Safari Run, Plano — Attraction in Plano

We were here for my son’s 5th birthday on May 19. We saw some things we loved and some things that left us extremely disappointed. I’ll start with the good stuff first.

PROS: loved the venue and the organization. I love that you get the whole place for just your party and that they have seating for adults. The staff at the front were helpful and great. They took me to see the room at the beginning and called me back when they were decorating. The servers at the party room were also great. Polite, friendly and served everything really well. The place was also clean and I was so happy they had the kids wash their hands at the end. The person that ran the game and helped us at the end was extremely nice and helpful. She was so sweet to the kids and to my son.

CONS: during the play hour, there were two staff members there in the play area. My assumption was that they were there to make sure the kids didn’t get hurt or were following safety rules. Instead, these two staffers were playing with a ball back and forth without caring what the kids were doing. They continued playing basketball and bouncing the ball, kicking it around and kicking it over stuff during the first 45 minutes. At the 45 minute mark, my son fell on his head from the zip line. While my son was crying and the kids trying to help, these staffers just sat there, continuing to play basketball. They were really close and did not go over to see what had happened or pulled an adult over. We saw another parent approached them asking them if they were guests or working and asked them to please do their jobs and stop playing basketball. They said nothing. They kept quiet and had a lot of attitude. I understand accidents happen, and are bound to happen, but this was unacceptable. During the race game, one of the staffers continued playing with the ball. He lost control of the ball and it ran into the kids running, causing them to almost trip. Instead of going after it, he just stood there and did nothing. My husband asked him if he could help manage the kids and make sure they understood the rules of the relay race so they could run one at a time and he just walked away from him. These staffers are getting paid to work there. They need to show professionalism and responsibility especially with children. They were not guests at the party. They were there to work. To say we are extremely disappointed is an understatement.

At the 50 minute mark, I went to the front desk to ask for ice for my son and told the guy at the desk what had happened. He quickly apologized and told me he would take care of it. Which he did. But this went on for the entire party. While two of the staffers apologized after the party and told me they took care of it and removed him from the play area, this does not excuse the behavior. They removed him at the 55 minute mark when everything was over. This should not have happened at all in the first place. Staffers need to be attentive especially around the play area and make sure the kids are safe.

For the amount of money charged, this should have never happened. Very...

PROS: The kids had a blast! There’s a small arcade with pretty good games to play & the tokens to play are reasonably priced. There is a smaller play area for smaller kids also. The staff is friendly.

CONS: For over $1000, the food is overpriced and you can't bring any hot food from outside sources. They use their own vendors. The pizza was served cold, the crust was soggy and the cheese was congealed. They don't allow you any time to set up in the party room. The space is double booked so the employees only have 30 minutes to "sanitize" and set everything up for you so the vision I had for my baby's party was not properly executed. They set up the dessert table at the end of the kids table so none of the photos of us singing happy birthday are with the balloon arch background my family set up in 5 minutes. The communication is poor so none of the 5 employee hosts ever spoke to me about the execution of what is to happen next. ie: they served 80% of the party guests before the birthday boy ever entered the room. By the time I entered the room everyone was eating and we didn't get the opportunity to bless the food. They didn't want to put the cake out on the table until they determined it was time. When I asked for my child to stand by the cake to sing happy birthday they refused and said, we will bring the cake to his seat so the children don't get up from their seats. I had to demand that my child stand beside his cake. The decoration we had along with the murals on the wall was beautiful but the employees are young (most likely don't have children of their own) so I think the set up of the party room is not a priority for them. Overall, we will go to Safari Run for open gym or if someone else hosts a party there but I will NOT host another party...

Stefane, the park manager was absolutely great, funny, helpful and befriends herself right away as soon as you enter the door. Not only does she make sure her staff is happy but also makes sure the parents leave relieved and kids leave the way they came in ( safe). I was very impressed that she tracked down some parents and DID NOT EXEMPT THEM BY ANY MEANS from following the park rules (weren't wearing socks). My wife and I treated my 28 month old to some of their grapes and cheese and organic juices they have for sale. My wife and I had a yoghurt parfait with granola and a sugar free Lemon green tea. The restrooms and changing station were impeccable and smelled as if they were just built. The staff there and manager encourage breast feeding which they have a small niche in the back away from public. Their arcade is adequate for older youngsters that might need a getaway from the obstacle course and 10 dollars can be a good stretch. They also sell keurig coffee for a dollar and FREE WI-FI ACCESS. For parents who choose to let their child run. Overall my 3 hour visit was more than awesome, my son got in the car and when we arrived home he took a long nap. Oh and they have some comfortable...