The concept of a skating rink for kids is wonderful. I support it 100%. Unfortunately, Great Skates is lacking in the amenities which would truly make it a "fun center". The facility isn't clean, the staff are very unprofessional, the manager is very unorganized. I was so disappointed.
I had my daughter's 10th birthday party at Great Skates this past weekend. I was charged $165 for the "ultimate" party package. This includes soft drinks, a personal hostess, decorations, 2 pizzas from Arni's, glowsticks for the kids and a game of lazer tag. Sounds good right?
To start off with, when we walked inside there were 2 other parties besides ours. We were told that we would have the place to ourselves but apparently was misinformed. The decorations at our table were a hawaiian theme. Why? I'm not sure because when I booked the party I told the manager my daughter liked soccer and teal was her favorite color and she loves music. Nothing about the deco matched her personality. I would've brought my own had I known that.
The "personal hostess" we were promised was also hostess for 2 other parties that were there, so we were told by her in the beginning that she would do her best to balance because it was "mom's day to relax". Did I relax? No....
The drinks were unlimited as promised but who served the drinks? ME. The hostess dropped off the pitchers and left me to do the serving. The pizzas were not even cut thoroughly and who served the pizza? ME. In fact there were 2 or 3 times that hostess was standing around talking to her co-workers and not working at all!
The game of lazer tag was a joke. 5 minutes long and the boy who worked in the lazer tag room told us he only had 7 working vests so I had to split up the party unevenly of course. A lot of unhappy children over that one. I mainly purchased the "ultimate" package for that game of lazer tag. And the vests that were supposedly working didn't even work properly.
When I booked the party I was asked what kind of music my daughter liked. It was never played but a lot of the more trashier music that I try to steer her away from was played. Like "Sexy Chick". Nice. Real appropriate for a 10 year old Great Skates.
To be fair, there was one man who worked there that had a clue. He talked the manager into shaving off $30 from our bill. He told us the lazer tag equipment is several years old and from Canada so getting parts to replace or repair is impossible. He said we weren't the first to complain. Apparently people didn't feel unhappy enough to voice their opinions since I don't see any reviews on this place. We were told the owner is a real "stickler" when it comes to money.
Well Mr./Mrs. Owner of Great Skates...Your "fun center" isn't fun. The concessions are overpriced, the party package is very overpriced, the parking lot should be paved, the parties should be organized with a hostess just for that party trained to serve the guests, the DJ should play age appropriate music, the facility could use a good cleaning, the staff should be friendlier, and you should invest A LOT more into that place. It could be a great place for families and parties but you have to make it great and right now it is very trashy.
Other businesses in town who offer party packages have their act together and I recommend going with them for your special event. read more