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SeaWorld Orlando Slipped Past Knott's for No. 10 in North America in 2025, and Discovery Cove Grew 9.2%, TEA Report Says
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SeaWorld Orlando Slipped Past Knott's for No. 10 in North America in 2025, and Discovery Cove Grew 9.2%, TEA Report Says

Michael Travels
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SeaWorld Orlando was the busiest theme park in North America outside Disney and Universal in 2025, but only just. The park drew an estimated 4,335,000 guests, down 0.3 percent, and ranked No. 10 in North America, about 20,000 visits ahead of Knott's Berry Farm, according to the 2025 TEA Global Experience Index released on Tuesday, October 27. That flips the 2024 order, when TEA's figures had Knott's ahead, 4,503,000 to 4,347,000. SeaWorld barely moved; Knott's fell 4.2 percent.

The Themed Entertainment Association's annual attendance report is in its 20th edition. Most operators do not publicly report attendance for individual parks, so these are estimates. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the report says they draw on statistics from park operators, financial reports and local tourism organizations, among other sources. They are still the numbers the industry compares itself by.

Smiling and screaming riders in the front rows of the Mako coaster train, with the train stretching up the track behind them against a blue sky

Riders on Mako at SeaWorld Orlando. Image: SeaWorld Orlando

The SeaWorld Orlando numbers

  • SeaWorld Orlando: 4,335,000, down 0.3 percent from 4,347,000. No. 10 in North America.
  • Aquatica Orlando: 1,400,000, down 2.4 percent from 1,435,000. No. 3 among North American water parks.
  • Discovery Cove: 403,000, up 9.2 percent from 369,000. No. 16 on TEA's North American water park list.

The Orlando Sentinel notes that SeaWorld Orlando's total "kept the park off the top 25 list but ranked 10th among the most popular North American theme parks." The Sentinel also places Aquatica Orlando 12th on the global top 20 water parks list.

TEA chart titled Amusement/Theme Parks North America ranking the top 20 parks by 2025 attendance, with SeaWorld Orlando tenth at 4,335,000, Knott's Berry Farm eleventh at 4,315,000 and Universal Epic Universe thirteenth at 4,000,000

The North American top 20 from the 2025 TEA Global Experience Index. Image: TEA, via WDW News Today

A tight race just below the big two

The next four parks on the list:

  • No. 11, Knott's Berry Farm: 4,315,000, down 4.2 percent.
  • No. 12, SeaWorld San Diego: 4,015,000, down 0.2 percent.
  • No. 13, Universal Epic Universe: 4,000,000, new, in a partial first year after opening May 22, 2025.
  • No. 14, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay: 3,800,000, down 4.4 percent.

Epic Universe got to 4 million in about seven months of operation, so a full year in 2026 could put it past SeaWorld Orlando in next year's rankings.

Steadier than the company as a whole

SeaWorld Orlando's 0.3 percent dip looks mild next to its parent company. The Sentinel reports that United Parks & Resorts, the company that manages all three of these Orlando parks, "welcomed 21.2 million visitors last year, down 7.6% from 2024." Sister park Busch Gardens Tampa Bay fell 4.4 percent.

Discovery Cove was the company's Orlando bright spot. The all-inclusive day resort, where reservations are limited and admission includes snorkel gear and unlimited food and drinks, grew 9.2 percent, adding about 34,000 guests.

TEA chart titled Water Parks North America ranking the top 20 water parks by 2025 attendance, with Aquatica Orlando third at 1,400,000 and Discovery Cove sixteenth at 403,000, up 9.2%

North America's top 20 water parks in 2025. Aquatica Orlando is No. 3 and Discovery Cove No. 16. Image: TEA, via WDW News Today

Across Central Florida, TEA credits the opening of Epic Universe with helping to "generate an overall 4.3% increase in combined attendance for Central Florida's leading theme parks." The Sentinel quotes the TEA report as noting that "the seven established Orlando theme parks on our list all dropped slightly in attendance." SeaWorld Orlando was one of them.

Will Epic Universe pass SeaWorld Orlando in the 2026 rankings, or does SeaWorld hold on to No. 10? Make your call.

Sources

Image credits: SeaWorld Orlando (Mako riders); Themed Entertainment Association 2025 TEA Global Experience Index charts, via WDW News Today.

Mentioned in this story

Check out our guides for more on each place in this story:

SeaWorld Orlando Aquatica Orlando Discovery Cove Mako

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