Jeff Reitz still can’t believe it: this 50-year-old Californian has just won a Guinness world record, by obtaining the title of the man who has visited the most consecutive days in a Disneyland park. And for good reason: this Mickey and Goofy fan went for 2,995 consecutive days to the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California. Eight years, three months and thirteen days.
“The challenge of going to the park every day started in 2012. At first, it was only supposed to last 366 days, but I finally decided to continue. “When he begins his challenge, Jeff is unemployed and uses the annual pass offered to him by relatives, in order “to go out and not mope at home”, explains this fan of the Disney universe.
In September 2012, Jeff found work again but decided to continue going to the park every day, after his working hours. “I was only about twenty or thirty minutes from the park. Going there allowed me to stretch my legs, I could eat, have fun, and laughing with other people, hugging Mickey and Goofy, all of this allowed me to recharge my batteries” , continues Jeff, who went to Disneyland every day, even when he was sick.
“I’ve had a funeral in the morning once or twice and then gone to the park in the afternoon. It was a way for me to recharge my batteries and recharge my batteries”. Over the years, Jeff purchased annual passes to continue access to the park, the amounts of which “ranged from $500 to $1,400. Which cost me $3.50 a day. Some people ask me why I do that… But I also have a lot of friends who are Disneyland fans”.
Jeff’s project had to be halted in March 2020, after eight years, due to the Covid pandemic. “The park was closed, and so it was over. My count of consecutive days was no longer working. Since the reopening of the park, Jeff says he now dedicates himself to other activities, “scuba diving and hiking”. “My message is: do something that makes you happy! smiled the man.