SeaWorld Orlando (SWO) Discussion Thread

[bgtlover]

Does anyone know what we do if we are planning on utilizing a free season pass guest ticket and therefore don’t have an extra ticket number to input? I have one season pass and want to bring a friend free. Therefore, I only have one number but need two reservations.

Currently, you can't reserve those in advance online. You would need to go to the park the day of and redeem at the kiosk and make a reservation on your phone same day for them to get in (since they have to be used the date they are printed currently). However, there's no guarantee the park won't be at capacity before arrival at the park.

However, the parks are currently working on a way to allow pass members to redeem them online so they can be reserved. No word on when that will be. This should have been put in place before opening the registration system, IMO. The comments all over their social media and passholder groups are a mess with the confusion, and the lack of available people representing the parks to answer questions and assist.

[A.J.]

Anyone that's been having problems with reservations - it's finally started working for me. Looking forward to going back at the end of the month.

[sfkk]

https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2020/06/09/seaworld-orlandos-reopening-met-with-new-push-by-fans-to-remove-board-chairman-scott-ross

[robbalvey]

So our first visit back to SeaWorld Orlando after the re-opening from Coronavirus lockdown was... um... "not great." I contemplated actually writing something about our short visit today because I'd like to go again next week to give them another chance, but there were just so many things that I found shocking today that I just had to write about it...

 

First of all, at least there wasn't any line for parking at 1pm in the afternoon:

 

If anyone followed along any of the Orlando bloggers or "MBF's"(Must Be Firsts) as I've been calling them lately, they created a GIANT CROWD reported to be an hour long wait to get through the parking booths yesterday on their opening just to be the "first" to post their YouTube vlogs or Instagram selfies. Personally, I just don't understand this. Here we are 24 hours later and there is no line to get in.

 

I will say, however, this was probably one of the better experiences we had for the day.

 

By now, everyone knows the standard issue "compliance rules" for parks and COVID-19. Wear Masks, Temperature Checks, Stand 6 feet apart... yes we get it... we know the drill. Except when that's not exactly the case. I feel this is more representative of what we saw today at SeaWorld:

 

They may require masks to get into the park, but I'd say we saw MAYBE 15% of the people actually wearing them, and none of their employees telling anyone to put them on, aside from the entrance turnstiles to the park.

 

Social Distancing? Forget it! We saw so may queues where guests were all crammed on top of each other and once again, no employees doing anything to fix that situation.

 

Where they were doing social distancing was separating guests out on attractions. But to the point where operations were actually negatively impacting your visit to the park. Some attractions were already loading guests SO SLOWLY and then only filling trains less than half in some cases. We saw several Infinity Falls rafts going around with **ONE** person in them! I get they are trying to be "safe" but there has to be a better way? And why is SeaWorld "picking and choosing" where they want to follow their own COVID guidelines?

 

We make it into the park (is it just me or does EVERYONE have issues scanning their tickets & passes to get into SeaWorld/Busch parks?) and while it's busier than I would have expected, it wasn't that "busy" until you got to an area with rides.

 

"You won't see that for another twelve minutes!" we joked as we saw Manta dispatch. And we weren't wrong. The coasters we saw operate were dispatching trains every 9-12 minutes, And running their coasters at half capacity. I mean, if your'e going to run your rides at half capacity, maybe at least TRY to operate them a bit more efficiently to get more people through?

 

While the park wasn't overly busy, lines for rides were INSANE. This right here is a perfect example of what we saw all over the park:

- No social distancing at all.

- A "free-for-all" wearing a mask.

- Ride queues that seemed a lot longer than they should have been due to some really bad operations.

- No employees that seemed to be doing anything to help with any of the situations above.

 

Needless to say, we didn't stay for very long nor did we ride anything. I just didn't want to put myself into a situation crammed in with people who weren't social distancing, weren't wearing masks, and at one point we saw a family who had a "Service Pit Bull" with them. Seriously?!?!?

 

With all the small annoyances brought upon by our day, you know what WASN'T actually annoying? Wearing the mask in the 92 degree Florida heat like many people said it would be. We were both wearing thin, disposable medical masks. They were comfortable and not invasive or annoying at all.

 

While it was a beautiful day to take a walk around the park, most of the time when we looked around, the park looked like this....

Not many people around... not many rides actually running. When you got closer to rides, tons of disorganization everywhere with people on top of each other, most of them not wearing any masks.

 

I just don't get it. With there being reports of more cases all over the US at the moment, why wouldn't you just do the simply thing and wear a mask? But then again, when this is the example SeaWorld's CEO is setting, what do you expect?

 

Anyway, we are going to go back again next week. Hopefully we will have some better news to share. I get that this was only their second day of operation, but with Disney Springs being open almost a month and Universal being open a couple of weeks now, they have plenty of examples in the area to look at. I most certainly haven't seen any of these issues at Disney Springs and they are only a few miles down the road!

