SeaWorld Entertainment eliminates hundreds of jobs

[GAcoaster]

If SeaWorld where to sell any of their properties... SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa are the last ones to be sold... there the #1 and #2 visited in the chain

Except that the land SeaWorld Orlando occupies is worth more that any other property they have and they own it outright. Selling it as "SeaWorld" wouldn't be the point of selling it. Selling it as land midway between Universal and Disney and already zoned for theme park use and development is the value. Universal or any other company wouldn't buy it to run SeaWorld, they would buy it to develop into something else entirely. The brand has lost most of its value, but the land is and will always be worth a huge pile of money one way or another. Especially when you consider the land they own there is about the same size and the land that USO and IoA occupy.

If the company really hits the skids (which despite naysayers it has not, since it is still profitable), selling an asset that could pay off debts and stabilize the other parks might be the right way to go. SWP&E could just continue as a successful regional park operator right alongside Six Flags, Cedar Fair and Herschend without SWO.

 

[GAcoaster]

I'd also like to point out that this whole "OMG, they're laying people off, SeaWorld is dead" thing is way out of control.

We're talking about 320 jobs spread out over 12 properties, which is less than 30 people per park on average. In a place that employs thousands of people, laying off a few is not unexpected when management changes and priorities change. Also some of this is not actually layoffs as much as not filling open positions which they decided to eliminate.

I think the more important thing to look at is the stock which after plummeting to all time lows, the stock has spiked as investors like the direction the company is going and they are expecting it to meet the projected EPS (earnings per share) in the coming quarter.

 

[Speed]

Good chance Jambo Junction is also being shut down at BG because of this.

 

[pastis]

One of the reasons for a 6 hour shift is that, for most of the unions at Disney, anything over 6 hours requires a 30 minute lunch break which then requires more people for coverage...Also, some unions consider 30, and some 32, full time with benefit eligibility. In Disney Security, it was 32, but my last time in Attractions was only 30 hours to be full time.

 

[Journey_On]

It's quite sad about Jambo Junction. My boyfriend and I have had some of our most memorable park experiences at Jambo Junction, meeting some of the animal ambassadors up close. We both wrote to BGT on their FB page.

About the full-time thing: at UO, you can work a minimum of 32 hours a week and be full-time with all the full-time benefits.