Southern California man's 3,000 visits to Disneyland earn him Guinness World Record

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Monday, February 27, 2023
SoCal man breaks world record for consecutive visits to Disneyland
Jeff Reitz of Huntington Beach has been certified a world record-holder after visiting Disneyland nearly 3,000 times in a row.An Orange County man has been certified a world record-holder after visiting Disneyland nearly 3,000 times in a row.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- You could call him a regular. Jeff Reitz of Huntington Beach has been certified a world record-holder after visiting Disneyland nearly 3,000 times in a row.

His 2,995 consecutive visits to the theme park recently earned him recognition from the Guinness Book of World Records.

Reitz says he started visiting the park in 2012. He was out of work at the time and he and his friends had annual passes and thought it would be fun to keep returning, especially when the park announced a 24-hour event for Leap Day.

After that, he just kept going back - even after he started a new job.

When you wish upon a star nearly 3,000 times, it makes you a Guinness World Record holder.

"A lot of people go to happy hour. Well, Disneyland was my happy hour," Reitz said. "I'd get over there about 5 o'clock after work and I could walk around, I could stretch my legs, get some fresh air."

"I never did a toe-tap in the gate and turn around a leave. I was there at least an hour each time. On average, I was doing about 3-5 hours a day after work."

He ended up visiting the park every day for more than eight years, with his streak finally broken when Disneyland shut down during the pandemic in 2020.

Disneyland has presented Reitz with gifts over the years as he hit various milestones, including a certificate of Honorary Citizenship.

Now that he has the golden Mickey ears, he said he's going to put a pause on his daily visits and plans to spend more traveling and going to concerts with friends.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of this ABC station.