United Parks & Resorts (PRKS) 10-K21 Mar 142013 FY Annual reportFinancial data

Company Profile

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 17, 2014	Jun. 28, 2013
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]	'	'	'
Document Type	'10-K	'	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'	'
Document Period End Date	31-Dec-13	'	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2013	'	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'FY	'	'
Trading Symbol	'SEAS	'	'
Entity Registrant Name	'SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc.	'	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0001564902	'	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-31	'	'
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	'No	'	'
Entity Current Reporting Status	'Yes	'	'
Entity Voluntary Filers	'No	'	'
Entity Filer Category	'Non-accelerated Filer	'	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	91,764,580	'
Entity Public Float	'	'	$1,069,284,048

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Current assets:	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$116,841	$45,675
Accounts receivable, net	41,509	41,149
Inventories	36,209	36,587
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	19,613	17,817
Deferred tax assets, net	28,887	17,405
Total current assets	243,059	158,633
Property and equipment, net	1,771,500	1,774,643
Goodwill	335,610	335,610
Trade names, net	163,508	164,608
Other intangible assets, net	27,843	31,120
Deferred tax assets, net	'	6,356
Other assets	40,753	50,082
Total assets	2,582,273	2,521,052
Current liabilities:	'	'
Accounts payable	98,500	89,743
Current maturities on long-term debt	14,050	21,330
Accrued salaries, wages and benefits	23,996	33,088
Deferred revenue	82,945	82,567
Dividends payable	17,939	203
Other accrued expenses	15,264	19,350
Total current liabilities	252,694	246,281
Long-term debt	1,627,183	1,802,644
Deferred tax liabilities, net	29,776	'
Other liabilities	18,488	22,279
Total liabilities	1,928,141	2,071,204
Commitments and contingencies (Note 14)	'	'
Stockholders' Equity:	'	'
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value-authorized, 100,000,000 shares, no shares issued or outstanding at December 31, 2013 and 2012	'	'
Common stock, $0.01 par value-authorized, 1,000,000,000 shares; 89,900,453 shares issued at December 31, 2013 and 82,737,008 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2012	899	827
Additional paid-in capital	689,394	456,923
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	11	-1,254
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)	7,991	-6,648
Treasury stock, at cost (1,500,000 shares at December 31, 2013 and no shares at December 31, 2012)	-44,163	'
Total stockholders' equity	654,132	449,848
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$2,582,273	$2,521,052

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets_Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]	'	'
Preferred stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	100,000,000	100,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Common stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	1,000,000,000	1,000,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	89,900,453	82,737,008
Common stock, shares outstanding	'	82,737,008
Treasury stock, shares	1,500,000	0

Consolidated_Statements_of_Com

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Net revenues:	'	'	'
Admissions	$921,016	$884,407	$824,937
Food, merchandise and other	539,234	539,345	505,837
Total revenues	1,460,250	1,423,752	1,330,774
Costs and expenses:	'	'	'
Cost of food, merchandise and other revenues	114,192	118,559	112,498
Operating expenses (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)	739,989	726,509	687,999
Selling, general and administrative	187,298	184,920	172,368
Termination of advisory agreement	50,072	'	'
Secondary offering costs	1,407	'	'
Depreciation and amortization	166,086	166,975	213,592
Total costs and expenses	1,259,044	1,196,963	1,186,457
Operating income	201,206	226,789	144,317
Other income, net	241	1,563	-1,679
Interest expense	93,536	111,426	110,097
Loss on early extinguishment of debt and write-off of discounts and deferred financing costs	32,429	'	'
Income before income taxes	75,482	116,926	32,541
Provision for income taxes	25,004	39,482	13,428
Net income	50,478	77,444	19,113
Other comprehensive income:	'	'	'
Unrealized gain (loss) on derivatives, net of tax	1,265	-1,254	'
Comprehensive income	$51,743	$76,190	$19,113
Earnings per share:	'	'	'
Net income per share, basic	$0.58	$0.94	$0.23
Net income per share, diluted	$0.57	$0.93	$0.23
Weighted average commons shares outstanding:	'	'	'
Basic, shares	87,537	82,480	81,392
Diluted, shares	88,152	83,552	82,024

Consolidated_Statements_of_Cha

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity (USD $)	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-In Capital [Member]	(Accumulated Deficit) Retained Earnings [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income [Member]	Treasury Stock, at Cost [Member]
In Thousands, except Share data	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-In Capital [Member]	(Accumulated Deficit) Retained Earnings [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income [Member]	Treasury Stock, at Cost [Member]
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2010	$949,795	$808	$1,052,192	($103,205)	'	'
Beginning Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2010	'	80,800,000	'	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock	12,836	10	12,826	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock, shares	'	1,041,920	'	'	'	'
Equity-based compensation	823	6	817	'	'	'
Equity-based compensation, shares	'	576,888	'	'	'	'
Cash dividends declared to stockholders	-110,100	'	-110,100	'	'	'
Net income	19,113	'	'	19,113	'	'
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2011	872,467	824	955,735	-84,092	'	'
Ending Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2011	'	82,418,808	'	'	'	'
Equity-based compensation	1,191	3	1,188	'	'	'
Equity-based compensation, shares	'	318,200	'	'	'	'
Unrealized gain (loss) on derivatives, net of tax	-1,254	'	'	'	-1,254	'
Cash dividends declared to stockholders	-500,000	'	-500,000	'	'	'
Net income	77,444	'	'	77,444	'	'
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2012	449,848	827	456,923	-6,648	-1,254	'
Ending Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2012	82,737,008	82,737,008	'	'	'	'
Equity-based compensation	6,026	1	6,025	'	'	'
Equity-based compensation, shares	'	74,561	'	'	'	'
Unrealized gain (loss) on derivatives, net of tax	1,265	'	'	'	1,265	'
Issuance of common stock in initial public offering, net of underwriter commissions and offering costs	245,441	100	245,341	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock in initial public offering, net of underwriter commissions and offering costs, shares	'	10,000,000	'	'	'	'
Conversion of common stock into unvested restricted shares	'	-32	32	'	'	'
Conversion of common stock into unvested restricted shares, shares	'	-3,216,719	'	'	'	'
Vesting of restricted shares	'	3	-3	'	'	'
Vesting of restricted shares, shares	'	334,066	'	'	'	'
Shares withheld for tax withholdings	-852	0	-852	'	'	'
Shares withheld for tax withholdings, shares	'	-28,463	'	'	'	'
Cash dividends declared to stockholders	-53,911	'	-18,072	-35,839	'	'
Repurchase of 1,500,000 shares of treasury stock, at cost	-44,163	'	'	'	'	-44,163
Net income	50,478	'	'	50,478	'	'
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2013	$654,132	$899	$689,394	$7,991	$11	($44,163)
Ending Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2013	89,900,453	89,900,453	'	'	'	'

Consolidated_Statements_of_Cha1

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity (Parenthetical) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Cash dividends declared per share	$0.60	$6.07	$1.34
Repurchase of treasury stock, shares	1,500,000	'	'
Accumulated Other Comprehensive (Loss) Income [Member]	'	'	'
Unrealized gain (loss) on derivatives tax (benefit) expense	$632	($627)	'

Consolidated_Statements_of_Cas

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Cash Flows From Operating Activities:	'	'	'
Net income	$50,478	$77,444	$19,113
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:	'	'	'
Depreciation and amortization	166,086	166,975	213,592
Amortization of debt issuance costs and discounts	13,783	14,757	18,446
Loss on sale or disposal of assets	10,100	11,223	11,346
Loss on early extinguishment of debt and write-off of discounts and deferred financing costs	32,429	'	'
Deferred income tax provision	24,018	38,979	12,197
Equity-based compensation	6,025	1,191	823
Changes in assets and liabilities:	'	'	'
Accounts receivable	-3,215	4,651	11,574
Inventories	-166	-4,156	-4,089
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	-5,343	-1,327	-3,711
Accounts payable	4,293	-6,247	-6,223
Accrued salaries, wages and benefits	-9,092	899	6,514
Deferred revenue	94	-1,444	-13,983
Other accrued expenses	-824	-760	1,186
Other assets and liabilities	1,128	1,328	1,464
Net cash provided by operating activities	289,794	303,513	268,249
Cash Flows From Investing Activities:	'	'	'
Capital expenditures	-166,258	-191,745	-225,316
Acquisition of Knott's Soak City Water Park	'	-12,000	'
Change in restricted cash	-118	-573	'
Net cash used in investing activities	-166,376	-204,318	-225,316
Cash Flows From Financing Activities:	'	'	'
Repayment of long-term debt	-189,255	-57,680	-586,248
Repayment of note payable	-3,000	'	'
Redemption premium payment	-15,400	'	'
Proceeds from the issuance of debt	1,455	487,163	550,291
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	'	'	12,836
Proceeds from issuance of common stock in initial public offering, net of underwriter commissions	253,800	'	'
Purchase of treasury stock	-44,163	'	'
Repayment of revolving credit facility, net	'	-36,000	36,000
Dividends paid to stockholders	-36,175	-502,977	-106,920
Payment of tax withholdings on equity-based compensation through shares withheld	-852	'	'
Debt issuance costs	-13,968	-7,024	-5,926
Offering costs	-4,694	-3,665	'
Net cash used in financing activities	-52,252	-120,183	-99,967
Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents	71,166	-20,988	-57,034
Cash and Cash Equivalents-Beginning of period	45,675	66,663	123,697
Cash and Cash Equivalents-End of period	116,841	45,675	66,663
Supplemental Disclosures of Noncash Investing and Financing Activities	'	'	'
Dividends declared, but unpaid	17,939	203	3,180
Capital expenditures in accounts payable	27,160	22,696	28,441
Issuance of notes payable related to business acquisition	'	$3,000	'

Description_of_the_Business

Description of the Business	12 Months Ended
Description of the Business	Dec. 31, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Description of the Business	'
	1. DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS
	SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc., through its wholly-owned subsidiary, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc. (“SEA”) (collectively, the “Company”), owns and operates eleven theme parks within the United States. Prior to December 1, 2009, the Company did not have any operations. On December 1, 2009, the Company acquired all of the outstanding equity interests of Busch Entertainment LLC and affiliates from Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. and Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (“ABI”). At that time, the Company was owned by ten limited partnerships (the “Partnerships” or the “selling stockholders”), ultimately owned by affiliates of The Blackstone Group L.P. (“Blackstone”) and certain co-investors.
	On April 24, 2013, the Company completed an initial public offering in which it sold 10,000,000 shares of common stock and the selling stockholders sold 19,900,000 shares of common stock, including 3,900,000 shares pursuant to the exercise in full of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares. The offering generated net proceeds of approximately $245,400 to the Company after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, expenses and transaction costs. The Company did not receive any proceeds from shares sold by the selling stockholders.
	On December 17, 2013, the selling stockholders completed a registered secondary offering of 18,000,000 shares of common stock at a price of $30.00 per share. The selling stockholders received all of the net proceeds from the offering and no shares were sold by the Company. Concurrently with the closing of the secondary offering, the Company repurchased 1,500,000 shares of its common stock directly from the selling stockholders in a private, non-underwritten transaction at a price per share equal to the price per share paid to the selling stockholders by the underwriters in the secondary offering. See further discussion in Note 19-Stockholders’ Equity.
	The Company operates SeaWorld theme parks in Orlando, Florida; San Antonio, Texas; and San Diego, California, and Busch Gardens theme parks in Tampa, Florida, and Williamsburg, Virginia. The Company operates water park attractions in Orlando, Florida (Aquatica); San Diego, California (Aquatica), Tampa, Florida (Adventure Island), and Williamsburg, Virginia (Water Country USA). The Company also operates a reservations-only attraction offering interaction with marine animals (Discovery Cove) and a seasonal park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania (Sesame Place).
	During the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 approximately 55%, 55% and 56% of the Company’s revenues were generated in the State of Florida, respectively.

Summary_of_Significant_Account

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	'
	2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
	Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation
	The accompanying consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). All intercompany accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Significant estimates and assumptions include, but are not limited to, the accounting for self-insurance, deferred tax assets, deferred revenue, equity compensation and the valuation of goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

	Reclassifications
	Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2013 presentation, in particular dividends payable, on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.
	Cash and Cash Equivalents
	Cash and cash equivalents include cash held at financial institutions as well as operating cash onsite at each theme park to fund daily operations and amounts due from third-party credit card companies with settlement terms of less than four days. The amounts due from third-party credit card companies totaled $9,776 and $15,076 at December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The cash balances in non- interest bearing accounts held at financial institutions are fully insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) through December 31, 2013. Interest bearing accounts are insured up to $250. At times, cash balances may exceed federally insured amounts and potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk. Management believes that no significant concentration of credit risk exists with respect to these cash balances because of its assessment of the creditworthiness and financial viability of the respective financial institutions.
	Accounts Receivable—Net
	Accounts receivable are reported at net realizable value and consist primarily of amounts due from customers for the sale of admission products. The Company is not exposed to a significant concentration of credit risk. The Company does record an allowance for estimated uncollectible receivables, based on the amount and status of past-due accounts, contractual terms of the receivables and the Company’s history of uncollectible accounts. For all periods presented, the allowance for uncollectible accounts and the related provision were insignificant.
	Inventories
	Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market value with the cost being determined by the weighted average cost method. Inventories consist primarily of products for resale, including merchandise, culinary items and miscellaneous supplies. Obsolete or excess inventories are recorded at their estimated realizable value.
	Restricted Cash
	Restricted cash is recorded in other current assets and consists of funds received from strategic partners for use in approved marketing and promotional activities.
	Property and Equipment—Net
	Property and equipment are recorded at cost. The cost of ordinary or routine maintenance, repairs, spare parts and minor renewals is expensed as incurred. Internal development costs associated with new attractions, rides and product development are capitalized after necessary feasibility studies have been completed and final concept or contracts have been approved. The cost of assets is depreciated using the straight-line method based on the following estimated useful lives:


	Land improvements	10-40 years
	Buildings	5-40 years
	Rides, attractions and equipment	3-20 years
	Animals	1-50 years

	Material costs to purchase animals exhibited in the theme parks are capitalized and amortized over their estimated lives (1-50 years). All costs to maintain animals and animal collections are expensed as incurred, including in-house animal breeding costs, as they are insignificant to the consolidated financial statements. Construction in process assets consist primarily of new rides, attractions and infrastructure improvements that have not yet been placed in service. These assets are stated at cost and are not depreciated. Once construction of the assets is completed and placed into service, assets are reclassified to the appropriate asset class based on their nature and depreciated in accordance with the useful lives above. Debt interest is capitalized on all construction projects. Total interest capitalized for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, was $4,347 and $5,791, respectively.
	Computer System Development Costs
	The Company capitalizes computer system development costs that meet established criteria and amortizes those costs to expense on a straight-line basis over five years. The capitalized costs related to the computer system development costs were $3,708 and $2,694 for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and are recorded in other assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Systems reengineering costs do not meet the proper criteria for capitalization and are expensed as incurred.
	Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
	All long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment upon the occurrence of events or changes in circumstances that would indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. An impairment loss may be recognized when estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset, including disposition, are less than the carrying value of the asset. The measurement of the impairment loss to be recognized is based upon the difference between the fair value and the carrying amounts of the assets. Fair value is generally determined based upon a discounted cash flow analysis. In order to determine if an asset has been impaired, assets are grouped and tested at the lowest level for which identifiable independent cash flows are available (generally a theme park). No impairment losses were recognized during the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011.
	Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets
	Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized, but instead reviewed for impairment at least annually on December 1, with ongoing recoverability based on applicable reporting unit performance and consideration of significant events or changes in the overall business environment. In assessing goodwill for impairment, the Company will initially evaluate qualitative factors to determine if it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. The Company considers several factors, including macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, overall financial performance of the reporting unit, changes in management, strategy or customers, and relevant reporting unit specific events such as a change in the carrying amount of net assets, a more-likely-than-not expectation of selling or disposing all, or a portion, of a reporting unit, and the testing for recoverability of a significant asset group within a reporting unit. If this qualitative assessment results in a conclusion that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds the carrying value, then no further testing is performed for that reporting unit. If the qualitative assessment is not conclusive and it is necessary to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit, then the impairment analysis for goodwill is performed at the reporting unit level using a two-step approach. The first step is a comparison of the fair value of the reporting unit, determined using future cash flow analysis, to its recorded amount. If the recorded amount exceeds the fair value, the second step quantifies any impairment write-down by comparing the current implied value of goodwill to the recorded goodwill balance. The Company’s indefinite-lived intangible assets consist of certain trade names which, after considering legal, regulatory, contractual, and other competitive and economic factors, are determined to have indefinite lives and are valued using the relief from royalty method. The Company performed a qualitative assessment of goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets at December 1, 2013 and 2011 and a quantitative assessment at December 1, 2012, and found no impairments.
	Other Intangible Assets
	The Company’s other intangible assets consist primarily of certain trade names, relationships with ticket resellers, a favorable lease asset and a non-compete agreement. These intangible assets are amortized on the straight-line basis over their estimated remaining lives.
	Self-Insurance Reserves
	Reserves are recorded for the estimated amounts of guest and employee claims and expenses incurred each period that are not covered by insurance. Reserves are established for both identified claims and incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) claims. Such amounts are accrued for when claim amounts become probable and estimable. Reserves for identified claims are based upon the Company’s historical claims experience and third-party estimates of settlement costs. Reserves for IBNR claims are based upon the Company’s claims data history, actuarially determined loss development factors and qualitative considerations such as claims management activities. The Company maintains self-insurance reserves for healthcare, auto, general liability and workers compensation claims. Total claims reserves were $24,643 at December 31, 2013, of which $2,905 is recorded in accrued salaries, wages and benefits, $7,800 is recorded in other accrued expenses and the remaining long-term portion is recorded in other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Total claims reserves were $23,509 at December 31, 2012, of which $3,090 is recorded in accrued salaries, wages and benefits, $7,800 is recorded in other accrued expenses and the remaining long-term portion is recorded in other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. All reserves are periodically reviewed for changes in facts and circumstances and adjustments are made as necessary.
	Debt Financing Costs
	Direct costs incurred in issuance of long-term debt are being amortized to interest expense using the effective interest method over the term of the related debt.
	Treasury Stock
	From time to time, the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) may authorize share repurchases of common stock. Shares repurchased under Board authorizations are held in treasury for general corporate purposes. The Company accounts for treasury stock under the cost method. Treasury stock at December 31, 2013 is recorded as a reduction to stockholders’ equity as the Company does not currently intend to retire the treasury stock held. See further discussion in Note 19-Stockholders’ Equity.
	Revenue Recognition
	The Company recognizes revenue upon admission into a park or when products are delivered to customers. For season passes and other multi-use admissions, deferred revenue is recorded and the related revenue is recognized over the terms of the admission product and its related use. Deferred revenue includes a current and long-term portion. At December 31, 2013 and 2012, long-term deferred revenue of $3,176 and $6,315, respectively, is included in other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The Company has entered into agreements with certain external theme park, zoo and other attraction operators to jointly market and sell admission products. These joint products allow admission to both a Company park and an external park, zoo or other attraction. The agreements with the external parks, specify the allocation of revenue to the Company from any jointly sold products. The Company’s portion of revenue is deferred and recognized over its related use. The Company barters theme park admission products and sponsorship opportunities for advertising, employee recognition awards, and various other services. The fair value of the admission products is recognized into revenue and related expense at the time of the exchange and approximates the fair value of the goods or services received. For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, $19,959, $19,628 and $19,734, respectively, were included within admissions revenue and selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of comprehensive income related to bartered ticket transactions.
	Advertising and Promotional Costs
	Advertising production costs are deferred and expensed the first time the advertisement is shown. Advertising and media costs are expensed as incurred and for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, totaled approximately $112,000, $116,700 and $113,300, respectively, and are included in selling, general nd administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
	Equity-Based Compensation
	The Company measures the cost of employee services rendered in exchange for share-based compensation based upon the grant date fair market value. The cost is recognized over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period. See further discussion in Note 18—Equity-Based Compensation.
	Income Taxes
	Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in operations in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is established for deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Realization is dependent on generating future taxable income or the reversal of deferred tax liabilities during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. The Company evaluates its tax positions by determining if it is more likely than not a tax position is sustainable upon examination, based upon the technical merits of the position, before any of the benefit is recorded for financial statement purposes. The benefit is measured as the largest dollar amount of position that is more likely than not to be sustained upon settlement. Previously recorded benefits that no longer meet the more-likely than not threshold are charged to earnings in the period that the determination is made. Interest and penalties accrued related to uncertain positions are charged to the provision/benefit for income taxes.
	Fair Value Measurements
	Fair value is defined as an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants.
	An entity is permitted to measure certain financial assets and financial liabilities at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in earnings each period. The Company has not elected to use the fair value option for any of its financial assets and financial liabilities that are not already recorded at fair value. Carrying values of financial instruments classified as current assets and current liabilities approximate fair value, due to their short-term nature.
	A description of the Company’s policies regarding fair value measurement is summarized below.
	Fair Value Hierarchy—Fair value is determined for assets and liabilities, which are grouped according to a hierarchy, based upon significant levels of observable or unobservable inputs. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s market assumptions. This hierarchy requires the use of observable market data when available. These two types of inputs have created the following fair value hierarchy:
	Level 1—Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets.
	Level 2—Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets.
	Level 3—Valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.
	Determination of Fair Value—The Company generally uses quoted market prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access to determine fair value, and classifies such items in Level 1. Fair values determined by Level 2 inputs utilize inputs other than quoted market prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 2 inputs include quoted market prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, and inputs other than quoted market prices that are observable for the asset or liability. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability. If quoted market prices are not available, fair value is based upon internally developed valuation techniques that use, where possible, current market-based or independently sourced market parameters, such as interest and currency rates, and the like. Assets or liabilities valued using such internally generated valuation techniques are classified according to the lowest level input or value driver that is significant to the valuation. Thus, an item may be classified in Level 3 even though there may be some significant inputs that are readily observable.
	Segment Reporting
	The Company maintains discrete financial information for each of its eleven theme parks, which is used by the Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”), identified as the Chief Executive Officer, as a basis for allocating resources. Each theme park has been identified as an operating segment and meets the criteria for aggregation due to similar economic characteristics. In addition, all of the theme parks provide similar products and services and share similar processes for delivering services. The theme parks have a high degree of similarity in the workforces and target the same consumer group. Accordingly, based on these economic and operational similarities and the way the CODM monitors the operations, the Company has concluded that its operating segments may be aggregated and that it has one reportable segment.
	Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities
	During fiscal year 2012, the Company entered into certain derivative transactions, as detailed in Note 12-Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, and elected the related derivative instruments and hedging activities accounting policy described herein. Accounting Standards Codification Topic (“ASC”) 815, Derivatives and Hedging, provides the disclosure requirements for derivatives and hedging activities with the intent to provide users of financial statements with an enhanced understanding of: (a) how and why an entity uses derivative instruments, (b) how the entity accounts for derivative instruments and related hedged items, and (c) how derivative instruments and related hedged items affect an entity’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Further, qualitative disclosures are required that explain the Company’s objectives and strategies for using derivatives, as well as quantitative disclosures about the fair value of, and gains and losses on, derivative instruments, and disclosures about credit-risk-related contingent features in derivative instruments.
	As required by ASC 815, the Company records all derivatives on the balance sheet at fair value. The accounting for changes in the fair value of derivatives depends on the intended use of the derivative, whether the Company has elected to designate a derivative in a hedging relationship and apply hedge accounting and whether the hedging relationship has satisfied the criteria necessary to apply hedge accounting. Derivatives designated and qualifying as a hedge of the exposure to changes in the fair value of an asset, liability, or firm commitment attributable to a particular risk, such as interest rate risk, are considered fair value hedges. Derivatives designated and qualifying as a hedge of the exposure to variability in expected future cash flows, or other types of forecasted transactions, are considered cash flow hedges. Hedge accounting generally provides for the matching of the timing of gain or loss recognition on the hedging instrument with the recognition of the changes in the fair value of the hedged asset or liability that are attributable to the hedged risk in a fair value hedge or the earnings effect of the hedged forecasted transactions in a cash flow hedge. The Company may enter into derivative contracts that are intended to economically hedge certain of its risk, even though hedge accounting does not apply or the Company elects not to apply hedge accounting.

