Jeff Reitz. File Picture. Twitter
California: Jeff Reitz stands out from the Disney adults- a term used to address people who are just mesmerised with the Disneyland.
Reitz spent eight years, three months, and thirteen days visiting Disney’s renowned theme park in Anaheim, California, as a result of his fascination.
Officials revealed last week that the 50-year-old from nearby Huntington Beach has achieved a mark for making the most consecutive visits to Disneyland ever by being listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Reitz admitted that he “was genuinely shocked” when Guinness called to tell him that he had broken the mark. The way that everything happened was amazing.
Reitz told the Times that he started going to Disneyland every day with an annual ticket that had been given to him while he was jobless in 2012 so he could get out of the house, get some exercise, and break up the monotony of job searching.
His spirits were lifted by the visits, and before he realised it, he had been going every single day for two months. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, on his 60th day, Disneyland held a 24-hour celebration highlighting 2012 as a leap year, where he encountered a reporter who was covering the event.
Reitz began posting on social media before each of his visits to Disneyland, and the reporter began to keep up with him. Eventually, the reporter produced a widely read story about the Disney fanatic.
After receiving media notice, Reitz started to be recognised by other visitors, who would ask him for an autograph or a photo, and he also started getting to know the park’s staff, or “cast members”. He checked to see if there was a Guinness world record for the most consecutive visits to Disneyland because he was unsure of how long he could keep it up and whether he had something unique going.
Guinness didn’t, but Reitz claims he forgot when he discovered he might have to pay a fee to the group in order to be recognised for his achievement.
Ultimately, he visited Disneyland 2,995 days in a row before the Covid-19 pandemic forced it to shut on March 14, 2020, for a period of more than a year.
Once he got a job again, it took a lot of planning to go to Disneyland nearly 3,000 days in a row.
He told media that he had to leave early in the morning, late at night, or during work breaks. He also had to choose whether to prepare a sandwich for himself to eat there or spend money on meals made by the park employees.
Nobody is expected to ever again attempt to break Reitz’s streak. Disneyland now needs visitors to make reservations in advance in order to control crowds since its post-pandemic reopening.
According to the Times, not everyone who desires a reservation can get one, and new annual passes also reserve certain days in December for holders, all of which serve as effective safeguards for Reitz’s record.
Guinness announced on February 21 that it had chosen to add Reitz to its list of record holders, effectively acknowledging all those variables.
It was only the most recent accolade the mental health expert had received for his exceptional character.
He once received a gift basket from Disneyland and a certificate designating him as an honoured park resident. As he kept extending his streak, the park also prepared him a special meal and gave him a backpack.
Reitz no longer has an annual Disneyland pass, according to the Times, but he still goes periodically. When given the opportunity to visit the theme park, which is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Disney business this year, he told the Guinness World Records website that he already knew what he wanted to do.
Reitz remarked, “I think it would be really cool to go back with my Guinness world records title certificate to get photos where I got it — inside Disneyland.”
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