I recently hosted my daughter's birthday party at FunBox in Downey, and overall I would give my experience 3 out of 5 stars. The kids had fun, and I appreciate the concept of the place, but I left feeling disappointed because several things were unclear or did not match the expectations that were set when booking. I purchased the Premium Birthday Package, including the upgrade for 40 jumpers/guests, so naturally I expected the party room to be set up accordingly. However, when I arrived, there were only 34 chairs available. When I asked about this, I was told that "not everyone comes into the room anyway." I didn't feel that was an appropriate response because if I paid for accommodations for 40 guests, I expected seating for 40 guests. I really believe that they gave me the wrong room. In fact, from the screen where they put your child's name and said standard Party, even though mine was a premium, I had her taught them to change that.
Another issue was the party room itself. During the birthday tour, I was under the impression that because I booked a premium package with 40 guests, I would likely have one of the larger middle rooms. Instead, the room felt smaller than expected, which was disappointing considering the size of my party package.
I also had an issue with food accommodations. During the booking tour, the coordinator explained that outside food was allowed and even mentioned that people could bring food warmers with small fire kits, so I assumed bringing my hot dog steamer would be perfectly fine. However, on the day of the party, I was unable to use it because there was nowhere available for me to plug it in. Had I known this ahead of time, I would have planned differently. I feel this information should be clearly communicated upfront. Eventually, they did help me plug it in. They put another table, but it was blocking the fridge so that was kind of like not ideal cause we couldn't get to the drinks.
Another frustration involved the large screen/TV inside the party room. There is a huge black screen mounted there, which gives the impression that it is part of the party room experience. Staff initially turned it on, but then told us they could not keep it on because of power limitations related to the refrigerator and other plugged-in equipment. From what I understood, the screen technically works, but guests are generally not allowed to use it because it affects other equipment. This was disappointing because not only is it misleading to have a large screen there that customers assume can be used, but if it is not truly available as part of the room experience, it honestly should either be removed or clearly explained ahead of time.
One thing I especially think needs to be corrected is the check-in policy. During booking and in the contract, it clearly states that host families may arrive 15 minutes early. Naturally, I arrived before my scheduled time expecting access to the room. Instead, I was told I was too early and that early access is "not guaranteed." My concern is that nowhere during booking or on the contract does it clearly say this is not guaranteed. If that policy exists, it should absolutely be stated upfront so families can plan properly.
Lastly, part of the birthday package included a visit from the Freddy character, and I was underwhelmed by that experience. Freddy never really came into our party room and mostly stayed standing in the hallway. My daughter was handed cotton candy, but I had seen photos and was told the birthday child would receive something special. Unfortunately, my daughter never received any birthday gift or special item, which was disappointing. Perhaps a the cotton candy.
Overall, the kids still had fun, which is why I'm not giving a lower rating. But for the amount paid and for purchasing a premium package, I expected better communication, clearer policies, and for the experience to match what was presented during booking. I hope management improves transparency because families spend a lot of money expecting everything included in the package to be delivered as promised. But the jumping was fun so I can't complain on that.