Recently_Issued_Accounting_Pro

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	12 Months Ended
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	Dec. 31, 2013
Accounting Changes And Error Corrections [Abstract]	'
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	'
	3. RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
	In February 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2013-02, “Reporting Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income,” which amends ASC 220, Comprehensive Income. The amended guidance requires entities to provide information about the amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by component. Additionally, entities are required to present, either on the face of the financial statements or in the notes, significant amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by the respective line items of net income. The amended guidance does not change the current requirements for reporting net income or other comprehensive income. The amendments are effective prospectively for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2012. The adoption of ASU No. 2013-02 did not have a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Acquisitions

Acquisitions	12 Months Ended
Acquisitions	Dec. 31, 2013
Business Combinations [Abstract]	'
Acquisitions	'
	4. ACQUISITIONS
	In November 2012, the Company acquired Knott’s Soak City, a stand-alone Southern California water park, from an affiliate of Cedar Fair L.P, for a total price of $15,000. The Company paid $12,000 at closing and had a note payable for the remaining $3,000 which was due and paid in the third quarter of 2013. For the year ended December 31, 2012, there were no material revenues or expenses associated with the park included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements because the park was closed for the season. The Company rebranded the water park as Aquatica San Diego and re-opened in June 2013.

	The Company allocated the cost of the acquisition to the assets acquired based upon their respective fair values. These fair values are based on management’s estimates and assumptions, including variations of the income approach, the market approach and the cost approach, resulting in a purchase price allocation as follows:


	Land	$	12,100
	Other property and equipment		2,400
	Non-compete agreement		500

	Total assets acquired	$	15,000

Earnings_per_Share

Earnings per Share	12 Months Ended
Earnings per Share	Dec. 31, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Earnings per Share	'
	5. EARNINGS PER SHARE
	Earnings per share is computed as follows (in thousands, except per share data):


		Year Ended December 31,
		2013						2012						2011
		Net		Shares		Per		Net		Shares		Per		Net		Shares		Per
		Income				Share		Income				Share		Income				Share
						Amount						Amount						Amount
	Basic earnings per share	$	50,478		87,537	$	0.58	$	77,444		82,480	$	0.94	$	19,113		81,392	$	0.23
	Effect of dilutive incentive-based awards				615						1,072						632

	Diluted earnings per share	$	50,478		88,152	$	0.57	$	77,444		83,552	$	0.93	$	19,113		82,024	$	0.23

	In accordance with the Earnings Per Share Topic of the FASB ASC, basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period (excluding nonvested restricted stock). Diluted earnings per share is determined based on the dilutive effect of unvested restricted stock probable of vesting using the treasury stock method. During the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, there were no anti-dilutive shares of common stock excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share. The weighted average number of repurchased shares during the period that are held as treasury stock are excluded from common stock outstanding.

Inventories

Inventories	12 Months Ended
Inventories	Dec. 31, 2013
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Inventories	'
	6. INVENTORIES
	Inventories as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, consisted of the following:


		2013		2012
	Merchandise	$	30,586	$	31,435
	Food and beverage		5,623		5,152

	Total inventories	$	36,209	$	36,587

Prepaid_Expenses_and_Other_Cur

Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets	12 Months Ended
Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets	Dec. 31, 2013
Deferred Costs Capitalized Prepaid And Other Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets	'
	7. PREPAID EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT ASSETS
	Prepaid expenses and other current assets as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, consisted of the following:


		2013		2012
	Prepaid insurance	$	8,418	$	8,157
	Prepaid marketing and advertising costs		6,817		2,500
	Deferred offering costs		—		3,665
	Other		4,378		3,495

	Total prepaid expenses and other current assets	$	19,613	$	17,817

Property_and_Equipment_Net

Property and Equipment, Net	12 Months Ended
Property and Equipment, Net	Dec. 31, 2013
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]	'
Property and Equipment, Net	'
	8. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET
	The components of property and equipment, net as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, consisted of the following:


		2013			2012
	Land	$	286,200		$	286,200
	Land improvements		259,722			238,860
	Buildings		537,532			468,647
	Rides, attractions and equipment		1,173,746			1,100,423
	Animals		157,160			161,194
	Construction in process		71,445			88,237
	Less accumulated depreciation		(714,305	)		(568,918	)

	Total property and equipment, net	$	1,771,500		$	1,774,643

	Depreciation expense was approximately $159,700, $161,700 and $209,300 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

Trade_Names_and_Other_Intangib

Trade Names and Other Intangible Assets, Net	12 Months Ended
Trade Names and Other Intangible Assets, Net	Dec. 31, 2013
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Trade Names and Other Intangible Assets, Net	'
	9. TRADE NAMES AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET
	Trade names, net are comprised of the following at December 31, 2013:


			Weighted		Gross		Accumulated		Net
			Average		Carrying		Amortization		Carrying
			Amortization		Amount				Value
			Period
	Trade names—indefinite lives				$	157,000	$	—	$	157,000
	Trade names—definite lives		10 years			11,000		4,492		6,508

	Total Trade names, net				$	168,000	$	4,492	$	163,508

	Trade names-net are comprised of the following at December 31, 2012:


			Weighted		Gross		Accumulated		Net
			Average		Carrying		Amortization		Carrying
			Amortization		Amount				Value
			Period
	Trade names—indefinite lives				$	157,000	$	—	$	157,000
	Trade names—definite lives		10 years			11,000		3,392		7,608

	Total Trade names, net				$	168,000	$	3,392	$	164,608


	Other intangible assets-net at December 31, 2013, consisted of the following:


			Weighted		Gross		Accumulated		Net
			Average		Carrying		Amortization		Carrying
			Amortization		Amount				Value
			Period
	Favorable lease asset		39 years		$	18,200	$	1,867	$	16,333
	Reseller agreements		8.1 years			22,300		11,232		11,068
	Non-compete agreement		5 years			500		58		442

	Total other intangible assets, net				$	41,000	$	13,157	$	27,843

	Other intangible assets-net at December 31, 2012, consisted of the following:


			Weighted		Gross		Accumulated		Net
			Average		Carrying		Amortization		Carrying
			Amortization		Amount				Value
			Period
	Favorable lease asset		39 years		$	18,200	$	1,397	$	16,803
	Reseller agreements		8.1 years			22,300		8,483		13,817
	Non-compete agreement		5 years			500		—		500

	Total other intangible assets, net				$	41,000	$	9,880	$	31,120

	Total amortization was approximately $4,400 for the year ended December 31, 2013 and $4,300 for both the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011. The total weighted average amortization period of all finite-lived intangibles is 19.3 years. Total expected amortization of the finite-lived intangible assets for the succeeding five years and thereafter is as follows:


	Years Ending December 31
	2014		$	4,418
	2015			4,418
	2016			4,418
	2017			4,213
	2018			1,870
	Thereafter			15,014

		$	34,351

Other_Accrued_Expenses

Other Accrued Expenses	12 Months Ended
Other Accrued Expenses	Dec. 31, 2013
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]	'
Other Accrued Expenses	'
	10. OTHER ACCRUED EXPENSES
	Other accrued expenses at December 31, 2013 and 2012, consisted of the following:


		2013		2012
	Accrued property taxes	$	2,113	$	1,974
	Accrued interest		2,636		3,877
	Note payable		—		3,000
	Self-insurance reserve		7,800		7,800
	Other		2,715		2,699

	Total other accrued expenses	$	15,264	$	19,350


	In 2013, the Company paid $3,000 related to a note payable due on September 1, 2013 for the Company’s November 2012 acquisition of Knott’s Soak City, a stand-alone Southern California water park, from an affiliate of Cedar Fair L.P.

LongTerm_Debt

Long-Term Debt	12 Months Ended
Long-Term Debt	Dec. 31, 2013
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Long-Term Debt	'

	11. LONG-TERM DEBT

	Long-term debt as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 consisted of the following:



			2013			2012
	Term A Loan		$	—		$	152,000
	Term B Loan			—			1,293,774
	Term B-2 Loans			1,397,975			—
	Revolving credit agreement			—			—
	Senior Notes			260,000			400,000

	Total long-term debt			1,657,975			1,845,774
	Less discounts			(16,742	)		(21,800	)
	Less current maturities			(14,050	)		(21,330	)

	Total long-term debt, net of current maturities		$	1,627,183		$	1,802,644


	In conjunction with the Company’s initial public offering completed on April 24, 2013, the Company used $37,000 of the net proceeds received from the offering to repay a portion of the outstanding indebtedness under the then existing Term B Loan and $140,000 to redeem a portion of its Senior Notes at a redemption price of 111.0%, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon, pursuant to a provision in the indenture governing the Senior Notes that permitted the Company to redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes with the net cash proceeds of certain equity offerings and pay estimated premiums and accrued interest thereon. The redemption premium of $15,400 along with a write-off of approximately $5,500 in related discounts and deferred financing costs is included in loss on early extinguishment of debt and write-off of discounts and deferred financing costs on the Company’s consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the year ended December 31, 2013. See further discussion in Note 19-Stockholders’ Equity.

	On December 1, 2009, SEA entered into both senior secured credit facilities (“Senior Secured Credit Facilities”) and issued $400,000 of 13.5% unsecured senior notes due December 1, 2016 (the “Senior Notes”).

	Senior Secured Credit Facilities

	SEA is the borrower under the Company’s Senior Secured Credit Facilities pursuant to a credit agreement dated as of December 1, 2009, by and among SEA, as borrower, Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, collateral agent, letter of credit issuer and swing line lender and the other agents and lenders party thereto, as the same may be amended, restated, supplemented or modified from time to time. Effective on February 17, 2011, April 15, 2011, March 30, 2012, April 24, 2013 and May 14, 2013, SEA entered into Amendments No. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively, of the Senior Secured Credit Facilities (collectively, the “Amendments”).

	As a result of Amendment No. 1, the original term loan was refinanced into two tranches of term loans, Term A Loans (original balance of $150,000), and Term B Loans (original balance of $900,000). As a result of Amendment No. 2, $17,000 of the Term B Loan was refinanced to the Term A Loan. In addition, the revolving credit commitment availability under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities increased to $172,500.



	Amendment No. 3 increased the amount of Term B Loans (“Additional Term B Loans”) by $500,000 for the purposes of financing a dividend payment to the stockholders in the same amount during the three months ended March 31, 2012. The Additional Term B Loans were issued at a discount which was being amortized to interest expense using the weighted average interest method.

	Amendment No. 4 amended the terms of the existing Senior Secured Credit Facilities to, among other things, permit SEA to pay certain distributions following an initial public offering and replace the then existing $172,500 senior secured revolving credit facility with a new $192,500 senior secured revolving credit facility. The new senior secured revolving credit facility will mature on the earlier of (a) April 24, 2018 or (b) the 91st day prior to the earlier of (1) the maturity date of Senior Notes with an aggregate principal amount greater than $50,000 outstanding and (2) the maturity date of any indebtedness incurred to refinance any of the Term Loans or the Senior Notes. Amendment No. 5 amended the terms of the existing Senior Secured Credit Facilities to, among other things, refinance Term A Loan and Term B Loan into new Term B-2 Loans, extend the final maturity date of the term loan facilities, reduce future principal and interest payments, and provide for additional future borrowings.

	The Term B-2 Loans were borrowed in an aggregate principal amount of $1,405,000. Borrowings under the Term B-2 Loans bear interest, at SEA’s option, at a rate equal to a margin over either (a) a base rate determined by reference to the higher of (1) the Bank of America’s prime lending rate and (2) the federal funds effective rate plus 1/2 of 1% or (b) a LIBOR rate determined by reference to the British Bankers Association (“BBA”) LIBOR rate for the interest period relevant to such borrowing. The margin for the Term B-2 Loans is 1.25%, in the case of base rate loans, and 2.25%, in the case of LIBOR rate loans, subject to a base rate floor of 1.75% and a LIBOR floor of 0.75%. The applicable margin for the Term B-2 Loans (under either a base rate or LIBOR rate) is subject to one 25 basis point step-down upon achievement by SEA of a certain leverage ratio. At December 31, 2013, the Company selected the LIBOR rate (interest rate of 3.00% at December 31, 2013).

	Term B-2 Loans amortize in equal quarterly installments in an aggregate annual amount equal to 1.0% of the original principal amount of the Term B-2 Loans on the Amendment No. 5 effective date, with the first payment due and paid on September 30, 2013 and the balance due on the final maturity date. The Term B-2 Loans have a final maturity date of May 14, 2020. Amendment No. 5 also permits SEA to add one or more incremental term loan facilities to the Senior Secured Credit Facilities and/or increase commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $350,000. SEA may also incur additional incremental term loans provided that, among other things, on a pro forma basis after giving effect to the incurrence of such incremental term loans, the first lien secured leverage ratio, as defined in the Senior Secured Credit Facility, is no greater than 3.50 to 1.00.

	As a result of Amendment No. 5, approximately $11,500 of debt issuance costs were written off and included as loss on early extinguishment of debt and write-off of discounts and deferred financing costs on the Company’s consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the year ended December 31, 2013. As a result of Amendments No. 4 and 5, the Company capitalized fees totaling approximately $14,000.

	In addition to paying interest on outstanding principal under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities, the Company is required to pay a commitment fee to the lenders under the Revolving Credit Facility in respect of the unutilized commitments thereunder. The commitment fee rate is 0.50% per annum. SEA is also required to pay customary letter of credit fees.

	SEA had no amounts outstanding at December 31, 2013 and 2012, relating to the Revolving Credit Facility. The revolving credit commitment includes up to $20,000 in short-term loans (five days in duration) and up to $50,000 in letters of credit. Any amounts borrowed under the short-term loans or as letters of credit reduce the total amount available under the revolving credit loan. All amounts outstanding under the revolving credit commitment are due on the Revolving Credit Facility maturity date, except for borrowings under the short term loans, which are payable within five business days of the original borrowing. As of December 31, 2013, the Company had approximately $23,500 of outstanding letters of credit, leaving approximately $169,000 available for borrowing.

	On August 9, 2013, SEA entered into Amendment No. 6 of the Senior Secured Credit Facilities. Amendment No. 6 amends the calculation of the Company’s covenant Adjusted EBITDA to allow the add back of the termination fee paid in connection with the termination of the 2009 Advisory Agreement between the Company and affiliates of Blackstone (see Note 16-Related-Party Transactions).

	SEA is required to prepay the outstanding Term B-2 loans, subject to certain exceptions, in the event of:


		•		50% of SEA’s annual “excess cash flow” (with step-downs to 25% and 0%, as applicable, based upon SEA’s total net leverage ratio), subject to certain exceptions;


		•		100% of the net cash proceeds of certain non-ordinary course asset sales or other dispositions subject to reinvestment rights and certain exceptions; and


		•		100% of the net cash proceeds of any incurrence of debt by SEA or any of its restricted subsidiaries, other than debt permitted to be incurred or issued under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities.

	Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, each lender of term loans has the right to reject its pro rata share of mandatory prepayments described above, in which case SEA may retain the amounts so rejected. The foregoing mandatory prepayments will be applied pro rata to installments of term loans in direct order of maturity. There were no mandatory prepayments during the year ended December 31, 2013 or 2012 since none of the events indicated above occurred during the year.

	SEA may voluntarily repay amounts outstanding under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities at any time without premium or penalty, other than prepayment premium on voluntary prepayment of Term B-2 Loans on or prior to May 14, 2014 and customary “breakage” costs with respect to LIBOR loans.

The obligations under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities are fully, unconditionally and irrevocably guaranteed by the Company, any subsidiary of the Company that directly or indirectly owns 100% of the issued and outstanding equity interests of SEA, and, subject to certain exceptions, each of SEA’s existing and future material domestic wholly-owned subsidiaries. The Senior Secured Credit Facilities are collateralized by first priority or equivalent security interests, subject to certain exceptions, in (i) all the capital stock of, or other equity interests in, substantially all of the Company’s direct or indirect material domestic subsidiaries and 65% of the capital stock of, or other equity interests in, any “first tier” foreign subsidiaries and (ii) certain tangible and intangible assets of SEA and the Company. Certain financial, affirmative and negative covenants, including a maximum total net leverage ratio, minimum interest coverage ratio and maximum capital expenditures are included in the Senior Secured Credit Facilities. If an event of default occurs, the lenders under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities will be entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of amounts due under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities and all actions permitted to be taken by a secured creditor.

Senior Notes

On March 30, 2012, in conjunction with the execution of Amendment No. 3 to the Senior Secured Credit Facilities, SEA also entered into the Second Supplemental Indenture (the “Second Supplemental Indenture”) which, among other matters, reduced the interest rate on the Senior Notes to 11.0% per annum. Interest is payable semi-annually in arrears. The obligations under the Senior Notes are guaranteed by the same entities as those that guarantee the Senior Secured Credit Facilities. The Second Supplemental Indenture also granted waivers to allow SEA to issue the additional $500,000 of Term B Loans to fund the dividend payment discussed above.

SEA can redeem some or all of the Senior Notes at any time prior to December 1, 2014, at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Senior Notes redeemed plus the Applicable Premium as of, and accrued and unpaid interest to, the redemption date, subject to the right of the holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date. The “Applicable Premium” is defined as the greater of (1) 1.0% of the principal amount of the Senior Notes and (2) the excess, if any, of (a) the present value at such redemption date of (i) the redemption price of the Senior Notes at December 1, 2014 plus (ii) all required interest payments due on the Senior Notes through December 1, 2014 (excluding accrued but unpaid interest to the redemption date), computed using a discount rate equal to the Treasury Rate plus 50 basis points over (b) the principal amount of the Senior Notes. On or after December 1, 2014, the Senior Notes may be redeemed at 105.5% and 102.75% of the principal balance beginning on December 1, 2014 and 2015, respectively. The Second Supplemental Indenture also increased the covenant leverage ratio, as defined, from 2.75 to 1.00 to 3.00 to 1.00.

In conjunction with the execution of Amendment No. 4 to the Senior Secured Credit Facilities, SEA also entered into the Fourth Supplemental Indenture, dated April 5, 2013 (the “Fourth Supplemental Indenture”). The Fourth Supplemental Indenture, among other matters, amended the transactions with affiliates covenant to allow for the payment of a termination fee, not to exceed $50,000, in connection with the termination of the 2009 Advisory Agreement between the Company and affiliates of Blackstone (see Note 16-Related-Party Transactions).

On November 22, 2013, SEA entered into the Fifth Supplemental Indenture in order to conform certain provisions of the “limitation on restricted payments” covenant of the Indenture to the corresponding provisions of the Senior Secured Credit Facilities.

In connection with the issuance of the Senior Notes, the holders of the Senior Notes received warrants to purchase 101,000 (not in thousands) Partnerships units for $100 (not in thousands) per unit. The Partnerships, in turn, received warrants to acquire 808,000 (not in thousands) shares of the Company’s common stock. The total value of the warrants at December 1, 2009 was $5,000 and was recorded by the Company as additional paid-in capital and a discount on the Senior Notes. The additional discount is being amortized to interest expense over the term of the Senior Notes. The unamortized discount at December 31, 2013 and 2012, of $2,083 and $2,798, respectively, is presented as a reduction of the carrying value of the Senior Notes in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. During 2011, all the warrants were exercised for cash in accordance with the underlying warrant agreement, the holders of the Senior Notes received 101,000 (not in thousands) limited partnership units of the Partnerships and the Company issued a total of 808,000 (not in thousands) shares of common stock to the Partnerships.

As of December 31, 2013, the Company was in compliance with all covenants in the provisions contained in the documents governing the Senior Secured Credit Facilities and in the indenture governing the Senior Notes.

Deferred financing costs, net of accumulated amortization and amounts written-off for early extinguishment of debt, were $32,317 and $44,103 as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, are being amortized to interest expense using the effective interest method over the term of the Senior Secured Credit Facilities or the Senior Notes and are included in other assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Financing costs paid to the creditors amounting to $13,968 and $15,046 in 2013 and 2012, respectively, directly related to the Amendments noted above were recorded as deferred financing costs.

