SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment announced today that it will be temporarily closing all their theme parks due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
UPDATE – 03/27/20: SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has announced that the parks will now remain temporarily closed with no re-opening date yet announced.
As reported by the Orlando Business Journal, SeaWorld said in an SEC filing that it will temporarily furlough 90 percent of its workforce starting April 1. Employees will not receive pay during this furlough period, and the current length of this period is unknown.
The parks will close on March 16, and remain closed through the end of the month. The parks affected by the closure include:
- SeaWorld Orlando
- SeaWorld San Diego
- SeaWorld San Antonio
- Discovery Cove
- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
- Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Sesame Place Philadelphia
- Sesame Place San Diego
- Aquatica Orlando
- Aquatica San Diego
- Adventure Island
- Water Country USA
Busch Gardens Williamsburg will specifically be closing on March 14.
During the closure, essential personnel, including animal care experts, will continue to look after the health and safety of the animals in the parks’ care. The SeaWorld animal rescue and rehabilitation operations will also continue to operate.
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will continue to pay our full-time Ambassadors during this period.
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment also shared a list of commonly asked questions and answers regarding the situation:
How long will the park be closed due to the coronavirus?
All our theme parks will be temporarily closed starting March 16 through the end of the month.
Will I be refunded for my ticket or experience?
Due to the recent change in operations, you will be refunded for any tickets or in-park experiences that you were not able to use during the time that the park was temporarily closed.
Can I reschedule my trip/event for a later date?
Yes, for guess whose plans are impacted by the recent change in operations, we will be allowing to rebook through 2021, without fees.
I booked my trip to SeaWorld through a third-party vendor, can you help me?
Guests who booked travel with a third-party reseller should contact the reseller directly for assistance.
I have a vacation package. Can I get a ticket refund if I cancel my trip?
We would be happy to reschedule your vacation package or provide you with a refund if you are within the 72-hour cancelation window.
I work for a for-profit company or organization. Will my deposit be reimbursed if:
- I want to cancel my planned event due to coronavirus concerns?
- My company/organization is restricting travel and we can no longer attend our planned event?
Please contact the park sales team for further information and assistance in rebooking your event.
I was planning to attend the park on a school trip or through an educational camp experience during the time the park is closed. Can I get a refund?
Due to the recent change in operations, we will refund school trips or educational camp experiences without penalty. Please contact the parks sales team for further information.
Can I get a refund on my…
- Pass
- ASD
- All Season Quick Queue
- Photokey
Annual passes, season passes, and membership products are non-refundable.
What are you doing to protect the animals in your care from coronavirus?
At this time, there is no evidence that coronavirus is transmissible from humans back to animals. According to the CDC, no animals in the United States have been identified with the virus. The welfare of our animal ambassadors is always of the utmost importance to us, and we are continuing to monitor developments closely.
Our veterinarians and animal care specialists have a world-class health monitoring program in place designed to detect illness as early as possible. In addition, our veterinarians have reviewed the list of symptoms coronaviruses cause in animals as well as response plans. Any new information provided by the CDC, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, American Veterinary Medical Association and local public health offices is reviewed daily by our veterinary professionals to determine whether the risk to animal health has changed.
Stay tuned for more updates on coronavirus-related closures as they are released, and check out our regularly-updating page with all current major theme park closures in the U.S.
Will the concert still happen with Three Dog Night on Sunday?
Will Three Dog night still be playing? If not, will tickets bought specifically for that be refunded?
If Annual passes and season passes, are non-refundable, the park should extend the expiration dates for all these passes. This should be the fairest for those who have paid for the enjoyment ANY TIME for example ,The Spring Break.
Thank you
Yes, I agree!
Disneyland is extending the passes according to how many days they are closed due to Coronavirus.
My season passes should be refunded that I ordered last week for me and my children. When you guys open back up I can re order. There is no telling how long everything will be closed.
Yes bc we have the top passes for everything plus the fast passes so if we still paid only fair to add the months closed to the passes to equal a full year we could go.
How can i request a refund?
I was planing on visiting during my kids’ school break. Will I be able to get a refund on tickets I’ve already purchased?
Pass members need refund too we pay the most and spend the most. Good way to lose your guess forever hope they do.
Who can I contact to get a Refund? I can’t seem to reach a person.
PUBLIC RELATIONS 101: refunds to most valuable customers. The optics look pretty bad on this.
I was suppose go on the 18th. I will want a refund. Call wait was 9 hours and then they cut me off when they closed. I’ll be trying again in the morning.
We ordered a pre school pass for my son that had to be activated by March 31st.. Are you going to extend the date since its closed till April 1st?
I have been trying to figure out if current passholders or memberships will be extended out since there has been time lost due to the virus concern. Other companies are spreading pixie dust by the way of extention of annual passes. I’m hoping you will as well. This determines if we’re getting them again or making a universal move.
Well they are not delaying taking the payments out… And I just received a bank ring on my phone and looked and it was our season pass payment coming out. Definitely would be nice if they did not take that out right now or until It is open back up again.
When will you guys open back up
My wife and I purchased annual passes recently. Can we get an extension
You’ll have to contact the park you purchased passes for to see if they will offer that.
I purchased annual passes and registered them the week before the Coronavirus Pandemic. We have not used them whatsoever. I would expect that Sea World would have each pass member’s information to follow usage and Sea World would extend each and every pass for the amount of months which are not useable due to this Pandemic. Please respond, hopefully with a positive reply. Thank you.
I purchased 4 annual passes 2 weeks before the Pandemic haven’t been able to use and still being deducted from my bank. I been calling and waited hours for a rep with no one to answer.