 

I most certainly do applaud Disney for taking more time to really get things right in their park. I have much higher expectations for when Disney opens July 11th, but I also understand that, at the moment, Universal & SeaWorld are the only major theme parks open in town, and I'm sure once Disney opens all the focus will be there, so those guys need to grab as much of that business while they can while the fire is hot!

 

Let's just do a better job of enforcing your own COVID rules, okay? Thanks guys...

[PKI Jizzman]

Disappointing to see, hopefully they will learn how to go about enforcing their rules and next visit will be better.

[Mr Stratosphere]

Disappointing to hear this, mainly because the park has had time to learn from other parks that have recently opened in the US before them. I hope this changes on your next visit, and your next visit will be better!

[Philrad71]

I was afraid of guests pulling off their masks once inside the gates and not following the rules. I hope that the park will get better with their operations as well as enforcing the park rules. As you said, if Disney and Universal are doing it right, they need to benchmark them.

 

I will be interested to see how your next visit goes...hopefully much better!

[DBru]

This is why I don’t understand people’s aversion to virtual queuing. Does this really look better than being able to spread out around the park and wait for your time to ride? And seriously, what’s the point of only loading every other row on a coaster if everyone is packed together in the queue for an hour before getting on?

 

In fact, what’s the point of only loading every other row on Manta regardless? Riders are more than 6 feet apart as it is.

[KBrylczyk]

I don't think it's unfair to remove guests from the park who aren't wearing their masks or are improperly wearing their masks. This isn't rocket science. Cover the nose and mouth, super simple. If you willingly remove it or pull it down to your chin or to uncover your nose, that's a one-way ticket to the exit. Wanna really set an example? Passholders get it revoked.

 

This couldn't possibly be a more minor thing to ask of guests and the majority of this country is too goddamn proud to just be courteous. Unless there are strict rules that are enforced this will keep happening. FFS, this is a public safety initiative; it's not like we're demanding hazmat suits.

[robbalvey]

This couldn't possibly be a more minor thing to ask of guests and the majority of this country is too goddamn proud to just be courteous. Unless there are strict rules that are enforced this will keep happening. FFS, this is a public safety initiative; it's not like we're demanding hazmat suits.

This is EXACTLY what Elissa and I were discussing the other day. How the f is it that the "mask" became such a hot topic??? I thought for sure it would be a "no-brainer" that people would wear it and we would have to put up with Instagrammers showing off their "new cool mask" and it becoming yet another accessory that people would brag about. The reality couldn't be further than that!

 

People literally are FIGHTING about this. ACTUALLY FIGHTING!!! And it disgusts me so much. Maybe it's because I've been going to Japan regularly for 20 years and I've seen people wearing them on ever single visit I've ever had there so it doesn't seem as foreign to me? I don't know.

 

But the mask is just so non-invasive. You're right, it's not like we are being asked to wear some hazmat suit, or just giant super uncomfortable piece of clothing, or even go get a weekly blood test, or many of the other things that COULD have become a reality in this.

 

It's a small piece of fabric across your nose & mouth. It literally is nothing. Yet we've had to ban so many people from our forums, socials, and other TPR outlets because of their just BATSHIT CRAZY PSYCHOTIC INSANE attitude against it.

 

I was at the point where I thought nothing shocked me about humanity, and then this happened, and now my feeling about humanity has sunk a whole other level that I didn't think was possible.

Edited June 12, 2020 by robbalvey

[Tanthus]

While you are at it on how not to wear a mask: Don't put it just over your mouth so it is easier to breathe out your nose. I see so many doing this, you might as well skip the thing. You aren't helping others or yourself wearing it that way.

[RideWoodenCoasters]

We were both wearing thin, disposable medical masks. They were comfortable and not invasive or annoying at all.

 

I do think a lot of folks don't have these...I often see thick cloth and polypropylene N95 derivatives...both are a lot hotter (though the latter is unquestionably more effective at reducing viral load on exposure). I think this is key to happily adjusting to these visits. I understand, though, that the park legally can't advise on your choice of PPE.

[Haymaker]

Are the park rules mask at all times? Here in NY the state guidance is indoors OR when unable to social distance. So basically if youre outside in a public space and no one is within 6 ft of you, you dont have to wear a mask. So I that would mean if im walking between rides and have no one around me, the mask can come off. Obviously private property can make different rules though so I suppose it depends on how the park wants to enforce it (or not enforce it).

[robbalvey]

Are the park rules mask at all times?

Yes. As it should be. This is what they enforce at Disney & Universal and I would expect SeaWorld to do the same, however today made me lower those expectations.