Interest Rate Swap Agreements

On August 23, 2012, SEA executed two interest rate swap agreements (the “Interest Rate Swap Agreements”) to effectively fix the interest rate on $550,000 of the Term B Loans. Each interest rate swap had a notional amount of $275,000; was scheduled to mature on September 30, 2016; required the Company to pay a fixed rate of interest of 1.247% per annum; paid swap counterparties a variable rate of interest based upon three month BBA LIBOR; and had interest settlement dates occurring on the last day of December, March, June and September through maturity. SEA had designated such interest rate swap agreements as qualifying cash flow hedge accounting relationships. As a result of Amendment No. 5, in May 2013, the Interest Rate Swap Agreements were restructured into two interest rate swaps totaling $550,000 to match the refinanced debt. Each restructured interest rate swap has a notional amount of $275,000; matures on September 30, 2016; requires the Company to pay a fixed rate of interest between 1.049% and 1.051% per annum; pays swap counterparties a variable rate of interest based upon the greater of 0.75% or three month BBA LIBOR; and has interest settlement dates occurring on the last day of December, March, June and September through maturity. SEA designated such interest rate swap agreements as qualifying cash flow hedge accounting relationships as further discussed in Note 12-Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities which follows.

In March 2014, the Company executed a new interest rate swap agreement to effectively fix the interest rate on $450,000 of the Term B-2 Loans. The interest rates swap has an effective date of March 31, 2014, has a notional amount of $450,000 and is scheduled to mature on September 30, 2016.

Cash paid for interest relating to the Senior Secured Credit Facilities and the Senior Notes discussed above as well as the Interest Rate Swap Agreements was $85,514, $102,551 and $97,575 during the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

Long-term debt at December 31, 2013, is repayable as follows, not including any possible prepayments described above:



Years Ending December 31,
2014		$	14,050
2015			14,050
2016			14,050
2017			274,050
2018			14,050
Thereafter			1,327,725

Total		$	1,657,975

Derivative_Instruments_and_Hed

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

12. DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

Risk Management Objective of Using Derivatives

The Company is exposed to certain risks arising from both its business operations and economic conditions. The Company principally manages its exposures to a wide variety of business and operational risks through management of its core business activities. The Company manages economic risks, including interest rate, liquidity and credit risk primarily by managing the amount, sources and duration of its debt funding and the use of derivative financial instruments. Specifically, the Company enters into derivative financial instruments to manage exposures that arise from business activities that result in the receipt or payment of future known and uncertain cash amounts, the value of which are determined by interest rates. The Company’s derivative financial instruments are used to manage differences in the amount, timing and duration of the Company’s known or expected cash receipts and its known or expected cash payments principally related to the Company’s borrowings.

As of December 31, 2013 and 2012, the Company did not have any derivatives outstanding that were not designated in hedge accounting relationships.

Cash Flow Hedges of Interest Rate Risk

The Company’s objectives in using interest rate derivatives are to add stability to interest expense and to manage its exposure to interest rate movements. To accomplish this objective, the Company primarily uses interest rate swaps as part of its interest rate risk management strategy. During the year ended December 31, 2013, such derivatives were used to hedge the variable cash flows associated with existing variable-rate debt. As of December 31, 2013, the Company had two outstanding interest rate swaps with a combined notional value of $550,000 that were designated as cash flow hedges of interest rate risk. In connection with Amendment No. 5 to the Senior Secured Credit Facility on May 14, 2013, the Company restructured the interest rate swaps to match the refinanced debt. The restructuring of the interest rate swaps required a re-designation of the hedge accounting relationship. The re-designation is expected to result in the recognition of a minimal amount of ineffectiveness throughout the remaining term of the interest rate swaps.

The effective portion of changes in the fair value of derivatives designated and that qualify as cash flow hedges is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and is subsequently reclassified into earnings in the period that the hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings. The ineffective portion of the change in fair value of the derivatives is recognized directly in earnings. During the year ended December 31, 2013, there was no ineffective portion recognized in earnings. Amounts reported in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) related to derivatives will be reclassified to interest expense as interest payments are made on the Company’s variable-rate debt. As of December 31, 2013, the Company estimates that an additional $1,567 will be reclassified as an increase to interest expense during the next 12 months.

Tabular Disclosure of Fair Values of Derivative Instruments on the Balance Sheet

The table below presents the fair value of the Company’s derivative financial instruments as well as their classification on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2013 and 2012:

Asset Derivatives

Liability Derivatives

As of December 31, 2013

As of December 31, 2012

Balance Sheet

Fair Value

Balance Sheet

Fair Value

Location

Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:

Interest rate swaps

Other assets

Other liabilities

1,880

Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments

1,880

The unrealized gain on derivatives is recorded net of a tax expense of $632 for the year ended December 31, 2013, and is included within the accompanying consolidated statements of comprehensive income. The unrealized loss on derivatives is recorded net of a tax benefit of $627 for the year ended December 31, 2012, and is included within the accompanying consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

Tabular Disclosure of the Effect of Derivative Instruments on the Statements of Comprehensive Income

The table below presents the pre-tax effect of the Company’s derivative financial instruments on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012:

2013

2012

Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships:

Gain (loss) related to effective portion of derivatives recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income

386

(1,522

)

Gain (loss) related to effective portion of derivatives reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to interest expense

1,511

(358

)

Gain (loss) related to ineffective portion of derivatives recognized in other income (expense)

—

Credit Risk-Related Contingent Features

The Company has agreements with each of its derivative counterparties that contain a provision where if the Company defaults on any of its indebtedness, including default where repayment of the indebtedness has not been accelerated by the lender, then the Company could also be declared in default on its derivative obligations. As of December 31, 2013, the Company has posted no collateral related to these agreements.

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

The following table reflects the changes in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2013, net of tax:

Gains (Losses)

on Cash Flow

Hedges

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):

Balance at December 31, 2012

(1,254

)

Other comprehensive income before reclassifications

257

Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to interest expense

1,008

Unrealized gain on derivatives, net of tax

1,265

Balance at December 31, 2013

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Income Taxes	'
	13. INCOME TAXES
	For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, the provision for income taxes is comprised of the following:


		2013			2012			2011
	Current income tax (benefit) provision
	Federal	$	(113	)	$	(70	)	$	(70	)
	State		1,086			542			1,277
	Foreign		13			31			24

	Total current income tax provision		986			503			1,231

	Deferred income tax provision (benefit):
	Federal		27,852			37,873			11,429
	State		(3,834	)		1,106			768

	Total deferred income tax provision		24,018			38,979			12,197

	Total income tax provision	$	25,004		$	39,482		$	13,428

	The deferred income tax provision represents the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. Cash paid for income taxes totaled $923, $767 and $513, for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.
	The components of deferred income tax assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 are as follows:


		2013			2012
	Deferred income tax assets:
	Acquisition and debt related costs	$	4,534		$	22,651
	Net operating loss		270,467			222,702
	Self-insurance		8,686			7,912
	Deferred revenue		2,134			1,077
	Other		8,156			5,736

	Total deferred income tax assets		293,977			260,078

	Deferred income tax liabilities:
	Property and equipment		(245,418	)		(199,836	)
	Goodwill		(28,242	)		(21,028	)
	Amortization		(12,613	)		(11,307	)
	Other		(8,593	)		(4,146	)

	Total deferred income tax liabilities		(294,866	)		(236,317	)

	Net deferred income tax (liabilities) assets	$	(889	)	$	23,761

	The Company files federal, state and provincial income tax returns in various jurisdictions with varying statute of limitation expiration dates. Under the tax statute of limitations applicable to the Internal Revenue Code, the Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal income tax examinations by the Internal Revenue Service for years before 2010. However, because the Company is carrying forward income tax attributes, such as net operating losses and tax credits from 2010 and earlier tax years, these attributes can still be audited when utilized on returns filed in the future. The Company has determined that there are no positions currently taken that would rise to a level requiring an amount to be recorded or disclosed as an uncertain tax position. If such positions do arise, it is the Company’s intent that any interest or penalty amount related to such positions will be recorded as a component of tax expense to the applicable period.
	As of December 31, 2013, the Company has federal tax net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $660,000 and state net operating loss carryforwards with a combined total of approximately $850,000 spread across various jurisdictions. These net operating loss carryforwards, if not used to reduce taxable income in future periods, will begin to expire in 2029, for both state and federal tax purposes. Realization of the deferred income tax assets, primarily arising from these net operating loss carryforwards and other charitable contribution carryforwards, is dependent upon generating sufficient taxable income prior to expiration of the carryforwards, which may include the reversal of deferred tax liability components.
	Due to the secondary offering in December 2013, there was an ownership shift of more than 50 percent, as defined by the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) Section 382. The Company determined that, while an ownership shift occurred and limits were determined under IRC Section 382 and the regulations and guidance thereunder, the applicable limit would not impair the value or anticipated use of the Company’s federal and state net operating losses. Although realization is not assured, management believes it is more likely than not that all of the deferred income tax assets will be realized.
	The provision for income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 differs from the amount computed by applying the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate to the Company’s income before income taxes primarily due to state income taxes, prior year true-ups, and federal tax credits. In addition to these items, for the year ended December 31, 2013, non-deductible offering costs, certain officer compensation and certain equity compensation awards also impacted the provision for income taxes. The reconciliation between the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate and the Company’s effective income tax provision (benefit) rate for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, is as follows:


		2013			2012			2011
	Income tax rate at federal statutory rates		35	%		35	%		35	%
	State taxes, net of federal benefit		(0.93	)		1.36			5.57
	Other		(0.94	)		(2.59	)		0.69

	Income tax rate		33.13	%		33.77	%		41.26	%

Commitments_and_Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies	Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Commitments and Contingencies	'

	14. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
	At December 31, 2013, the Company has commitments under long-term operating leases requiring annual minimum lease payments as follows:


	Years Ending December 31,
	2014	$	14,403
	2015		14,415
	2016		13,523
	2017		13,520
	2018		13,356
	Thereafter		311,238

	Total	$	380,455


	Rental expense was $24,338, $23,886 and $22,119 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.
	The SeaWorld theme park in San Diego, California, leases the land for the theme park from the City of San Diego. The lease term is for 50 years ending on July 1, 2048. Lease payments are based upon gross revenue from the San Diego theme park subject to certain minimums. On January 1, 2014, the minimum annual rent payment was recalculated in accordance with the lease agreement as approximately $10,400 and is included in the table above for all periods presented. This annual rent will remain in effect until January 1, 2017, at which time the next recalculation will be completed in accordance with the lease agreement.
	Pursuant to license agreements with Sesame Workshop, the Company pays a specified annual license fee, as well as a specified royalty based on revenues earned in connection with sales of licensed products, all food and beverage items utilizing the licensed elements and any events utilizing such elements if a separate fee is paid for such event.
	ABI has granted the Company a perpetual, exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use the Busch Gardens trademark and certain related domain names in connection with the operation, marketing, promotion and advertising of certain of the Company’s theme parks, as well as in connection with the production, use, distribution and sale of merchandise sold in connection with such theme parks. Under the license, the Company is required to indemnify ABI against losses related to the use of the marks.
	The Company has commenced construction of certain new theme park attractions and other projects under contracts with various third parties. At December 31, 2013, additional capital payments of approximately $59,000 are necessary to complete these projects. The majority of these projects are expected to be completed in 2014.
	In addition, the Company is a party to various claims and legal proceedings arising in the normal course of business. From time to time, third-party groups may also make claims before government agencies, bring lawsuits against the Company, and/or attempt to generate negative publicity associated with the Company’s business. Matters where an unfavorable outcome to the Company is probable and which can be reasonably estimated are accrued. Such accruals, which are not material for any period presented, are based on information known about the matters, the Company’s estimate of the outcomes of such matters, and the Company’s experience in contesting, litigating and settling similar matters. Matters that are considered reasonably possible to result in a material loss are not accrued for, but an estimate of the possible loss or range of loss is disclosed, if such amount or range can be determined. Management does not expect any known claims or legal proceedings to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Fair_Value_Measurements

Fair Value Measurements

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value Measurements

15. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Fair value is a market-based measurement, not an entity-specific measurement. Therefore, a fair value measurement is required to be determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. As a basis for considering market participant assumptions in fair value measurements, fair value accounting standards establish a fair value hierarchy that distinguishes between market participant assumptions based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity (observable inputs that are classified within Levels 1 and 2 of the hierarchy) and the reporting entity’s own assumptions about market participant assumptions (unobservable inputs classified within Level 3 of the hierarchy).

The Company has determined that the majority of the inputs used to value its derivative financial instruments using the income approach fall within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. The Company uses readily available market data to value its derivatives, such as interest rate curves and discount factors. ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, also requires consideration of credit risk in the valuation. The Company uses a potential future exposure model to estimate this credit valuation adjustment (“CVA”). The inputs to the CVA are largely based on observable market data, with the exception of certain assumptions regarding credit worthiness which make the CVA a Level 3 input. Based on the magnitude of the CVA, it is not considered a significant input and the derivatives are classified as Level 2. Of the Company’s long-term obligations, the Term B-2 Loans are classified in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. The fair value of the term loans as of December 31, 2013 approximates their carrying value due to the variable nature of the underlying interest rates and the frequent intervals at which such interest rates are reset. The Senior Notes are classified in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy and have been valued using significant inputs that are not observable in the market including a discount rate of 10.06% and projected cash flows of the underlying Senior Notes.

There were no transfers between Levels 1, 2 or 3 during the year ended December 31, 2013. The following table presents the Company’s estimated fair value measurements and related classifications as of December 31, 2013:

Quoted Prices in

Significant

Balance at

Active Markets

Other

Unobservable

December 31,

for Identical

Observable

Inputs

2013

Assets and

Inputs

(Level 3)

Liabilities

(Level 2)

(Level 1)

Assets:

Derivative financial instruments (a)

—

Liabilities:

Long-term obligations (b)

—

1,397,975

264,781

1,662,756

(a)

Reflected at fair value in the consolidated balance sheet as other assets of $71.

(b)

Reflected at carrying value in the consolidated balance sheet as current maturities on long-term debt of $14,050 and long-term debt of $1,627,183 as of December 31, 2013.

The Company did not have any assets measured at fair value at December 31, 2012. There were no transfers between Levels 1, 2 or 3 during the year ended December 31, 2012. The following table presents the Company’s estimated fair value measurements and related classifications as of December 31, 2012:

Quoted Prices in

Significant

Balance at

Active Markets

Other

Unobservable

December 31,

for Identical

Observable

Inputs

2012

Assets and

Inputs

(Level 3)

Liabilities

(Level 2)

(Level 1)

Liabilities:

Long-term obligations (a)

—

1,445,774

416,317

1,862,091

Derivative financial instruments (b)

—

1,880

—

1,880

(a)

Reflected at carrying value in the consolidated balance sheet as current maturities on long-term debt of $21,330 and long-term debt of $1,802,644 as of December 31, 2012.

(b)

Reflected at fair value in the consolidated balance sheet as other liabilities of $1,880 at December 31, 2012.

RelatedParty_Transactions

Related-Party Transactions	12 Months Ended
Related-Party Transactions	Dec. 31, 2013
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]	'
Related-Party Transactions	'
	16. RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS
	Certain affiliates of Blackstone provided monitoring, advisory and consulting services to the Company under an advisory fee agreement (the “2009 Advisory Agreement”), which was terminated on April 24, 2013 in connection with the completion of the initial public offering (see Note 19-Stockholders’ Equity). Fees related to these services, which were based upon a multiple of Adjusted EBITDA as defined in the 2009 Advisory Agreement, amounted to $2,799, $6,201 and $6,012 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. These amounts are included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
	In connection with the completion of the initial public offering in April 2013 (see Note 19-Stockholders’ Equity), the 2009 Advisory Agreement between the Company and affiliates of Blackstone was terminated (except for certain provisions relating to indemnification and certain other provisions, which survived termination). In connection with such termination, the Company paid a termination fee of $46,300 to Blackstone using a portion of the net proceeds from the offering and wrote-off $3,772 of the 2013 prepaid advisory fee. The combined expense of $50,072 is recorded as termination of advisory agreement in the accompanying consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
	In December 2013, the Company repurchased shares of its common stock from the selling stockholders concurrently with the closing of the secondary offering. See further discussion in Note 19-Stockholders’ Equity.
	In June, September and December 2013, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.20 per share to all common stockholders of record at the close of business on June 20, September 20 and December 20, 2013, respectively (see Note 19-Stockholders’ Equity). In connection with these dividend declarations, certain affiliates of Blackstone were paid dividends in the amount of $11,749, $11,749 and $7,849, on July 1, 2013, October 1, 2013, and January 3, 2014, respectively.
	In March 2012 and September 2011, respectively, the Company declared and subsequently paid a $500,000 and $110,100 cash dividend to its common stockholders, which at that time consisted of entities controlled by certain affiliates of Blackstone.
	The Company had an arrangement with another former Blackstone portfolio theme park company to sell admission tickets on a combined basis. The Company earned revenue of approximately $7,400 (through June 2011) during the year ended December 31, 2011, under the combined ticket arrangement. Blackstone sold its interest in such theme park company in June 2011.

Retirement_Plan

Retirement Plan	12 Months Ended
Retirement Plan	Dec. 31, 2013
Postemployment Benefits [Abstract]	'
Retirement Plan	'
	17. RETIREMENT PLAN
	The Company sponsors a defined contribution plan, under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code, that it established in March 2010. The plan is a qualified automatic contributions arrangement, which automatically enrolls employees, once eligible, unless they opt out. The Company makes matching cash contributions subject to certain restrictions, structured as a 100% match on the first 1% contributed by the employee and a 50% match on the next 5% contributed by the employee. Employer- matching contributions for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, totaled $8,956, $8,767 and $7,345, respectively.

EquityBased_Compensation

Equity-Based Compensation	12 Months Ended
Equity-Based Compensation	Dec. 31, 2013
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]	'
Equity-Based Compensation	'
	18. EQUITY-BASED COMPENSATION
	In accordance with ASC 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation, the Company measures the cost of employee services rendered in exchange for share-based compensation based upon the grant date fair market value. The cost is recognized over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period.

	Employee Units Surrendered for Common Stock
	Prior to April 18, 2013, the Company had an Employee Unit Incentive Plan (“Employee Unit Plan”). Under the Employee Unit Plan, the Partnerships granted Employee Units to certain key employees of SEA (“Employee Units”). The Employee Units which were granted were accounted for as equity awards and were divided into three tranches, Time-Vesting Units (“TVUs”), 2.25x Performance Vesting Units (“PVUs”) and 2.75x PVUs. Upon vesting of the Employee Units, the Company issued the corresponding number of shares of common stock of the Company to the Partnerships. There was no related cost to the employee upon vesting of the units. As of April 18, 2013, 669,293 Employee Units had been granted under the Employee Unit Plan, net of forfeitures. Separately, certain members of management in 2011 also purchased an aggregate of 29,240 Class D Units of the Partnerships (“Class D Units”).
	Prior to the consummation of the Company’s initial public offering, on April 18, 2013, the Employee Units and Class D Units held by certain of the Company’s directors, officers, employees and consultants were surrendered to the Partnerships and such individuals received an aggregate of 4,165,861 shares of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock from the Partnerships. The number of shares of the Company’s common stock received by such individuals from the Partnerships was determined in a manner intended to replicate the economic value to each equity holder immediately prior to the transaction. The Class D Units and vested Employee Units were surrendered for an aggregate of 949,142 shares of common stock. The unvested Employee Units were surrendered for an aggregate of 3,216,719 unvested restricted shares of the Company’s common stock, which are subject to vesting terms substantially similar to those applicable to the unvested Employee Units immediately prior to the transaction. These unvested restricted shares consist of Time Restricted shares, and 2.25x and 2.75x Performance Restricted shares, which, for accounting purposes, were removed from issued shares until their restrictions are met, as shown on the accompanying consolidated statement of changes in stockholders’ equity. The following table sets forth the number of Class D Units and Employee Units surrendered for shares of common stock prior to the consummation of the Company’s initial public offering:


			Units				Shares of
							Common
							Stock
			(not in thousands)
	Vested TVUs surrendered for shares of stock			121,206				727,852
	Class D Units surrendered for shares of stock			29,240				221,290

	Total Class D Units and vested TVUs surrendered for shares of stock			150,446				949,142

	Unvested TVUs surrendered for unvested Time Restricted shares of stock			103,913				599,215
	2.25x PVUs surrendered for 2.25x Performance Restricted shares of stock			222,087				1,308,752
	2.75x PVUs surrendered for 2.75x Performance Restricted shares of stock			222,087				1,308,752

	Total unvested TVUs and PVUs surrendered for shares of unvested restricted stock			548,087				3,216,719

	Total units surrendered for shares of stock and unvested restricted stock			698,533				4,165,861

	Time-Vesting Units (TVUs) and Time Restricted Shares
	One-third of the Employee Units originally granted vested over five years (20% per year). Generally, the vesting began on the earlier of December 1, 2009, or the grant date. Vesting was contingent upon continued employment. In the event of a change of control (defined as a sale or disposition of the assets of the limited partnership to other than a Blackstone affiliated group or, if any group other than a Blackstone-affiliated entity, becomes the general partner or the beneficial owner of more than 50% interest), the TVUs immediately 100% vested. The TVUs were originally recorded at the fair market value at the date of grant and were being amortized to compensation expense over the vesting period.
	The shares of stock received upon surrender of the Employee Units contain substantially identical terms, conditions and vesting schedules as the previously outstanding Employee Units. In accordance with the guidance in ASC 718-20, Compensation-Stock Compensation, the surrender of the Employee Units for shares of common stock and Time Restricted shares qualifies as a modification of an equity compensation plan. As such, the Company calculated the incremental fair value of the TVU awards immediately prior to and after their modification and determined that $282 of incremental equity compensation cost would be recorded upon surrender of the vested TVUs for vested shares of stock in the year ended December 31, 2013. The remaining incremental compensation cost of $220 which represents the incremental cost on the unvested TVUs which were surrendered for unvested Time Restricted shares of restricted stock, was added to the original grant date fair value of the TVU awards and amortized to compensation expense over the remaining vesting period.
	Total combined compensation expense related to these TVU and Time Restricted share awards was $1,938, $1,191 and $823 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011and is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statement of comprehensive income and as contributed capital in the accompanying consolidated statements of stockholders’ equity. Total unrecognized compensation cost related to these unvested Time Restricted shares, expected to be recognized over the remaining vesting term was approximately $1,305 as of December 31, 2013.
	The activity related to the TVU and Time Restricted share awards for the year ended December 31, 2013, is as follows:


