It’s news that’ll probably send every family that’s visited a Disney or Universal park straight to their collective memory boxes and memento drawers. Weeks after a TikTok showed a Disney park goer using a 46-year-old Magic Kingdom ticket to gain entry to the most magical place on earth, a family tried their luck with a Universal Studios Hollywood ticket from 1990. The result was as successful, and as heartwarming, as you would expect.
Reported by NBC 4 LA, the story of the Kramer family starts a little over three decades ago, when horrific weather basically closed down Universal’s shows and rides. With a complaint to Guest Services, Carolyn Kramer and her family were given a voucher for two adults and two children, with no expiration date specified.
With Carolyn Kramer's now-grown son, Daniel, looking to take his own family to the adventure destination, that voucher came to mind. Sure enough, a phone call was all it took to confirm that those admissions were indeed valid, allowing the Kramer family a day of seeing the stars and enjoy the rides. While it was certainly a win for the clan, it's also a pretty big victory for Universal as well.
I know some of you out there are probably thinking, "No it isn't. The company just gave that family a free visit and lost money." But is it really lost money when such a delightful story turns out to be really good press for Universal Destinations & Experiences? To give a family another shot at enjoying their theme park, even almost 40 years after being issued that voucher, is a story that's right up there with returning E.T. to his home planet.
It all ultimately ties into the core ethos of the theme park business, which is that companies such as Disney and Universal ultimately want their guests to be happy. It’s why improvements like a potential new Universal Hollywood hotel are built from time to time, as well as attractions like the upcoming Fast & Furious roller coaster. But, sometimes, that happiness can come from simply going the extra mile to honor a promise made on a day where nothing seemed to go right.
That’s exactly what happened with Carolyn Kramer and her family and, in the process, a new generation of fun seekers have been exposed to the delight that is Universal Studios Hollywood. The memories made from that long promised, and fulfilled, day of adventure are only going to inspire Daniel and his family to want to return.
Which just shows that this is not only a case of customer satisfaction, it’s also an example of good business sense. I’d have to imagine there’s going to be some sort of limit imposed on this loophole in the near future, as everything we know about Epic Universe shows us how new parks don’t come cheap.
So if you’re the type of person who keeps good records, and has some unused theme park tickets lying around, you might want to think about taking that trip real soon. You wouldn’t want to miss out, and you can catch up on what you may have missed in those years is part of the fun. But, also, never underestimate the power of Guest Services. For all you know, a polite complaint about a major Universal attraction's shutdown could pay off in the most surprising way.