Edited June 13, 2020 by robbalvey

[robbalvey]

We were both wearing thin, disposable medical masks. They were comfortable and not invasive or annoying at all.

 

I do think a lot of folks don't have these...

I see them everywhere at the park. I think MOST people either have that style or a cloth mask. You can get them very easily now on eBay. I usually pick them up for about $19 for 50 disposable masks including shipping. When you're talking 38 cents per mask, there is no excuse for people not to have them.

[robbalvey]

Note: We are currently at Disney Springs. This one photo has more social distancing and guests following the mask rules than we saw all day at SeaWorld! Seriously, SeaWorld, get it together! There’s a perfectly good example right down the street!

[KarlaKoaster]

I'm really surprised and disappointed in Seaworld. It's generally a very quiet park, has a lot of space and has everything going for it to set the gold standard in safety measures. There's no point having rules if you let people break them, otherwise it's just meaningless lip service.

 

There are a lot of rules in place to keep people safe in a theme park. If someone stands up on a ride they'll be told to sit down, just as if someone takes their mask off they should be told to put it on. If guests can't follow the rules, they shouldn't visit. If the park can't enforce the rules, it shouldn't open.

 

The virus doesn't respect park boundaries, so they're not just putting these measures in place for their guests and so-called ambassadors, they have an obligation for the wider community.

[kenban]

With all the small annoyances brought upon by our day, you know what WASN'T actually annoying? Wearing the mask in the 92 degree Florida heat like many people said it would be. We were both wearing thin, disposable medical masks. They were comfortable and not invasive or annoying at all.

 

I really wish I had some magical way to get this through thick peoples heads. No one is asking people to wear some giant respirator, or anything difficult to breathe in. Just wear a basic face covering. A cheap disposable mask is good enough, and there is no need for it to be uncomfortable, just find something basic, and wear it correctly. Quite literally anything is better than nothing.

 

I was wondering were the slow operations due to cleaning between dispatches? Because if anything I would prefer people wear masks, and parks just give up on wiping down the trains. This is a respiratory illness, getting this through a contaminated surface is a lot harder then breathing it in. The way the virus gets on the surface is from droplets from their nose and mouth anyways, its not like it can actually go through the skin, or that the virus has even been detected in sweat. Stop the virus at its source, through a mask, and there is no need to constantly clean anything. Also the virus can only survive for several minutes outside of the host in heat, and sunlight. For outdoor attractions in the summer, dispatching the train empty every other cycle, or using different rows each cycle is likely just as effective as all that cleaning, and a LOT faster.

 

If people would just wear masks in public, washed their hands, and stayed a few feet apart when possible we would be able to get back to normal a lot faster. The faster this is over the sooner you can stop wearing the mask, and go on a vacation, and even fill every seat on a coaster train.

[Garet]

It's funny that I see them all the time in Asia, even pre-corona due to air quality for years (the filter masks for air quality are roughly the same ones we get allocated at the pharmacy due to corona), and haven't seen any negative effects. Yet now they're mandatory in the USA, I feel like before the summer's out we're going to see at least one person at a park 'pass out from being forced to wear one' and we'll see both a USA park getting sued for it and the 'I told you we shouldn't have to wear them crowd' getting louder from it.

[A.J.]

"You won't see that for another twelve minutes!" we joked as we saw Manta dispatch. And we weren't wrong. The coasters we saw operate were dispatching trains every 9-12 minutes, And running their coasters at half capacity. I mean, if your'e going to run your rides at half capacity, maybe at least TRY to operate them a bit more efficiently to get more people through?

Oof, that is ROUGH. I already knew of restricted capacities on Mako and Kraken but that long of dispatches for Manta is just awful. Were they running double station on Manta? You'd think they would want to do it that way... Split the crowds in half, be able to disinfect and load while the other train is on the circuit...

 

People literally are FIGHTING about this. ACTUALLY FIGHTING!!! And it disgusts me so much. Maybe it's because I've been going to Japan regularly for 20 years and I've seen people wearing them on ever single visit I've ever had there so it doesn't seem as foreign to me? I don't know.

I was at the point where I thought nothing shocked me about humanity, and then this happened, and now my feeling about humanity has sunk a whole other level that I didn't think was possible.

The "issue" for people is that the instructions / recommendations for face masks came from local and / or state governments and that people are seeing it as a restriction of their own personal freedoms. There is also the same "don't be a wuss" camp that you'd hear from as a kid when you'd be pressured into doing something dangerous. To those people, wearing a face covering is an admission of fear and a knock on their pride. No one seems to understand that face covering requirements are supposed to be a sign of mutual respect for your fellow person's needs - instead, it's a political and ideological issue.

 

What's worse is that people see this stuff and instead of saying, "oh, I need to protect myself MORE when I go", it's "oh, I can get away with it because no one else cares".