			Employee				Shares				Weighted		Weighted
			Units								Average Grant		Average
											Date Fair Value		Remaining
											per Unit/Share		Contractual
													Term
			(not in thousands)
	Outstanding unvested TVUs at December 31, 2012			112,701							$	21.7
	Vested units			(8,788	)						$	22.71
	TVUs surrendered for unvested Time Restricted shares of stock			(103,913	)			599,215			$	4.06
	Vested shares							(221,710	)		$	3.83
	Forfeited							(2,025	)		$	3.82

	Outstanding unvested Time Restricted shares of stock at December 31, 2013			—				375,480			$	4.19		13 months

	2.25x and 2.75x Performance Vesting Units (PVUs) and Performance Restricted Shares
	Two tranches of the Employee Units vested only if certain events occur. The 2.25x PVUs under the Employee Unit Plan vested if the employee is employed by the Company when and if Blackstone receives cash proceeds (not subject to any clawback, indemnity or similar contractual obligation) in respect of its Partnerships units equal to (x) a 20% annualized effective compounded return rate on Blackstone’s investment and (y) a 2.25x on Blackstone’s investment. The 2.75x PVUs under the Employee Unit Plan vested if the employee is employed by the Company when and if Blackstone received cash proceeds (not subject to any clawback, indemnity or similar contractual obligation) in respect of its Partnerships units equal to (x) a 15% annualized effective compounded return rate on Blackstone’s investment and (y) a 2.75x multiple on Blackstone’s investment. The PVUs had no termination date other than termination of employment from the Company and there were no service or period vesting conditions associated with the PVUs other than employment at the time the benchmark was reached; no compensation was recorded related to these PVUs prior to the modification since their exercise was not considered probable. The unvested 2.25x and 2.75x Performance Restricted shares received upon surrender of the Employee Unit PVUs contain substantially the same terms and conditions as the previously outstanding PVUs. No compensation expense will be recorded related to the 2.25x and 2.75x Performance Restricted shares until their vesting is probable, accordingly, no compensation expense has been recorded during the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 or 2011 related to these PVUs or Performance Restricted share awards. In accordance with the guidance in ASC 718-20, Compensation-Stock Compensation, the surrender of the Employee Units for unvested performance restricted shares of stock qualifies as a modification of an equity compensation plan. As the 2.25x and 2.75x Performance Restricted shares were not considered probable of vesting before or after the modification, the Company will use the modification date fair value to record compensation expense related to these awards if the performance conditions become probable within a future reporting period. Unrecognized compensation expense as of December 31, 2013, was approximately $28,125 and $18,846 for these 2.25x and 2.75x Performance Restricted shares, respectively.
	The activity related to the 2.25x Performance Restricted shares for the year ended December 31, 2013, is as follows:


			Employee				Shares				Weighted
			Units								Average Grant
											Date Fair Value
											per Share
			(not in thousands)
	Outstanding 2.25x PVUs at December 31, 2012			225,051
	Forfeited			(2,964	)
	2.25x PVUs surrendered for unvested 2.25x Performance Restricted shares of stock			(222,087	)			1,308,752
	Vested							—

	Outstanding unvested 2.25x Performance Restricted shares of stock at December 31, 2013			—				1,308,752			$	21.49

The activity related to the 2.75x Performance Restricted shares for the year ended December 31, 2013, is as follows:


		Employee				Shares				Weighted
		Units								Average Grant
										Date Fair Value
										per Share
		(not in thousands)
Outstanding 2.75x PVUs at December 31, 2012			225,051
Forfeited			(2,964	)
2.75x PVUs surrendered for unvested 2.75x Performance Restricted shares of stock			(222,087	)			1,308,752
Vested							—

Outstanding unvested 2.75x Performance Restricted shares of stock at December 31, 2013			—				1,308,752			$	14.4


The fair value of each Employee Unit originally granted was estimated on the date of grant using a composite of the discounted cash flow model and the guideline public company approach to determine the underlying enterprise value. The discounted cash flow model was based upon significant inputs that are not observable in the market. Key assumptions included projected cash flows, a discount rate of 10.5%, and a terminal value. The guideline public company approach uses relevant public company valuation multiples to determine fair value. The value of the individual equity tranches was allocated based upon the Option-Pricing Method model. Significant assumptions included a holding period of 2.6 to 3.6 years, a risk free rate of 0.33% to 1.22%, volatility of approximately 49% to 57%, a discount for lack of marketability, depending upon the units, from 31% to 53% and a 0 dividend yield. Volatility for SEA’s stock at the date of grant was estimated using the average volatility calculated for a peer group, which is based upon daily price observations over the estimated term of units granted.
In order to calculate the incremental fair value at the modification date, the Option-Pricing Method model was used to estimate the fair value prior to the modification. For the fair value after the modification, the initial public offering price of $27.00 per share was used to calculate the fair value of the TVUs while the fair value of the PVUs was estimated using an asset-or-nothing call option approach. Significant assumptions used in both the Option Pricing Method model and the asset-or-nothing call option approach included a holding period of approximately 2 years from the initial public offering date, a risk free rate of 0.24%, a volatility of approximately 37.6% based on re-levered historical and implied equity volatility of comparable companies and a 0 dividend yield.
2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan
The Company reserved 15,000,000 shares of common stock for future issuance under the Company’s new 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan (“2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan”). The 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan is administered by the compensation committee of the Board of Directors, and provides that the Company may grant equity incentive awards to eligible employees, directors, consultants or advisors in the form of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units and other stock-based and performance compensation awards. If an award under the 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan terminates, lapses, or is settled without the payment of the full number of shares subject to the award, the undelivered shares may be granted again under the 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan.
On April 19, 2013, 494,557 shares of restricted stock were granted to the Company’s directors, officers and employees under the 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “2013 Grant”). The shares granted were in the form of time vesting restricted shares (“Time Restricted Omnibus shares”), 2.25x performance restricted shares (“2.25x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares”) and 2.75x performance restricted shares (“2.75x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares”). The activity related to the Time Restricted Omnibus shares for the year ended December 31, 2013, is as follows:


		Shares				Weighted				Weighted
						Average Grant				Average
						Date Fair Value				Remaining
						per Share				Contractual
										Term
		(not in
		thousands)
Time Restricted Omnibus shares
Granted			171,783			$	33.45
Vested			(112,356	)		$	33.51
Forfeited			(267	)		$	33.52

Outstanding unvested Time Restricted Omnibus shares at December 31, 2013			59,160			$	33.35				15 months


The activity related to the 2.25x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares for the year ended December 31, 2013, is as follows:


		Shares				Weighted
						Average Grant
						Date Fair
						Value per
						Share
		(not in
		thousands)
2.25x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares
Granted			163,310			$	30.46
Vested			—				—
Forfeited			—				—

Outstanding unvested 2.25x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares of stock at December 31, 2013			163,310			$	30.46

The activity related to the 2.75x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares for the year ended December 31, 2013, is as follows:


		Shares				Weighted
						Average Grant
						Date Fair
						Value per
						Share
		(not in
		thousands)
2.75x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares
Granted			163,310			$	23.05
Vested			—				—
Forfeited			—				—

Outstanding unvested 2.75x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares of stock at December 31, 2013			163,310			$	23.05

The vesting terms and conditions of the Time Restricted Omnibus shares, the 2.25x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares, and the 2.75x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares included in the 2013 Grant are substantially the same as those of the previous Employee Unit Plan TVUs, 2.25x PVUs, and 2.75x PVUs, respectively, (see 2.25x and 2.75x Performance Vesting Units (“PVUs”) and Performance Restricted Shares section). For the Time Restricted Omnibus shares, after an initial 180 day post initial public offering lock up period, the vesting schedule from the Employee Unit Plan carries over so that each recipient will vest in the 2013 Grant in the same proportion as they were vested in the previous Employee Unit Plan. The remaining unvested shares vest over the remaining service period, subject to substantially the same vesting conditions which carried over from the previous Employee Unit Plan.
The grant date fair value for the Time Restricted Omnibus shares awarded was determined based on the closing market price of the Company’s stock at the date of grant applied to the total number of shares that are anticipated to fully vest. The fair value of the restricted shares will be recognized as equity compensation on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period as if the award was, in substance, multiple awards consisting of the Time Restricted Omnibus shares which vested at the end of the initial public offering 180 day lock up period, and the remaining Time Restricted Omnibus shares which vest over the requisite service period. As a result, approximately $4,088 of equity compensation expense was recognized in the year ended December 31, 2013, related to the 2013 Grant. As of December 31, 2013, unrecognized equity compensation expense related to the Time Restricted Omnibus shares was $1,651 to be recognized over the remaining requisite service period.
The grant date fair value of the 2.25x and 2.75x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares was measured using the asset-or-nothing option pricing model. Significant assumptions included a holding period of approximately 2 years from the initial public offering date, a risk free rate of 0.24%, a volatility of approximately 33.2% based on re-levered historical and implied equity volatility of comparable companies and a 0 dividend yield. There is no compensation expense recorded related to the Performance Restricted Omnibus shares until their issuance is probable. Total unrecognized compensation expense as of December 31, 2013 for the 2013 Grant was approximately $4,974 and $3,764 for the 2.25x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares and 2.75x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares, respectively.
For the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company withheld an aggregate of 28,463 shares of its common stock from employees to satisfy minimum tax withholding obligations relating to the vesting of restricted stock awards. As a result, these shares were added back to the number of shares of common stock available for future issuance under the Company’s 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan. As of December 31, 2013, there were 14,530,327 shares of common stock available for future issuance under the Company’s 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan.

Stockholders_Equity

Stockholders' Equity	12 Months Ended
Stockholders' Equity	Dec. 31, 2013
Equity [Abstract]	'
Stockholders' Equity	'
	19. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
	As of December 31, 2013, 89,900,453 shares of common stock were issued on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet, which excludes 3,378,764 unvested shares of common stock held by certain participants in the Company’s equity compensation plan (see Note 18—Equity Compensation) and includes 1,500,000 shares of treasury stock held by the Company (see Secondary Offering and Concurrent Share Repurchase discussion which follows).
	Stock Split
	On April 7, 2013, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized an eight-for-one split of the Company’s common stock, which was effective on April 8, 2013. The Company retained the current par value of $0.01 per share for all shares of common stock after the stock split, and accordingly, stockholders’ equity on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and the consolidated statements of changes in stockholders’ equity reflects the stock split. The Company’s historical share and per share information has been retroactively adjusted to give effect to this stock split.
	Contemporaneously with the stock split, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an increase in the number of authorized shares of common stock to 1 billion shares. Additionally, upon the consummation of the initial public offering, the Board of Directors authorized 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock at a par value of $0.01 per share.
	Initial Public Offering and Use of Proceeds
	On April 24, 2013, the Company completed its initial public offering of its common stock in which it offered and sold 10,000,000 shares of common stock and the selling stockholders offered and sold 19,900,000 shares of common stock including, 3,900,000 shares of common stock pursuant to the exercise in full of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares. The shares offered and sold in the offering were registered under the Securities Act pursuant to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, which was declared effective by the SEC on April 18, 2013. The common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SEAS”.

	The Company’s shares of common stock were sold at an initial public offering price of $27.00 per share, which generated net proceeds of approximately $245,400 to the Company after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, expenses and transaction costs. The Company did not receive any proceeds from shares sold by the selling stockholders. The Company used a portion of the net proceeds received in the offering to redeem $140,000 in aggregate principal amount of its Senior Notes at a redemption price of 111.0% plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon, pursuant to a provision in the indenture governing the Senior Notes that permits the Company to redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes with the net cash proceeds of certain equity offerings. In addition, the Company used approximately $46,300 of the net proceeds received from the offering to make a one-time payment to an affiliate of Blackstone in connection with the termination of the 2009 Advisory Agreement (see Note 16—Related-Party Transactions). Of the net proceeds received from the offering, $37,000 was used to repay a portion of the outstanding indebtedness under the Term B Loan.
	Secondary Offering and Concurrent Share Repurchase
	On December 17, 2013, the selling stockholders completed an underwritten secondary offering of 18,000,000 shares of common stock at a price of $30.00 per share. The selling stockholders received all of the net proceeds from the offering and no shares were sold by the Company. The Company incurred fees and expenses of $1,407 in connection with the secondary offering which is shown as secondary offering expenses on the accompanying consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the year ended December 31, 2013.
	Concurrently with the closing of the secondary offering, the Company repurchased 1,500,000 shares of its common stock directly from the selling stockholders in a private, non-underwritten transaction. All repurchased shares are recorded as treasury stock at a cost of $44,163 and reflected as a reduction to stockholders’ equity at December 31, 2013 on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.
	Dividends
	In September 2011 and March 2012, respectively, the Company declared a $110,100 and $500,000 cash dividend to its common stockholders, which at that time consisted of entities controlled by certain affiliates of Blackstone. These dividends were considered a return of capital for both accounting and tax purposes.
	In 2013, the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) adopted a policy to pay, subject to legally available funds, a regular quarterly dividend. The Board declared quarterly cash dividends of $0.20 per share to all common stockholders of record at the close of business on June 20, September 20 and December 20, 2013, which were paid on July 1, 2013, October 1, 2013 and January 3, 2014, respectively. As the Company had an accumulated deficit at the time the June 20 dividend was declared, this dividend was accounted for as a return of capital and recorded as a reduction to additional paid-in capital on the accompanying consolidated statement of changes in stockholders’ equity.
	On March 4, 2014, the Board declared a cash dividend of $0.20 per share to all common stockholders of record at the close of business on March 20, 2014, payable on April 1, 2014.
	Unvested restricted shares carry dividend rights and therefore the dividends are payable as the shares vest in accordance with the underlying stock compensation grants. As of December 31, 2013, the Company had $17,939 of cash dividends payable recorded as dividends payable in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet, of which $17,680 was paid on January 3, 2014 and the remainder will be paid as certain restricted shares vest. Accumulated dividends on the 2.25x and 2.75x Performance Restricted shares, including the 2.25x and 2.75x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares (collectively, the “Performance Restricted shares”), were approximately $883 for each tranche and will accumulate and be paid only if and to the extent the Performance Restricted shares vest in accordance with their terms. The Company has not recorded a payable related to these dividends as the vesting of the Performance Restricted shares is not probable.
	Other
	In 2011, the Company sold 233,920 shares of common stock to the Partnership (not in thousands) for net cash consideration of $2,736.

Summary_Quarterly_Financial_Da

Summary Quarterly Financial Data	12 Months Ended
Summary Quarterly Financial Data	Dec. 31, 2013
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Summary Quarterly Financial Data	'
	20. SUMMARY QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA (UNAUDITED)
	Unaudited summary quarterly financial data for the year ended December 31, 2013 was as follows:


			2013
			First			Second			Third		Fourth
			Quarter			Quarter (a)			Quarter		Quarter
			(Unaudited)
	Total revenues		$	238,610		$	411,292		$	538,389	$	271,959

	Operating (loss) income		$	(35,873	)	$	30,980		$	205,594	$	505

	Net (loss) income		$	(40,360	)	$	(15,854	)	$	120,199	$	(13,507	)

	(Loss) earnings per share:
	Net (loss) income per share, basic		$	(0.49	)	$	(0.18	)	$	1.34	$	(0.15	)

	Net (loss) income per share, diluted		$	(0.49	)	$	(0.18	)	$	1.33	$	(0.15	)


	(a)	During the second quarter of 2013, the Company recorded $50,072 in fees related to the termination of the 2009 Advisory Agreement and $32,429 related to a loss on early extinguishment of debt and write-off of discounts and deferred financing costs.


			2012
			First			Second			Third		Fourth
			Quarter			Quarter			Quarter		Quarter
			(Unaudited)
	Total revenues		$	212,442		$	425,882		$	522,255	$	263,173

	Operating (loss) income		$	(48,279	)	$	93,086		$	183,862	$	(1,880	)

	Net (loss) income		$	(45,134	)	$	39,120		$	92,257	$	(8,799	)

	(Loss) earnings per share:
	Net (loss) income per share, basic		$	(0.55	)	$	0.47		$	1.12	$	(0.11	)

	Net (loss) income per share, diluted		$	(0.55	)	$	0.47		$	1.11	$	(0.11	)

	Based upon historical results, the Company typically generates its highest revenues in the second and third quarters of each year and incurs a net loss in the first and fourth quarters, in part because six of its theme parks are only open for a portion of the year.

Schedule_IRegistrants_Condense

Schedule I-Registrant's Condensed Financial Statements	12 Months Ended
Schedule I-Registrant's Condensed Financial Statements	Dec. 31, 2013
Condensed Financial Information Of Parent Company Only Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule I-Registrant's Condensed Financial Statements	'
	Schedule I-Registrant’s Condensed Financial Statements
	SEAWORLD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
	PARENT COMPANY ONLY
	CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS
	(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)


			December 31,
			2013				2012
	Assets
	Current Assets:
	Cash		$	172			$	203
	Due from wholly owned subsidiary			17,767				—

	Total current assets			17,939				203
	Investment in wholly owned subsidiary			654,121				451,102

	Total assets		$	672,060			$	451,305

	Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
	Current Liabilities:
	Dividends payable		$	17,939			$	203

	Total current liabilities			17,939				203

	Total liabilities			17,939				203

	Commitments and contingencies
	Stockholder Equity:
	Preferred stock, $0.01 par value—authorized, 100,000,000 shares, no shares issued or outstanding at December 31, 2013 and 2012			—				—
	Common stock, $0.01 par value—authorized, 1,000,000,000 shares; 89,900,453 shares issued at December 31, 2013 and 82,737,008 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2012			899				827
	Additional paid-in capital			689,394				456,923
	Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)			7,991				(6,648	)
	Treasury stock, at cost (1,500,000 shares at December 31, 2013)			(44,163	)			—

	Total stockholders’ equity			654,121				451,102

	Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity		$	672,060			$	451,305

	See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.

	SEAWORLD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
	PARENT COMPANY ONLY
	CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
	FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2013, 2012 AND 2011
	(In thousands)


			Year Ended December 31,
			2013				2012				2011
	Equity in net income of subsidiary		$	50,478			$	77,444			$	19,113

	Net income		$	50,478			$	77,444			$	19,113

	See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.

	SEAWORLD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
	PARENT COMPANY ONLY
	CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
	FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2013, 2012 AND 2011
	(In thousands)


		For the Year Ended December 31,
		2013				2012				2011
Cash Flows From Operating Activities:
Net income		$	50,478			$	77,444			$	19,113
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Equity in net income of subsidiary			(50,478	)			(77,444	)			(19,113	)
Dividend received from subsidiary-return on capital			18,072				—				—

Net cash provided by operating activities			18,072				—				—

Cash Flows From Investing Activities:
Capital contributed to subsidiary			(249,106	)			—				(2,736	)
Resticted payment from subsidiary			44,163				—				—
Dividend received from subsidiary-return of capital			18,072				500,000				100,000

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities			(186,871	)			500,000				97,264

Cash Flows From Financing Activities:
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock			—				—				12,836
Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of underwriter commissions			253,800				—				—
Purchase of treasury stock			(44,163	)			—				—
Dividend paid to common stockholders			(36,175	)			(502,977	)			(106,920	)
Offering costs			(4,694	)			—				—

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities			168,768				(502,977	)			(94,084	)

Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents			(31	)			(2,977	)			3,180
Cash and Cash Equivalents—Beginning of year			203				3,180				—

Cash and Cash Equivalents—End of year		$	172			$	203			$	3,180

Supplemental Disclosures of Noncash Financing Activities
Dividends declared, but unpaid		$	17,939			$	203			$	3,180

See accompanying notes to condensed financial statements.

SEAWORLD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
NOTES TO CONDENSED PARENT COMPANY ONLY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)
1. DESCRIPTION OF SEAWORLD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. (the “Parent”) was incorporated in Delaware on October 2, 2009. At that time, the Parent was owned by ten limited partnerships (the “Partnerships” or the “selling stockholders”), ultimately owned by affiliates of The Blackstone Group L.P. (“Blackstone”) and certain co-investors. The Parent has no operations or significant assets or liabilities other than its investment in SeaWorld & Parks Entertainment, Inc. (“SEA”), which owns and operates eleven theme parks within the United States. Accordingly, the Parent is dependent upon distributions from SEA to fund its obligations. However, under the terms of SEA’s various debt agreements, SEA’s ability to pay dividends or lend to the Parent is restricted, except that SEA may pay specified amounts to the Parent to fund the payment of the Parent’s tax obligations.
On April 24, 2013, the Parent completed an initial public offering in which it sold 10,000,000 shares of common stock and the selling stockholders sold 19,900,000 shares of common stock, including 3,900,000 shares pursuant to the exercise in full of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares. On December 17, 2013, the selling stockholders completed an underwritten secondary offering of 18,000,000 shares of common stock at a price of $30.00 per share. The selling stockholders received all of the net proceeds from the offering and no shares were sold by the Parent. Concurrently with the closing of the secondary offering, the Parent repurchased 1,500,000 shares of its common stock directly from the selling stockholders in a private, non-underwritten transaction at a price per share equal to the price per share paid to the selling stockholders by the underwriters in the secondary offering. See further discussion in Note 5-Stockholders’ Equity, which follows.
2. BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The accompanying condensed financial statements (the “parent company only financial statements”) include the accounts of the Parent and its investment in SEA accounted for in accordance with the equity method, and do not present the financial statements of the Parent and its subsidiary on a consolidated basis. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted since this information is included with the SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “consolidated financial statements”). These parent company only financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements.
Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2013 presentation, in particular dividends payable, on the accompanying condensed balance sheets.
3. GUARANTEES
On December 1, 2009, SEA entered into senior secured credit facilities (the “Senior Secured Credit Facilities”) and issued senior notes (the “Senior Notes”). The Senior Secured Credit Facilities were amended effective on February 17, 2011, April 15, 2011, March 30, 2012, April 24, 2013, May 14, 2013 and August 9, 2013. See further discussion in Note 11-Long-Term Debt of the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
Under the terms of the Senior Secured Credit Facilities, the obligations of SEA are fully, unconditionally and irrevocably guaranteed by Parent, any subsidiary of Parent that directly or indirectly owns 100% of the issued and outstanding equity interest of SEA, and subject to certain exceptions, each of SEA’s existing and future material domestic wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, the “Guarantors”).
The obligations under the Senior Notes are guaranteed by the same Guarantors as under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities. In the event of a default under the Senior Notes, the principal and accrued interest would become immediately due and payable (subject to, in some cases, grace periods).

