SeaWorld: Extreme-weather policy now includes heat, other conditions
SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment has expanded its weather policy to guarantee free return visits when conditions get too wet, windy or hot at its attractions, the company announced Tuesday.
The Weather-or-Not Assurance program allows visitors affected by extreme weather conditions to return to SeaWorld Orlando within 12 months at no charge. The policy applies year-round and covers conditions such as rain, lightning, hail, snow and more.
“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,” Marisa Thalberg, chief marketing and communications officer of SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, said in a news release.
The company’s Weather-or-Not program kicks in when rides are closed for 60 minutes or more due to weather and if bad weather forces the park to close early. Park guests become eligible for the program if temperatures reach a heat index of 100 degrees.
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Visitors must be present in the park on the day of their ticket or fill out an online form with their original order number to be eligible for the free return visit.
The program applies to Aquatica, SeaWorld’s water park, and other SeaWorld properties across the country.
According to SeaWorld’s website, some tickets are not eligible for Weather-or-Not Assurance tickets, including annual passholders; complimentary tickets (including Weather-or-Not Assurance tickets); 14-day length of stay tickets and packages; and Discovery Cove ticket packages. Some group-sales tickets and promotional multi-day tickets may not be eligible, but that can be verified at the park’s guest relations department.
It’s a sign of the times for the attractions industry, said Dennis Speigel, CEO of International Theme Park Services.
“They’re putting it up there out front, and it’s showing the guests that you do have flexibility if there is an issue,” he said.
“We’re going to see this as part of the hard-core ticket purchasing in the future, whether it’s a season pass or whatever it might be, weather is going to be considered,” Speigel said. “We’re going to see the promotion of the newly reinvented rain checks throughout the industry.”
Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando have posted policies about cancellations due to hurricanes. Legoland Florida says if weather affects its rides for more than two hours, visitors can get a free ticket to come back within a year.
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