Merry Go Round — Local services in Borough of Swale

My daughter had a private birthday party here a few Sundays back. On arrival, we weren't allowed in until past the specified start time, as 2 members of staff rushed to get the venue 'party ready' from having just closed to the public. Once allowed to enter, all children were able to choose which hot meal they would like for later on. The children then played for 45 minutes before being called over the tannoy to start the birthday celebrations. Unfortunately, we found dinner was a bit rushed, and ice-cream was brought out to the children when they were only half way through their meal - meaning all hot food was abandoned and many children complained they were hungry once home. We felt the party could've done with an extra half an hour added to compensate for the slightly late start time and the time it takes for little ones to eat. The bouncy castle was £20 as an add-on, which we thought was pretty good value. If you'd like a member of staff to velcro on a cartoon character to the sides, they charge an extra £5. We did find the two members of staff working really polite and helpful.

Before the party: Dates were pushed back to weeks after her birthday due to the covid restrictions and weekend availability. Lacked communication during lockdown - I had to get in contact many times (which was a struggle in itself) as I didn't receive confirmation, additional information about the day or party invites. During restrictions, the only way I could receive any sort of response from Merry-go-round was to download Facebook messenger and speak to them on there. I received short and sometimes unclear messages back. The party start time changed with every member of staff I spoke to.

All in all, my daughter and her party friends enjoyed the time they had playing and didn't want to leave. I would recommend for small children such as my 4 year old, but I imagine a slightly older child may be a little disappointed with the 2 hour time slot (1.5 hours playing and...

Merry Go Round hosted our daughter's 4th Birthday today, we booked a public party and we couldn't have asked for better; booking online was quick and easy, secured with a deposit and email to confirm the day, then a few days before we received a call to confirm numbers, go over our order and check if there was anything we needed, on the day we were greeted by one of their lovely members of staff who showed us to our party table and explained to us what to expected. They provided party balloons and the table was all set ahead of our arrival, then once we were all set, they quickly welcomed our friends and family in to play. All the children had a brilliant time running around and having fun, we opted for hot food and the meals were a great size and very tasty, 20 hungry children and not a lot of food left at the end. They gave us bottomless jugs of squash for the children too which was very welcomed by lots of thirsty kids. The whole experience was absolutely lovely; we were told when to expect the children's food and all come out on time and hot, they offered to take the cake through and cut it for us if that's what we wanted, the table was cleared promptly and before the end of our session our sweet cones, full to the brim with a lovely selection of sweets, were brought out ready to see off our guests. We really can not fault all the staff today, they took such good care of our party and nothing was too much for any of them. The whole process from start finish was effortless on our part which made the day stress free and really enjoyable for everyone. We have one very happy and worn out...

My 7 year old son had his birthday party at Merry Go Round this week. We are so pleased that we chose this venue, as the party was amazing! He is autistic, but loves soft play even though he can sometimes become overwhelmed, as can his parents. We had been planning this since before Christmas, hoping that everything would go well, but there was no need as the help we received from the owner and staff with organising the event was superb. Honestly couldn’t have done any more for us. There was so much attention to detail put in to make sure that our visit was a special one. The area used for the parties was all dressed when we arrived, with table cloths, balloons, cups, juice, napkins, etc. Staff prepared our cake and brought it out, joining in with singing Happy Birthday. The food was great for the kids, some of which had additional dietary requirements, which were catered for, and there was even some extra chips brought out for the parents (who are often forgotten about at kids parties! 😂). All the kids had a fantastic time, and were able to play for over 2 hours - they were exhausted come the end. The centre is clean, tidy, welcoming, and the staff are brilliant; literally there is nothing that is too much trouble. We considered several other venues before choosing this one, but so pleased with the final decision. Looking forward to next year already! 😀👍🏻 Thank you Merry Go Round for such a...