4. DIVIDENDS FROM SUBSIDIARIES
The Parent received dividends in the amount of $500,000 and $100,000 from SEA on March 30, 2012 and September 29, 2011, respectively, which have been reflected as a return of capital in the accompanying condensed financial statements. On those same dates, the Parent declared dividends (defined as a restricted payment in the Senior Secured Credit Facilities) of $500,000 and $110,100 to the Partnerships, of which $609,897 was paid as of December 31, 2012 and the remainder was paid in 2013. This dividend has also been reflected as a return of capital in the accompanying condensed financial statements.
In June 2013, SEA’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) adopted a policy to pay a regular quarterly dividend to the Parent. As a result, a cash dividend of $18,072, $18,072 and $17,767 was paid on July 1, 2013, October 1, 2013 and January 2, 2014, respectively. As SEA had an accumulated deficit at the time the July 1 dividend was declared to the Parent, this dividend was accounted for as a return of capital by the Parent. The remaining dividends from SEA have been reflected as a return on capital in the accompanying condensed financial statements.
Also in June 2013, the Parent’s Board adopted a policy to pay a regular quarterly dividend (defined as a restricted payment in the Senior Secured Credit Facilities). As a result, quarterly cash dividends of $0.20 per share were declared to all common stockholders of record at the close of business on June 20, September 20 and December 20, 2013, which were paid on July 1, 2013, October 1, 2013 and January 3, 2014, respectively. As of December 31, 2013, the Parent had $17,939 of cash dividends payable included in dividends payable in the accompanying condensed balance sheet, of which $17,680 was paid on January 3, 2014. See Note 19-Stockholders’ Equity of the accompanying consolidated financial statements for further discussion.
On March 4, 2014, SEA’s Board declared a cash dividend of up to $18,352 to the Parent, payable on April 1, 2014. Additionally, the Parent’s Board declared a cash dividend of $0.20 per share to all common stockholders of record at the close of business on March 20, 2014, payable on April 1, 2014.
5. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Stock Split and Authorized Shares
On April 7, 2013, the Parent’s Board authorized an eight-for-one split of the Parent’s common stock which was effective on April 8, 2013. The Parent retained the current par value of $0.01 per share for all shares of common stock after the stock split, and accordingly, stockholders’ equity on the accompanying condensed balance sheet reflects the stock split. The Parent’s historical share information has been retroactively adjusted to give effect to this stock split.
Contemporaneously with the stock split, on April 8, 2013, the Parent’s Board approved an increase in the number of authorized shares of common stock to 1 billion shares. Additionally, upon the consummation of the initial public offering, the Parent’s Board authorized 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock at a par value of $0.01 per share.
2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan
The Parent reserved 15,000,000 shares of common stock for future issuance under a new 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan (“2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan”). The 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan is administered by the compensation committee of the Parent’s Board, and provides that the Parent may grant equity incentive awards to eligible employees, directors, consultants or advisors of the Parent or its subsidiary, SEA, in the form of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units and other stock-based and performance compensation awards. If an award under the 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan terminates, lapses, or is settled without the payment of the full number of shares subject to the award, the undelivered shares may be granted again under the 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan.
See further discussion in Note 18- Equity-Based Compensation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
Initial Public Offering and Use of Proceeds
On April 24, 2013, the Parent completed an initial public offering of its common stock in which it offered and sold 10,000,000 shares of common stock and the selling stockholders of the Parent offered and sold 19,900,000 shares of common stock including, 3,900,000 shares of common stock pursuant to the exercise in full of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares. The shares offered and sold in the offering were registered under the Securities Act pursuant to the Parent’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 18, 2013. The common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SEAS”.
The Parent’s shares of common stock were sold at an initial public offering price of $27.00 per share, which generated net proceeds of approximately $245,400 to the Parent after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, expenses and transaction costs. Subsequent to the initial public offering, the Parent transferred the net proceeds to SEA as a capital contribution and increased its investment in SEA. The Parent did not receive any proceeds from shares sold by the selling stockholders.
Secondary Offering and Concurrent Share Repurchase
On December 17, 2013, the selling stockholders completed a registered secondary offering of 18,000,000 shares of common stock at a price of $30.00 per share. The selling stockholders received all of the net proceeds from the offering and no shares were sold by the Parent. Concurrently with the closing of the secondary offering, the Parent repurchased 1,500,000 shares of its common stock directly from the selling stockholders in a private, non-underwritten transaction. All repurchased shares are recorded as treasury stock at a cost of $44,163 and reflected as a reduction to stockholders’ equity at December 31, 2013 on the accompanying condensed balance sheet. SEA transferred $44,163 as a restricted payment to the Parent for the payment of the repurchased shares.

Summary_of_Significant_Account1

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation	'
	Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation
	The accompanying consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). All intercompany accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates	'
	Use of Estimates
	The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Significant estimates and assumptions include, but are not limited to, the accounting for self-insurance, deferred tax assets, deferred revenue, equity compensation and the valuation of goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Reclassifications	'
	Reclassifications
	Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2013 presentation, in particular dividends payable, on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	'
	Cash and Cash Equivalents
	Cash and cash equivalents include cash held at financial institutions as well as operating cash onsite at each theme park to fund daily operations and amounts due from third-party credit card companies with settlement terms of less than four days. The amounts due from third-party credit card companies totaled $9,776 and $15,076 at December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The cash balances in non- interest bearing accounts held at financial institutions are fully insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) through December 31, 2013. Interest bearing accounts are insured up to $250. At times, cash balances may exceed federally insured amounts and potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk. Management believes that no significant concentration of credit risk exists with respect to these cash balances because of its assessment of the creditworthiness and financial viability of the respective financial institutions.
Accounts Receivable-Net	'
	Accounts Receivable—Net
	Accounts receivable are reported at net realizable value and consist primarily of amounts due from customers for the sale of admission products. The Company is not exposed to a significant concentration of credit risk. The Company does record an allowance for estimated uncollectible receivables, based on the amount and status of past-due accounts, contractual terms of the receivables and the Company’s history of uncollectible accounts. For all periods presented, the allowance for uncollectible accounts and the related provision were insignificant.
Inventories	'
	Inventories
	Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market value with the cost being determined by the weighted average cost method. Inventories consist primarily of products for resale, including merchandise, culinary items and miscellaneous supplies. Obsolete or excess inventories are recorded at their estimated realizable value.
Restricted Cash	'
	Restricted Cash
	Restricted cash is recorded in other current assets and consists of funds received from strategic partners for use in approved marketing and promotional activities.
Property and Equipment-Net	'
	Property and Equipment—Net
	Property and equipment are recorded at cost. The cost of ordinary or routine maintenance, repairs, spare parts and minor renewals is expensed as incurred. Internal development costs associated with new attractions, rides and product development are capitalized after necessary feasibility studies have been completed and final concept or contracts have been approved. The cost of assets is depreciated using the straight-line method based on the following estimated useful lives:


	Land improvements	10-40 years
	Buildings	5-40 years
	Rides, attractions and equipment	3-20 years
	Animals	1-50 years

	Material costs to purchase animals exhibited in the theme parks are capitalized and amortized over their estimated lives (1-50 years). All costs to maintain animals and animal collections are expensed as incurred, including in-house animal breeding costs, as they are insignificant to the consolidated financial statements. Construction in process assets consist primarily of new rides, attractions and infrastructure improvements that have not yet been placed in service. These assets are stated at cost and are not depreciated. Once construction of the assets is completed and placed into service, assets are reclassified to the appropriate asset class based on their nature and depreciated in accordance with the useful lives above. Debt interest is capitalized on all construction projects. Total interest capitalized for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, was $4,347 and $5,791, respectively.
Computer System Development Costs	'
	Computer System Development Costs
	The Company capitalizes computer system development costs that meet established criteria and amortizes those costs to expense on a straight-line basis over five years. The capitalized costs related to the computer system development costs were $3,708 and $2,694 for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and are recorded in other assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Systems reengineering costs do not meet the proper criteria for capitalization and are expensed as incurred.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets	'
	Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
	All long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment upon the occurrence of events or changes in circumstances that would indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. An impairment loss may be recognized when estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset, including disposition, are less than the carrying value of the asset. The measurement of the impairment loss to be recognized is based upon the difference between the fair value and the carrying amounts of the assets. Fair value is generally determined based upon a discounted cash flow analysis. In order to determine if an asset has been impaired, assets are grouped and tested at the lowest level for which identifiable independent cash flows are available (generally a theme park). No impairment losses were recognized during the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011.
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets	'
	Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets
	Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized, but instead reviewed for impairment at least annually on December 1, with ongoing recoverability based on applicable reporting unit performance and consideration of significant events or changes in the overall business environment. In assessing goodwill for impairment, the Company will initially evaluate qualitative factors to determine if it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. The Company considers several factors, including macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, overall financial performance of the reporting unit, changes in management, strategy or customers, and relevant reporting unit specific events such as a change in the carrying amount of net assets, a more-likely-than-not expectation of selling or disposing all, or a portion, of a reporting unit, and the testing for recoverability of a significant asset group within a reporting unit. If this qualitative assessment results in a conclusion that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds the carrying value, then no further testing is performed for that reporting unit. If the qualitative assessment is not conclusive and it is necessary to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit, then the impairment analysis for goodwill is performed at the reporting unit level using a two-step approach. The first step is a comparison of the fair value of the reporting unit, determined using future cash flow analysis, to its recorded amount. If the recorded amount exceeds the fair value, the second step quantifies any impairment write-down by comparing the current implied value of goodwill to the recorded goodwill balance. The Company’s indefinite-lived intangible assets consist of certain trade names which, after considering legal, regulatory, contractual, and other competitive and economic factors, are determined to have indefinite lives and are valued using the relief from royalty method. The Company performed a qualitative assessment of goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets at December 1, 2013 and 2011 and a quantitative assessment at December 1, 2012, and found no impairments.
Other Intangible Assets	'
	Other Intangible Assets
	The Company’s other intangible assets consist primarily of certain trade names, relationships with ticket resellers, a favorable lease asset and a non-compete agreement. These intangible assets are amortized on the straight-line basis over their estimated remaining lives.
Self-Insurance Reserves	'
	Self-Insurance Reserves
	Reserves are recorded for the estimated amounts of guest and employee claims and expenses incurred each period that are not covered by insurance. Reserves are established for both identified claims and incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) claims. Such amounts are accrued for when claim amounts become probable and estimable. Reserves for identified claims are based upon the Company’s historical claims experience and third-party estimates of settlement costs. Reserves for IBNR claims are based upon the Company’s claims data history, actuarially determined loss development factors and qualitative considerations such as claims management activities. The Company maintains self-insurance reserves for healthcare, auto, general liability and workers compensation claims. Total claims reserves were $24,643 at December 31, 2013, of which $2,905 is recorded in accrued salaries, wages and benefits, $7,800 is recorded in other accrued expenses and the remaining long-term portion is recorded in other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Total claims reserves were $23,509 at December 31, 2012, of which $3,090 is recorded in accrued salaries, wages and benefits, $7,800 is recorded in other accrued expenses and the remaining long-term portion is recorded in other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. All reserves are periodically reviewed for changes in facts and circumstances and adjustments are made as necessary.
Debt Financing Costs	'
	Debt Financing Costs
	Direct costs incurred in issuance of long-term debt are being amortized to interest expense using the effective interest method over the term of the related debt.
Treasury Stock	'
	Treasury Stock
	From time to time, the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) may authorize share repurchases of common stock. Shares repurchased under Board authorizations are held in treasury for general corporate purposes. The Company accounts for treasury stock under the cost method. Treasury stock at December 31, 2013 is recorded as a reduction to stockholders’ equity as the Company does not currently intend to retire the treasury stock held. See further discussion in Note 19-Stockholders’ Equity.
Revenue Recognition	'
	Revenue Recognition
	The Company recognizes revenue upon admission into a park or when products are delivered to customers. For season passes and other multi-use admissions, deferred revenue is recorded and the related revenue is recognized over the terms of the admission product and its related use. Deferred revenue includes a current and long-term portion. At December 31, 2013 and 2012, long-term deferred revenue of $3,176 and $6,315, respectively, is included in other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The Company has entered into agreements with certain external theme park, zoo and other attraction operators to jointly market and sell admission products. These joint products allow admission to both a Company park and an external park, zoo or other attraction. The agreements with the external parks, specify the allocation of revenue to the Company from any jointly sold products. The Company’s portion of revenue is deferred and recognized over its related use. The Company barters theme park admission products and sponsorship opportunities for advertising, employee recognition awards, and various other services. The fair value of the admission products is recognized into revenue and related expense at the time of the exchange and approximates the fair value of the goods or services received. For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, $19,959, $19,628 and $19,734, respectively, were included within admissions revenue and selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of comprehensive income related to bartered ticket transactions.
Advertising and Promotional Costs	'
	Advertising and Promotional Costs
	Advertising production costs are deferred and expensed the first time the advertisement is shown. Advertising and media costs are expensed as incurred and for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, totaled approximately $112,000, $116,700 and $113,300, respectively, and are included in selling, general nd administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
Equity-Based Compensation	'
	Equity-Based Compensation
	The Company measures the cost of employee services rendered in exchange for share-based compensation based upon the grant date fair market value. The cost is recognized over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period. See further discussion in Note 18—Equity-Based Compensation.
Income Taxes	'
	Income Taxes
	Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in operations in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is established for deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Realization is dependent on generating future taxable income or the reversal of deferred tax liabilities during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. The Company evaluates its tax positions by determining if it is more likely than not a tax position is sustainable upon examination, based upon the technical merits of the position, before any of the benefit is recorded for financial statement purposes. The benefit is measured as the largest dollar amount of position that is more likely than not to be sustained upon settlement. Previously recorded benefits that no longer meet the more-likely than not threshold are charged to earnings in the period that the determination is made. Interest and penalties accrued related to uncertain positions are charged to the provision/benefit for income taxes.
Fair Value Measurements	'
	Fair Value Measurements
	Fair value is defined as an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants.
	An entity is permitted to measure certain financial assets and financial liabilities at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in earnings each period. The Company has not elected to use the fair value option for any of its financial assets and financial liabilities that are not already recorded at fair value. Carrying values of financial instruments classified as current assets and current liabilities approximate fair value, due to their short-term nature.
	A description of the Company’s policies regarding fair value measurement is summarized below.
	Fair Value Hierarchy—Fair value is determined for assets and liabilities, which are grouped according to a hierarchy, based upon significant levels of observable or unobservable inputs. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s market assumptions. This hierarchy requires the use of observable market data when available. These two types of inputs have created the following fair value hierarchy:
	Level 1—Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets.
	Level 2—Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets.
	Level 3—Valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.
	Determination of Fair Value—The Company generally uses quoted market prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access to determine fair value, and classifies such items in Level 1. Fair values determined by Level 2 inputs utilize inputs other than quoted market prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 2 inputs include quoted market prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, and inputs other than quoted market prices that are observable for the asset or liability. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability. If quoted market prices are not available, fair value is based upon internally developed valuation techniques that use, where possible, current market-based or independently sourced market parameters, such as interest and currency rates, and the like. Assets or liabilities valued using such internally generated valuation techniques are classified according to the lowest level input or value driver that is significant to the valuation. Thus, an item may be classified in Level 3 even though there may be some significant inputs that are readily observable.
Segment Reporting	'
	Segment Reporting
	The Company maintains discrete financial information for each of its eleven theme parks, which is used by the Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”), identified as the Chief Executive Officer, as a basis for allocating resources. Each theme park has been identified as an operating segment and meets the criteria for aggregation due to similar economic characteristics. In addition, all of the theme parks provide similar products and services and share similar processes for delivering services. The theme parks have a high degree of similarity in the workforces and target the same consumer group. Accordingly, based on these economic and operational similarities and the way the CODM monitors the operations, the Company has concluded that its operating segments may be aggregated and that it has one reportable segment.
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities	'
	Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities
	During fiscal year 2012, the Company entered into certain derivative transactions, as detailed in Note 12-Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, and elected the related derivative instruments and hedging activities accounting policy described herein. Accounting Standards Codification Topic (“ASC”) 815, Derivatives and Hedging, provides the disclosure requirements for derivatives and hedging activities with the intent to provide users of financial statements with an enhanced understanding of: (a) how and why an entity uses derivative instruments, (b) how the entity accounts for derivative instruments and related hedged items, and (c) how derivative instruments and related hedged items affect an entity’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Further, qualitative disclosures are required that explain the Company’s objectives and strategies for using derivatives, as well as quantitative disclosures about the fair value of, and gains and losses on, derivative instruments, and disclosures about credit-risk-related contingent features in derivative instruments.
	As required by ASC 815, the Company records all derivatives on the balance sheet at fair value. The accounting for changes in the fair value of derivatives depends on the intended use of the derivative, whether the Company has elected to designate a derivative in a hedging relationship and apply hedge accounting and whether the hedging relationship has satisfied the criteria necessary to apply hedge accounting. Derivatives designated and qualifying as a hedge of the exposure to changes in the fair value of an asset, liability, or firm commitment attributable to a particular risk, such as interest rate risk, are considered fair value hedges. Derivatives designated and qualifying as a hedge of the exposure to variability in expected future cash flows, or other types of forecasted transactions, are considered cash flow hedges. Hedge accounting generally provides for the matching of the timing of gain or loss recognition on the hedging instrument with the recognition of the changes in the fair value of the hedged asset or liability that are attributable to the hedged risk in a fair value hedge or the earnings effect of the hedged forecasted transactions in a cash flow hedge. The Company may enter into derivative contracts that are intended to economically hedge certain of its risk, even though hedge accounting does not apply or the Company elects not to apply hedge accounting.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	'
	In February 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2013-02, “Reporting Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income,” which amends ASC 220, Comprehensive Income. The amended guidance requires entities to provide information about the amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by component. Additionally, entities are required to present, either on the face of the financial statements or in the notes, significant amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by the respective line items of net income. The amended guidance does not change the current requirements for reporting net income or other comprehensive income. The amendments are effective prospectively for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2012. The adoption of ASU No. 2013-02 did not have a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Summary_of_Significant_Account2

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Estimated Useful Lives	'
	The cost of assets is depreciated using the straight-line method based on the following estimated useful lives:


	Land improvements	10-40 years
	Buildings	5-40 years
	Rides, attractions and equipment	3-20 years
	Animals	1-50 years

Acquisitions_Tables

Acquisitions (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Acquisitions (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2013
Business Combinations [Abstract]	'
Purchase Price Allocation	'
	The Company allocated the cost of the acquisition to the assets acquired based upon their respective fair values. These fair values are based on management’s estimates and assumptions, including variations of the income approach, the market approach and the cost approach, resulting in a purchase price allocation as follows:


	Land	$	12,100
	Other property and equipment		2,400
	Non-compete agreement		500

	Total assets acquired	$	15,000

Earnings_per_Share_Tables

Earnings per Share (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Earnings per Share (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Earnings per Share	'
	Earnings per share is computed as follows (in thousands, except per share data):


		Year Ended December 31,
		2013						2012						2011
		Net		Shares		Per		Net		Shares		Per		Net		Shares		Per
		Income				Share		Income				Share		Income				Share
						Amount						Amount						Amount
	Basic earnings per share	$	50,478		87,537	$	0.58	$	77,444		82,480	$	0.94	$	19,113		81,392	$	0.23
	Effect of dilutive incentive-based awards				615						1,072						632

	Diluted earnings per share	$	50,478		88,152	$	0.57	$	77,444		83,552	$	0.93	$	19,113		82,024	$	0.23

Inventories_Tables

Inventories (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Inventories (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2013
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Inventories	'
	Inventories as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, consisted of the following:


		2013		2012
	Merchandise	$	30,586	$	31,435
	Food and beverage		5,623		5,152

	Total inventories	$	36,209	$	36,587

Prepaid_Expenses_and_Other_Cur1

Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2013
Deferred Costs Capitalized Prepaid And Other Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets	'
	Prepaid expenses and other current assets as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, consisted of the following:


		2013		2012
	Prepaid insurance	$	8,418	$	8,157
	Prepaid marketing and advertising costs		6,817		2,500
	Deferred offering costs		—		3,665
	Other		4,378		3,495

	Total prepaid expenses and other current assets	$	19,613	$	17,817

Property_and_Equipment_Net_Tab

Property and Equipment, Net (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Property and Equipment, Net (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2013
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]	'
Components of Property and Equipment, Net	'
	The components of property and equipment, net as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, consisted of the following:


		2013			2012
	Land	$	286,200		$	286,200
	Land improvements		259,722			238,860
	Buildings		537,532			468,647
	Rides, attractions and equipment		1,173,746			1,100,423
	Animals		157,160			161,194
	Construction in process		71,445			88,237
	Less accumulated depreciation		(714,305	)		(568,918	)

	Total property and equipment, net	$	1,771,500		$	1,774,643

Trade_Names_and_Other_Intangib1

Trade Names and Other Intangible Assets, Net (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Trade Names and Other Intangible Assets, Net (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2013
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Trade Names, Net	'
	Trade names, net are comprised of the following at December 31, 2013:


		Weighted		Gross		Accumulated		Net
		Average		Carrying		Amortization		Carrying
		Amortization		Amount				Value
		Period
	Trade names—indefinite lives			$	157,000	$	—	$	157,000
	Trade names—definite lives	10 years			11,000		4,492		6,508

	Total Trade names, net			$	168,000	$	4,492	$	163,508

	Trade names-net are comprised of the following at December 31, 2012:


		Weighted		Gross		Accumulated		Net
		Average		Carrying		Amortization		Carrying
		Amortization		Amount				Value
		Period
	Trade names—indefinite lives			$	157,000	$	—	$	157,000
	Trade names—definite lives	10 years			11,000		3,392		7,608

	Total Trade names, net			$	168,000	$	3,392	$	164,608

Other Intangible Assets-Net	'
	Other intangible assets-net at December 31, 2013, consisted of the following:


		Weighted		Gross		Accumulated		Net
		Average		Carrying		Amortization		Carrying
		Amortization		Amount				Value
		Period
	Favorable lease asset	39 years		$	18,200	$	1,867	$	16,333
	Reseller agreements	8.1 years			22,300		11,232		11,068
	Non-compete agreement	5 years			500		58		442

	Total other intangible assets, net			$	41,000	$	13,157	$	27,843

	Other intangible assets-net at December 31, 2012, consisted of the following:


