SeaWorld joins Disney and Universal by raising ticket prices

Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said some annual pass prices are rising. All annual pass prices are either being lowered or left unchanged.

SeaWorld Orlando said Friday that it will raise base ticket prices to nearly $80, joining rivals Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.

But the resort at the same time will reduce the price of its popular "Fun Cards," which allow Florida residents to make repeated visits to the park with the purchase of a single-day ticket.

The base price of a one-day ticket to SeaWorld will rise $4, or 5.3 percent, to $78.95. The move brings SeaWorld's base price to just 5 cents less than single-day, single-park tickets to Disney or Universal, both of which raised their own prices over the summer.

The price of in-state Fun Cards, however, will be lowered by $5, or 6.7 percent, to $69.95 -- provided customers purchase them online or at participating AAA offices. The gate price of a Fun Card will remain at $74.95, though SeaWorld said guests can still get the lower rate at the gate if they ask for it.

Ticket and Fun Card prices for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will change by identical amounts. The increases go into effect Monday.

Joe Couceiro, chief marketing officer for SeaWorld parent Busch Entertainment Corp. said the higher base price is "something that not only is indicative of what we feel is the value of our parks but frankly is going to allow us to continue to invest in our parks at the level our customers expect."

Orlando-based Busch Entertainment is in the process of being sold by beer brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev to the Blackstone Group for up to $2.7 billion. Company observers widely expected that Busch would raise prices shortly after the Blackstone purchase was announced earlier this month, though the sale is not expected to close until after the New Year.

Busch will also raise prices for multi-park ticket options, which it primarily sells to out-of-state tourists. But it is lowering prices for many annual passes.

Like Disney and Universal, Busch uses its pricing structure to steer customers toward more frequent visits.

"What we really do is try to make sure that the tickets we're offering are not only aligned to what the consumers needs and demands are...[but] at the same time influence the behavior of what we're trying to accomplish," Couceiro said. "A visit to SeaWorld is great. A visit to SeaWorld and Aquatica is even better. And a visit to SeaWorld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens is really fantastic."

Though he declined to provide specifics, Couceiro said "the bulk" of SeaWorld's sales are for ticket options other than single-day admission.