‘Things are picking up’: Central Florida theme parks, hotels booked for Spring Break

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Spring Break is underway. In some cases that means theme park tickets and hotel reservations are booked.

And more visitors mean more people back at work. Disney said it brought back 8,000 additional cast members when it reopened Blizzard Beach water park last weekend.

But the pandemic continues. And a theme park being “booked” isn’t the same as year’s past, but is still a sign of better days ahead.

#SpringBreak is upon us. I’m talking to @IAAPAHQ about what it means for the theme park & attraction industry. You’ll also hear from @Theparkprodigy about what it’s like trying to book right now. Starting Saturday 7 days of @WaltDisneyWorld reservations are all taken! @WFTV pic.twitter.com/BLV5IfWMo3
— Cierra Putman WFTV (@CPutman_WFTV) March 10, 2021

READ: New ride, and the possible return of cruises and college program: What Disney has in store for 2021

Michael Belmont owns The Park Prodigy and helps families book their Central Florida vacations.

“I would say we’re typically helping about 15 to 20 families per week plan their vacations. Things are starting to pick up,” said Belmont, who helps families interested in visiting Universal Studios and Walt Disney World.

Disney’s reservation system shows tickets are limited, and all reservations are booked From Saturday through March 19 for all types of ticket holders.

READ: Find out if your nearest Disney store is among the 40 slated to close by March 24

Parks and hotels are currently experiencing limited capacity.

Channel 9′s Cierra Putman reached out to the three major theme parks to see if they are increasing capacity for Spring Break. SeaWorld said they are not; capacity there is about 60%.

Disney said it is updating health and safety measures with guidance from public health officials.

Universal did not respond.

READ: Walt Disney World park passes sold out during spring break

“We know Spring Break is a long time and a busy time. Even with capacity limits, to see people coming back and to see people want to return to the parks, that’s a great thing and it’s great for all of us,” said Susan Storey, IAAPA Global Communications director. “It’s great for Orlando, it’s great for Central Florida, it’s great for the country.”