Discovery Island tickets - and for any discerning fan of all things defunct or abandoned, those could be considered quite the lucrative treasure! I checked with a Cast Member on the Guest Relations team and they said that while
unused theme park admission may be honored when presented to them directly at ticket windows, they'll want to see these in person to determine what is possible as this can never be guaranteed. I was intrigued to find out more and through my research I found that these tickets often had the following printed on them:
- "Admission and transportation to Discovery Island via direct motor launch or the Walt Disney World Cruise."
- "This coupon is not subject to refund and may be used only as indicated."
- The pricing was sometimes also printed directly on the Discovery Island Excursion tickets, which ranged from between one to two dollars to over $7.00 by the end of the 1980s. (Even adjusted for inflation I wonder what would be considered an equivalent exchange if presented today!)
Sometimes, these pieces of what some might call
Disneyana can be worth a lot to collectors and a quick search online found listings from other folks selling similar unused tickets for hundreds of dollars!
Can you believe that it's been nearly 25 years since the island closed to guests? But there are ways to experience a little bit of this mysterious piece of Disney history today! Our planDisney Panelists recently had the opportunity to set sail on
Bay Lake to pass by the island on
a Specialty Cruise around sunset, learning about its origins as
Treasure Island in the 1970s before changing its name and welcoming folks in search of adventure among the exotic wildlife. Though today the island itself is overgrown and inaccessible to guests, a number of the
various animal species that were kept in enclosures on the island nature preserve were relocated to
Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park, which ironically (or perhaps in very fitting tribute) also has
a Discovery Island of its own where you'll find the Tree of Life. On one of our recent visits I passed by the tortoises, flamingos and even the little dog-sized Muntjac deer and wondered whether these were descendants of the previous island residents!
I'd be fascinated to see what the Cast Members at
Guest Relations can do with these if you do end up bringing them in, so let us know when you
come back to planDisney if you've got anything else for us research or lend our advice on!
Here's to all the fun historical Disney finds out there!
Prince