So as you know I don’t do many reviews, but when my kids heard I’d been asked to review gravity force in the summer, they kind of forced me to go! Here is Curly Headed Boy’s reaction:
So here are the things I was worried about and what I thought about it all ….
Is it dangerous?
Trampolines as we know cause havoc in home gardens and there was certainly some dodgy stuff on the internet about trampoline parks. But I really liked this team. There was no scrimping on first aid training and they took their roles seriously. It seemed well designed, so that there less opportunities for problems as well. Curly headed boy felt that some of the trampolines are actually a little under powered – maybe a very sensible precaution!
There are of course waivers you have to fill out – do it before you go and there is hardly any delay. Make sure on your first visit that you do arrive 30mins before to do your waiver
Were they party-poopers?
Whilst worrying about safety is paramount, it is a trampoline park and Curly Headed Boy had been to a party at a rival location and hated it. He felt they were hardly able to do anything and kept being pulled off. Whilst getting into devilish moods at time, he’s a pretty well behaved boy, so he was really upset with the other location. He loved Gravity force – the perfect combo of control and fun.
Did I have to get involved?
With my Lyme disease I was most worried that I’d be forced to bounce by Little Dimples, as she is often unhappy alone – this would not have been a good plan. But after the first 5 mins I was free to watch, and on the next visits I didn’t have to do anything at all (oh yes, we have been again, and again, and again!). This is a big deal as she normally gets nervous in chaotic situations.
Do you have to pay as a parent if you aren’t bouncing?
Nope – unlike other similar parks.
Whats the noise like?
I HATE Gambado’s – sorry Gambado’s, but the noise is like a living torture to me! It was slightly ‘Argh’ in the coffee area when there were parties on, but the main area was fine.
Tip to help the kids enjoy it more:
Take the kids around the whole area before they go off jumping and explain what the different areas are for. For example, there are 2 dodge ball courts (for different age groups), 4 long trampolines for doing tricks on, a trampoline with a basket ball hoop and a more professional trampoline.
Food & drink & socks & lockers
You can’t take enough water. I don’t think you are meant to take your own drinks or food, but honestly you are going to need to sneak water in your bag. There is nothing you can do however, they will be hungry and thirsty at the end, expect to visit the cafe! The good news is that I think the prices were reasonable, they could have put them completely off the scale and they haven’t.
If you don’t have trampoline type socks from another park, then you’ll need them on the first visit (they are sticky on the bottom), but then can keep reusing them.
We didn’t worry about lockers, you won’t need one if you aren’t bouncing.
What if there is a party?
I’m not keen on going to kids play parks when there are other parties there. But when you book online you can see which session are the busiest, so avoid those ones.
How long do you need to go for?
Personally I don’t think that you need more than an hour. It’s actually a perfect thing to do for a short time in the day to let the kids let off steam.
Any improvements?
CHB would love them to do classes on acrobatics, but they can’t because of the insurance.
Toddlers, Disabilities & Grown Ups
There are morning sessions for toddlers, special sessions for those with disabilities and exercise classes for grown ups (The hairy northerner is actually rather keen to try one of the classes out, we just haven’t sorted it out yet).
Word of warning!
Don’t park in the private car park next door – I did by mistake and got a nasty message on my car – I can get a bit confuddled about parking sometimes, it was an honest mistake.
A Surprise Bonus
We ran into Anton from Xfactor – I have to say he is a real gent. He didn’t stop smiling the whole time he was there, and happily made my kids day by taking a selfie with them!
Overall
My kids love it. It’s a simple and quick thing to add into a weekend or holiday to help them let off steam without costing a fortune. We’ve become regulars and will be back there this half-term.
Disclosure: I was invited to the pre-open day and given some tickets in return for a review. We have however been again and paid for our own tickets, so that kind of proves it’s worth it.
What a lovely post. Sounds like quite a lot of fun. Good for you and the family!!!