We all know that one day isn’t enough in the happiest place on earth. But what about 2,995? That’s how many CONSECUTIVE days Jeff Reitz visited Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
If you’ve been to Disneyland at any point in the eight years, three months and 13 days before the pandemic forced it to close its gates, you were there when Jeff Reitz was. Remember where you were when anything of significance happened in that period? Reitz does. He was in Disneyland.
Once upon a time
In 2012, Reitz was gifted an annual pass to the theme park. Unemployed at the time, he decided to use it to get out of the house and get some exercise.
And he kept going. Daily.
“I would usually take a walk around the park. I enjoy photography so I was always watching for images to capture that I could post to share,” Reitz told the Guinness World Records.
“Some days I would go on lots of attractions and other times I might focus my attention on a single section of the park.”
The only thing that didn’t change was that Reitz would check in on socials and post one picture a day.
366 days in and Reitz was granted honorary citizenship.
Behind the scenes
Obviously, his unemployment didn’t last the duration of Reitz’s Disneyland pilgrimage, but he made it work. Sometimes, he’d pop in early or drop by late at night, he said. Occasionally, he’d even take a day off.
And then, of course, was the food. Theme park food is generally pricey, but Reitz told CNN that he figured out a reliable go-to: pasta from the Pizza Port restaurant in the park’s Tomorrowland section. On other days he’d pack a sandwich from home.
Annual passes, even in 2012 were not cheap. But Reitz says when you consider that he only lives about 20 minutes away and that the passes include free parking “it’s a lot, but it’s not what people think.”
Today, the annual pass is now called the “Magic Key pass” and can cost up to AU$2,385. Several dates in December are also blocked out for pass holders. This means that Reitz’s record is unlikely to be beaten.
Reitz was recently granted a Guinness World Record for his 2,995 consecutive days, but his goal was 3,000. Sadly, the pandemic put an end to that. But Reitz is still chuffed with the award and looks forward to returning to the park to show it off. Especially as the park celebrates Disney100.
“After being out of the park for three years, going back is a chance for me to have an eye-opening experience,” Reitz told CNN.
“It’s almost going to be like starting over, and that’s exciting. (Walt) Disney himself once said, ‘Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world’.”