[Satans Hockey]

Very disappointed in SeaWorld, how hard is it to go place tape on the ground 6 feet apart outside the queue? It should have been obvious that the queue would spill out to the walkway if it had 6 feet markers throughout the queue. Do you know if they even had markers inside the queue? It's a simple thing that so many places that aren't even theme parks are doing. Unfortunately a lot of people are just going to ignore things unless it's pointed out to them over and over. This kind of stuff happening at this park is exactly why I'm just skipping parks for now.

 

I'm in the camp that has no desire to wear a mask all day outside but I'm choosing not to go to the parks so I'm not affecting anyone else. If people don't want to follow the rules and wear masks they should just stay home too.

 

I'd be perfectly fine with SeaWorld and any park throwing out people who take their masks off but there are other parks that don't even throw people out for taking cell phones out on rides so it's probably never going to happen.

[Hilltopper39]

That's a pretty disappointing report but unfortunately I have a feeling that when more parks across the country start to open up we're going to see some similar situations. I hope that Disney is the exception but I've seen enough comments from people who are pissed about having to wear masks that it won't surprise me a bit if a lot of people go through security wearing them then take them off until someone makes them put it back on.

 

The operations are probably the most disappointing part to me, I was looking forward to a visit going in knowing that people will probably ignore the rules and I'll just have to have patience and deal with the stupidity, but I'm not even gonna try if they're dispatching 5 trains an hour.

[robbalvey]

I really wish I had some magical way to get this through thick peoples heads. No one is asking people to wear some giant respirator, or anything difficult to breathe in. Just wear a basic face covering. A cheap disposable mask is good enough, and there is no need for it to be uncomfortable, just find something basic, and wear it correctly. Quite literally anything is better than nothing.

 

I was wondering were the slow operations due to cleaning between dispatches? Because if anything I would prefer people wear masks, and parks just give up on wiping down the trains. This is a respiratory illness, getting this through a contaminated surface is a lot harder then breathing it in. The way the virus gets on the surface is from droplets from their nose and mouth anyways, its not like it can actually go through the skin, or that the virus has even been detected in sweat. Stop the virus at its source, through a mask, and there is no need to constantly clean anything. Also the virus can only survive for several minutes outside of the host in heat, and sunlight. For outdoor attractions in the summer, dispatching the train empty every other cycle, or using different rows each cycle is likely just as effective as all that cleaning, and a LOT faster.

 

If people would just wear masks in public, washed their hands, and stayed a few feet apart when possible we would be able to get back to normal a lot faster. The faster this is over the sooner you can stop wearing the mask, and go on a vacation, and even fill every seat on a coaster train.

This was so perfectly said. Thank you for that.

[Alice Kane]

This couldn't possibly be a more minor thing to ask of guests and the majority of this country is too goddamn proud to just be courteous. Unless there are strict rules that are enforced this will keep happening. FFS, this is a public safety initiative; it's not like we're demanding hazmat suits.

This is EXACTLY what Elissa and I were discussing the other day. How the f is it that the "mask" became such a hot topic??? I thought for sure it would be a "no-brainer" that people would wear it and we would have to put up with Instagrammers showing off their "new cool mask" and it becoming yet another accessory that people would brag about. The reality couldn't be further than that!

 

People literally are FIGHTING about this. ACTUALLY FIGHTING!!! And it disgusts me so much. Maybe it's because I've been going to Japan regularly for 20 years and I've seen people wearing them on ever single visit I've ever had there so it doesn't seem as foreign to me? I don't know.

 

But the mask is just so non-invasive. You're right, it's not like we are being asked to wear some hazmat suit, or just giant super uncomfortable piece of clothing, or even go get a weekly blood test, or many of the other things that COULD have become a reality in this.

 

It's a small piece of fabric across your nose & mouth. It literally is nothing. Yet we've had to ban so many people from our forums, socials, and other TPR outlets because of their just BATSHIT CRAZY PSYCHOTIC INSANE attitude against it.

 

I was at the point where I thought nothing shocked me about humanity, and then this happened, and now my feeling about humanity has sunk a whole other level that I didn't think was possible.

 

Masks have sadly become a 'political' issue. Surprise, surprise!

I read an incident reported by Rosanne Cash (Johnny Cash's daughter). She wrote: "My daughter lives in Nashville & wore her mask to buy groceries. Guy yells at her: 'Liberal p---y!'"

 

Yup...'humanity' keeps lowering the bar for behavior that makes us human.

[Guy T. Koepp]

^I live in Nashville as well and have been safety shamed for wearing a mask. Honestly, I don't care. I just happily go my way and think pleasant thoughts to myself. Like, "hopefully this person will contract COVID and die. One less dipshit donald supporter that I have to tolerate."