One man has broken the world record for visiting Disneyland for the most consecutive days. Jeff Reitz (50) of Huntington Beach, California, took 2,995 trips to Disneyland starting back in 2012, making it a run of eight years, three months, and thirteen days to set the record; the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately ended Reitz’s run on March 14, 2020, keeping him short of the 3,000 mark. Reitz commemorated his record in a recent social media post, which you can read below.ย
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“I HAVE DONE IT!!! Last week I was contacted by @GuinnessWorldRecords and today they posted the story on their website that my @Disney366_ adventures have earned my place in the records. ‘It was actually added in as a consultancy record, so you do officially hold the Guinness World Record.’ I have OFFICIALLY been named a #GuinnessWorldRecords #RecordHolder for ‘The Most Consecutive Visits to Disneyland.’”
During his epic run at Disneyland, Jeff Reitz received a gift basket and certificates proclaiming him an Honorary Citizen of Disney after completing the first year of visits; “They also offered me dinner for completion of the second year,” Reitz told Guinness, adding that “Last, they presented a gift backpack when I reached Day 2000, in 2017.”ย
Funny enough, Jeff Reitz didn’t set out to complete any epic quest of Disney history: “It started as a joke between friends when Disneyland announced they were giving an ‘Extra Disney Day’ when they announced the Leap Day 24-hour event in 2012,” Reitz explained. “We decided to use Disneyland as a positive as we were out of work and had annual passes that had been gifted, so it was a source of free entertainment,” he said. “It helped to get us out and put a positive mindset, log exercise with all the steps taken, and always networking since you never knew who you would meet.”
That kind of spirit quickly attracted others to Reitz’s cause: “Over the years I visited Disneyland with others and did solo trips,” he said. “It got to be where my schedule was pretty constant so it depended more on others wanting to come join the fun… “Then on 2012 July 1, halfway through the year, the Orange County Register reporter printed a story about making it to Day 183 and then the Associated Press picked up the story and it became real as I was getting contacted by newspapers and radio stations from around the globe asking for interviews,” Reitz recalled of his excursion gaining a following. “Then I started having guests in the parks stop me for photos and autographs.”
In the end, the fame and the record are nice, as Jeff Reitz is happiest about getting recognition for his efforts: “So far, I have only told a few people, since it was a surprise to me even, but I believe everyone is going to be very happy and proud that I have earned the recognition that most everyone thought I should have gotten.”ย
According to Guinness: “The most consecutive visits to Disneyland is 2,995 and was achieved by Jeff Reitz (USA), as of 13 March 2020. Jeff is an Air Force veteran who has an annual pass to Disneyland. He started visiting the parks in California, where he lives, on January 1, 2012, during a period of unemployment, as he thought it was an uplifting thing to do at that time. Many years later, he still has fun visiting the parks daily, but now goes at night to adapt to his daily work.”
