(16 Jun 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ocean City, New Jersey – 6 June 2025
1. Brian Hartley looks around amusement park storage room
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Hartley, vice president, Playland’s Castaway Cove:
"So typically this warehouse would be half full but because of the unknown with the tariffs this year we had to go ahead and pre-purchase pretty much for the entire summer.”
3. Made in Taiwan label
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Hartley, vice president, Playland’s Castaway Cove:
”We just decided to purchase everything ahead of a time to try to beat the tariffs before they went into effect and try to save that cost so we could keep our prices down for our guests."
5. Amusement park storage room
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Hartley, vice president, Playland’s Castaway Cove:
”Castaway Cove is an amusement park on the Ocean City Boardwalk. We have 30 rides.”
7. Ocean City, New Jersey sign
8. Castaway Cove ticket booth
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Hartley, vice president, Playland’s Castaway Cove:
"A lot of our rides come from overseas, so the tariffs have a huge impact."
10. Various of park rides
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Hartley, vice president, Playland’s Castaway Cove:
”Any parts that we try to order that might come from Italy or Germany or anywhere overseas — China — from our stuffed animals that we use in our games and our cranes and arcade, a lot of those things are made from overseas.“
12. Various of arcade and game machines
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Hartley, vice president, Playland’s Castaway Cove:
"A lot of times when you’re replacing something on a ride, they want to make sure that it’s the same metal, same material, same thickness. Everything is the same. So that way, what it’s manufactured and engineered for, is precisely what’s going back on the ride — not something different that could be weaker and cause some sort of issue with the ride.”
14. People walk around the park
15. Various of ride parts
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Hartley, vice president, Playland’s Castaway Cove:
“You know, eventually it is something that might have to be passed on to the customer. We may have to look at that. Right now, again, we’re kind of eating that cost at the moment."
17. Various of carnival water shooting game
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Chris Del Borrello, park visitor:
“We come here every year because it’s so fun. We build memories every single summer when we come down here to Castaway Cove.”
19. Various of carnival water shooting game
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Chris Del Borrello, park visitor:
“With the rise in cost and everything, Castaway Cove is very affordable.”
++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
Every year, flocks of vacationers descend on America’s amusement parks to enjoy some summer escapism.
A budget-friendly way for families to enjoy summer, regional amusement parks are typically cheaper than bigger amusement parks like Disney World, and most are within driving distance from their guests, so expensive flights aren’t necessary.
But this year, real-world pressures like tariffs and economic uncertainty could put a damper on the fun. Parts of amusement park rides, prizes and toys come from countries that fall under Trump’s on-again, off-again tariff crusade, making it more difficult to for park operators to plan. And parks are at the mercy of how free spending their guests are feeling, depending on the economy.
Still, park executives say they’re hoping for a good summer despite the current economic climate.
AP video shot by Mingson Lau
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