A California man set the Guinness World Record for most consecutive daily visits to Disneyland after visiting 2,995 times. Guinness World Records created a brand new category to accommodate the feat and made it official last week.
Jeff Reitz, 50, began visiting Disneyland in Anaheim in 2012 when he was unemployed to exercise and keep his mind off job-hunting. He continued to visit until the park shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic on March 14, 2020.
“We decided to use Disneyland as a positive as we were out of work and had annual passes that had been gifted, so it was a source of free entertainment,” he told Guinness World Records.
Reitz became a Disneyland celebrity along the way, amassing more than 27,000 Instagram followers. Guests in the park began to recognize him and would stop him for pictures and autographs.
Even after finding employment, Reitz made sure to match his work schedule to Disneyland’s schedule so he could make it before the park closed on days there were special events.
His quest was marked by milestones along the way. Disneyland presented Reitz with a gift basket and Honorary Citizenship after spending 366 days in the park. After completing another year of visits, he received a free dinner. When he hit 2,000 days in 2017, he was gifted a backpack.
But after more than eight years in the parks, Reitz said he is no longer a pass holder and will not resume his daily trips. He said other factors, like park reservations, have made it less fun.
“The idea of having to make a reservation, that right there was a big downer,” Reitz explained to the New York Post. “I’d go over there after work, and you know, maybe grab a bite to eat, you know, enjoy some rides or shows … It was nice being able to just pop in at will.”
He told the outlet that since his streak ended, he’s been able to return to some of the hobbies he enjoyed before his daily Disney trips. His girlfriend, Karen Bell, says another upside is that they have been able to take longer trips and vacations.
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