by: Rhea Caoile / Fox5 San Diego / Dec 8, 2025
The parent company of SeaWorld San Diego and Sesame Place in Chula Vista has been faced with a class action complaint, accusing the theme parks of misleading customers about ticket prices.
Johnny Ngo, an Orange County resident, filed the complaint in the Superior Court of the State of California for San Diego County against United Parks & Resorts, Inc., also known as SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc.
The complaint alleges that consumers have to navigate through multiple screens when buying tickets online for all of the company’s theme parks but do not learn the “true” cost of those tickets until they reach the final checkout screen.
The multiple screens include requiring a customer to select the number of tickets at a certain price for a specific date and then being presented with additional experience they may choose to add to their cart.
After clicking through multiple screens, they are asked to enter their payment information and then presented with a hidden “Service Fee” above the final “Pay” button, the complaint states.
Then, customers are presented with a subtotal of the ticket costs with an undisclosed number of “taxes and fees.” In the end, customers may end up paying more than they initially planned for, the complaint alleges.
This was the case for Ngo, who said that on Aug. 26, 2023, he tried to purchase two single-day tickets to SeaWorld San Diego online. After navigating various screens and entering his payment information, he was charged with a service fee of $9.99.
According to Ngo in the complaint, he was only made aware about the mandatory service fee after he “had invested significant time and effort purchasing tickets.”
“Each stage of Defendant’s multi-step checkout process is designed to increase consumer commitment so that, by the time the hidden fees are revealed, consumers — having already expended time and effort — are more likely to complete the transaction,” the complaint alleges.
In a response to a request for comment by FOX 5/KUSI, SeaWorld San Diego said it does not comment on pending litigation.
This is not the first time SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc. has been faced with legal action regarding “bait-and-switch” tactics to lure in customers. A lawsuit filed against SeaWorld accused the theme park of lying about ticket costs, as reported by FOX 5/KUSI’s sister station WFLA in Orlando, Florida in October.
Seven park brands are operated bySeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, including SeaWorld San Diego and Sesame Place in Chula Vista.
