The Monkey King Play House — Attraction in Portland

Pros: I want to start with all of the many things that I LOVE about Monkey King.. they have a great variety of activities / play areas .. you just have to look . I go up to the “big kid” areas with my two year old & spend a small time in the toddler area . There are areas we are still discovering! And it’s all very creative , clean and tons of fun. You can also sit at a table , couch, etc & work on your lap tap - just please make sure your child is of adequate age , is treating the other kids with respect and not plowing kids down. They also serve beer , for those of you who would enjoy a cold beer during your hour/2 stay . The cons are going to make it sound bad & that is NOT my intention . I actually very much enjoy this place .. with a few changes it would be perfect . The pass also lasts allllll day long. You can leave and come back all day & for me , that’s great !!!

Cons: Staff, every single time we have gone I have been extremely disappointed in the staff . They aren’t friendly (not rude - just not friendly), not helpful & almost seem possibly too young to run the ONE counter that is located right next to the FRONT door . That area is also located VERY close to the “Toddler zone “ . I am sure you can see an issue here ? You must keep a million eyes on your littles at ALL times . There is no precautions to prevent them from walking right out of the front door with another party , or on their own. If you look for another child for literally 2 seconds . The front doors lead right to the parking lot of a shopping center . I don’t even want to think about it . I suggest they get better staff that can multitask , really two ppl at least should be on at all times ..The staff doesn’t make kids follow rules , which leaves me having to tell a teen not to knock over my 2 year old in the toddler area ?? Than his parents have an issue with me ? No one should have to deal with that ! The worker also has to go in the back kitchen to make their microwave food .. another con (the menu is horrible & unhealthy) ..There is no barrier to prevent the kids from going behind the counter or into the kitchen either .. it’s just a mess that can be easily fixed . They need to figure out a safety system . The last time we visited there were also teenage children playing like wild in the toddler areas and that one worker didn’t say a word . I feel like I should get paid when I go there . Most woman just sit at the tables on their tablets or phones & let their kids run wild , no matter how wreckless , rude, or possible danger they may be in . I will be calling the owner about the set up at the front doors . And when it’s “dead” in there , please play background music or something (that’s just a...

I’ve always taken my son here to play and he loves it! For his 7th birthday he requested to have it here. I paid in advance, and ended up having a credit left over that covered the charge per child for the party. Two of the employees were brand new and it was their first day which was fine, although things were fairly disorganized. The gals up front were very friendly and helped with what they could. Anytime I approached to ask about something the manager would interject and tell me “your making her day hard. She’s new.”- even though I was just asking about the cost of a pitcher of soda. He seemed very intent on that fact that I was upset about the new employees when it was really his demeanor towards me and the staff. Although I was patient and understanding, he seemed very defensive and treated me like I was being a rude and demanding customer. After a while I had no patience left for this guy. He even yelled at the new girl saying “if you don’t know don’t help people. Go do something else.” When I asked to speak to him outside about the way things were going he tried to lead me away from the property and threatened to call the police on me because I asked for the owners information. All the while I have been calm, he started putting his hands in my mother in laws face. All in all we were asked to leave and didn’t receive the icecream that came with the meals, and I paid almost $20/child to only play for an hour at most. The kids food didn’t get brought in until the end of our time in the room so the rest of the party was very rushed. On our way out he went to other customers and told them “they’re very unreasonable people” and “they’re crazy people.” I’m waiting on the actual owner to contact me about a refund as I didn’t get to stay for long, receive everything promised, and ultimately wasn’t able to enjoy my sons party due to dealing with said manager instead. So far it looks like I won’t be getting this refund, and the leftover money that wasn’t used won’t be given back to me either. They have a no refund policy, however the way we were treated and not being able to stay for the rest of the party should be an acception to this. It was so embarrassing for my guests to witness this drama unfolding. Some of the things he was saying made no sense in the context of our conversation, and I couldn’t even believe any of it was happening. Take your money and go elsewhere. Especially...

I saw that this place had several bad reviews but I wanted to see it for myself before making judgments because I've found that the internet is full of Karen's exaggerating things.

The first thing I noticed is that the whole front is one big fire lane, so there isn't a curb cut and I had to use the driveway (it happens). Going in they do no-contact temp taking. It is $20 per child playing but we were told that since our kid was 3 years old, one of us could enter the structure with our kid for free. If you want to simply watch your kid from the sidelines, there's no charge. There is also a refund if your kid gets bored with it in under 15 minutes. When you pay your $20, you are paying to use the red structure, not the green one. It's stated pretty clearly that the green is extra and meant for competitive play groups of kids.

Differences from other places.

Cost: Yes, it is way more expensive but it's also more than twice the size of any other indoor play place that we've been to. It holds many more children, which means more possible play interactions and less chances of your kid crying at the door because they just hit capacity and now you have to go somewhere else.

No outside food or drinks: This rule just sucks in my opinion. The snack foods are a little spendy but what we had was pretty good. You can always feed your kids beforehand and just buy a plate of tots if they're dying.

A separate place for small children only: I really liked this part! There's a bottom partition for children under age 4 only. There are little padded places for babies to crawl around and onto, rocking horses, and even puzzles on the wall.

Conclusion: I really liked it and will certainly bring my kid back but it's not something we can afford on a regular basis. The floor was also pretty slick for a place that asks you to keep  shoes at your table. I saw a few kids bite it, including my own, but none were hurt. I think a shoe caddy closer by would make more sense though. Lastly, Makayla is a Saint! I don't know how she stays so friendly and outgoing while also dealing with everyone all day. She is very accommodating and makes you feel...