Citing labor shortages that are affecting the park’s ability to fully staff “America’s Roller Coast” and deliver the level of fun and memorable experiences that guests traditionally experience at the resort, Cedar Point and Cedar Point Shores have made changes to their 2021 operating calendar, and will now be closed on June 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 and 23. (The first four Tuesdays and Wednesdays of June.)
PARK UPDATE: Guests who have booked an overnight stay or have made ticket or Season Pass park reservations will be contacted directly with further information. pic.twitter.com/uufRVfVkeu
— Cedar Point (@cedarpoint) May 21, 2021
According to a message posted on the park’s social media accounts, this season, Cedar Point has added more than 300 full-time, year-round positions (with benefits) to their food & beverage team, a $500 sign on bonus for seasonal associates, and has now commited to increase the 2021 seasonal and part-time wage to $20/hour, representing a 100% increase over last season’s wages. While all of these recruiting efforts and selling points have been amplified over the past several months, the staffing levels are still not at a desired level, resulting in the changes to the operating calendar.
The concepts of increased wages and sign-on bonuses in an effort to recruit associates are not unique to Cedar Point, their parent company Cedar Fair, or even the greater amusement industry as whole, as the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. There are labor shortages everywhere you turn. Both Carowinds and Kings Dominion postponed the opening of their water parks this season due to similar staffing concerns.
In an article for Blooloop, Screamscape’s Lance Hart theorizes a number of reasons behind the shortage of labor, including low wages, tighter overall budgets, supplmental umployment insurance, the lack of foreign internship opportunities, and overall working conditions. Combined with a pent-up demand for guests and customers to return to the “pre-COVID” way of life after 16 months while we’re still emerging from a Global pandemic, it’s the perfect storm for theme parks, restaurants, and other customer-facing businesses around the country.
Our two cents, because no one asked for it: As fans, guests, or customers, it’s extremely frustrating to make plans that need to be altered, be it a trip to an amusement park, concert tickets, or vacation. We get it. However, as the amusement industry (along with the rest of the world) tries its hardest to get back to the way things were before COVID turned everything upside down, it’s important to think and act with a level of empathy, understanding and compassion for these parks and their associates. These parks want to get back to normal, or whatever “normal” is, as much as you want to do the same. If they’re not able to put forth their best possible guest experience, unfortunately, there are tough decisions like this that have to be made.
We don’t claim to know the right answer to solve the labor shortage crisis currently facing the country, we’re just asking for understanding and empathy along the way while those tasked with solving the problem figure it out.
Cedar Point will contact guests with hotel, park, or season pass reservations directly. For the most up-to-date information, be sure to visit Cedar Point’s website.
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