Skate World Lakeland — Attraction in Lakeland

Everyone should support this skating rink. It is one of the best in the Bay Area 5 Star Headphone options: They allow skaters to use their own headphones which helps when you want to practice your routines to your own music. 5 Star Music: Although I use my own headphones I do not have to use it the whole time because they play much better upbeat music than other skating rinks. Most skating rinks don't allow you to use your own headphones and force you to listen to their boring and horrible music. This skating rink has the best music, upbeat and fun. Their music is the type that gets you up and wanting to skate. Other skating rinks cause you to sit because you get bored and sleepy having to listen to their repetitive boring music that never changes. 5 Star Food: They offer ice cream, shakes, and many other options. This place is a gem. You can enjoy such a great variety of food and drinks. 5 Star sitting area: Seating everywhere. They are so kind they even had shelves made for you to neatly keep your shoes while you skate. Seating for skaters all around the rink. For supervising parents, they have a huge eating area and front row bar type seats to sit and interact with your little ones as they skate by; and convenient seating for pictures and videos. 5 Star Skating vibe: The only skating rink in the area that does not keep the annoying bright lights on as you skate. This skating rink has different colored lights in the ceiling and dim lights that promote a cool dim skating vibe. 5 Star Cleanliness and Bathrooms: Every time I go skating, the place is so pleasantly clean, including the bathroom. Many skating rinks smell bad because of the old musty dirty carpets. This place literally smells good and clean. This is so important for people with allergies to mold and musty carpets. 5 Star safety: The skating assistants literally ensure all skaters are skating safely the same direction and consistently monitor the skating floor; and they don't bother you if you have your own headphones. They literally display the safe skating zones on the screen. You literally have the skating floor to enjoy. They don't micromanage your headphones nor your music and they simply let you practice skating. I love that they simply let you enjoy yourself without micromanaging your headphones and your music. They treat adults like adults, not like children as if they do not know how to use headphones responsibly. 5 Star DJ and music: Love their upbeat fun lively music. Most skating rinks have sleeping music or boring music repeated every week. This place has such a great variety of lively upbeat fun skating music. Never a dull moment. You can tell that old and young alike really enjoy the music and the skating vibe. I traveled an hour to find a skating rink that allows me to listen to my own music because I like to practice my own skating routines to my own rhythm and music. I am so thankful for this gem. 5 Star Friendliness and courtesy: I've had my share of rude and unpleasant employees at skating rinks. It is an attitude of indifference as if they are doing you a favor taking your money for you to put up with their negative attitudes. Not at Lakeland. I found a very pleasant, friendly and kind atmosphere and everyone who enters can feel it; you can see it in everyone's face. I also love that they promote Christian skating for churches. I honestly fell in love with this place. I hope they always keep improving and never get worse. I hope they continue to take pride in what they are contributing to individuals and families by being better in what they do. I finally found a skating rink that lets me skate and treats me as a responsible adult. I will continue to drive an hour to enjoy a really nice skating rink that deserves so much more support from all skaters. Oh, they even sell great skating wheels. If you are in the area, you must stop and enjoy this rink and support them by giving them a positive review. Skating for me has been a therapeutic experience in the midst of life's difficulties and it's nice to find a place...

Update. Since posting and having so many people interact with my post the owner contacted me today. Partial refund from her.

