Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)		9 Months Ended
	Apr. 18, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Apr. 30, 2018
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
License agreement term, description		On May 16, 2017, SEA entered into a License Agreement (the “License Agreement”) with Sesame Workshop (“Sesame”), a New York not-for-profit corporation.  SEA’s principal commitments pursuant to the License Agreement include: (i) opening a new Sesame Place theme park (“Standalone Park”) no later than mid-2021 in a location to be determined; (ii) building a new Sesame Land in SeaWorld Orlando by fall 2022; (iii) investing in minimum annual capital and marketing thresholds; and (iv) providing support for agreed upon sponsorship and charitable initiatives.  As of September 30, 2019, the Company estimates the combined remaining obligations for these commitments could be up to approximately $55.0 million over the remaining term of the agreement.  After the opening of the second Standalone Park (counting the existing Sesame Place Standalone Park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania), SEA will have the option to build additional Standalone Parks in the Sesame Territory within agreed upon timelines.  The License Agreement has an initial term through December 31, 2031, with an automatic additional 15 year extension plus a five year option added to the term of the License Agreement from December 31st of the year of each new Standalone Park opening. On March 27, 2019, the Company opened a new Sesame Land in SeaWorld Orlando. On October 21, 2019, the Company announced that it will open its second Sesame Place Standalone Park in San Diego in spring 2021.  Sesame Place San Diego will be located on the site of the current Aquatica San Diego. While construction will begin in the fall of 2019, it is not expected to impact Aquatica San Diego’s operating schedule in 2020.
EZPay Plan Class Action Lawsuit [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimated liability for legal settlement			$ 11,500,000
Settlement of litigation	$ 11,500,000
Maximum [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Estimated combined remaining obligations for commitments		$ 55,000,000.0
Minimum [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Amount in controversy, not recorded		$ 5,000,000.0