StarCenter Plano is one of the many Children's Health Center ice rinks in the Dallas Fort Worth area, providing the community with adult and youth hockey along with figure skating or just regular plain public skating. Inside the Star Center, there are 2 sheets of NHL size ice rinks. One is named US rink while the other is World Rink. The rinks are busy throughout the day with many activities going on, such as youth hockey, adult hockey, and public skating. The best way to find the current schedule for the day is to go on the website and look at what events are happening for the day and month. On the website, they offer a lot of free activities for first timers, whether it be learning hockey or just even skating on ice. The public skating is 2 hours long, and they provide rental skates at an extra charge. The AT&T high school hockey also plays hockey here and at the surrounding rinks. Please come and check out this beautiful arena and enjoy your time on the ice, where it is always cooler! I guarantee you will enjoy all the activities provided at this location or any of the multiple locations in the DFW! read more

Our big extended family came here on a Groupon to ice skate. I wasn't too impressed with our experience. There are only two sessions (at least on the weekday we went): 4-6p and 6:15-8p. So, no skating during the day. The ice skates are plastic and have plastic straps on them (think roller blade style). The big problem with them is that they have absolutely no give. I literally did a lap and a half and my feet/calves were hurting so bad that I got off the ice and sat out the rest of the session. Not one person in our group lasted the whole time, and the ones who lasted the longest had to come off the ice to take off the skates and rest their feet before going back out. Also, there were quite a few large chunks in the ice; it wasn't smooth at all. One of my sisters got tripped and hit her head pretty hard on the ice (ended up being a grade II concussion) and the girl who worked there slowly skated over, asked if she was ok (to which she replied that she wasn't), and asked her to get off the ice. We won't be back. read more

Note: My review of this facility is based on my experiences as a spectator for a friend's beer league games; I can't actually skate at all. :) Of McKinney, Frisco and this center, this is the best for spectators. Bleachers go relatively high, and they're made of wood, which means they're not as cold as the aluminum units in the other centers. The higher elevation makes it easier to see. The two rinks are both easy to get in and out of, and if you need to top up on Dallas Stars gear, there's a Starstuff store onsite. read more

This rinks sucks compared to the others in the metroplex. No food or drinks. By far the worst. Has ice but definitely not a true hockey atmosphere. Hate having to play here. Ugh. Do better Dallas stars read more

*NOTE: this is my perspective as someone who ONLY attends the public skates. The ice on the rinks are well-kept. They can get a bit rough after the weekend when it gets crowded, but usually they do get smoothed over again instead of letting it accumulate. I was actually surprised by that because there are way more rinks in Boston where I attend law school, but the ice on all of them is always a complete disaster. During the day when most people are working or in school, the rink is very quiet and you get a lot of space to yourself, and it doesn't get overwhelmingly crowded during the holidays and in the evenings like it does at other rinks. The staff at the desk have always been warm, though I can't comment on helpfulness because I haven't needed any assistance beyond "Can I get a public skate pass." The staff on the ice and at the rentals can be somewhat standoffish at times but they're always polite and it's not really a concern to me. read more

The most convenient rink in town, and they know it. A recent makeover added new paint and fixed the infamous sink hole. Same grungy showers and same lack of cleanliness. Personally, I would recommend Farmers Branch or ITC first. Convenience is the only desirable part of this rink. More attention to customers is strongly recommended. read more

These rinks are run by incompetent boobs. If you're looking for skate lessons or ice hockey, go to the Allen ice rink. The Dr. Pepper Star Center doesn't care about anything other than your money. Even when they get your money, they might decide to arbitrarily delete you from their system, deny you the ability to play and then force your team to forfeit entire games because of their clerical errors. On top of that, not a single door in this facility seems to work as a door should work. Want in the women's locker room without a key? Just lean on it. Want to pee in privacy in the smaller ladies bathroom? Good luck because the stall doors haven't actually had latches for years. The other ladies bathroom? Hah, good luck getting that main door closed. Trying to get off the ice on the world side? Not gonna happen because that bench door doesn't open. The only reason teams continue to play at these facilities is because they have a monopoly and there's just no other choice. read more

