Orlando theme parks and coronavirus: Who’s closed, who’s staying open

The announcements that Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando would be temporarily closing due to the coronavirus outbreak led most — but not all —park operators around Central Florida to follow suit.

Here’s a guide to who has decided to close (and for how long) and who will stay open:

Walt Disney World: Theme parks, hotels and Disney-owned Disney Springs locations closed

Disney World was the first in the region to announce a closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hours after the Disneyland Resort announced its own temporary shutdown. All theme parks are scheduled to stay closed from March 16 through the end of the month.

Disney-owned locations in Disney Springs will be closed on March 17. Disney World hotels will close on March 20. No time frame for reopening those shops and resorts has been announced.

Disney World employees will be paid during the closure.

Universal Orlando: Theme parks, hotels and CityWalk closed

Universal Orlando’s closure dates are the same as Disney World. The resort’s two theme parks will be shut down from March 16 through the end of the month. Universal later closed CityWalk (starting March 17) and all Universal hotels (starting March 20).

Universal employees will also be paid during the closure.

SeaWorld Orlando: Closed

SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica Orlando will be closed from March 16 through the end of the month. In a Friday blog post, the company said it will “continue to pay our full-time Ambassadors during this period.” SeaWorld Orlando did not respond to Orlando Rising’s question about whether part-time employees will either be paid or asked to come into work.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay: Closed

As part of the SeaWorld Entertainment chain, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will also be closed from March 16 through the end of the month.

Legoland Florida: Theme park and water park closed, hotels open

Legoland Florida and its adjacent water park will be closed from March 16 through the end of the month. The Legoland Hotel and the Legoland Beach Retreat will remain open.

The resort did not address whether its employees will be paid during the closure.

Fun Spot America: Closed

The small amusement park operator’s locations in both Orlando and Kissimmee remained open through March 22, initially saying that the parks would be cleaning and disinfecting surfaces more frequently and providing hand sanitizer stations.

Fun Spot America did not give a timeline for when its parks would reopen.

Editor’s Note 3/22/20: After this story was originally published, it was updated to reflect that Disney World hotels and Disney Springs shops, Universal Orlando hotels, CityWalk, and Fun Spot America would also be closing.

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