SAN DIEGO — Visitors to SeaWorld San Diego won't need to bring cash with them anymore. Only credit or debit cards and mobile payments will now be accepted for everything from T-shirts and stuffed animals to snacks and paid parking.
The move to an all-cashless system is becoming increasingly common as parks look to not only save on labor costs but also speed up service and reduce the potential for theft. While Disneyland still permits cash payments, Legoland in Carlsbad is cashless, as is Knott’s Berry Farm in Orange County. Six Flags parks, including Magic Mountain in Los Angeles County, have also banished cash as a payment.
The new system for SeaWorld is designed as a San Diego pilot program to test whether it should be adopted for all of the 12 parks operated by parent company SeaWorld Entertainment.
SeaWorld San Diego president Jim Lake said he first raised the possibility of going cashless with the company, thinking it made sense to test the idea first in SeaWorld Entertainment’s two San Diego County parks.
“On the guest side, it allows for a faster and more secure transaction,” Lake said Thursday. “No one wants to wait in long lines at theme parks and often these kinds of transactions slow things down. And on the company side, we don’t have to spend the time counting out cash funds at the end of the day, and we now won’t have to move money back and forth with the armored cars to the banks.”
That time savings, Lake said, will give employees more time to interact with guests.
Cedar Fair, which includes among its parks Knott’s Berry Farm in Orange County, noted in its most recent earnings call with analysts that the transition to a cashless operation at all of its parks helped “reduce labor costs by eliminating the need for cash-handling positions.” Those savings, however, were offset somewhat by increased costs related to transaction and credit card fees.
Lake said that that even with those fees, he expects to see a net cost savings because of reduced labor expenses.
The new SeaWorld policy, which also applies to its sister park, Sesame Place in Chula Vista, went into effect on Wednesday. Should park visitors show up with only cash, it’s no problem, says SeaWorld. They will be able to convert their money to a Visa prepaid debit card at one of several kiosks located throughout the park at no charge. And leftover funds on those cards can be used at any merchants who accept the debit cards.
Lake made a point of walking around the park recently to gauge guests’ reactions to the policy. Emails had already been sent out advising people of the new policy, and guests were also were informed as they entered the parking area.
“I spent the entire day out in the park near the (debit card) machines and transaction areas and there was definitely no negative input,” he said. “I did hear some comments like, ‘Oh yeah, I went to one of your competitors and I already know how to do that.’”
The move by many parks to banning cash is one of the positive outcomes of the pandemic, said theme park consultant Dennis Spiegel, who expects it’s only a matter of time before it becomes commonplace at all parks.
“It simplifies the guest experience, it promotes impulse buying and it cuts down on theft,” said Spiegel of International Theme Park Services. “Anytime you put cash in people’s hands, it creates temptations and, like it or not, people will steal. It also improves spending by park visitors. When you go online to buy something on Amazon, you think, while I’m there, I’ll pick up something else.
“Same thing at a theme park. I’m getting a Coke and maybe I’ll get the Belgian waffle too. With cash, you feel it more. With credit cards, it’s not as painful.”
The upcoming spring break, normally a busy time for SeaWorld, will be a good test to see how well the new cashless system works, Lake said. After that, he expects the San Diego experience will help guide its Orlando-based parent company in making a decision on whether it should be used in all the parks.
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