Great rink. Great prices. public hours Sun-Sat are 2-4pm, and 7-9pm Cost is $9 total per person (includes skates) as of July 2012. Not over-crowded! The only reason i give it 4 stars, is because I reserve 5 stars (like hotels) for very POSH places. Friendly people that work there. Always helpful. Great place for school/homeschool group field trips too. NEW WEBSITE!!! (old website doesn't give you ANY info on this location): www.dpscplano.com Highly Recommend this place. VERY NICE. Just remodeled and reopened summer 2012. read more

From a hockey parent perspective, this is a nice rink. Seating is high so you have a great view of the game and since the stands aren't metal your butt won't freeze. There's an ozone machine located up front if you need your hockey equipment zapped. read more

I am disappointed. We went to the Frisco Dr. Pepper Center last week and had a great experience. Today my husband took our 3 year old son to Plano because it is closer to our home. Last week, in Frisco, my son loved using the pvc pipe skating aid. Today we learned that they will NOT let kids use them during public skate in Plano because they are privately owned and have different insurance. I can understand this, but honestly it should be posted somewhere. The teenage staff was also not helpful. After learning that my son could not use the skating aid, my husband tried to rent him some skates with toe picks. The staff would not allow him to pay for them at the skate counter, but also would not allow him to walk back to casher counter in his skates. They didn't offer any help with this. You might expect a little helpful customer service, nope. He then decide to just take my son to Frisco. He asked for a refund. Nope, no refund. Needless to say, we will be driving an extra twenty minutes to Frisco where my son can use the skating aid and the staff is helpful. read more

This is a great place to bring the kids to a sporting event. The prices are fairly reasonable. Parking for the hockey game was only $5 for the garage. The concession stand items are cheaper than the AAC. The sound system is good and the jumbotrons are visible from all around the center. I would definitely attend another event here. read more

You would think that all these Dr. pepper star centers could coordinate scheduling some but no. They all schedule youth open hockey on the same afternoon so if you're over 18 you're SOL all day. I played youth hockey my entire time growing up and never had a problem playing hockey with older players durning "OPEN HOCKEY" emphasis on OPEN. That's how you get better. Lauren D. Hit the nail on the head with her review! Couldn't agree more. read more

Free from Hustle in Plano Ice Rink My experience was how I had been treated in Plano Ice Rink on April 6th, April 14th, and April 20th, 2016. My concerns for this issue are that I wish Plano Ice Rink will be a pleasant place for skaters and parents to enjoy and a friendly welcome for the guest skaters and their family to come without been hustled!! My daughter is a second grader. Our home ice rink is Farmers Branch Dr. Pepper Center. On April 6th, my daughter was at Plano ice rink for preparation on April 24, 2016 ice skate competition. She was asking how to operate her music in order to practice. No body care and what I observed that she was helpless. Time is critical passing by for us to figure out to have a music to practice. I decided to get close to find out who is able to help us. I approached to the pit without starting to speak a word yet. I was yelled by a female coach who shouted to me "YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE HERE. PARENT IS NOT ALLOWED HERE. YOU NEED TO LEAVE." I explain my reason and needs. She said your daughter did not ask me. I am the director here. I realized there was someone manage how to operate and line up the music CD here. Later on, I know her name is T. Another female coach named O, she came to me. I ask her if she could pass my concern to the director T. I ask if director T could start with a nice sentence like "May I help you? Do you need help?" to a customer. I also ask coach O "Do I deserve to be yelled or shouted?" She said because the music is too loud, she give me apologize. I told her I was facing close enough to director T. I know what an unfriendly tone she speak and her rough attitudes. On April 14th, my daughter put her music in line for second time. I saw the group lesson families were coming. By the 5:45 PM, my daughter's turn, she was asked to stop and took her CD back by the director T. Right a minute ago, there were a girl still going before my daughter. I expect a well management environment which is operated nice, fair, reasoning for skaters. The director T do not consider the skater's needs and feeling. If she does, couldn't she announce ahead of time to let skater know that group lessons are going to start, music CD lining up need to be cut off, so the skaters know how to expect and plan. On April 20th, my daughter waited for 30 minutes. When was her turn, she was ready on her pose. I was ready to take a video. A female coach screwed up our music volume in low. After we realized that music had been passed. My daughter immediately leave her post to address the problems, but the director T told her that her music cannot be repeated. She has to finish it. I went to talk to the General Manager. Unfortunately, he was not in the rink. I request the male clerk for a solution to resolve my concerns and make sure that our second time music lining up which will be operate correctly. The male clerk was very consider the situations. The director T do not serve a customer's need. She has no professional communication skills and no righteousness judgement concepts. She lack of critical management skills. I heard from parents, they all agree the director T is very hustle and the coach staffs are not friendly at all. Plano ice rink is not an efficient place for a skater, we are not happy and we are wasting time here. The more let me surprise is the higher management wrote me back in an email as follow: Thank you for your email. I fully support my staff's decisions, as they do what they feel is best for 1) enforcing the rules they are given and 2) creating a positive training environment for all skaters, regardless of where they have come from. If you feel that you have been treated wrongfully, I encourage you to schedule a meeting with T and J (General Manager of Plano). However, please know that they are simply executing the policies and procedures that they have been given by myself and upper management. I was not satisfied what she said. I emailed her back as follow: Thanks!! I do strongly feel that my daughter and I have been treated wrongly and has been hustle by director T and Plano coach staffs. I am a customer, I have my self-esteem. When a customer need help, I cannot even ask for a question, and immediately I have been shouted by your staffs. The conflicts have been increased during April 6, 14, 20. The wrong things act out from director T and Plano coach staffs. It has been showing the signs of no justice to my daughter and I. You and your staffs execute the policies which only reflect lots of unfairness, unfriendly, unrespect, inefficiency, rude attitudes toward parents, skaters, and customers. I have heard lots of complains about director T and Plano ice rink coach staffs. Myself experiences in Plano ice rink proof these complains. read more