		Weighted		Gross		Accumulated		Net
		Average		Carrying		Amortization		Carrying
		Amortization		Amount				Value
		Period
	Favorable lease asset	39 years		$	18,200	$	1,397	$	16,803
	Reseller agreements	8.1 years			22,300		8,483		13,817
	Non-compete agreement	5 years			500		—		500

	Total other intangible assets, net			$	41,000	$	9,880	$	31,120

Schedule of Expected Amortization of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets	'
	Total expected amortization of the finite-lived intangible assets for the succeeding five years and thereafter is as follows:


	Years Ending December 31
	2014	$	4,418
	2015		4,418
	2016		4,418
	2017		4,213
	2018		1,870
	Thereafter		15,014

		$	34,351

Other_Accrued_Expenses_Tables

Other Accrued Expenses (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Other Accrued Expenses (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2013
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Other Accrued Expenses	'
	Other accrued expenses at December 31, 2013 and 2012, consisted of the following:


		2013		2012
	Accrued property taxes	$	2,113	$	1,974
	Accrued interest		2,636		3,877
	Note payable		—		3,000
	Self-insurance reserve		7,800		7,800
	Other		2,715		2,699

	Total other accrued expenses	$	15,264	$	19,350

LongTerm_Debt_Tables

Long-Term Debt (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Long-Term Debt (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2013
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Summary of Long-Term Debt	'
	Long-term debt as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 consisted of the following:


		2013			2012
	Term A Loan	$	—		$	152,000
	Term B Loan		—			1,293,774
	Term B-2 Loans		1,397,975			—
	Revolving credit agreement		—			—
	Senior Notes		260,000			400,000

	Total long-term debt		1,657,975			1,845,774
	Less discounts		(16,742	)		(21,800	)
	Less current maturities		(14,050	)		(21,330	)

	Total long-term debt, net of current maturities	$	1,627,183		$	1,802,644

Summary of Long-Term Debt Repayable	'
	Long-term debt at December 31, 2013, is repayable as follows, not including any possible prepayments described above:


	Years Ending December 31,
	2014	$	14,050
	2015		14,050
	2016		14,050
	2017		274,050
	2018		14,050
	Thereafter		1,327,725

	Total	$	1,657,975

Derivative_Instruments_and_Hed1

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2013
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Fair Value of Company's Derivative Financial Instruments Classification on Balance Sheet	'
	The table below presents the fair value of the Company’s derivative financial instruments as well as their classification on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2013 and 2012:


		Asset Derivatives						Liability Derivatives
		As of December 31, 2013						As of December 31, 2012
		Balance Sheet		Fair Value				Balance Sheet	Fair Value
		Location		Fair Value				Location	Fair Value
	Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
	Interest rate swaps	Other assets		$	71			Other liabilities	$	1,880

	Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments			$	71				$	1,880

Schedule of Pre-tax Effect of Derivative Financial Instruments on Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income	'
	The table below presents the pre-tax effect of the Company’s derivative financial instruments on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012:


		2013				2012
	Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships:
	Gain (loss) related to effective portion of derivatives recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income	$	386			$	(1,522	)
	Gain (loss) related to effective portion of derivatives reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to interest expense	$	1,511			$	(358	)
	Gain (loss) related to ineffective portion of derivatives recognized in other income (expense)	$	—			$	—
Schedule of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	'
	The following table reflects the changes in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2013, net of tax:


		Gains (Losses)
		on Cash Flow
		Hedges
	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):
	Balance at December 31, 2012	$	(1,254	)
	Other comprehensive income before reclassifications		257
	Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to interest expense		1,008

	Unrealized gain on derivatives, net of tax		1,265

	Balance at December 31, 2013	$	11

Income_Taxes_Tables

Income Taxes (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Provision for Income Taxes	'
	For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, the provision for income taxes is comprised of the following:


		2013			2012			2011
	Current income tax (benefit) provision
	Federal	$	(113	)	$	(70	)	$	(70	)
	State		1,086			542			1,277
	Foreign		13			31			24

	Total current income tax provision		986			503			1,231

	Deferred income tax provision (benefit):
	Federal		27,852			37,873			11,429
	State		(3,834	)		1,106			768

	Total deferred income tax provision		24,018			38,979			12,197

	Total income tax provision	$	25,004		$	39,482		$	13,428

Components of Deferred Income Tax Assets and Liabilities	'
	The components of deferred income tax assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 are as follows:


		2013			2012
	Deferred income tax assets:
	Acquisition and debt related costs	$	4,534		$	22,651
	Net operating loss		270,467			222,702
	Self-insurance		8,686			7,912
	Deferred revenue		2,134			1,077
	Other		8,156			5,736

	Total deferred income tax assets		293,977			260,078

	Deferred income tax liabilities:
	Property and equipment		(245,418	)		(199,836	)
	Goodwill		(28,242	)		(21,028	)
	Amortization		(12,613	)		(11,307	)
	Other		(8,593	)		(4,146	)

	Total deferred income tax liabilities		(294,866	)		(236,317	)

	Net deferred income tax (liabilities) assets	$	(889	)	$	23,761

Schedule of Reconciliation between U.S. Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate and Company's Effective Income Tax Provision (Benefit) Rate	'
	The reconciliation between the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate and the Company’s effective income tax provision (benefit) rate for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, is as follows:


		2013			2012			2011
	Income tax rate at federal statutory rates		35	%		35	%		35	%
	State taxes, net of federal benefit		(0.93	)		1.36			5.57
	Other		(0.94	)		(2.59	)		0.69

	Income tax rate		33.13	%		33.77	%		41.26	%

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Operating Lease Requiring Annual Minimum Lease Payments	'
	At December 31, 2013, the Company has commitments under long-term operating leases requiring annual minimum lease payments as follows:


	Years Ending December 31,
	2014	$	14,403
	2015		14,415
	2016		13,523
	2017		13,520
	2018		13,356
	Thereafter		311,238

	Total	$	380,455

Fair_Value_Measurements_Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Schedule of Liabilities Measured at Fair Value

Quoted Prices in

Significant

Balance at

Active Markets

Other

Unobservable

December 31,

for Identical

Observable

Inputs

2013

Assets and

Inputs

(Level 3)

Liabilities

(Level 2)

(Level 1)

Assets:

Derivative financial instruments (a)

—

Liabilities:

Long-term obligations (b)

—

1,397,975

264,781

1,662,756

(a)

Reflected at fair value in the consolidated balance sheet as other assets of $71.

(b)

Reflected at carrying value in the consolidated balance sheet as current maturities on long-term debt of $14,050 and long-term debt of $1,627,183 as of December 31, 2013.

Quoted Prices in

Significant

Balance at

Active Markets

Other

Unobservable

December 31,

for Identical

Observable

Inputs

2012

Assets and

Inputs

(Level 3)

Liabilities

(Level 2)

(Level 1)

Liabilities:

Long-term obligations (a)

—

1,445,774

416,317

1,862,091

Derivative financial instruments (b)

—

1,880

—

1,880

(a)

Reflected at carrying value in the consolidated balance sheet as current maturities on long-term debt of $21,330 and long-term debt of $1,802,644 as of December 31, 2012.

(b)

Reflected at fair value in the consolidated balance sheet as other liabilities of $1,880 at December 31, 2012.

EquityBased_Compensation_Table

Equity-Based Compensation (Tables) (Converted Shares of Stock [Member])	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule of Employee Stock Performance Activity	'
	The following table sets forth the number of Class D Units and Employee Units surrendered for shares of common stock prior to the consummation of the Company’s initial public offering:


		Units			Shares of
		Units			Common Stock
		(not in thousands)
	Vested TVUs surrendered for shares of stock		121,206			727,852
	Class D Units surrendered for shares of stock		29,240			221,290

	Total Class D Units and vested TVUs surrendered for shares of stock		150,446			949,142

	Unvested TVUs surrendered for unvested Time Restricted shares of stock		103,913			599,215
	2.25x PVUs surrendered for 2.25x Performance Restricted shares of stock		222,087			1,308,752
	2.75x PVUs surrendered for 2.75x Performance Restricted shares of stock		222,087			1,308,752

	Total unvested TVUs and PVUs surrendered for shares of unvested restricted stock		548,087			3,216,719

	Total units surrendered for shares of stock and unvested restricted stock		698,533			4,165,861

2.25x Performance Restricted Shares [Member] \| 2.25x PVU Employee Units [Member]	'
Schedule of Employee Stock Performance Activity	'
	The activity related to the 2.25x Performance Restricted shares for the year ended December 31, 2013, is as follows:


		Employee			Shares			Weighted
		Units						Average Grant
								Date Fair Value
								per Share
		(not in thousands)
	Outstanding 2.25x PVUs at December 31, 2012		225,051
	Forfeited		(2,964	)
	2.25x PVUs surrendered for unvested 2.25x Performance Restricted shares of stock		(222,087	)		1,308,752
	Vested					—

	Outstanding unvested 2.25x Performance Restricted shares of stock at December 31, 2013		—			1,308,752		$	21.49

2.25x Performance Restricted Shares [Member] \| 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan [Member]	'
Schedule of Employee Stock Performance Activity	'
	The activity related to the 2.25x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares for the year ended December 31, 2013, is as follows:


		Shares			Weighted
					Average Grant
					Date Fair
					Value per
					Share
		(not in
		thousands)
	2.25x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares
	Granted		163,310		$	30.46
	Vested		—			—
	Forfeited		—			—

	Outstanding unvested 2.25x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares of stock at December 31, 2013		163,310		$	30.46

2.75x Performance Restricted Shares [Member] \| 2.75x PVU Employee Units [Member]	'
Schedule of Employee Stock Performance Activity	'
	The activity related to the 2.75x Performance Restricted shares for the year ended December 31, 2013, is as follows:


		Employee			Shares			Weighted
		Units						Average Grant
								Date Fair Value
								per Share
		(not in thousands)
	Outstanding 2.75x PVUs at December 31, 2012		225,051
	Forfeited		(2,964	)
	2.75x PVUs surrendered for unvested 2.75x Performance Restricted shares of stock		(222,087	)		1,308,752
	Vested					—

	Outstanding unvested 2.75x Performance Restricted shares of stock at December 31, 2013		—			1,308,752		$	14.4

2.75x Performance Restricted Shares [Member] \| 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan [Member]	'
Schedule of Employee Stock Performance Activity	'
	The activity related to the 2.75x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares for the year ended December 31, 2013, is as follows:


		Shares			Weighted
					Average Grant
					Date Fair
					Value per
					Share
		(not in
		thousands)
	2.75x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares
	Granted		163,310		$	23.05
	Vested		—			—
	Forfeited		—			—

	Outstanding unvested 2.75x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares of stock at December 31, 2013		163,310		$	23.05
Time Restricted Shares [Member] \| 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan [Member]	'
Schedule of Employee Stock Performance Activity	'
	The activity related to the Time Restricted Omnibus shares for the year ended December 31, 2013, is as follows:


		Shares			Weighted			Weighted
					Average Grant			Average
					Date Fair Value			Remaining
					per Share			Contractual
								Term
		(not in
		thousands)
	Time Restricted Omnibus shares
	Granted		171,783		$	33.45
	Vested		(112,356	)	$	33.51
	Forfeited		(267	)	$	33.52

	Outstanding unvested Time Restricted Omnibus shares at December 31, 2013		59,160		$	33.35			15 months
Time Restricted Shares [Member] \| TVUs [Member]	'
Schedule of Employee Stock Performance Activity	'
	The activity related to the TVU and Time Restricted share awards for the year ended December 31, 2013, is as follows:


		Employee			Shares			Weighted		Weighted
		Units						Average Grant		Average
								Date Fair Value		Remaining
								per Unit/Share		Contractual
										Term
		(not in thousands)
	Outstanding unvested TVUs at December 31, 2012		112,701					$	21.7
	Vested units		(8,788	)				$	22.71
	TVUs surrendered for unvested Time Restricted shares of stock		(103,913	)		599,215		$	4.06
	Vested shares					(221,710	)	$	3.83
	Forfeited					(2,025	)	$	3.82

	Outstanding unvested Time Restricted shares of stock at December 31, 2013		—			375,480		$	4.19		13 months

Summary_Quarterly_Financial_Da1

Summary Quarterly Financial Data (Tables)	12 Months Ended
Summary Quarterly Financial Data (Tables)	Dec. 31, 2013
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Summary of Quarterly Financial Data	'
	Unaudited summary quarterly financial data for the year ended December 31, 2013 was as follows:


			2013
			First			Second			Third		Fourth
			Quarter			Quarter (a)			Quarter		Quarter
			(Unaudited)
	Total revenues		$	238,610		$	411,292		$	538,389	$	271,959

	Operating (loss) income		$	(35,873	)	$	30,980		$	205,594	$	505

	Net (loss) income		$	(40,360	)	$	(15,854	)	$	120,199	$	(13,507	)

	(Loss) earnings per share:
	Net (loss) income per share, basic		$	(0.49	)	$	(0.18	)	$	1.34	$	(0.15	)

	Net (loss) income per share, diluted		$	(0.49	)	$	(0.18	)	$	1.33	$	(0.15	)


	(a)	During the second quarter of 2013, the Company recorded $50,072 in fees related to the termination of the 2009 Advisory Agreement and $32,429 related to a loss on early extinguishment of debt and write-off of discounts and deferred financing costs.


			2012
			First			Second			Third		Fourth
			Quarter			Quarter			Quarter		Quarter
			(Unaudited)
	Total revenues		$	212,442		$	425,882		$	522,255	$	263,173

	Operating (loss) income		$	(48,279	)	$	93,086		$	183,862	$	(1,880	)

	Net (loss) income		$	(45,134	)	$	39,120		$	92,257	$	(8,799	)

	(Loss) earnings per share:
	Net (loss) income per share, basic		$	(0.55	)	$	0.47		$	1.12	$	(0.11	)

	Net (loss) income per share, diluted		$	(0.55	)	$	0.47		$	1.11	$	(0.11	)

Description_of_the_Business_Ad

Description of the Business - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Oct. 02, 2009	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Apr. 24, 2013	Apr. 24, 2013	Dec. 17, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
	Business		Partnership	Revenues [Member]	Revenues [Member]	Revenues [Member]	Initial Public Offering [Member]	Underwriters Option to Purchase Additional Shares [Member]	Secondary Offering [Member]	Secondary Offering [Member]
	PartnershipUnit			Florida [Member]	Florida [Member]	Florida [Member]
Description Of Business [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Number of limited partnerships which owned the Company	10	'	10	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Number of theme parks owned and operated	11	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Shares of common stock issued through initial public offering	'	'	'	'	'	'	10,000,000	'	'	'
Net proceeds received from offering	$245,441	'	'	'	'	'	$245,400	'	'	'
Shares offered and sold by the selling shareholders	'	'	'	'	'	'	19,900,000	3,900,000	18,000,000	'
Offering price per share	'	'	'	'	'	'	$27	'	$30	'
Number of shares repurchased	1,500,000	0	'	'	'	'	'	'	1,500,000	1,500,000
Common stock, shares issued	89,900,453	82,737,008	'	'	'	'	'	'	0	'
Percentage of revenue	'	'	'	55.00%	55.00%	56.00%	'	'	'	'

Summary_of_Significant_Account3

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
	Segment
	Business
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$116,841	$45,675	$66,663	$123,697
Cash and cash equivalents settlement terms	'Less than four days	'	'	'
Interest capitalized	4,347	5,791	'	'
Capitalized costs related to the computer system development costs	3,708	2,694	'	'
Impairment losses	0	0	0	'
Goodwill impairments	0	0	'	'
Indefinite lived assets impairments	0	0	'	'
Self-insurance reserves	24,643	23,509	'	'
Long-term deferred revenue	3,176	6,315	'	'
Revenue and related expense for bartered ticket transactions	19,959	19,628	19,734	'
Number of reportable segment	1	'	'	'
Number of theme parks owned and operated	11	'	'	'
Computer System Development Costs [Member]	'	'	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Estimated useful life	'5 years	'	'	'
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses [Member]	'	'	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Advertising and media costs	112,000	116,700	113,300	'
Accrued Salaries, Wages and Benefits [Member]	'	'	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Self-insurance reserves	2,905	3,090	'	'
Other Liabilities [Member]	'	'	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Self-insurance reserves	7,800	7,800	'	'
Amounts Due from Third-Party Credit Card Companies [Member]	'	'	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	9,776	15,076	'	'
Maximum [Member]	'	'	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
FDIC insured amount	$250	'	'	'
Maximum [Member] \| Animals [Member]	'	'	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Estimated useful life	'50 years	'	'	'
Minimum [Member] \| Animals [Member]	'	'	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Estimated useful life	'1 year	'	'	'

Summary_of_Significant_Account4

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Estimated Useful Lives (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Land Improvements [Member] \| Minimum [Member]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'
Estimated useful life	'10 years
Land Improvements [Member] \| Maximum [Member]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'
Estimated useful life	'40 years
Buildings [Member] \| Minimum [Member]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'
Estimated useful life	'5 years
Buildings [Member] \| Maximum [Member]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'
Estimated useful life	'40 years
Rides, Attractions and Equipment [Member] \| Minimum [Member]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'
Estimated useful life	'3 years
Rides, Attractions and Equipment [Member] \| Maximum [Member]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'
Estimated useful life	'20 years
Animals [Member] \| Minimum [Member]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'
Estimated useful life	'1 year
Animals [Member] \| Maximum [Member]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'
Estimated useful life	'50 years

Acquisitions_Additional_Inform

Acquisitions - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012	Nov. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
	Dec. 31, 2012	Knott's Soak City [Member]	Knott's Soak City [Member]	Knott's Soak City [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Cost of acquired entity	'	$15,000	'	'
Payments in acquisition	12,000	12,000	'	'
Debt issued	'	'	$3,000	'
Description of acquired entity	'	'	'	'For the year ended December 31, 2012, there were no material revenues or expenses associated with the park included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements because the park was closed for the season. The Company rebranded the water park as Aquatica San Diego and re-opened in June 2013.

Acquisitions_Purchase_Price_Al

Acquisitions - Purchase Price Allocation (Detail) (Knott's Soak City [Member], USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013
Knott's Soak City [Member]	'
Business Acquisition [Line Items]	'
Land	$12,100
Other property and equipment	2,400
Non-compete agreement	500
Total assets acquired	$15,000

Earnings_per_Share_Schedule_of

Earnings per Share - Schedule of Earnings per Share (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Basic earnings per share, Net Income	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$50,478	$77,444	$19,113
Diluted earnings per share, Net Income	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$50,478	$77,444	$19,113
Basic earnings per share, Shares	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	87,537	82,480	81,392
Effect of dilutive incentive-based awards, Shares	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	615	1,072	632
Diluted earnings per share, Shares	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	88,152	83,552	82,024
Basic earnings per share, Per Share Amount	($0.15)	$1.34	($0.18)	($0.49)	($0.11)	$1.12	$0.47	($0.55)	$0.58	$0.94	$0.23
Diluted earnings per share, Per Share Amount	($0.15)	$1.33	($0.18)	($0.49)	($0.11)	$1.11	$0.47	($0.55)	$0.57	$0.93	$0.23

Earnings_per_Share_Additional_

Earnings per Share - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
Earnings per Share - Additional Information (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'	'	'
Anti-dilutive shares of common stock excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share	0	0	0

Inventories_Schedule_of_Invent

Inventories - Schedule of Inventories (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'
Merchandise	$30,586	$31,435
Food and beverage	5,623	5,152
Total inventories	$36,209	$36,587

Prepaid_Expenses_and_Other_Cur2

Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets - Schedule of Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Deferred Costs Capitalized Prepaid And Other Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'
Prepaid insurance	$8,418	$8,157
Prepaid marketing and advertising costs	6,817	2,500
Deferred offering costs	'	3,665
Other	4,378	3,495
Total prepaid expenses and other current assets	$19,613	$17,817

Property_and_Equipment_Net_Com

Property and Equipment, Net - Components of Property and Equipment, Net (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Less accumulated depreciation	($714,305)	($568,918)
Total property and equipment, net	1,771,500	1,774,643
Land [Member]	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Property plant and equipment	286,200	286,200
Land Improvements [Member]	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Property plant and equipment	259,722	238,860
Buildings [Member]	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Property plant and equipment	537,532	468,647
Rides, Attractions and Equipment [Member]	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Property plant and equipment	1,173,746	1,100,423
Animals [Member]	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Property plant and equipment	157,160	161,194
Construction in Progress [Member]	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Property plant and equipment	$71,445	$88,237

Property_and_Equipment_Net_Add

Property and Equipment, Net - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Property Plant And Equipment [Abstract]	'	'	'
Depreciation expense	$159,700	$161,700	$209,300

Trade_Names_and_Other_Intangib2

Trade Names and Other Intangible Assets, Net - Trade Names, Net (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Definite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets By Major Class [Line Items]	'	'
Net Carrying Value, definite lives	$34,351	'
Weighted Average Amortization Period, definite lives	'19 years 3 months 18 days	'
Trade Names [Member]	'	'
Definite And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets By Major Class [Line Items]	'	'
Net Carrying Value, indefinite lives	157,000	157,000
Gross Carrying Amount, definite lives	11,000	11,000
Accumulated Amortization, definite lives	4,492	3,392
Net Carrying Value, definite lives	6,508	7,608
Gross Carrying Amount, total	168,000	168,000
Accumulated Amortization, total	4,492	3,392
Net Carrying Value, total	$163,508	$164,608
Weighted Average Amortization Period, definite lives	'10 years	'10 years

Trade_Names_and_Other_Intangib3

Trade Names and Other Intangible Assets, Net - Other Intangible Assets-Net (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Net Carrying Value, definite lives	$34,351	'
Weighted Average Amortization Period, definite lives	'19 years 3 months 18 days	'
Other Intangible Assets [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Gross Carrying Amount, definite lives	41,000	41,000
Accumulated Amortization, definite lives	13,157	9,880
Net Carrying Value, definite lives	27,843	31,120
Other Intangible Assets [Member] \| Favorable Lease Asset [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Gross Carrying Amount, definite lives	18,200	18,200
Accumulated Amortization, definite lives	1,867	1,397
Net Carrying Value, definite lives	16,333	16,803
Weighted Average Amortization Period, definite lives	'39 years	'39 years
Other Intangible Assets [Member] \| Reseller Agreements [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Gross Carrying Amount, definite lives	22,300	22,300
Accumulated Amortization, definite lives	11,232	8,483
Net Carrying Value, definite lives	11,068	13,817
Weighted Average Amortization Period, definite lives	'8 years 1 month 10 days	'8 years 1 month 10 days
Other Intangible Assets [Member] \| Non-compete Agreement [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Gross Carrying Amount, definite lives	500	500
Accumulated Amortization, definite lives	58	'
Net Carrying Value, definite lives	$442	$500
Weighted Average Amortization Period, definite lives	'5 years	'5 years

