If you have ever gone on vacation, there is a good chance that you brought both a credit/debit card, and cash. Although a majority of people do not carry cash on hand all of the time, many still do. That being said, multiple massive theme park corporations are banning the use of it.
One popular theme park spot in Florida is, of course, Walt Disney World Resort. Whether you are planning on buying theme park tickets to Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT, or a Disney hotel room — everything costs money, and a lot of it. Although the larger purchases are typically made online and do not involve cash, once you get to Disney World, cash is easily used to purchase merchandise, food, snacks, and more.

It seems that when it comes to cash, Disney still sees the benefit in keeping it around. Especially as they have had outages in the past that stopped all of their machines from accepting cards, leaving guests to purchase their items with cash. Removing the option to pay cash does present any company with a large challenge if the power or connection does go out.

So which Florida theme parks are moving ahead with the new cashless decision?
Starting August 30, SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay implemented cashless operations in an effort to streamline the experience at the parks.
SeaWorld Orlando noted, “At SeaWorld Orlando, we want you to enjoy the thrills and wonders of our park in the simplest, most efficient, and flexible way possible. That’s why we are excited to announce that we are transitioning to cashless operations starting August 30, 2023.

Just swipe or tap your credit card, debit card, or smart device with Apple Pay or Google Pay everywhere you typically use cash. It’s faster, more secure, and convenient, so you can spend less time in line and more time having fun!
If you don’t have a payment card, we have you covered. Just stop by one of our easy-to-use Cash-to-Card kiosks located throughout the park to transfer your cash (free of charge) onto a Visa prepaid debit card that can be used anywhere Visa is accepted.”

This same message is listed on the Busch Gardens Tampa site as both companies are owned and operated by the same owner.
For those who don’t have a payment card, you can load a Cash-to-Card at kiosks located throughout the park – free of charge with no minimum account required. These are prepaid Visa debit cards that can be used wherever Visa is accepted. If you don’t use all the funds at the theme parks, you can use them everywhere Visa is accepted.

Related: SeaWorld Catches Low Attendance Bug, Guests Abandon Park
American Express, Discover and Mastercard are also accepted throughout the parks.
This cashless policy also applies to Aquatica Orlando and Discovery Cove.
As we mentioned earlier, this may pose as an issue if the theme parks ever have their card systems go down. It also may upset some guests who brought cash to the park as a budget to spend but now cannot use it.
Busch Gardens Tampa Closure Update
During Hurricane Idalia, Busch Gardens Tampa made the decision to close.
Because of the severe risk that Busch Gardens Tampa Bay faced due to it’s location, the theme park made the decision to shut down early the day prior the storm and stay closed through to then next day when the hurricane made landfall.

The website noted, “Due to the projected path of Tropical Storm Idalia, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has enacted its Named Storm Policy and will close at 3 p.m. Tuesday, August 29 and remain closed Wednesday, August 30. The park plans to reopen on Thursday, August 31. Precautions are in place following the parks’ comprehensive weather preparedness plan to ensure the safety of our animals and ambassadors during this time. If this affects your trip, be sure to review our Weather-or-Not Assurance and check back for more updates.”
Busch Gardens Tampa had also been setting up for Howl-O-Scream, its Halloween event, which requires a ton of outdoor decor that may have been needed to be properly protected before the storm arrived.

Now, Busch Gardens Tampa is reopened to the public, and the storm has seemingly not caused any further issues in operations.
Would you have an issue if you went to a theme park, and it was entirely cashless?
If you are looking to visit Walt Disney World Resort for a magical vacation, the Walt Disney World Website can be a great tool to begin planning your trip! You can begin exploring their theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. You can also take a look at their water parks where you can splash around in the chill of Disney’s Blizzard Beach (alongside new Frozen characters, Anna, Elsa, Sven, and Kristoff), or hit the waves at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. When you get hungry or want to go shopping, Disney Springs is the place to be, especially with World of Disney there ready to help you pick up some souvenirs! You can also begin looking for your Disney World Resort! If you are looking to stay at a Deluxe monorail Resort like Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa or a Value Resort where you can hop on the Skyliner like Disney’s Pop Century Resort, it is always fun to begin looking for a room that would best suit you and your party. Plus, it has all the information you need to know on Disney Genie+ so that you will be ready to go on your My Disney Experience app once you download it! Click here to check it out today.
If you are looking to visit Walt Disney World Resort for a magical vacation, the Walt Disney World Website can be a great tool to begin planning your trip! You can begin exploring their theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. You can also take a look at their water parks where you can splash around in the chill of Disney’s Blizzard Beach (alongside new Frozen characters, Anna, Elsa, Sven, and Kristoff), or hit the waves at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. When you get hungry or want to go shopping, Disney Springs is the place to be, especially with World of Disney there ready to help you pick up some souvenirs! You can also begin looking for your Disney World Resort! If you are looking to stay at a Deluxe monorail Resort like Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa or a Value Resort where you can hop on the Skyliner like Disney’s Pop Century Resort, it is always fun to begin looking for a room that would best suit you and your party. Plus, it has all the information you need to know on Disney Genie+ so that you will be ready to go on your My Disney Experience app once you download it! Click here to check it out today.