In the winter of 1990, the Kramer family from Los Gatos decided to drive down to Southern California for the spring break and take their 7-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter to Universal Studios.
But Mother Nature had different plans. It was pouring in LA then, forcing the park to temporarily close some of the most popular attractions. And when the kids started throwing a tantrum amid the cold and wet weather, Carolyn Kramer, the matriarch, decided to do something.
“We couldn’t even get out of the rain,” Carolyn recalled. “I just went up to customer service, and I said, ‘We've been planning this trip for a really long time, and we are so disappointed in Universal closing the shows.’”
To make up for lost time, a representative from the park gave the Kramer family a certificate for two adults and two children.
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“They said it would last the rest of our lives.”
And it did – at least more than three decades.
Fast-forward to 2024, the then-7-year-old boy, Daniel, has grown up to be married with two children of his own. As his daughter, Isabella, turned 2 years old, the Kramer family started planning another trip to Universal. Then Carolyn thought of the vintage voucher.
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“I just happened to keep it in my papers all those years because I was determined, if I ever went again, I was going to see if I could use it.”
After spending about an hour with Universal representatives on the phone, the park officials told the Kramer family that they would honor the nearly 34-year-old certificate.
“I was like, ‘There’s no way they’re going to accept it,” said Daniel. “It was like this small, handwritten piece of paper!”
Luckily, the Kramer family’s trip to the park in 2024 was more pleasant with plenty of sunshine and not a single drop of rain.
Mama Kramer said she thought it was “impressive” that Universal Studios allowed them to use the decades-old voucher so she can spend more time with her young grandchildren.
“I don’t mind holding a kid or waiting,” Carolyn said. “When I get to go to the park, being with the kids and watching them enjoy, it’s the best.”
