Disneyland allows woman to use free admission ticket from 1985
A woman who won a free pass to Disneyland, cashed it in 34 years later — and enjoyed a free day at the theme park.
In 1985, a 14-year-old girl named Tamia Richardson visited Disneyland in Anaheim, California for the first time, just as the park was celebrating its 30th anniversary. In honor of the event, the park held a promotion, the Gift Giver Extraordinaire, in which every 30 guests received a prize.
Richardson, one of the lucky winners, won a pass to return to Disneyland free of charge. On Thursday — 34 years later — Richardson of Alberta, Canada, arrived at the park turnstiles, hoping to gain admission with the ticket, now valued at $149 (in 1985, the one-day ticket cost $16.50).
Richardson even brought evidence to prove that the pass was authentic: a photo of herself at the park taken by a Disney employee in front of a sign that read, "Gift Giver Extraordinaire."
When Richardson won the ticket, Disneyland's entrance price was only $16.50. But today, a one-day ticket to the park during the peak summer months today costs $149.
Below, Tamia Richardson on the day she won the ticket in 1985. 📸: Tamia Richardson https://t.co/YzlCkpESnG pic.twitter.com/5prYF5knPV— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) August 15, 2019
"I was really hoping they'd take it," Richardson told USA Today. "I was less positive than more positive because it was pretty old."
After speaking with a few employees, and ultimately a supervisor, Disneyland honored the ticket, and Richardson was able to explore the park with her mom, sister and daughters Maren, 17, and Mia, 15.
"Disney's big in our family," Kent Richardson, Tamia's husband told CNN. "They're having the time of their lives."
“We had a movie night every Friday and we’d watch Disney movies,” Maren, who works as a Disney princess in her hometown, told People.
Disneyland has changed a lot since Robinson's first visit. The iconic ride Splash Mountain and land Toon Town didn’t exist, and Johnny Depp’s animatronic hadn’t yet been added to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
However, Robinson and her family were able to witness the same Main Street Electrical Parade that she saw in 1985, a nighttime event which ran from 1972-1996, in 2017, and has returned in 2019.
Tamia Richardson and representatives for Disneyland did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s requests for comment.
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