Trade_Names_and_Other_Intangib4

Trade Names and Other Intangible Assets, Net - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'
Amortization	$4,400	$4,300	$4,300
Weighted average amortization period	'19 years 3 months 18 days	'	'

Trade_Names_and_Other_Intangib5

Trade Names and Other Intangible Assets, Net - Schedule of Expected Amortization of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
2014	$4,418
2015	4,418
2016	4,418
2017	4,213
2018	1,870
Thereafter	15,014
Net Carrying Value, definite lives	$34,351

Other_Accrued_Expenses_Schedul

Other Accrued Expenses - Schedule of Other Accrued Expenses (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]	'	'
Accrued property taxes	$2,113	$1,974
Accrued interest	2,636	3,877
Note payable	'	3,000
Self-insurance reserve	7,800	7,800
Other	2,715	2,699
Total other accrued expenses	$15,264	$19,350

Other_Accrued_Expenses_Additio

Other Accrued Expenses - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013
Other Income And Expenses [Abstract]	'
Repayment of note payable	$3,000

LongTerm_Debt_Summary_of_LongT

Long-Term Debt - Summary of Long-Term Debt (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Long-term debt	$1,657,975	$1,845,774
Less discounts	-16,742	-21,800
Less current maturities	-14,050	-21,330
Total long-term debt, net of current maturities	1,627,183	1,802,644
Term A Loan [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Long-term debt	'	152,000
Term B Loan [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Long-term debt	'	1,293,774
Term B-2 Loans [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Long-term debt	1,397,975	'
Revolving Credit Agreement [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Long-term debt	'	'
Senior Notes [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Long-term debt	260,000	400,000
Less discounts	($2,083)	($2,798)

LongTerm_Debt_Additional_Infor

Long-Term Debt - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)

1 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified

14-May-13

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

31-May-13

Aug. 23, 2012

13-May-13

31-May-13

Aug. 23, 2012

31-May-13

Aug. 23, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

14-May-13

Apr. 05, 2013

Apr. 04, 2013

Apr. 15, 2011

Mar. 31, 2014

Apr. 24, 2013

Mar. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Feb. 17, 2011

Apr. 24, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Apr. 05, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Mar. 30, 2012

Dec. 31, 2009

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2009

Dec. 31, 2011

Apr. 24, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Apr. 24, 2013

Feb. 17, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Feb. 17, 2011

Apr. 15, 2011

14-May-13

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

14-May-13

Apr. 05, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Apr. 05, 2013

Interest Rate Swaps [Member]

Interest Rate Swap One [Member]

Interest Rate Swap Two [Member]

Short-Term Loans [Member]

Letter of Credit [Member]

Revolving Credit Agreement [Member]

Subsequent Events [Member]

Term B Loan [Member]

Senior Notes [Member]

Senior Notes and Term B Loan [Member]

Term Loans [Member]

Term A Loan [Member]

Term B Loan Refinanced to Term A Loan [Member]

Term B-2 Loans [Member]

Revolving Credit Agreement [Member]

Senior Secured Credit Facilities [Member]

Second Supplemental Indenture [Member]

Fourth Supplemental Indenture [Member]

Swap

Maximum [Member]

Minimum [Member]

Interest Rate Swaps [Member]

Partnership Units [Member]

Common Stock [Member]

Prior to December 1, 2014 [Member]

On or After December 1, 2014 [Member]

On or After December 1, 2015 [Member]

Tranches

Federal Funds Rate [Member]

Base Rate Loan [Member]

LIBOR Rate Loan [Member]

Subject to SEA Attaining Certain Total Leverage Ratios [Member]

Revised [Member]

Maximum [Member]

Minimum [Member]

Debt Instrument [Line Items]

Repayment of portion of Term Loan B

$37,000

Repayment of Senior Notes

140,000

Redemption price for Senior Notes Percentage

111.00%

100.00%

105.50%

102.75%

Senior Notes redemption percentage

35.00%

Redemption premium included in early extinguishment of debt

15,400

Write-off of discounts and deferred financing costs

5,500

Aggregate principal amount of debt instrument

900,000

400,000

150,000

1,405,000

Debt instrument interest rate

11.00%

13.50%

Long-term debt, maturity date

1-Dec-16

14-May-20

Number of tranches

Amounts of outstanding long-term debt (In USD)

1,657,975

1,845,774

1,293,774

260,000

400,000

152,000

17,000

1,397,975

Senior secured revolving credit facility existing

20,000

50,000

192,500

172,500

Proceeds from issuance of debt

1,455

487,163

550,291

500,000

Number of days used to calculate maturity

'91 days

Amount aggregate principal outstanding must be greater than to use the corresponding instrument's maturity date

50,000

Senior secured revolving credit facility maturity date

'The new senior secured revolving credit facility will mature on the earlier of (a) April 24, 2018 or (b) the 91st day prior to the earlier of (1) the maturity date of Senior Notes with an aggregate principal amount greater than $50,000 outstanding and (2) the maturity date of any indebtedness incurred to refinance any of the Term Loans or the Senior Notes.

Interest rate, description

'Borrowings under the Term B-2 Loans bear interest, at SEA's option, at a rate equal to a margin over either (a) a base rate determined by reference to the higher of (1) the Bank of America's prime lending rate and (2) the federal funds effective rate plus 1/2 of 1% or (b) a LIBOR rate determined by reference to the British Bankers Association ("BBA") LIBOR rate for the interest period relevant to such borrowing.

Margin for Term Loans

0.50%

1.25%

2.25%

Floor rate

1.75%

0.75%

Basis point step-down in applicable margin, description

'The applicable margin for the Term B-2 Loans (under either a base rate or LIBOR rate) is subject to one 25 basis point step-down upon achievement by SEA of a certain leverage ratio.

Basis point step down on applicable margin upon achievement of certain leverage ratio

LIBOR interest rate

3.00%

Permitted increased commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility in aggregate principal amount

350,000

Percent of original principal amount on effective date used to calculate aggregate annual amount which will amortize in equal quarterly installments

1.00%

Maximum first lien secured net leverage ratio

3.5

Written off of debt issuance cost

11,500

Capitalized fees

13,968

7,024

5,926

Commitment fees on unused portion of facility

0.50%

Duration of loan

'5 days

Outstanding letters of credit

23,500

Letters of credit available amount

169,000

Percentage of annual excess cash flow used to prepay outstanding loan

50.00%

25.00%

0.00%

Percentage of net proceeds from sale of non-ordinary assets

100.00%

Percentage of net proceeds incurrence of debt

100.00%

Mandatory prepayments

Percentage of equity interest owned

100.00%

Line of credit facility collateral description

'The Senior Secured Credit Facilities are collateralized by first priority or equivalent security interests, subject to certain exceptions, in (i) all the capital stock of, or other equity interests in, substantially all of the Companybs direct or indirect material domestic subsidiaries and 65% of the capital stock of, or other equity interests in, any bfirst tierb foreign subsidiaries and (ii) certain tangible and intangible assets of SEA and the Company. Certain financial, affirmative and negative covenants, including a maximum total net leverage ratio, minimum interest coverage ratio and maximum capital expenditures are included in the Senior Secured Credit Facilities.

Percentage of capital stock

65.00%

Percent of Senior Notes principle amount used to calculate applicable premium

1.00%

Redemption of Senior Notes, description

'SEA can redeem some or all of the Senior Notes at any time prior to December 1, 2014, at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Senior Notes redeemed plus the Applicable Premium as of, and accrued and unpaid interest to, the redemption date, subject to the right of the holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date. The bApplicable Premiumb is defined as the greater of (1) 1.0% of the principal amount of the Senior Notes and (2) the excess, if any, of (a) the present value at such redemption date of (i) the redemption price of the Senior Notes at December 1, 2014 plus (ii) all required interest payments due on the Senior Notes through December 1, 2014 (excluding accrued but unpaid interest to the redemption date), computed using a discount rate equal to the Treasury Rate plus 50 basis points over (b) the principal amount of the Senior Notes.

Basis points over the principal balance of the Senior Notes

Debt instrument covenant leverage ratio, description

'The Second Supplemental Indenture also increased the covenant leverage ratio, as defined, from 2.75 to 1.00 to 3.00 to 1.00.

Covenant leverage ratio as defined

2.75

Maximum termination fee payment allowed for the advisory agreement termination

50,000

Warrant issued in connection with senior note

808,000

101,000

Price per unit

100

Additional paid-in capital and a discount on the Senior Notes

5,000

Limited Partnership Units of the Partnerships

101,000

Shares of common stock issued to Partnerships as a result of warrants exercised

808,000

Unamortized discount

16,742

21,800

2,083

2,798

Deferred financing costs, net

32,317

44,103

Payment of financing costs

13,968

15,046

Number of interest rate swap held

Notional amount of interest rate swap

550,000

275,000

450,000

Maturity of interest rate swap

30-Sep-16

Fixed rate of interest on swaps

1.25%

1.05%

Cash paid for interest

$85,514

$102,551

$97,575

LongTerm_Debt_Summary_of_LongT1

Long-Term Debt - Summary of Long-Term Debt Repayable (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Maturities Of Long Term Debt [Abstract]	'	'
2014	$14,050	'
2015	14,050	'
2016	14,050	'
2017	274,050	'
2018	14,050	'
Thereafter	1,327,725	'
Total	$1,657,975	$1,845,774

Derivative_Instruments_and_Hed2

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	31-May-13	Aug. 23, 2012
			Interest Rate Risk [Member]	Not Designated as Hedge Accounting Relationships [Member]	Not Designated as Hedge Accounting Relationships [Member]	Interest Rate Swaps [Member]	Interest Rate Swaps [Member]	Interest Rate Swaps [Member]
						Swap	Swap	Swap
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Derivatives outstanding	'	'	'	$0	$0	'	'	'
Notional amount interest rate swap	'	'	'	'	'	550,000	550,000	550,000
Number of outstanding interest rate derivatives	'	'	'	'	'	2	2	2
Reclassified as an increase to interest expense	1,567	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Ineffective portion of change in fair value of derivatives recognized in earnings	'	'	0	'	'	'	'	'
Tax expense (benefit) on unrealized gain (loss) on derivatives	632	-627	'	'	'	'	'	'
Collateral posted relating to credit risk-related contingent features	$0	'	'	'	'	'	'	'

Derivative_Instruments_and_Hed3

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Fair Value of Company's Derivative Financial Instruments Classification on Consolidated Balance Sheet (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013
Other Assets [Member]	'
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]	'
Asset Derivatives Fair Value	$71
Other Assets [Member] \| Interest Rate Swaps [Member]	'
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]	'
Asset Derivatives Fair Value	71
Other Liabilities [Member]	'
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]	'
Liability Derivatives Fair Value	1,880
Other Liabilities [Member] \| Interest Rate Swaps [Member]	'
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]	'
Liability Derivatives Fair Value	$1,880

Derivative_Instruments_and_Hed4

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Schedule of Pre-tax Effect of Derivative Financial Instruments on Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships:	'	'
Gain (loss) related to effective portion of derivatives recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income	$386	($1,522)
Gain (loss) related to effective portion of derivatives reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to interest expense	1,511	-358
Gain (loss) related to ineffective portion of derivatives recognized in other income (expense)	'	'

Derivative_Instruments_and_Hed5

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Schedule of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):	'	'
Beginning balance	($1,254)	'
Unrealized gain on derivatives, net of tax	1,265	-1,254
Ending balance	11	-1,254
Gains (Losses) on Cash Flow Hedges [Member]	'	'
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss):	'	'
Beginning balance	-1,254	'
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	257	'
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to interest expense	1,008	'
Unrealized gain on derivatives, net of tax	1,265	'
Ending balance	$11	'

Income_Taxes_Schedule_of_Provi

Income Taxes - Schedule of Provision for Income Taxes (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Current income tax (benefit) provision	'	'	'
Federal	($113)	($70)	($70)
State	1,086	542	1,277
Foreign	13	31	24
Total current income tax provision	986	503	1,231
Deferred income tax provision (benefit):	'	'	'
Federal	27,852	37,873	11,429
State	-3,834	1,106	768
Total deferred income tax provision	24,018	38,979	12,197
Total income tax provision	$25,004	$39,482	$13,428

Income_Taxes_Additional_Inform

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Income Taxes Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'
Cash paid for income taxes	$923	$767	$513
Ownership shift due to the secondary offering	50.00%	'	'
State Tax Credit Carry Forwards [Member]	'	'	'
Income Taxes Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'
Net operating loss carryforwards	850,000	'	'
Federal Tax Credit Carry Forwards [Member]	'	'	'
Income Taxes Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'
Net operating loss carryforwards	$660,000	'	'
Minimum [Member]	'	'	'
Income Taxes Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'
Year federal net operating loss carry forwards begin to expire	'2029	'	'

Income_Taxes_Components_of_Def

Income Taxes - Components of Deferred Income Tax Assets and Liabilities (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Deferred income tax assets:	'	'
Acquisition and debt related costs	$4,534	$22,651
Net operating loss	270,467	222,702
Self-insurance	8,686	7,912
Deferred revenue	2,134	1,077
Other	8,156	5,736
Total deferred income tax assets	293,977	260,078
Deferred income tax liabilities:	'	'
Property and equipment	-245,418	-199,836
Goodwill	-28,242	-21,028
Amortization	-12,613	-11,307
Other	-8,593	-4,146
Total deferred income tax liabilities	-294,866	-236,317
Net deferred income tax (liabilities) assets	($889)	$23,761

Income_Taxes_Schedule_of_Recon

Income Taxes - Schedule of Reconciliation Between U.S. Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate and Company's Effective Income Tax Provision (Benefit) Rate (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'
Income tax rate at federal statutory rates	35.00%	35.00%	35.00%
State taxes, net of federal benefit	-0.93%	1.36%	5.57%
Other	-0.94%	-2.59%	0.69%
Income tax rate	33.13%	33.77%	41.26%

Commitments_and_Contingencies_1

Commitments and Contingencies - Schedule of Operating Lease Requiring Annual Minimum Lease Payments (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
2014	$14,403
2015	14,415
2016	13,523
2017	13,520
2018	13,356
Thereafter	311,238
Total	$380,455

Commitments_and_Contingencies_2

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'
Rental expense	$24,338	$23,886	$22,119
Lease term	'50 years	'	'
Lease expiration date	1-Jul-48	'	'
Annual rent payment	14,403	'	'
Additional Capital Payments	$59,000	'	'

Fair_Value_Measurements_Additi

Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Fair Value Inputs, Liabilities, Quantitative Information [Line Items]	'	'
Transfers between Levels	$0	$0
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]	'	'
Fair Value Inputs, Liabilities, Quantitative Information [Line Items]	'	'
Discount rate of Senior Notes	10.06%	'

Fair_Value_Measurements_Schedu

Fair Value Measurements - Schedule of Liabilities Measured at Fair Value (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Assets:	'	'
Derivative financial instruments	$71	'
Liabilities:	'	'
Long-term obligations	1,662,756	1,862,091
Derivative financial instruments	'	1,880
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets and Liabilities (Level 1) [Member]	'	'
Assets:	'	'
Derivative financial instruments	'	'
Liabilities:	'	'
Long-term obligations	'	'
Derivative financial instruments	'	'
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member]	'	'
Assets:	'	'
Derivative financial instruments	71	'
Liabilities:	'	'
Long-term obligations	1,397,975	1,445,774
Derivative financial instruments	'	1,880
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]	'	'
Assets:	'	'
Derivative financial instruments	'	'
Liabilities:	'	'
Long-term obligations	264,781	416,317
Derivative financial instruments	'	'

Fair_Value_Measurements_Schedu1

Fair Value Measurements - Schedule of Liabilities Measured at Fair Value (Parenthetical) (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'	'
Derivative financial instruments, assets	$71	'
Current maturities on long-term debt	14,050	21,330
Long-term debt	1,627,183	1,802,644
Derivative financial instruments, liabilities	'	$1,880

RelatedParty_Transactions_Addi

Related-Party Transactions - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)

1 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified

Mar. 31, 2012

Sep. 30, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Mar. 20, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Apr. 24, 2013

Mar. 31, 2012

Sep. 30, 2011

Jun. 30, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Jan. 03, 2014

Subsequent Events [Member]

Blackstone and Affiliates [Member]

Subsequent Events [Member]

Related Party Transaction [Line Items]

Advisory Agreement, fees

$2,799

$6,201

$6,012

Termination fee paid

46,300

Write off of 2013 Prepaid advisory fees

3,772

Termination of advisory agreement

50,072

Cash dividend declared

$0.20

$0.60

$6.07

$1.34

$0.20

Cash dividends declare date

'2013-12

'2013-09

'2013-06

'2013-12

Cash dividends record date

20-Dec-13

20-Sep-13

20-Jun-13

20-Mar-14

Cash dividend

3-Jan-14

1-Oct-13

1-Jul-13

1-Apr-14

Dividend declared to stockholders

500,000

110,100

53,911

500,000

110,100

11,749

500,000

110,100

7,849

Revenue under the combined ticket arrangement

$7,400

Retirement_Plan_Additional_Inf

Retirement Plan - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Retirement Plan [Line Items]	'	'	'
Define benefit plan employer contribution description	'The Company makes matching cash contributions subject to certain restrictions, structured as a 100% match on the first 1% contributed by the employee and a 50% match on the next 5% contributed by the employee.	'	'
Defined contribution plan, employer- matching contributions	$8,956	$8,767	$7,345
First 1% [Member]	'	'	'
Retirement Plan [Line Items]	'	'	'
Employer matching percentage	100.00%	'	'
Percentage of gross pay matched	1.00%	'	'
Second 5% [Member]	'	'	'
Retirement Plan [Line Items]	'	'	'
Employer matching percentage	50.00%	'	'
Percentage of gross pay matched	5.00%	'	'

EquityBased_Compensation_Addit

Equity-Based Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified

Apr. 24, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Apr. 19, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Initial Public Offering [Member]

TVUs [Member]

Time Vesting Units and Time Restricted Shares [Member]

Time Restricted Shares [Member]

2.25x PVU Employee Units [Member]

2.75x PVU Employee Units [Member]

2.25x Performance Restricted Shares [Member]

2.75x Performance Restricted Shares [Member]

Common Stock [Member]

Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member]

Employee Unit Plan and 2013 Grants [Member]

Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member]

2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan [Member]

2013 Grant [Member]

Vested and Unvested Time Vesting Units, Performance Vesting Units Surrendered for Shares of Stock and Unvested Restricted Stock [Member]

Class D Units Surrendered for Shares of Stock [Member]

Class D Units and Vested TVUs Surrendered for Shares of Stock [Member]

Unvested TVUs and PVUs Surrendered for Shares of Unvested Restricted Stock [Member]

Vested Time Vesting Units Surrendered for Shares of Stock [Member]

Unvested Time Vesting Units Surrendered for Unvested Time Restricted Shares [Member]

Over Remaining Service Period [Member]

Minimum [Member]

Maximum [Member]

TVUs [Member]

Tranches

TVUs [Member]

Common Stock [Member]

2.25x Performance Restricted Shares [Member]

2.75x Performance Restricted Shares [Member]

Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member]

Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member]

Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member]

Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member]

Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member]

Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member]

Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member]

Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member]

Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member]

Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member]

2013 Grant [Member]

Common Stock [Member]

Time Restricted Shares [Member]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]

Employee Unit Incentive Plan terms

'Under the Employee Unit Plan, the Partnerships granted Employee Units to certain key employees of SEA (bEmployee Units). The Employee Units which were granted were accounted for as equity awards and were divided into three tranches, Time-Vesting Units (bTVUsb), 2.25x Performance Vesting Units (bPVUsb) and 2.75x PVUs. Upon vesting of the Employee Units, the Company issued the corresponding number of shares of common stock of the Company to the Partnerships. There was no related cost to the employee upon vesting of the units

Number of tranches for each equity award

Surrender of units to shares of stock (in units)

698,533

669,293

29,240

150,446

548,087

121,206

103,913

Shares provided for surrender of units, in shares

4,165,861

221,290

949,142

3,216,719

727,852

599,215

Portion of employee units originally granted that were TVUs

'One-third

Vesting period of Employee Units granted, years

'5 years

Vesting percentage per year

20.00%

Percentage interest a general partner or beneficial owner other than Blackstone needs to obtain more of

50.00%

Percentage of vesting upon change of control

100.00%

Incremental equity compensation cost

$282

$220

Recognized compensation expense

1,938

1,191

823

4,088

Unrecognized compensation cost

$1,305

$28,125

$18,846

$4,974

$3,764

$1,651

Annualized effective compounded return rate

20.00%

15.00%

Return on investment

225.00%

275.00%

Grant date fair value measuring method

'The fair value of each Employee Unit originally granted was estimated on the date of grant using a composite of the discounted cash flow model and the guideline public company approach to determine the underlying enterprise value.

'The grant date fair value of the 2.25x and 2.75x Performance Restricted Omnibus shares was measured using the asset-or-nothing option pricing model.

