Description of the Business and Basis of Presentation (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regarding interim financial reporting. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. Therefore, these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes for the year ended December 31, 2014 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. The unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2014 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K. In the opinion of management, such unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for the interim periods, but are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for the year ending December 31, 2015 or any future period due to the seasonal nature of the Company’s operations. 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. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, including SEA. 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 unaudited condensed 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.
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 similar consumer groups. Accordingly, based on these economic and operational similarities and the way the CODM monitors and makes decisions affecting the operations, the Company has concluded that its operating segments may be aggregated and that it has one reportable segment.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2015 presentation, in particular debt issuance costs, which were previously included in other assets in the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets, have been reclassified to long-term debt as a result of the adoption of a new Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”). See Note 2—Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements for further details. In addition, $1,196 of restructuring and other related costs, which were previously included in selling, general and administrative expenses during the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2014, but were reclassified in the fourth quarter of 2014 to separately disclose such costs, are reflected in restructuring and other related costs in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statement of comprehensive income to be consistent. These costs relate primarily to third party consulting costs associated with the development of the Company’s cost savings plan.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	The Company reviews new accounting pronouncements as they are issued or proposed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”). In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory. This ASU simplifies the accounting for inventory by requiring inventory to be measured at the “lower of cost and net realizable value” and eliminates options that currently exist for measuring inventory at “market value”. The ASU defines net realizable value as the “estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation.” No other changes were made to the current guidance on inventory measurement. The ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Early application is permitted and should be applied prospectively. The Company does not expect a material impact to its consolidated financial statements upon adoption of this ASU. In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, Interest—Imputation of Interest (Topic 835): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs. This ASU simplifies the accounting for debt issuance costs by requiring such costs to be presented as a direct deduction from the related debt liability rather than as an asset. Debt disclosures include the face amount of the debt liability and the effective interest rate. This ASU requires retrospective adoption and is effective for annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. The Company elected to early adopt this ASU as of June 30, 2015. The ASU has been applied retrospectively as a change in accounting principle for all periods presented in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. As a result of adopting this ASU, the Company reclassified $20,003 of unamortized debt issuance costs at December 31, 2014, from other assets to long-term debt on the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet. The adoption of this ASU did not impact the Company’s consolidated results of operations, stockholders’ equity or cash flows. Furthermore, in August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-15, Presentation and Subsequent Measurement of Debt Issuance Costs Associated With Line-of-Credit Arrangements: Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to Staff Announcement at June 18, 2015 EITF Meeting. This ASU expands on the guidance set forth in ASU 2015-03 and clarifies that an entity may elect to present debt issuance costs related to line-of-credit arrangements as an asset which is subsequently amortized over the term of the line-of-credit arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the arrangement. The Company has elected to record debt issuance costs related to its senior secured revolving credit facility as a deduction to long-term debt on the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets and to amortize the debt issuance costs over the term of the arrangement. See Note 6—Long-Term Debt for further details. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC Topic 605, Revenue Recognition. This ASU is based on the principle that revenue is recognized to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The ASU also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, which defers the effective date to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 using one of two retrospective application methods with earlier adoption permitted for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company has not yet selected a transition method and is evaluating the accounting and disclosure requirements on its consolidated financial statements but does not currently anticipate a material impact upon adoption; however, the Company is in the process of evaluating the effect this ASU will have on the classification of revenue and related disclosures.
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, net of estimated forfeitures, is recognized over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period unless service or performance conditions require otherwise. The Company has granted stock options, time-vesting restricted share awards and performance-vesting restricted share awards. The Company used the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model to value its stock options and the closing stock price on the date of grant to value both its time-vesting and performance-vesting restricted share awards granted in 2015.