SeaWorld, Aquatica, and Discovery Cove Parks in Orlando and Busch Gardens and Adventure in Tampa Set to Reopen Leave a comment

Hello All,

We are excited to announce a phased re-opening (with capacity limitations) of SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando, Discovery Cove, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island on June 11, 2020.

For more than half a century, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens guests have put their trust in us to not only deliver incredible experiences for them, but to do so in a way that’s safe for them and their families.

Over the past two months, we have worked with state and local health officials, third party medical and epidemiology experts, and attraction industry leaders to enhance our strict health, safety and cleanliness standards. We are committed to the health and safety of our guests, employees, and animals in our care, and will continue to follow the guidance from health officials as conditions evolve.

To help manage capacity to maintain physical distancing within the parks, all parks will require advance online reservations. Reservations will be required for admittance given anticipated demand. Reservations will be available starting at 10 a.m. ET on June 8, 2020. More details to follow.

Also, to accommodate these new health and safety changes, we are temporarily modifying the hours of operation for each of the Florida parks as follows:

SeaWorld Orlando: 

• Thursday, June 11 10 AM – 6 PM – Reopening Day!
• Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10 AM – 6 PM
• Closed Tuesdays and Thursdays until further notice

Aquatica Orlando:

• Thursday, June 11 10 AM – 5 PM – Reopening Day!
• Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM
• Closed Mondays and Wednesdays until further notice

Discovery Cove Orlando:

• Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday by reservation

Busch Gardens Tampa

• Thursday, June 11 10 AM – 6PM – Reopening Day!
• Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10 AM – 6 PM
• Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays until further notice

Adventure Island

• Thursday, June 11 10 AM – 6PM – Reopening Day!
• Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10 AM – 6 PM

If you sell our parks outside of FL, Aquatica Texas (in San Antonio) is opening June 6. 

 

Overall Park Enhancements to Promote Employee & Guest Safety for Dry Parks

1. Employee and Guest Temperature Screening: When guests and employees arrive on-property, they must undergo and pass temperature screening using the CDC temperature recommendation of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

***FOR SWC:

Employee and Guest Temperature Screening: When guests and employees arrive on-property, they must undergo and pass temperature screening using the state of California temperature recommendation of 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. Face Coverings: Employees and guests 2 years of age and older must wear face coverings while in the park. Guests are not required to wear them while eating and drinking, or in designated relaxation areas of the park.

1. Physical Distancing: To promote proper physical distancing throughout the parks, we will install signage and markings throughout our guest areas (including on the ground) to identify appropriate, six-foot physical distancing. We also encourage contactless payments and plexi-glass will be installed in high-traffic or close-contact areas to maintain a physical barrier.

1. Cleaning and Sanitation: To protect the health and safety of our guests and employees, we will significantly increase both the frequency of cleaning for all key areas of the parks (including employee spaces) and the number of hand sanitization stations across each park, especially in high-contact areas.

1. Work and Sick Policies: We will require our employees to stay home if they are feeling sick. We will also require our employees to follow the most current CDC guidance for self-isolation and symptom-free periods before returning to work.

1. COVID-19 Training: Our employees will receive COVID-19 specific training to cover all new enhanced park operating procedures. The training will include the most current guidance from the CDC and other health advisors.

Specific Enhancements to Key Operational Areas

1. Guest Arrivals and Ticketing: Enhanced cleaning protocols will be implemented at arrival areas and for high-contact surfaces. Spacing will also be increased for our touchless turnstiles enabling appropriate physical distancing.

1. Restaurants: Restaurants across the parks will include arranged seating layouts to accommodate physical distancing. Tables and chairs will be sanitized with increased frequency, condiment and topping stations will be closed, utensils will be pre-packaged, and guests with refillable products will be provided single-use alternatives. In lieu of traditional menus, single-use paper menus will be used and additional grab-and-go and pre-packaged food offerings will be added. Buffet-style service areas will be adjusted or closed until further notice.

1. Retail Shops: In our retail shops, we will have markings for physical distancing and signage directing guests to defined entrances and exits. To minimize contact of items at checkout, bagging and wrapping materials will be given to customers.

1. Animal Exhibits and Interactions: In all open animal viewing spaces, we will add markings to queues to indicate required distancing. Certain animal interactions will be modified and only tours allowing for physical distancing will operate. Some tours and interactions will be restricted to one-party at a time.

1. Public Spaces: Across the parks and especially in high-contact areas, enhanced cleaning protocols will be implemented. This includes an increased number of hand sanitizer stations, areas with single-direction guest flow, modified seating in venues to maintain physical distancing and cleaning according to enhanced protocols.

