Theme parks adding more than 2,000 workers for holidays

Central Florida’s theme parks will add more than 2,000 workers this fall, as they gear up for the busy holiday season.

SeaWorld Orlando will host a job fair today at its human-resources building in hopes of bringing about 200 seasonal workers aboard. SeaWorld said it plans to add positions at all three of its Orlando parks — including Aquatica and Discovery Cove — in jobs ranging from lifeguards and photographers to ride operators, game hosts and prep cooks.

Job seekers must apply online at seaworldjobs.com before attending the event, which will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The region’s biggest theme-park owner, Walt Disney World, held its own job fair last month but said it is still recruiting for more than1,000 jobs, including character performers, bus drivers and housekeepers, among many other categories. Disney says the vast majority will be permanent jobs needed to accommodate growth in its overall business, with the giant resort adding only about 50 purely seasonal positions. Further details are available at disneycareers.com.

Universal Orlando, meanwhile, plans to add about 700 people across the destination for the holidays. Theresort directs applicants to universalorlandojobs.com.

The region’s newest park is hoping for a holiday bump, too. Legoland Florida said it plans to begin interviews next week for 165 seasonal hires. The Winter Haven theme park said hiring will occur just before Thanksgiving. Those interested can apply nowat legoland.com/jobs.

The seasonal jobs, predominantly parttime, generally pay just over minimumwage. SeaWorld, for example, said pay for its seasonal jobs will range from $8.15 to $9.78 an hour. Disney says pay for its jobs will range from about $8 an hour to $14 an hour.

For Florida’s theme parks, the Thanksgiving and, particularly, Christmas and New Year’s periods are among the busiest points on the calendar.

Disney World set an attendance record during its most recently reported quarter, which ended June 29. A top executive at NBCUniversal said in September that Universal Orlando’s attendance had been up 20 percent “most weeks” since the resort opened a new Transformers-themed thrill ride in June.

And although SeaWorld’s second-quarter attendance was hurt by unusually heavy rain in Florida, the company has since told investors that it has had a “strong performance through the summer season,” with year-todate sales now up 3 percent through August and year-to-date ticket sales up 4 percent. The company said its flagship SeaWorld parks in Orlando and San Diego have performed particularly well.

All of the parks will report earnings over the next two weeks. Universal Orlando’s parent company, Comcast Corp., will be first, reporting third-quarter earnings before the stock markets open this morning.