“One of my friends and I were at the park on January 1, and we started joking around — how could it be an extra day if you don’t use the others?” Reitz said.
Since Reitz and his friends were unemployed at the time and had been gifted Disneyland passes, they had the time and ability to visit often. After two years of consecutive visits to the theme park, based in Anaheim, California, his friend gave up but Reitz kept up the streak.
The record is a consultancy record. This means Guinness officials found out about his attempt and kept track of it along the way, so the only rules he had to keep were the ones he set for himself. Reitz decided he had to stay in the park for a minimum of one hour and began sharing the journey on social media.
“Sometimes I would just go and walk around and do photography. It wasn’t always about getting on the attractions depending on what was going on,” Reitz said. “Why not walk around and enjoy the sights and sounds at Disneyland and the fireworks overhead instead of just walking around a track or on a treadmill inside?”
When asked about his favourite ride, Reitz said he often came back to the Matterhorn.
“I’ve loved (the Matterhorn) since I was a kid because I was in Boy Scouts and I was into rock climbing,” he said.
Despite his loyalty, the size of the company and the turnover rate of staff means Reitz does not often get special treatment and must wait in queues like everyone else.
“I have had magic made on occasion, but for the most part, I was just a regular guest that happened to go a little more often.”
On Friday, March 13, 2020, Reitz’s record was brought to an end by the pandemic. While people can still try and beat his record, the newer more expensive Magic Key passes would make it a pricy exercise.
Reitz said he had his fair share of “internet trolls” who suggested he was rich to afford such a record, but said in previous years it was cheaper to do. Reitz’s last pass cost 1399 but according to his calculations, it would cost between 4-5000 per year to do it now.
One might imagine getting tired of the Magic Kingdom after a few hours, let alone a few years but Reitz said it as always a delight.
“The Imagineering department is top-notch. I mean, the way that they put stuff together and the details that they put in, and that was one of the magical aspects that I really got to enjoy because of going all the time,” he said.
“I was able to take the time to find things to slow down and tweak things.”