1. Rides and Attractions: Queue lines for rides will have markings for physical distancing and modified seating will be implemented to maintain physical distancing. We will have hand sanitizer available at the entrance and exit of all rides and will increase the frequency of cleaning and sanitizing. Specific protocols will be implemented for water related rides for employees and guests and, unless play areas meet distancing protocols, they will be temporarily closed.

1. Parades and Meet-and-Greets: Depending on the ability to promote physical distancing for guests and employees, certain components of parades and meet-and-greets, such as those involving guest interactions, character interactions and photo opportunities will be modified or removed.

1. Employee Facilities: We have added signage regarding health and safety, increased hand sanitizer stations and increased the frequency of cleaning in employee areas.  The same enhanced safety standards for guest-facing food and beverage areas will be applied in employee dining areas as well.

 

Overall Park Enhancements to Promote Employee & Guest Safety for Water Parks

1. Employee and Guest Temperature Screening: When guests and employees arrive on-property, they must undergo and pass temperature screening using the CDC temperature recommendation of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. Face Coverings: Face coverings will be required for guests 2 and older in certain designated areas of the park (e.g., the park entrance, retail areas, food and beverage areas and other designated areas). Face coverings will not be required in the water (e.g., the lazy river, the wave pool, all water slides, and all other water attractions in the water park).

 

1. Physical Distancing: To promote proper physical distancing throughout the parks, we will install signage and markings throughout our guest areas (including on the ground) to identify appropriate, six-foot physical distancing. Lounge chair seating will also be modified to maintain physical distancing. We also encourage contactless payments and plexi-glass will be installed in high-traffic or close-contact areas to maintain a physical barrier.

1. Cleaning and Sanitation: To protect the health and safety of our guests and employees, we will significantly increase both the frequency of cleaning for all key areas of the parks (including employee spaces) and the number of hand sanitization stations across each park, especially in high-contact areas.

1. Work and Sick Policies: We will require our employees to stay home if they are feeling sick. We will also require our employees to follow the most current CDC guidance for self-isolation and symptom-free periods before returning to work.

1. COVID-19 Training: Our employees will receive COVID-19 specific training to cover all new enhanced park operating procedures. The training will include the most current guidance from the CDC and other health advisors.

Specific Enhancements to Key Operational Areas

1. Guest Arrivals and Ticketing: Enhanced cleaning protocols will be implemented at arrival areas and for high-contact surfaces. Spacing will also be increased for our touchless turnstiles enabling appropriate physical distancing.
2. Restaurants: Restaurants across the parks will include arranged seating layouts to accommodate physical distancing. Tables and chairs will be sanitized with increased frequency, condiment and topping stations will be closed, utensils will be pre-packaged, and guests with refillable products will be provided single-use alternatives. In lieu of traditional menus, single-use paper menus will be used and additional grab-and-go and pre-packaged food offerings will be added. Buffet-style service areas will be adjusted or closed until further notice.

1. Retail Shops: In our retail shops and queues, we will have markings for physical distancing and signage directing guests to defined entrances and exits. To minimize contact of items at checkout, bagging and wrapping materials will be given to customers.

1. ***FOR DCO Only

Animal Interactions: Certain animal interactions will be temporarily modified or removed to accommodate physical distancing.

1. Public Spaces: Across the parks and especially in high-contact areas, enhanced cleaning protocols will be implemented. This includes an increased number of hand sanitizer stations, areas with single-direction guest flow and cleaning according to enhanced protocols. Lounge chair seating will also be modified to maintain physical distancing.

 

1. ***NOT DCO / OR For All Waterparks Except DCO

Rides and Attractions: Queue lines for slides will have markings for physical distancing and modified seating / loading will be implemented to maintain physical distancing. We will have hand sanitizer available at the entrance and exit of all rides and will increase the frequency of cleaning and sanitizing. Play areas that don’t meet distancing protocols will be temporarily closed.

1. Employee Facilities: We have added signage regarding health and safety, increased hand sanitizer stations and increased the frequency of cleaning in employee areas.  The same enhanced safety standards for guest-facing food and beverage areas will be applied in employee dining areas as well.

 

We’re confident in our plan and in our approach. Of course, this is a situation that’s changing all the time. We will continue to make the necessary changes in our parks to keep you safe. We will continue to work with local, state and federal authorities and with health officials who are making decisions about when certain communities can reopen, allowing us to make decisions on a park-by-park basis.

Without question, we want guests in our parks; we also want them safe when they are here. See attached for a safety document that covers all of our parks.

Stay tuned for additional updates on our other parks.

Thank you,

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