Way of life
February 25, 2023 | 4:42
Jeff Reitz stands outside the main gates of Disneyland on his 2,918 consecutive day visiting the park on December 27, 2019
Jeff Reitz: Instagram
Disney fanatic Jeff Reitz has been the happiest person alive for over a decade.
On Tuesday, Reitz was finally recognized as the Guinness World Record holder for his streak of back-to-back visits to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.
Reitz visited “the happiest place on earth” for 2,995 consecutive days, a streak that began January 1, 2012 and ended March 13, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 50-year-old from Huntington Beach, Calif., who made headlines in 2017 after hitting 2,000 back-to-back visits, said he started the trip on New Year’s Day in 2012 with an ex -girlfriend when they were both unemployed and thought it would be fun to visit the theme park every day during leap year.
“It started as a joke between friends,” Reitz told Guinness World Record for his record announcement.
As Reitz’s trip to Disney grew in popularity, his celebrity status around the theme park rivaled Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.
“Then I started asking guests at the parks to stop me for photos and autographs,” Reitz told the outlet.
Throughout his historic travels, Reitz has posted various posts on Instagram, dedicated to giving his followers updates on rides and attractions, sharing videos of him throughout the park, and even photos of cast members. Disney.
After getting a job as a hospital worker, Reitz still visited the park — with friends and alone — and made sure to mark certain occasions.
“Even working a full-time job, I had to follow the park’s schedule closely as well as my own to make sure I could get to Disneyland before it closed when there were special events,” Reitz said.
Reitz told the outlet that he likes to walk around, maybe go on rides or just relax in a certain area.
“I usually walked in the park. I love photography, so I was always looking for images to capture that I could post to share,” he added.
Reitz didn’t always do every ride, but he had a favorite, “There’s only one ‘ride’ at Disneyland, and that’s Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.”
When it was announced in mid-March 2020 that Disneyland would be temporarily closing due to the pandemic, Reitz documented every moment of the final day of his streak, posting eight articles featuring the characters’ final rides and the park’s final sweep. .
Disney presented the fanatic with a gift basket and honorary citizenship certificate after his 366th visit. He was offered dinner to complete his second year and received a backpack on 2000 day.
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