Sea Life, Tussauds partly reopen
Madame Tussauds and Sea Life Aquarium, two attractions on Orlando’s International Drive, have reopened from their coronavirus-inspired shutdowns that began in late March. Part of their plan includes free tickets for medical professionals.
Capacity will be limited to 25 percent inside the attractions, located in the Icon Park entertainment complex. Directional markings have been installed to help visitors maintain social-distancing suggestions.
A pop-up window on the Tussauds website asks visitors “to refrain from touching figures at this time.” Photo props have been removed and the wax-hands experience also has been suspended.
At Sea Life, the interactive tidepool and kids play area have been temporarily closed.
“The health of our guests, staff and sea animals is of utmost importance. We are taking proactive steps to provide visitors with a safe, comfortable environment,” said James Paulding, general manager of the attractions, which are operated by Merlin Entertainments Group.
The attractions opened Friday, but are closed this Monday and Tuesday. The hours for the rest of the week will be 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tussauds features wax figures of celebrities such as Pitbull, Madonna, Shaquille O’Neal, Oprah Winfrey and Walt Disney. Sea Life showcases creatures such as sharks, clownfish, sea turtles and more.
Tussauds and Sea Life are only accepting contactless payment methods or debit/credit cards for admission, which can also be purchased in advance online.
Current admission prices are $30 (ages 13 and older) and $25 per child to go into both venues. Single-attraction tickets are discounted to $20 ($15 per child).
Sea Life and Tussauds will recognize local medical professionals by providing complimentary tickets. For every paid customer who shares a photo of their visit and tags the attraction in a social-media post, the attractions will donate one ticket to a local health-care worker.
For more details, including hours of operation, and tickets, go to madametussauds.com/orlando or visitsealife.com/orlando.