Jeff Reitz in his happy place.
Jeff Reitz
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Jeff Reitz
Jeff Reitz in his happy place.
Jeff Reitz
The protagonist of today has seen a lot of the main characters of the last decade.
A recent California man Guinness world record for most consecutive visits to Disneyland theme parks — with 2,995 consecutive days of access. That divides into eight years, three months, and 13 days. And yes, it has lost some dedication. He coordinates visits around dinner plans, work duties, and travel.
Who is he? Jeff Reitz lives about 30 minutes from Disneyland, in Huntington Beach, Calif. He was at an amusement park on New Year’s Day 2012 when he and his friends noticed an advertisement for “Additional Disney Days”. It was an event to celebrate February 29, the additional day in that leap year.
- “We joked, ‘How can there be an extra day if you don’t use the other days?’,” Reitz told NPR. So they also started using all the other dates. He said they were unemployed at the time, so this was an opportunity to do something positive with their time instead of wallowing in their plight.
- “We can still look for work in the morning or evening, and [we] exercised,” he said. “And you’re always online because you never know who you’re talking to.”
- When they reached their goal of visiting the park for all 366 days, he kept going.
It’s a great character.
Jeff Reitz
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Jeff Reitz
How did he keep it up? That first year, Reitz was able to go to the park every day with the annual pass his family gave him in December 2011. Then he got a job at a medical center and started buying his own pass. me.
- For him, the daily visits are a source of endless joy.
- “It’s my gym. It’s my happy hour. It’s entertainment all in one package,” he says. “You know, instead of paying for a separate membership to do a lot of different things, all in one package with my annual pass.”
- Reitz says that, at first, the annual card will cost about $500. In later years, it was $1,400. “So for me, the daily commute, even when finished, is only about $3.50 a day,” says Reitz. “So it’s like someone would buy a cup of coffee.”
- He also started using hashtags #disney366 on social media to document my itinerary. He said it was a normal thing at first, but then it developed into his “personality”.
There is magic in the air.
Jeff Reitz
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Jeff Reitz
What happened to his streak? Reitz said his last day at the park was March 13, 2020 – the last day before the theme park closed due to the pandemic. He’s five days away from hitting the 3,000 mark. And yes, it’s Friday the 13th.
- However, for Reitz, being forced to stop with the rest of the country is still better than the alternative. He said that ending his visit at an arbitrary round number, on a day when others are still visiting the park, would probably yield some FOMO.
- He hasn’t come back since that day, and while he wants to come back at some point, he has no concrete plans yet.
- He says he doesn’t have any bad feelings towards Disney, though he says he’s not a fan of the new Magic Key annual card system that started during the pandemic and requires bookings. place before visiting. “For me personally, I don’t like the idea – before I could go everyday whenever I wanted, while now you have to book in advance,” he said.
- In the meantime, he’s replaced his Disneyland visits with shows, going to concerts or hiking, and spending time with his girlfriend.
Reitz with his friends, Walt and Mickey.
Jeff Reitz
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Jeff Reitz
His advice for first-timers to Disneyland:
- Bring the greatest dose of your patience. “No matter what, you’ll be around a lot of people. It won’t just be you, your friends and family close to you. There are so many different people, so many attitudes, cultures and everything. different, so you want to be ready for it.”
- Bring a battery to charge your phone. “Now you also want an app on your phone to see wait times for different shows and attractions, or even order food before you go get it.”
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