Funhaven - Review part 1

Funhaven is Ottawa's newest indoor attraction. They have so much to choose from, and it is great for all ages.  They had their opening day on Wednesday, December 7 - and their grand opening will be this coming Wednesday, December 14th.

I was pretty sure that Julien would have a blast, so I contacted the Sales Manager, Lydia - and asked if I could come in and do a review. She arranged for me to have a tour with one of Funhaven's AWESOME employee's, Hannah.

I am going to write the review in 2 parts. The first, I will tell you about our tour, and in the 2nd, I will post about our experience!

The centre is huge. When you walk in, there is a large space where you can hang up coats and leave boots (it is wide open, so you wouldn't want to leave any sort of valuables) but there is ample room for hanging coats and lots of hangers.

There is small window into an office, and here you will find your party experts. If you want any information on birthday or corporate parties, you can get that all in this spot. (I think that this should have a sign above it - there were a few people waiting in line, only to find out when they got to the window that they needed to go to another area)

Hannah was awesome as a tour guide - and it took us almost 30 minutes to go through everything and learn more about the games/attractions and birthday parties..

To your left is a HUGE rounded counter, and that is where you will find the cashier and the redemption clerks.

You then enter into a large area that is filled with arcade games (a photo booth, wheel of fortune, deal or no deal, the claw game (with candy as a prize!) motorcycle racing, air hockey and much more!)

They have bumper cars - there is a minimum height requirement for the bumper cars (44inches) and they are built for a single rider. They do have a height sheet at the entrance to the attraction if you are unsure of your child's height.

Next to that is the ballocity/jungle gym - this was Julien's favorite attraction. It is a very large climbing structure  that uses soft mats and mesh. You can climb your way up and shoot soft balls at other people - they have a few small slides and one large turny slide. There are a few ball cannons that are easily operated by little hands!

There will be a toddler area immediately beside the jungle gym - right now they have a few toys but I was told that it will be getting much bigger soon.

Once you enter the area for ballocity, there are a few comfy chairs that parents can sit and relax while the kids play - or, you can join them for the fun!

They have 4 mini-bowling lanes; laser frenzy (it's a mission impossible style game where you make your way through laser beams!) and a climbing wall (they have very secure harnesses, and a staff member present at all times!)

They have a very large laser tag area that is glow in the dark. They have 30  vests/guns so a number of people can play at a time. Each round lasts for 15minutes.

There is a canteen that serves pizza, subs, drinks and more. Also a selfe serve frozen yogurt bar- I saw 10 different flavors and they will be receiving there topping centre very soon (50 toppings!)

The bathrooms are large and clean, and they have a child sized sink which was awesome - no more having to pick up your kids to wash their hands!

They have a nice sized party room on the main level - they can use this room if a guest has mobility issues or needs a wheelchair accessible room. Upstairs, they have a very large room which can be divided and they can host a number of parties at one time!

To play at funhaven, you need a funcard. This card can be registered and re-used. You have your choice of paying for a package (with the cashier) or loading a set amount of money (can be done at 1 of 3 kiosks)  To gain entrance to any of the attractions, you swipe your card. It reads the card and then deducts whatever amount from your total. The ballocity is unlimited - once you pay for the attraction ($9.99 on it's own 18+free with purchase for child) you can play all day if you want - your card will allow access until end of business the day your purchase it.

Some of the arcade games require tokens, and there is a token machine (you use your funcard to purchase tokens) other games you just swipe your card and it will deduct the amount needed. It will also calculate how many "tickets" you win and they are held virtually on your card. When you are finished, you can go to the redemption counter and choose your prize. Should you have any tickets or money left on your card, it will carry over to your next visit*(as long as you register your card, which can be done at any of the funcard kiosks located throughout the centre - you can load money onto your card as well. If you want to buy a package, you need to see the cashier)

All of the staff specialize in certain area's - so they really know there stuff for their specific attraction.

**I was not compensated at all for this review; I paid for our experience out of my own pocket, and this is an honest review. As always, opinions stated are that of Tales of Mommyhood, and your experience/opinion may vary**