DO NOT BOOK A PARTY Skate World Lakeland! I booked the private mega package for my 3 daughters bday party on March 17th. The party was horrible. The only thing the "party attendant" did was let us into the building. I paid for a party host to engage with the kids, lead games, give out gifts, and entertain the kids. Simply look up their mega private party to see everything included. 45 minutes into the party I had to request the drinks be brought out, I waited and waited for the games and prizes to start but none of the staff engaged with us. They all stayed behind the counter on their phones doing what was most important to them at the time. The staff never provided paper products, never talked with the party guests, and did not interact with the kids. On top of that there was a spill so I was on my hands and knees cleaning it up because the staff were nowhere to be found. An hour and a half goes by and I ask the staff why no games are being played, no prizes handed out? They said, "oh we can do that now I guess if you want." Cake time arrived and I handled everything, handing out cupcakes, and getting napkins for guests. Again their staff did nothing. It came to the end of the party so we gathered for a group pic, FINALLY one of the team members came out and offered to take our picture, then told me he was sorry the party was horrible but it was his first party and he did not know what he should be doing. I said it's fine I will take it up with your manager because this isn't your fault. No manager on site so the staff provided a discount that they didn't even discuss with me. They provided a 15% discount which hardly covers the taxes for this $600 party. I contacted Skate World Lakeland about the party, filed a complaint, and explained everything that went wrong. Elizabeth assured me she would talk to the owner because "that's not how we run our parties." A few days later I was told the owner had been dealing with a family emergency and decided to offer me 6 passes to Skate World, some $5 game cards, and medium drinks for my daughters. I declined and repeated that I requested a partial refund. I understood paying the $300 for the space but did not get anything else included in the package. Elizabeth again tells me how sorry she is for the failed party and how horrible she feels about everything. Elizabeth let me know the owner had reviewed the party footage and was shocked at the behavior of the staff. Said "That is not how Skate World Lakeland parties should be run. I had faith Elizabeth was going to help me. Today 3/27, I received a call from Elizabeth from her personal phone (each time we have spoken over the past 10 days it's been on her personal phone.) We talked and she said the owner is still dealing with the family emergency and this is not high on her priority list. I said I am sorry about the emergency but this is a business matter and her personal life has nothing to do with this situation. Elizabeth told me she could do nothing to make up for the party because the owner refused to help. Elizabeth let me know the owner is rarely in the building, coming and going as she pleases and the only way I can reach her is to leave a voicemail but Elizabeth can not guarantee she will call me back. To sum it up I paid for services I did not receive, then told there is nothing they're going to do to make up for the party. Elizabeth ended the call by telling me to "never talk to her again" because I told her I hoped her kid's parties were as wonderful as mine were. Which goes to show she knows this is wrong. I will continue to reach out to the owner and staff to get my refund. Extremely disappointed. If you want to skate try Lakeland Ice Arena we had a party here for my other daughter and by far 1 million times better than Skate...

I wouldn’t suggest holding a party here for a younger child. Or really any child if you like things done a certain way. For starters, what they tell you on the phone compared to what you’re told when you get there differ greatly. I asked specifically if I could bring tableclothes for the tables bc they told me they only cover one table. I was told “sure!” So I spent $8 on table cloths and a lot of time setting up beautiful tables, only to be told after all my efforts it was going to be $25 a table and I had to throw the tablecloths away if I wanted to “reserve” a table!!!!! Say what?! Um no. I tell them, I asked specifically on the phone if I was allowed to bring tablecloths and I was told sure, I also stated we would need more then one table so I’d just bring my own tablecloths bc we have grandparents and elders from church coming that will need to sit, I again was told sure, she even went as far to say how they have a bar stools area they can sit at as well bc grandparents like that area so they can watch the kids skate. She was very friendly and up beat on the phone. But she never once mentioned a $25 charge per table with tablecloth. They actually made me take the tablecloths and decorations down and throw them away to avoid a charge. They said our guests were welcome to sit anywhere but by using a tablecloth we were “reserving” it. I was also told on the phone adult admission was free but adults would have to pay to rent skates. Some adults were charged admission and some weren’t. Also I paid $40 for trolls plates, napkins, cups, cake plates and straws. I opened all the packages and arranged it beautifully only for our hostess to use plain white tableware!!!!!! And now that stuff can’t be returned because it was opened! Also, I brought ice cream cups that were never passed out! More money wasted. Then the mascot came out and they gave a shout out to the birthday girl while the birthday girl wasn’t even on the skating floor so she missed all of that. No warning from our hostess at all. We ordered two pizzas and one was pretty burnt. You also have to wait a very long time for food and they have no gluten free options. And they don’t allow you to bring in a gluten free pizza. You are given a party hostess but she has to do other things as well, and isn’t very observant since she actually placed plain white tableware over my troll tableware. Why would I bring it and unwrap it if it wasn’t to be used? She also didn’t inform us about the mascot and she forgot the ice cream, when I finally remembered to ask about my ice cream they just handed me the package. No spoons, no offer to pass out to the people still there. I had planned on paying for adults and I told them that on the phone, they said it would be easier to handle if we pay for that part when we got there. They never came and asked me, they just charged adults including my pastor and mother! I’m horribly embarrassed and out of a lot of wasted money thanks to their staffs lack of care and interest. It was a huge disaster and a mother shouldn’t spend part of her daughter’s birthday party crying in the bathroom. The owner came and apologized to me that I should’ve been asked before the adults were charged admission and she apologized about me having to throw away tablecloths. She was nice, friendly, and upbeat. And that’s fantastic but does absolutely nothing about wasted money on tableware not used, my daughter not even getting to skate with the mascot and them calling her name while she’s in the middle of eating, burnt pizza, and utter embarrassment about adults ending up paying $10 a pop to attend a 4 year olds party and skate and me not being notified. All the energy and the apologies in the world will never make up for what I experienced that night. We will never have or attend a party thrown here. I honestly...