Revenue - Disaggregation of Revenue (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020 USD ($) item	Sep. 30, 2019 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020 USD ($) item	Sep. 30, 2019 USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2020 USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2019 USD ($)
Revenue
Revenues	$ 126,327	$ 621,180	$ 247,973	$ 1,226,583
Number of distinct obligations within international agreements | item	3		3
Long-term contracts
Revenue
Revenues	$ 19,361	62,610	$ 35,569	147,200
Contract with customer, liability					$ 85,100	$ 100,800
Contract with customer, liability, revenue recognized	16,000	46,900	35,600	109,700
Short-term contracts and other
Revenue
Revenues	106,966	558,570	212,404	1,079,383
Park admissions
Revenue
Revenues	72,920	352,664	143,688	671,252
Park admissions | Long-term contracts
Revenue
Revenues	16,131	38,684	18,832	70,227
Park admissions | Short-term contracts and other
Revenue
Revenues	56,789	313,980	124,856	601,025
Park food, merchandise and other
Revenue
Revenues	49,342	242,059	83,671	472,692
Park food, merchandise and other | Long-term contracts
Revenue
Revenues	1,086	7,897	1,743	15,511
Park food, merchandise and other | Short-term contracts and other
Revenue
Revenues	48,256	234,162	81,928	457,181
Sponsorship international agreements and accommodations
Revenue
Revenues	4,065	26,457	20,614	82,639
Sponsorship international agreements and accommodations | Long-term contracts
Revenue
Revenues	2,144	16,029	14,994	61,462
Sponsorship international agreements and accommodations | Short-term contracts and other
Revenue
Revenues	$ 1,921	$ 10,428	$ 5,620	$ 21,177