Don’t let the weather get you down. SeaWorld has expanded its ticket policy that allows guests to return to the park free-of-charge if their day was ruined by extreme weather.
The park’s “Weather-or-Not Assurance” covers guests at SeaWorld San Diego and Sesame Place in Chula Vista in the event of rain, lightning, extreme heat, wind, snow, hail and more. The year-round policy protects guests’ experiences while they’re at the park or if the weather impacts their flight plans getting there.
For instance, guests can come back another time if the weather shuts down rides for more than an hour or it has a negative impact on the park’s operating hours. Eligible guests can use their Weather-or-Not Assurance ticket within 12 months of the issuance of their originally planned ticket.
The announcement comes the same week that San Diego County experienced its first tropical storm warning since 1939 and as climate change ravages regions with extreme heat and wildfires.
“In introducing Weather-or-Not Assurance, we are proud to note this is the most generous inclement weather policy in the industry,” said Marisa Thalberg, chief marketing and communications officer of SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment. “When guests book and look forward to making memories in one of our SeaWorld parks, we want them to feel fully assured that if Mother Nature winds up having other plans that day — even if for as little as an hour — they will be able to come back another day, on us.”
While flexible rainy-day policies are nothing new for theme parks, the expansion of weather events covered is unique to SeaWorld. For example, SeaWorld covers guests if parks reach a heat index of 110 degrees or above.
“It’s a sign of the times,” said Dennis Speigel, a theme park consultant and owner of International Theme Park Services. “The last couple of years when we’ve had extreme heat … people just stop coming and that includes water parks because it’s just too hot.”
He added that SeaWorld’s weather policy is something that other amusement parks will likely follow in the next couple of years. Weather also takes a bite out of these companies’ profits due to closures or guests deferring their trips, Speigel explained.
During SeaWorld’s quarterly earnings report earlier this month, the company cited the negative impact the weather had on its performance. SeaWorld Entertainment includes 12 regional theme parks, such as SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Aquatica, Sesame Place and Sea Rescue.
In the first six months of 2023, the company reported 149,000 fewer guests compared to the same period last year. Net income across the parks was also down 34.4 percent for the first half of this year.
Marc Swanson, CEO of SeaWorld Entertainment cited “unusually hot and cold weather, rain and / or the fallout from Canadian wildfires” impacting most of their markets recently, through closures and a decline of in-park spending.
In the long term, Speigel said this kind of weather policy “is not going to cost the parks money, but it’s going to build confidence and reassurance with the guests.”
Some tickets do not qualify for this weather policy, including member es; complimentary tickets; 14-Day Length of Stay tickets and packages; and Discovery Cove ticket packages.
To check the eligibility of discounted or group tickets, people can visit the park’s guest services on the same day of their visit or submit an online Weather-or-Not Assurance form within one week of visiting.
