SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica, Discovery Cove to reopen on June 11th

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Photo by Midway Mayhem

ORLANDO, Fla. - SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica, and Discovery Cove have announced that they will reopen on Thursday, June 11th.

SeaWorld Entertainment Inc.'s plan to reopen their parks in phases received approval from Governor Ron DeSantis last Friday. SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando, and Discovery Cove will all reopen on June 11th with enhanced health and safety protocols. They also will use an online reservation system to help manage capacity.

SeaWorld Orlando details reopening safety measures

SeaWorld is planning to open on June 11th. There will be many safety enhancements, officials say.

"We thank Governor DeSantis, Orange County Mayor Demings, Orlando Mayor Dyer, and the members of the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force for their support of tourism in Central Florida as we prepare to reopen our Orlando 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 of health officials as conditions evolve.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to reopen our three Orlando parks," said Kyle Miller, president of SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica, Discovery Cove. “We know our guests are anxious to return, and we’re working hard to provide a safe environment so they can enjoy many more memorable experiences with us and their friends and family.”

Each park will have its own safety guidelines, which include cleaning and sanitizing, physical distancing, face-covering requirements, and temperature screening.

SEAWORLD ORLANDO

The new and enhanced safety measures at SeaWorld Orlando will include:

Employees and guests must undergo and pass a temperature screening upon arrival.
Employees and guests 2 years of age and older must wear face coverings while in the park.
Signage and markings throughout the park will enforce six-foot physical distancing between guests. Contactless payment options will be available as well and plexiglass will be installed in high-traffic or close-contact areas.
Cleaning in all key areas of the park will significantly increase and there will be hand sanitization stations across the entire park, including attractions.
Employees must stay home if they feel sick.
Employees will receive COVID-19 specific training to cover all new enhanced park operating procedures.
Restaurants across the park will have arranged seating layouts to accommodate physical distancing. Tables and chairs will be sanitized with more frequency. In addition, condiment and topping stations will be closed and utensils will be pre-packaged. Guests with refillable products will be given single-use alternatives. Only single-use paper menus will be used and additional grab-and-go and pre-packaged food options will be available. Buffet-style service areas will either be adjusted or closed until further notice.
Inside retail shops and queues, markings and signage will be in place for physical distancing. To minimize contact, bagging and wrapping materials will be given to customers.
Markings will also be added to open animal viewing spaces and queues to indicate required distancing. Some animal interactions will be modified and only tours that allow for distancing will operate.
Specific protocols will be implemented for water rides, parades, and meet-and-greets.

To visit SeaWorld Orlando, park guests will have to make an online reservation on their website.

AQUATICA

The new and enhanced safety measures at Aquatica will include:

Employees and guests must undergo and pass a temperature screening upon arrival.
Employees and guests 2 years of age and older must wear face coverings while in the park.
Signage and markings throughout the park will enforce six-foot physical distancing between guests. Contactless payment options will be available as well and plexiglass will be installed in high-traffic or close-contact areas.
Cleaning in all key areas of the park will significantly increase and there will be hand sanitization stations across the entire park, including attractions.
Employees must stay home if they feel sick.
Employees will receive COVID-19 specific training to cover all new enhanced park operating procedures.
Restaurants across the park will have arranged seating layouts to accommodate physical distancing. Tables and chairs will be sanitized with more frequency. In addition, condiment and topping stations will be closed and utensils will be pre-packaged. Guests with refillable products will be given single-use alternatives. Only single-use paper menus will be used and additional grab-and-go and pre-packaged food options will be available. Buffet-style service areas will either be adjusted or closed until further notice.
Inside retail shops and queues, markings and signage will be in place for physical distancing. To minimize contact, bagging and wrapping materials will be given to customers.
Queue lines will have markings for physical distancing and modified seating will be implemented. Play areas that do not meet distancing protocols will be closed.

To visit Aquatica, park guests will have to make an online reservation on their website.

DISCOVERY COVE

The new and enhanced safety measures at Discovery Cove will include:

Employees and guests must undergo and pass a temperature screening upon arrival.
Employees and guests 2 years of age and older must wear face coverings while in the park.
Signage and markings throughout the park will enforce six-foot physical distancing between guests. Contactless payment options will be available as well and plexiglass will be installed in high-traffic or close-contact areas.
Cleaning in all key areas of the park will significantly increase and there will be hand sanitization stations across the entire park, including attractions.
Employees must stay home if they feel sick.
Employees will receive COVID-19 specific training to cover all new enhanced park operating procedures.
Restaurants across the park will have arranged seating layouts to accommodate physical distancing. Tables and chairs will be sanitized with more frequency. In addition, condiment and topping stations will be closed and utensils will be pre-packaged. Guests with refillable products will be given single-use alternatives. Only single-use paper menus will be used and additional grab-and-go and pre-packaged food options will be available. Buffet-style service areas will either be adjusted or closed until further notice.
Inside retail shops and queues, markings and signage will be in place for physical distancing. To minimize contact, bagging and wrapping materials will be given to customers.
Certain components of animal meet-and-greets will be modified or removed based on the ability to allow physical distancing.

To visit Discovery Cove, park guests will have to make an online reservation on their website.