Turns Out Disneyland’s First Customer Still Uses His Lifetime Pass Every Year Since 1955

Published 5 years ago

Most Disney fans would love to visit the magical kingdom known as Disneyland at least once in their lives. And it’s not hard to see why – just think about all of the characters and you’d get to meet and rides you could take! One man, in fact, loves Disneyland so much, he has been coming to the park every year since it opened its doors back in 1955. Not only that, he still uses the same lifetime pass he bought 64 years ago!

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Disneyland opened its doors back in July 1955 when 22-year-old Dave MacPherson was still a college student

Back in 1955, Scotsman Dave MacPherson was a student at Long Beach State College. When Disneyland opened its doors in July of the same year, the 22-year-old man was the first person to buy a ticket.

He was the first person to purchase a ticket, having stood in line since 2 AM

He was the first commoner to enter Disneyland after Disney’s family members and celebrities

Image credits: Disneyland

The day before Disneyland officially opened, Dave was watching the festivities on television and marveled at all of the celebrities enjoying themselves in the park. He then decided he wanted to be the first commoner to enter the park.

After watching the opening day festivities, Dave got on his motorbike, made a 10-mile trip to the park and started a line at 2 AM

Image credits: Disneyland

The man doesn’t know what happened to the admission ticket but he kept a copy of the complimentary card that came with it

On the evening of the same night, Dave hopped onto his motorbike and made a 10-mile trip to Anaheim where he went to a ticket booth and started a line at 2 AM. After waiting for a few hours, the man bought the first-ever ticket to be sold to the general public.

Dave says he visits Disneyland every year since it opened

Lucky guy!

Image credits: Disneyland

Dave didn’t get to use the complimentary card he received but since he was the first customer to purchase a ticket, he was awarded a lifetime pass – and you better believe the man didn’t let it go to waste.

The man usually visits the park with his wife Wanda and friends

Image credits: Disneyland

Looks like Dave truly is a die-hard fan of Disney!

Dave usually visits the park with his wife Wanda and friends Martha & Joe Ortiz. Joe, in fact, was standing in the same line as Dave when the park opened but the two friends only met decades later.

Disneyland was opened to celebrities and Disney’s family members on July 17th, 1955

Image credits: Disneyland

The following day it was officially opened to the general public

Image credits: Disneyland

The construction of the park cost a whopping 17 million US dollars.

Luckily for Dave, he made it in before all of the children did

Image credits: Disneyland

Dave said he will never forget the sight of the 6,000 people standing behind him

Image credits: Disneyland

After the park opened its door to the general public, Walt Disney himself gave a short speech but, to everyone’s disappointment, quickly left.

Dave even got to see Walt Disney himself!

Aušrys Uptas

One day, this guy just kind of figured - "I spend most of my time on the internet anyway, why not turn it into a profession?" - and he did! Now he not only gets to browse the latest cat videos and fresh memes every day but also shares them with people all over the world, making sure they stay up to date with everything that's trending on the web. Some things that always pique his interest are old technologies, literature and all sorts of odd vintage goodness. So if you find something that's too bizarre not to share, make sure to hit him up!

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amusement park, customer, Disney, Disneyland, entertainment, freepass, fun, lifetime, pass
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