Employee Unit fair value input discount rate

10.50%

Fair value assumptions, holding period

'2 years 7 months 6 days

'3 years 7 months 6 days

'2 years

Fair value assumptions, risk free rate

0.33%

1.22%

0.24%

Fair value assumptions, volatility

49.00%

57.00%

37.60%

33.20%

Fair value assumptions, discount for lack of marketability

31.00%

53.00%

Fair value assumptions, dividend yield

0.00%

Offering price per share

$27

Common stock reserved for future issuance

15,000,000

Restricted stock granted to directors, officers and employees

494,557

Initial public offering lock up period

'180 days

Shares withheld from employees to satisfy minimum tax withholding obligation

-28,463

28,463

Shares available for future issuance

14,530,327

EquityBased_Compensation_Sched

Equity-Based Compensation - Schedule of Employee Stock Performance Activity (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Common Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in shares)	4,165,861
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Common Stock [Member] \| Vested Time Vesting Units Surrendered for Shares of Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in shares)	727,852
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Common Stock [Member] \| Class D Units Surrendered for Shares of Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in shares)	221,290
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Common Stock [Member] \| Class D Units and Vested TVUs Surrendered for Shares of Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in shares)	949,142
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Common Stock [Member] \| Unvested Time Vesting Units Surrendered for Unvested Time Restricted Shares [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in shares)	599,215
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Common Stock [Member] \| 2.25x Performance Vesting Units Surrendered for 2.25x Performance Restricted Shares [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in shares)	1,308,752
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Common Stock [Member] \| 2.75x Performance Vesting Units Surrendered for 2.75x Performance Restricted Shares [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in shares)	1,308,752
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Common Stock [Member] \| Unvested TVUs and PVUs Surrendered for Shares of Unvested Restricted Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in shares)	3,216,719
Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in units)	698,533
Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member] \| Vested Time Vesting Units Surrendered for Shares of Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in units)	121,206
Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member] \| Class D Units Surrendered for Shares of Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in units)	29,240
Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member] \| Class D Units and Vested TVUs Surrendered for Shares of Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in units)	150,446
Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member] \| Unvested Time Vesting Units Surrendered for Unvested Time Restricted Shares [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in units)	103,913
Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member] \| 2.25x Performance Vesting Units Surrendered for 2.25x Performance Restricted Shares [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in units)	222,087
Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member] \| 2.75x Performance Vesting Units Surrendered for 2.75x Performance Restricted Shares [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in units)	222,087
Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member] \| Unvested TVUs and PVUs Surrendered for Shares of Unvested Restricted Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in units)	548,087

EquityBased_Compensation_Sched1

Equity-Based Compensation - Schedule of Employee Stock Performance Activity (Time-Vesting Units and Time Restricted shares) (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Vested shares	0
Forfeited shares	0
Outstanding shares, Ending balance	0
Outstanding Unvested shares	0
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Common Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in shares)	4,165,861
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Unvested Time Vesting Units Surrendered for Unvested Time Restricted Shares [Member] \| Common Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in shares)	599,215
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Time Restricted Shares [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Weighted average fair value (in USD per share/unit)	3.83
Forfeited (in USD per share/unit)	3.82
Weighted average fair value of outstanding unvested shares of stock, Ending balance (in USD per share/unit)	4.19
Outstanding unvested Time Restricted shares of stock, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	'13 months
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Time Restricted Shares [Member] \| Common Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Vested units	'
Vested shares	-221,710
Forfeited shares	-2,025
Outstanding shares, Ending balance	375,480
Outstanding Unvested shares	375,480
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Time Restricted Shares [Member] \| Unvested Time Vesting Units Surrendered for Unvested Time Restricted Shares [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Weighted average fair value (in USD per share/unit)	4.06
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Time Restricted Shares [Member] \| Unvested Time Vesting Units Surrendered for Unvested Time Restricted Shares [Member] \| Common Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Surrender of units to shares of stock (in shares)	599,215
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| TVUs [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Outstanding units, Beginning balance	112,701
Weighted average fair value of outstanding unvested units/shares, Beginning balance (in USD per share/unit)	21.7
Vested units	-8,788
Weighted average fair value (in USD per share/unit)	22.71
Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
TVUS surrendered for unvested Time Restricted shares of stock (in units)	-698,533
Employee Unit Incentive Plan [Member] \| Unvested Time Vesting Units Surrendered for Unvested Time Restricted Shares [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
TVUS surrendered for unvested Time Restricted shares of stock (in units)	-103,913

EquityBased_Compensation_Sched2

Equity-Based Compensation - Schedule of Employee Stock Performance Activity (2.25x Performance Restricted Shares) (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Forfeited shares	0
Vested shares	0
Outstanding shares, Ending balance	0
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Common Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
PVUs surrendered for unvested Performance Restricted shares of stock (in shares)	4,165,861
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| 2.25x Performance Vesting Units Surrendered for 2.25x Performance Restricted Shares [Member] \| Common Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
PVUs surrendered for unvested Performance Restricted shares of stock (in shares)	1,308,752
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| 2.25x PVU Employee Units [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Outstanding units, Beginning balance	225,051
Forfeited units	-2,964
Vested units	'
Outstanding units, Ending balance	'
Weighted average fair value of outstanding unvested shares of stock, Ending balance (in USD per share/unit)	21.49
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| 2.25x PVU Employee Units [Member] \| 2.25x Performance Vesting Units Surrendered for 2.25x Performance Restricted Shares [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
PVUs surrendered for unvested Performance Restricted shares of stock (in units)	-222,087
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| 2.25x Performance Restricted Shares [Member] \| Common Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Outstanding shares, Beginning balance	'
Forfeited shares	'
Vested shares	'
Outstanding shares, Ending balance	1,308,752
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| 2.25x Performance Restricted Shares [Member] \| 2.25x Performance Vesting Units Surrendered for 2.25x Performance Restricted Shares [Member] \| Common Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
PVUs surrendered for unvested Performance Restricted shares of stock (in shares)	1,308,752

EquityBased_Compensation_Sched3

Equity-Based Compensation - Schedule of Employee Stock Performance Activity (2.75x Performance Restricted Shares) (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Forfeited shares	0
Vested shares	0
Outstanding shares, Ending balance	0
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| Common Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
PVUs surrendered for unvested Performance Restricted shares of stock (in shares)	4,165,861
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| 2.75x Performance Vesting Units Surrendered for 2.75x Performance Restricted Shares [Member] \| Common Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
PVUs surrendered for unvested Performance Restricted shares of stock (in shares)	1,308,752
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| 2.75x PVU Employee Units [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Outstanding units, Beginning balance	225,051
Forfeited units	-2,964
Vested units	'
Outstanding units, Ending balance	'
Weighted average fair value of outstanding unvested shares of stock, Ending balance (in USD per share/unit)	14.4
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| 2.75x PVU Employee Units [Member] \| 2.75x Performance Vesting Units Surrendered for 2.75x Performance Restricted Shares [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
PVUs surrendered for unvested Performance Restricted shares of stock (in units)	-222,087
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| 2.75x Performance Restricted Shares [Member] \| Common Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Outstanding shares, Beginning balance	'
Forfeited shares	'
Vested shares	'
Outstanding shares, Ending balance	1,308,752
Units Surrendered for Shares Plan [Member] \| 2.75x Performance Restricted Shares [Member] \| 2.75x Performance Vesting Units Surrendered for 2.75x Performance Restricted Shares [Member] \| Common Stock [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
PVUs surrendered for unvested Performance Restricted shares of stock (in shares)	1,308,752

EquityBased_Compensation_Sched4

Equity-Based Compensation - Schedule of Employee Stock Performance Activity (Time Restricted Omni Bus Shares) (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Vested shares	0
Forfeited shares	0
Outstanding shares, Ending balance	0
2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan [Member] \| Time Restricted Shares [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Outstanding shares, Beginning balance	'
Granted shares	171,783
Vested shares	-112,356
Forfeited shares	-267
Outstanding shares, Ending balance	59,160
Weighted average fair value of outstanding unvested units/shares, Beginning balance (in USD per share/unit)	0
Granted (in USD per share/unit)	33.45
Vested (in USD per share/unit)	33.51
Forfeited (in USD per share/unit)	33.52
Weighted average fair value of outstanding unvested shares of stock, Ending balance (in USD per share/unit)	33.35
Time Restricted 2013 shares vesting period	'15 months

EquityBased_Compensation_Sched5

Equity-Based Compensation - Schedule of Employee Stock Performance Activity (2.25x Performance Restricted Omni Bus Shares) (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Vested shares	0
Forfeited shares	0
Outstanding shares, Ending balance	0
2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan [Member] \| 2.25x Performance Restricted Shares [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Outstanding shares, Beginning balance	'
Granted shares	163,310
Vested shares	'
Forfeited shares	'
Outstanding shares, Ending balance	163,310
Weighted average fair value of outstanding unvested units/shares, Beginning balance (in USD per share/unit)	0
Granted (in USD per share/unit)	30.46
Vested (in USD per share/unit)	'
Forfeited (in USD per share/unit)	'
Weighted average fair value of outstanding unvested shares of stock, Ending balance (in USD per share/unit)	30.46

EquityBased_Compensation_Sched6

Equity-Based Compensation - Schedule of Employee Stock Performance Activity (2.75x Performance Restricted Omni Bus Shares) (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Vested shares	0
Forfeited shares	0
Outstanding shares, Ending balance	0
2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan [Member] \| 2.75x Performance Restricted Shares [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'
Outstanding shares, Beginning balance	'
Granted shares	163,310
Vested shares	'
Forfeited shares	'
Outstanding shares, Ending balance	163,310
Weighted average fair value of outstanding unvested units/shares, Beginning balance (in USD per share/unit)	'
Granted (in USD per share/unit)	23.05
Vested (in USD per share/unit)	'
Forfeited (in USD per share/unit)	'
Weighted average fair value of outstanding unvested shares of stock, Ending balance (in USD per share/unit)	23.05

Stockholders_Equity_Additional

Stockholders' Equity - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)

0 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified

Apr. 08, 2013

Mar. 31, 2012

Sep. 30, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Apr. 08, 2013

Mar. 30, 2012

Sep. 29, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Mar. 20, 2014

Jan. 02, 2014

Mar. 04, 2014

Apr. 24, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2011

Apr. 24, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Apr. 24, 2013

Dec. 17, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 17, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

2.25x Performance Restricted Shares [Member]

2.75x Performance Restricted Shares [Member]

Parent Company [Member]

Subsequent Events [Member]

Senior Notes [Member]

Partnership [Member]

Initial Public Offering [Member]

Underwriters Option to Purchase Additional Shares [Member]

Secondary Offering [Member]

Parent Company [Member]

Prior to December 1, 2014 [Member]

Parent Company [Member]

Senior Notes [Member]

Term Loan B [Member]

Parent Company [Member]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]

Common stock shares issued

89,900,453

82,737,008

89,900,453

82,737,008

Unvested shares of common stock

3,378,764

Shares of treasury stock held

1,500,000

Stock split description

'On April 7, 2013, the Company's Board of Directors authorized an eight-for-one split of the Company's common stock which was effective on April 8, 2013. The Company's historical share and per share information has been retroactively adjusted to give effects to this stock split.

'On April 7, 2013, the Parent's Board of Directors authorized an eight-for-one split of the Parent's common stock which was effective on April 8, 2013. The Parent's historical share and per share information has been retroactively adjusted to give effects to this stock split.

Stock split conversion ratio

Common stock, par value

$0.01

Common stock, shares authorized

1,000,000,000

Preferred stock, shares authorized

100,000,000

Preferred stock, par value

$0.01

Common stock shares issued for cash

233,920

10,000,000

Shares offered and sold by the selling shareholders

19,900,000

3,900,000

18,000,000

Offering price per share

$27

$30

Net proceeds received from offering

$245,441

$245,400

Net proceeds received used to redeem 11% Senior Notes

140,000

Redemption price for Senior Notes Percentage

111.00%

100.00%

Senior Notes redemption terms

'A provision in the indenture governing the Senior Notes that permits the Company to redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes with the net cash proceeds of certain equity offerings.

Senior Notes redemption percentage

35.00%

Payment made to affiliate for termination of Advisory Agreement

46,300

Net proceeds from offering

37,000

Secondary offering costs

1,407

Repurchase of common shares

1,500,000

Treasury stock at cost

44,163

Dividend declared to stockholders

500,000

110,100

53,911

500,000

110,100

18,072

500,000

110,100

17,767

Cash dividend declared

$0.20

$0.60

$6.07

$1.34

$0.20

Dividend payable date

3-Jan-14

1-Oct-13

1-Jul-13

3-Jan-14

1-Oct-13

1-Jul-13

1-Apr-14

Dividend record date

20-Dec-13

20-Sep-13

20-Jun-13

20-Dec-13

20-Sep-13

20-Jun-13

20-Mar-14

Cash dividends payable

17,939

203

3,180

17,939

203

3,180

Dividends payable

883

Cash dividends paid

17,680

Consideration amount for shares issued

$2,736

Summary_Quarterly_Financial_Da2

Summary Quarterly Financial Data - Summary of Quarterly Financial Data (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Total revenues	$271,959	$538,389	$411,292	$238,610	$263,173	$522,255	$425,882	$212,442	$1,460,250	$1,423,752	$1,330,774
Operating (loss) income	505	205,594	30,980	-35,873	-1,880	183,862	93,086	-48,279	201,206	226,789	144,317
Net (loss) income	($13,507)	$120,199	($15,854)	($40,360)	($8,799)	$92,257	$39,120	($45,134)	$50,478	$77,444	$19,113
(Loss) earnings per share:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net (loss) income per share, basic	($0.15)	$1.34	($0.18)	($0.49)	($0.11)	$1.12	$0.47	($0.55)	$0.58	$0.94	$0.23
Net (loss) income per share, diluted	($0.15)	$1.33	($0.18)	($0.49)	($0.11)	$1.11	$0.47	($0.55)	$0.57	$0.93	$0.23

Summary_Quarterly_Financial_Da3

Summary Quarterly Financial Data - Summary of Quarterly Financial Data (Parenthetical) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'
Fees related to termination of 2009 Advisory Agreement	$50,072	$50,072
Loss on early extinguishment of debt and write-off of discounts and deferred financing costs	$32,429	($32,429)

Summary_Quarterly_Financial_Da4

Summary Quarterly Financial Data - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
	Business
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Number of theme parks opened for a portion of the year	6

Schedule_I_Condensed_Balance_S

Schedule I - Condensed Balance Sheets (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Current assets:	'	'	'	'
Total current assets	$243,059	$158,633	'	'
Total assets	2,582,273	2,521,052	'	'
Current liabilities:	'	'	'	'
Dividends payable	17,939	203	'	'
Total current liabilities	252,694	246,281	'	'
Total liabilities	1,928,141	2,071,204	'	'
Commitments and contingencies	'	'	'	'
Stockholder Equity:	'	'	'	'
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value-authorized, 100,000,000 shares, no shares issued or outstanding at December 31, 2013 and 2012	'	'	'	'
Common stock, $0.01 par value-authorized, 1,000,000,000 shares; 89,900,453 shares issued at December 31, 2013 and 82,737,008 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2012	899	827	'	'
Additional paid-in capital	689,394	456,923	'	'
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)	7,991	-6,648	'	'
Treasury stock, at cost (1,500,000 shares at December 31, 2013)	-44,163	'	'	'
Total stockholders' equity	654,132	449,848	872,467	949,795
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	2,582,273	2,521,052	'	'
Parent Company [Member]	'	'	'	'
Current assets:	'	'	'	'
Cash	172	203	'	'
Due from wholly owned subsidiary	17,767	'	'	'
Total current assets	17,939	203	'	'
Investment in wholly owned subsidiary	654,121	451,102	'	'
Total assets	672,060	451,305	'	'
Current liabilities:	'	'	'	'
Dividends payable	17,939	203	'	'
Total current liabilities	17,939	203	'	'
Total liabilities	17,939	203	'	'
Commitments and contingencies	'	'	'	'
Stockholder Equity:	'	'	'	'
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value-authorized, 100,000,000 shares, no shares issued or outstanding at December 31, 2013 and 2012	'	'	'	'
Common stock, $0.01 par value-authorized, 1,000,000,000 shares; 89,900,453 shares issued at December 31, 2013 and 82,737,008 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2012	899	827	'	'
Additional paid-in capital	689,394	456,923	'	'
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)	7,991	-6,648	'	'
Treasury stock, at cost (1,500,000 shares at December 31, 2013)	-44,163	'	'	'
Total stockholders' equity	654,121	451,102	'	'
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$672,060	$451,305	'	'

Schedule_I_Condensed_Balance_S1

Schedule I - Condensed Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Preferred stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	100,000,000	100,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Common stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	1,000,000,000	1,000,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	89,900,453	82,737,008
Common stock, shares outstanding	'	82,737,008
Treasury stock, shares	1,500,000	0
Parent Company [Member]	'	'
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'
Preferred stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	100,000,000	100,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	'	'
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	'	'
Common stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	1,000,000,000	1,000,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	89,900,453	82,737,008
Common stock, shares outstanding	'	82,737,008
Treasury stock, shares	1,500,000	'

Schedule_I_Condensed_Statement

Schedule I - Condensed Statements of Income (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net income	($13,507)	$120,199	($15,854)	($40,360)	($8,799)	$92,257	$39,120	($45,134)	$50,478	$77,444	$19,113
Parent Company [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Equity in net income of subsidiary	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	50,478	77,444	19,113
Net income	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$50,478	$77,444	$19,113

Schedule_I_Condensed_Statement1

Schedule I - Condensed Statements of Cash Flows (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended						15 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Parent Company [Member]	Parent Company [Member]	Parent Company [Member]	Parent Company [Member]
Cash Flows From Operating Activities:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net income	$50,478	$77,444	$19,113	$50,478	$77,444	$19,113	'
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Equity in net income of subsidiary	'	'	'	-50,478	-77,444	-19,113	'
Dividend received from subsidiary-return on capital	'	'	'	18,072	'	'	'
Net cash provided by operating activities	289,794	303,513	268,249	18,072	'	'	'
Cash Flows From Investing Activities:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Capital contributed to subsidiary	'	'	'	-249,106	'	-2,736	'
Restricted payment from subsidiary	'	'	'	44,163	'	'	'
Dividend received from subsidiary-return of capital	'	'	'	18,072	500,000	100,000	'
Net cash used in investing activities	-166,376	-204,318	-225,316	-186,871	500,000	97,264	'
Cash Flows From Financing Activities:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock	'	'	12,836	'	'	12,836	'
Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of underwriter commissions	253,800	'	'	253,800	'	'	'
Purchase of treasury stock	-44,163	'	'	-44,163	'	'	'
Dividend paid to common stockholders	-36,175	-502,977	-106,920	-36,175	-502,977	-106,920	-609,897
Offering costs	-4,694	-3,665	'	-4,694	'	'	'
Net cash used in financing activities	-52,252	-120,183	-99,967	168,768	-502,977	-94,084	'
Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents	71,166	-20,988	-57,034	-31	-2,977	3,180	'
Cash and Cash Equivalents-Beginning of period	45,675	66,663	123,697	203	3,180	'	'
Cash and Cash Equivalents-End of period	116,841	45,675	66,663	172	203	3,180	203
Supplemental Disclosures of Noncash Financing Activities	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Dividends declared, but unpaid	$17,939	$203	$3,180	$17,939	$203	$3,180	$203

Schedule_I_Description_of_Seaw

Schedule I - Description of Seaworld Entertainment, Inc. - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Oct. 02, 2009

Apr. 24, 2013

Dec. 17, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Apr. 24, 2013

Dec. 17, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

PartnershipUnit

Partnership

Initial Public Offering [Member]

Secondary Offering [Member]

Parent Company [Member]

Business

Initial Public Offering [Member]

Initial Public Offering Over-Allotment [Member]

Secondary Offering [Member]

Business Description [Line Items]

Number of limited partnerships which owned the Company

Number of theme parks, owns and operates

Shares of common stock issued through initial public offering

10,000,000

Shares offered and sold by the selling shareholders

19,900,000

18,000,000

19,900,000

3,900,000

18,000,000

Offering price per share

$27

$30

$27

$30

Number of shares repurchased

1,500,000

Common stock, shares issued

89,900,453

82,737,008

89,900,453

82,737,008

Schedule_I_Guarantees_Addition

Schedule I - Guarantees - Additional Information (Detail) (SeaWorld & Parks Entertainment, Inc (SEA) [Member], Senior Secured Credit Facilities [Member])	Dec. 31, 2013
SeaWorld & Parks Entertainment, Inc (SEA) [Member] \| Senior Secured Credit Facilities [Member]	'
Guarantor Obligations [Line Items]	'
Percentage of equity interest owned	100.00%

Schedule_I_Dividends_from_Subs

Schedule I - Dividends from Subsidiaries - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)

1 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

15 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified

Mar. 31, 2012

Sep. 30, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Mar. 20, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Mar. 30, 2012

Sep. 29, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2012

Jan. 02, 2014

Mar. 04, 2014

Subsequent Events [Member]

Parent Company [Member]

Subsequent Events [Member]

Maximum [Member]

Dividends Payable [Line Items]

Dividends received

$500,000

$100,000

Dividend declared to stockholders

500,000

110,100

53,911

500,000

110,100

18,072

500,000

110,100

17,767

Dividends paid

36,175

502,977

106,920

36,175

502,977

106,920

609,897

Cash dividend declared

$0.20

$0.60

$6.07

$1.34

$0.20

Dividend payable date

3-Jan-14

1-Oct-13

1-Jul-13

1-Apr-14

3-Jan-14

1-Oct-13

1-Jul-13

1-Apr-14

Dividend record date

20-Dec-13

20-Sep-13

20-Jun-13

20-Mar-14

20-Dec-13

20-Sep-13

20-Jun-13

20-Mar-14

Cash dividends payable

17,939

203

3,180

17,939

203

3,180

203

18,352

Cash dividends paid

$17,680

Schedule_I_Stockholders_Equity

Schedule I - Stockholders' Equity - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified

Apr. 08, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Apr. 19, 2013

Apr. 24, 2013

Dec. 17, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Apr. 08, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Apr. 24, 2013

Dec. 17, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan [Member]

Initial Public Offering [Member]

Underwriters Option to Purchase Additional Shares [Member]

Secondary Offering [Member]

Parent Company [Member]

Initial Public Offering [Member]

Underwriters Option to Purchase Additional Shares [Member]

Secondary Offering [Member]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]

Stock split description

Stock split conversion ratio

Common stock, par value

$0.01

Common stock, shares authorized

1,000,000,000

Preferred stock, shares authorized

100,000,000

Preferred stock, par value

$0.01

Common stock reserved for future issuance

15,000,000

Shares of common stock issued through initial public offering, shares

10,000,000

Shares offered and sold by the selling shareholders

19,900,000

3,900,000

18,000,000

19,900,000

3,900,000

18,000,000

Offering price per share

$27

$30

$27

$30

Net proceeds received from offering

$245,441

$245,400

Common stock, shares issued

89,900,453

82,737,008

89,900,453

82,737,008

Repurchase of common shares

1,500,000

Treasury stock at cost

44,163

Restricted payment to the parent

($44,163)

$44,163