SeaWorld Orlando requiring reservations and masks when park reopens.

SeaWorld Orlando reopens to the public today, and officials expect that the animals inside will be happy to have more visitors.

The theme park has been shut down since mid-March in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“When you close, the attention you give to the animals has to be upped a little bit more than when you had guests here to make sure you do all the enrichment,” Jon Peterson, the park’s vice president of zoological operations, said Wednesday.

“We can’t wait to see all the guests back in and animals see the crowds. We can’t mimic that crowd, so it’d be really cool to watch them,” he said. “They keep coming up to the glass,

wanting to see.”

While the attraction’s dolphins, manatees, fish, flamingos and other wildlife get accustomed to having more people around, the humans have adjusting to do too. A major change is that SeaWorld Orlando visitors must make date-specific reservations online before arriving at the park.

Other changes – including the requirement for guests to wear face coverings – have become more common. There will be an emphasis on cleanliness of facilities and hands, a push for 6 feet of social distancing, temperature screenings at the entrance and other guidelines. The park will operate under a limited capacity and be closed two days per week.

Aquatica, SeaWorld’s water park, and Discovery Cove, its day resort, are also reopening Thursday and require reservations.

“I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of difference to what guests are experiencing outside of the parks,” said Kyle Miller, park president. He said the public has already been adjusting to changes such plastic partitions, ground markings and wider spacing of restaurant tables.

The park’s roller coasters will have extra cleaning protocols, in addition to riders sanitizing their hands before boarding, Miller said.

“We’ve got somebody that’s going to clean high-touch areas before and after each ride, and they’ll go through one row each time through the station,” he said. “On a ride like Mako, about every four cycles the entire car would be touched.”

For stadium shows, there will be seating on alternate rows.

“We’re also putting marking so that you can separate yourself between you and the party next to you within a row, giving that 6 feet of social distancing,” Miller said.

A hold has been put on select park activities, such as behind-the-scenes tours. In addition, the “Sesame Street”-themed parade will be returning at a later date, officials said.

All animal exhibits will be available, Peterson said, but some areas will be offlimits.

“We’re going to have more staff at our animal areas to make sure that we clean the aquarium glass,” he said. “You know, people like to touch the glass, so we’ll make sure we clean that glass.”

Visitors may be looking through the glass at a dolphin calf that was born two days after the theme park closed down. The newborn named Spark is living in the dolphin nursery.

Another anticipated event will be the debut of the Ice Breaker coaster. Its construction was interrupted by the shutdown as well. SeaWorld has not announced an opening date for that or a similarly delayed water slide at Aquatica.

“We’re focused on today, just getting our parks reopened, and then we’ll work to reevaluate where we’re at on those new attractions in the future,” Miller said. “But they’re certainly coming, and we’re excited to open them … and soon.”