Before I begin this review, I'd like to say that I have a long background going back many decades playing ice hockey, being a hockey referee and being around and working at various ice rinks. My review is applicable to all the Dr. Pepper Star centers even though I've spent the most time at the locations in Plano and Farmers Branch. I'm going to deal with each category separately..... 1-Ice condition and maintenance-The condition of the ice in each rink generally gets an A to a B+. This is because the ice is kept at the proper temperature. The temperature and humidity in the rinks get an A+ because it's usually around 55 degrees with very low humidity which is good for Ice hockey, figure skating and public sessions. 2-Public session scheduling-Any ice rink should have consistently scheduled public sessions which never vary. None of the Star Centers do this so they get an F. The public session times and days are always subject to change and you have to call 24 hours in advance or you may end up driving to a Star Center for nothing. The Star Centers in Frisco and McKinney are particularly bad because they have almost no public sessions at all. Plano is the best of the bunch and usually has Saturday evening sessions but, the key word is "usually". 3-Skate guards and how the public sessions are run-All Star Centers get an F for who they use as skate guards and how they don't train them. The Star Centers use a good deal of 15 year old girls as skate guards who have no training to be skate guards. There are also various times when there are no skate guards on the ice at all. A competent skate guard would make sure that all skaters skate in the same direction. A competent skate guard would not let more than two people hold hands. Anymore than two people holding hands can be very dangerous if one person of the three falls down. A competent skate guard would not allow trains (people holding each other from behind in a column). Again, if one falls down, there can be serious injuries. A competent skate guard would be trained in first aid and know how to treat an injury. The lack of training of and the type of skate guards that are used have led to some serious injuries that I have witnessed in the Star Centers. A few that come to mind are a girl that accidentally had some of her teeth kicked out by an errant skate, broken ankles and various people who have hit their head on the ice. Ice skating accidents are unavoidable but, could be significantly lessened by older, stronger, male skate guards who enforce the rules for safe skating and are trained in first aid. The Star Centers have no business having 15 year old girls as skate guards. It is surprising that nobody has died at one of these sessions with the incompetence and lack of training of the skate guards. If someone were to die, it would probably be someone with minimal skating experience wearing rental skates falling backwards, hitting their head on the ice, going into a coma and dying. There is one other thing you should know and read this very carefully. THERE IS A DISCLAIMER ON EVERY TICKET THAT YOU BUY FOR A PUBLIC SESSION THAT SAYS YOU SKATE AT YOUR OWN RISK AND THE RINK IS NOT RESPONSIBLE. THIS IS NOT TRUE. EVERY TIME A RINK HAS BEEN SUED, THE RINK'S INSURANCE COMPANY HAS SETTLED OUT OF COURT. NO ICE RINK HAS EVER WON A LAW SUIT WHERE THE RINK HAS BEEN SUED FOR NEGLIGENCE. If you are an experienced skater, you can deal with most of this. If you're skating either in rental skates or for the first time, you should take all of this very seriously. read more