The parks of SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay have announced today that they will be re-opening on June 11th, 2020. All parks will require guests to make an advance reservation, as well as have a valid park ticket, for admission. While the theme parks and water parks will be opening on the 11th, they will operate on a special schedule that will leave certain parks closed on some weekdays.

Additional safety measures will be in place, including temperature screening prior to entering the parks, as well as mandatory face coverings for all guests. Reservations will open on June 8th. See a list of safety protocols, park operating schedules, and more details on the reservation system below.

“We thank Governor DeSantis, Mayor Castor, and County Administrator Merrill for their support of tourism in Central Florida as we prepare to reopen our Tampa parks to the public on June 11,” said Marc Swanson, interim CEO of SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. “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.”

In addition to SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Aquatica Orlando, Discovery Cove, and Adventure Island will all also be re-opening on June 11th. All of the parks will be operating on a limited schedule, most open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with Aquatica closing at 5:00 PM.

The parks will also be closed on certain weekdays for the forseeable future. SeaWorld Orlando will be closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. And the water parks will be closed on various weekdays. See the official park schedules when booking your reservation.

Park Reservations

To help manage capacity to maintain physical distancing within the parks, all parks will require advance online reservations. Guests will be asked to visit the reservation pages of park websites where reservations will be required to guarantee entry given anticipated demand. Reservations will be available starting at 10:00 AM Eastern Time on June 8th. You can visit the following URLs for each theme park and water park to reserve your spot.

• SeaWorld Orlando: https://seaworld.com/orlando/reservation
• Aquatica Orlando: https://aquatica.com/orlando/reservation
• Discovery Cove: https://discoverycove.com/orlando/pricing
• Busch Gardens Tampa: https://buschgardens.com/tampa/reservation
• Adventure Island: https://adventureisland.com/reservation

Safety Protocols

The reopening of the parks will include enhanced health and safety protocols for cleaning and sanitizing, physical distancing, face covering requirements, and temperature screening.

SeaWorld Parks warn guests that: “Exposure to COVID-19 is an inherent risk in any public location where people are present; we cannot guarantee you will not be exposed during your visit.”

The following are some of the additional safety measures the parks will be implementing. You can see the full list for SeaWorld Orlando parks here, and the full list for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay here.

Employee & 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.

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.

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.

Cleaning & 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.

Work & 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.

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.

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