Here's my honest review after returning home to California. We traveled back to the DMV to…read morecelebrate my daughter's birthday with our friends and family. We originally booked for 25 kids but ended up reducing it to 20.
Unfortunately, the party room felt very small for a space advertised to accommodate 25 children and up to 40 adults. It was hot and stuffy, and the two fans provided really didn't make much of a difference. There also wasn't enough seating for the adults, which was especially disappointing and honestly embarrassing when we had older family members attending who needed somewhere to sit.
Upon arrival, my dad, who was bringing in our decorations, was stopped and wasn't allowed inside just to drop off an item that was too heavy for my mom and me to carry. We completely understand having rules in place, but I do feel there could have been some flexibility for the birthday family. Even allowing him five minutes to help us get the heavier decorations into the room and then completing whatever paperwork was needed afterward would have made a huge difference.
I do want to give a special thank you to Forest and another staff member who noticed that I was getting frustrated and stepped in to help. Forest, in particular, was amazing and actually helped us decorate and get everything together. If you're planning a party here, I would definitely recommend asking for her!
The younger kids had an absolute blast, and the older kids made the best of the situation, even though the main ball pit for their age group was closed. Unfortunately, we were not notified ahead of time that it would be unavailable, so that was pretty disappointing, especially considering we were planning the party around the activities available.
The bubble party was actually one of my daughter's favorite parts! However, it was frustrating to see children wearing yellow wristbands, while our party had pink wristbands, joining our bubble party. The dance floor was already pretty small for our group, so having additional children come in made it even more crowded. I feel like it should be the responsibility of the party hosts/attendants to monitor the wristbands and make sure each party's designated activities remain private. That's part of what we're paying for.
There was also a woman I wasn't familiar with who seemed to come out of nowhere and repeatedly addressed some of our older children/spectators. She was wearing an orange shirt with a gray sweater. Her approach came across as very loud and rude, and I was confused about why she was involved with our party when we already had Forest assisting us. I believe the staff noticed that I was uncomfortable with the situation because shortly afterward, she was at the front desk.
Overall, there were definitely some cons, but there were also plenty of pros. The kids had fun, and there were staff members who genuinely went above and beyond to help us. I would still recommend this place to others, but there are several things I believe need to be addressed before we would consider paying to host another party here.
With better temperature control, more seating, clearer communication about closed attractions, and stronger enforcement of private party areas, I think the experience could be significantly better.