I'm looking into a birthday party at a bounce house. Looking at the policies - it is $150 for 9 kids, which includes 2 hours of a room, one hot dog, one drink, and one hour of jumping per kid. I could pay just to jump the whole day for $7 per kid, but then we wouldn't get a room for cake, etc. I guess it wouldn't seem that much like a "party" without the room and the cake, but it seems like a waste to only let them jump 1 hour. (My daughter has lots of energy but she usually jumps for 3 hours when we go.) Should I just do the room and let people pay for themselves if they want to jump longer? Or should I just pay for the day and not have cake or a room?
Who the heck wants to stay all day at a bounce house business? Sorry, that sounds like a nightmare to me, lol. I'd do the room w/ the cake for 2 hours and call it a day.
I am betting Stephanie T has the right answer...you probably only get the room for two hours and then you are free to decide what to do after. I would look into that.
But yes, I don't think you can have a b-day party without cake. :)
It's not a party without a cake and some refreshments, and hours and hours of anything is way too long for a party. One hour of jumping and one hour in the party room are fine. A birthday party really shouldn't be longer than 2 hours anyway. An alternative might be to jump for 60-90 minutes at $7 per kid and then go somewhere else for the rest of the time if there is a space nearby where you can do pizza and bring a cake or even go outside and have refreshments, depending on your weather.
Based on my extensive jump house party experience - lol- go with the one hour jump and party room, since it is a party.
When I take my kids to a birthday party I like a defined start and end time and if I saw a three hour window. . . I'd get a little nervous. I think 2 hours is really pushing it for a destination party.
Also depending on age of child there is nap time, weekend sports, etc.
Hope you all have a blast and figure out what will work best for you:)
skip the room. have everyone meet in one of the rooms and hand out cupcakes at the end for the kid to take home. or individual cookies wrapped up instead of the goodie bags.
the bounce houses here let the kids jump as long as they want, you just get the party room for 2 hours.... after the 2 hours are up, you move your belongings out of the party room, but you don't have to leave. I would check with the bounce place and see what their policy is. If in fact they do have to leave after an hour then it is a waste of money.....
Do the party room that is set for the regulated 2 hours. It's only an hour of jump and an hour of lunch/cake/present opening, plus a hostess to help with the party. Kids and their parents aren't going to want to shuffle around to follow you afterwards to do cake/snack elsewhere at any given time. A 2 hour party is plenty of time.
Another mom suggested take in a blanket and have cupcakes there.. nope you can't do that, no food allowed in the jump area... unless your party place has open rooms and tables, the one here doesn't.
I think it depends on your party guests. If your having a family and close friends thing, I'd go with the day of jumping. You can get there early, grab a good spot, and have an all day casual thing. If you're doing school/outside friends I'd do the party room. Another poster made a good point, a 3+ hour party time is a little off putting for some parents, and the party host comes in very handy with keeping everything together.
The bouncehouse places I've been too, you can kind of work around that....
IE: pay the 7 per kid, order pizzas there, the soft drinks, (all the places around here have a food place IN the facility) and sneak in your own cake...You won't get a private room, but you can just get there early and hold tables... I know Monkey Joe's you can definitely do that..
That's if your really worried about the money.....
Is there a spot outside to have a picnic? Can you take your own cake/cupcakes in? If so, take a blanket to put on the floor and have that be your spot when it is cake time.
Hi, Mom:
What were you planning to do along with the room and cake?
Why do they have to jump?
If you are going to eat, why jump?
Just wondering how your party will be.
Good luck.
D.
you could always say we will be jumping at 2 then heading to our house after for pizza and or cake but not everyone will want to drive over after. our jumping place here is in the same plaza as the mall so we could just mosey on over to the food court for cake and ice cream that we brought or bought there after wards without too much hasel. the nice thing about our jumping place is that when you have a party they give you a party bounce room where only the party kids are in the room. this way they are accually playing with their friends/family and not strangers. i would say go eat with the group first then head over to jump all day but i don't think it's a good idea for some to jump after eating a bunch of food.
I've been to a million birthday parties including my oldest son's last one at these places. Trust me -the 2 hour room deal is FINE! The kids actually get to run around and play for more like 1.5 hours, and they can stay and play after the party (it says on some paperwork they can't, but I've never seen anyone at 3 different places near us enforce that). You set up snacks and drinks in the room and people can leave their gifts in there, then for the last 30 minutes they kids come in, eat and do the birthday cake/gifts. It actually works very well! After two hours at a bouncy place, most everyone (especially the parents) is ready to go home.
***And be very careful about bringing your stuff and just setting up at one of their tables. Every bouncy place in Atlanta has a strict policy against that, and they will kick you out!
You could pay for all day and let them jump for a couple hours and then go to a pizza place that's close to have pizza /cake etc.Happy Birthday to your daughter=)
Pay for the day, but enlist the help of another mom (or dad) and carpool back to your house for cake. Birthday presents can be opened while guests are eating cake. But be aware--not every child you invite will be up for 3 whole hours of bouncing; you may want to be prepared to cut it a little short--after, say 2-1/2 hours--if some of the kids are tiring.
Schedule it for early afternoon, when everyone has already had lunch, and have parents drop kids off at the bounce house. After a few hours, head back to your house for cake. If you want, you can even serve hot dogs yourself--you can leave them warming in a crock pot while you're at the bounce house so they're ready when you get back. Much cheaper, and more fun this way! Good luck!
I don't know how old your child is, but my experience with these places is that after an hour of so, the kids are sick of bouncing and just want the cake and pizza or hot dog. My daughter is 8 and they were still like this a few months ago. I would have the cake and room and if people want to stay afterward then they can. The other thing with birthday parties, is there has to be some end. I don't know how I would feel if the "party" was all day.
I've never, ever gotten a party room. I just bring everything with me, stake out a big table, and do it myself. Pay for the kids to jump all day and bring along your cake and such. :o)
