Even fun can't escape rising costs

Since 2017, a number of the country's amusement parks have increased ticket prices.

Silverwood Theme Park is No. 6 on the list.

According to research from DealA, a consumer coupon website started in 2020, tickets to Silverwood have increased by 28.21% since 2017. Entry in 2017 cost $39; the same ticket today costs $50.

"Silverwood periodically assesses our pricing throughout the year to ensure that we are aligned with the needs of our cast members, guests and the marketplace," marketing and entertainment director Jordan Carter said Wednesday.

He said Silverwood has grown and maintained its status as the largest theme park in the Inland Northwest.

"Even with the increased demand, limited capacity concerns and a minimum wage increase 83% over the previous five years, we have managed to have a smaller price increase than the top 10 theme parks listed on the DealA website," Carter said.

No. 1 on the list is Funland in Delaware. Its prices increased 100% from $15 to $30 since 2017.

Santa's Village in New Hampshire jumped $16, a 50% increase. Fun Spot America in Florida experienced a 34% increase from $40.95 to $54.95. Children's Fairyland in California is No. 4 with a 30% increase from $10 to $13. Sesame Place in Pennsylvania increased ticket prices by nearly 29%, from $70 to $89.99.

Trailing Silverwood are Nickelodeon Universe in Florida at 25%; Dollywood, Tennessee, at nearly 22%; Canobie Lake Park, New Hampshire, at roughly 21%; and Silver Dollar City in Missouri at more than 19%.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index in November, prices surged 6.8% in 2021, which is the fastest rate of inflation since 1982.

Carter said Silverwood's pricing is on a tiered system that is not adequately represented in DealA's research. He said 2017 was the first year Silverwood offered discounted one-day or two-day tickets during the offseason.

"This price was set at $39, which was the lowest price ticket we offered for the 2017 season," he said. "Fast forward to the 2022 season, and we now offer a Black Friday ticket, a Cyber Monday ticket, an Early Bird ticket and a preseason ticket.

If you want to compare the ticket featured in the article, the lowest-priced ticket for the upcoming season, then it would be fair to look at our Black Friday Sale. For the week leading up to Black Friday, we offered a one-day ticket at $46 that is valid for any day during the 2022 season. That is only a $7 increase from 2017, which equates to a 17.9% increase.

"Looking back to the article, a 17.9% increase in ticket sale would place us at No. 9 on 'Top 10 Lowest Ticket Price Increase' list."

Many factors go into raising ticket prices. The biggest, Carter said, is Silverwood's wage increases. In 2017, the starting wage for 16 and older was $8.75. The current starting wage is now $16 per hour, an increase of $7.25.

"That is an 83% increase in starting wage for our cast members that will be reinvested back into the local economy," Carter said.

Other factors include park improvements, new attractions, capacity restraints and inflation.

"Even though we don’t install a new major attraction like Stunt Pilot every year, there are many improvement projects that take place every offseason that enhance the park experience for our guests," Carter said. "Sometimes these improvements are apparent to guests, but a lot of the time they are behind the scenes and out of the eye of visitors. Unfortunately, the cost for just about everything has drastically increased because of the supply chain problems seen all over the world."

Carter said when Gary Norton created Silverwood, "he wanted to give others the opportunity to make miraculous memories with their loved ones."

"Whether it is the mile-high ice cream cone, the quality hand-pressed hamburger patties or the valued cast member waving to guests riding the train, our mission is always to create smiles by providing quality experiences that exceed expectations," Carter said.