SoCal dad gives teen daughter Disneyland ticket from 1985 as gift – and the park honored it!
By Leticia Juarez
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ANAHEIM, California (KABC) — A Simi Valley father gave his daughter the gift of a lifetime when he gave her his free Disneyland ticket from nearly four decades ago.
In August 1985, Scott King won a free park ticket after visiting Magic Kingdom during its 30th anniversary. As part of the celebration, every 30th guest received a prize.
“I forgot all about it. I really didn’t pay much attention to it over the years,” King said.
Instead of redeeming the prize shortly after, he held onto the ticket for almost 39 years.
“When I got there, they awarded me with a ticket and an ‘I am a winner’ badge, and I said, ‘What about the Cadillac?’ and they laughed and said, ‘Not today buddy,'” King recalled.
King stuck the free ticket in a scrapbook and forgot about it – until now.
“My daughter decided that she wanted to go to Disneyland with her boyfriend,” he said. “She was telling me about how expensive it was now and everything and I said, ‘You know, I have a ticket. Let me see if I can grab it.'”
Deep inside King’s garage was the golden ticket still sitting in one of his old scrapbooks.
But would the theme park honor the nearly four-decade old ticket? The price of admission to the “Happiest Place on Earth” in 1985 was just $16.50.
Today, ticket prices start at roughly $100.
Upon confirming its validity, Disneyland honored the ticket the father gave to his 18-year-old daughter, Sabrina King.
“I really couldn’t sleep that much because I have not been to Disneyland since I was six. So, it’s been over 12 years now,” the teenager said.
The magical trip marked the teen’s second visit to the park since 2009, just two weeks before she sets off to college this fall.
Almost 39 years later, that golden ticket provided a priceless memory for King to share with his daughter.
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