My daughter will be turning 9 soon and we've been trying to decide "where" to have the party. We have it down to two choices, ASI gymnastics or Burger King. The burger king in my area has their own party room and we can actually reserve the entire party room/play room for a very reasonable price. I like the idea of Burger King better because we also have a 4 yr old and 2 yr old to care for during the party and they are going to get more fun and play time out fo BK then ASI.
However, I don't know if this is a place more suitable for my 4 and 2 yr olds to have parties, vs. my 9 yr old. Even though she has a blast playing there and one of her friends recently had their party at McDonalds so I just don't know. BK has a lot of fun things they do with the kids, it's not just running around, they have lots of games to play and give the kids small gifts.
BK does seem to have more for the buck with what they offer in their party packages but I just don't know if it's "too young" of a place for her to have a party. ASI seems more like her age group but it is much more expensive and she's not having a lot of guests attending, mostly family members. Should we let our DD decide? In the past years we usually always just did Chuck E Cheeses so there was never any hesitation or question about where to have the party......but we're very burned out on Chucks. : )
So I'd love to hear your experiences, good or bad, with either place and hopefully I can come to making a decision sooner than later. : )
Thank you all so much for the helpful advice. We have decided to stick with ASI. It was hard to decide because she really likes both places and couldn't make up her mind so we just said ASI it is......I do think it's more for her age group and she'll have a blast......and it's something new for all of us. So I'll be excited to let you know how it goes, in a few more weeks! THANKS AGAIN!
My neighbor did the BK party when her daughter was 6- even then it was pushing it a little. It's a great little kid party, but the gymnastics will probably be more fun for this age group!
BK seems kind of cheesy to me, I had a party at McDonalds but that is when I was 2 not 9. What about a party at a local park; either early in the day or in the evening?
I would give the birthday girl a few choces and let her decide. I think BK is more for the younger kids but if thats what her and her friends like, I would do it.Sounds like it would be good for you.
have fun!
S.
We have attended three birthday parties at ASI my son is 5 my daughter is 3 and each time they did great no matter the age of the person they were catering. It is a little pricey but so much fun! I wish they did it for adults.
Let her choose within the options you give her. Maybe she will come up with something like a movies party.
Well, why not ask your 9 year old? McD's and BK both seem to be kinda "kiddish". Why not have a sleep over with just a few friends? Maybe a mani/pedi kind of thing? The 9 year old girls that I know would rather do that and watch a scary movie, eat some pizza.
I agree with Christina, 9 is the beginning of sleep over mania! Waaaay cheaper too, especially with the smaller number of girls. Play water balloons and do gymnastics in the back yard. Rent movies and order in the birthday girls favorite foods. Have the guests determine and help make the birthday cake. BK is meant for little tiny kids. .... My best friends FAVORITE element of the annual birthday sleepover? Probably a tie between no bedtime and younger siblings were not allowed in the house! (They stayed with an aunt or friend.)
P.S. I must note that in my class ball pits again became popular for 17th birthday parties. We did lock-ins overnight at Leaps and Bounds or Discovery Zone. Not sure if any of them still exist but it was a riot running around and playing tag like we were 7 one last time.
We did ASI for my son when he turned 3 and it was great. I think it would be good for a 9yr olds party too. The people that work there do all the work while the adults relax. So they should tailor it to the age group. They set everything up, help with gift opening, serve and clean up, and wear your kids out. It was a nice change.
