Gabrielle Russon
An Osceola County woman is suing SeaWorld after she accused the company of sneakily tacking on a 5% surcharge onto her theme park purchase.
Tatiana Eastman’s federal lawsuit is seeking class action status because she said the theme park company doesn’t clearly warn customers about the additional fee on its website, at the park or at the cashier’s stand. Court documents say the amount people were charged exceeds $5 million in the past four years.
“The surcharge is deceptive and unlawful under Florida law,” said the lawsuit filed this week in U.S. District Court’s Orlando division. “As a result of this unlawful surcharge, Defendant profited at the expense of its patrons.”
Eastman’s attorneys declined to comment Friday.
Eastman bought two items for $14.99 and $15.99 in June when she saw the 5% fee listed on her receipt. The receipt only said the 5% fee was for “increased operating expenses,” said the lawsuit, which doesn’t detail what she purchased.
The lawsuit argued the 5% surcharge wasn’t a credit card convenience fee and the theme park is cashless, so there’s no way of avoiding the extra surcharge.
“Defendant’s misleading business practices lead consumers to make purchases at its establishment believing they would only be charged only for the prices shown on the menu, while charging them an unlawful and hidden 5% surcharge that is shown only after the customers complete their purchase,” the lawsuit said.
It’s unclear when SeaWorld began charging guests the extra 5% for purchases, but theme park attendees began complaining about it in online forums around 2022.
“Absolutely disgusting,” one person wrote in 2022.
Another person posted a picture from a receipt from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay with the 5% surcharge circled, so it appears the practice is not limited to just Orlando.
SeaWorld public relations did not respond to a request for comment Friday asking questions about when the park began charging the fee and which parks charge the amount. SeaWorld also did not respond to a question about whether the park adds a 5% fee onto theme park ticket admission.
SeaWorld has faced several lawsuits in the past few years over financial disputes as the company aggressively tries to save money. Most recently, the company was sued last month over an unpaid $76,000 towel rental bill.
