Fantasyland Skate Center — Local services in McAllen

I went here today, with very low expectations after reading the reviews. The place did not smell of mold, even though a review had mentioned it did. After signing waivers we went to go get the skates (1 regular pair of rollerskates, and 1 pair of inline skates. I brought my own pair.) Regular skates were 2.00 dollars and inline were 4.00. When we received them, the inline skates were in good condition, I saw no issues with the buckles, and no mold inside or on the outside of the skates. The wheels also worked great on them. The regular skates on the other hand, were not as good. The shoelaces were incredibly frayed, the skates were very old, and the wheels showed awful signs of coning. I did not skate in the shoes provided there, as I brought my own, but from what my family members told me, the inline skates glided smoothly, whereas the regular skates were iffy and sketchy to ride on. Admission was 7.50 per person. There were some parts on the skate floor that were bumpy and unpleasant to ride on, but they were only small spots that you could easily avoid. The skate trainers were 5.00 dollars and worked well, though there were quite a few left unattended on the floor. The food court was nice, the kitchen was clean and they used gloves to prep the food. Overall, it’s a decent place and I enjoyed my time there. I can definitely see myself coming back. Though I wish they had a separate place for little kids, I had a few almost crash into me.

Edit: Changing my review to 2 stars because I went again recently and had to exchange my brother's inline skates several times due to an insane amount of mold in the skates. The guy who handles the skates kept giving me different sizes (all of which still had mold), and even tried giving me the same pair twice. I would say I went through about 8 pairs before I found one that didn't have a ton of mold. (although they were 1 size bigger...) I wouldn't recommend going here, even if you bring your own skates, because it's impossible to skate for more than 2 seconds due to the sheer amount of kids on the floor who can't. I had at least 2 kids fall right in front of me, no clue how I didn't...

Had my daughter's birthday party reserved this past weekend and although my daughter had a great time with her friends for her birthday I was very stressed out during my reservation. As soon as I got there with the 30 minute time that they give you to set up, my tables were not ready to be set up I had to go back and forth to speak with someone to find out where my second table would be mind you I had asked beforehand if accommodations could be met if party number would change but I made sure to at least reserve for two tables. When I got there only one table was provided to me and then they tried to give me another one which we began to set up and then a mother from the other party said that they gave her that table it was a big mess and not organized whatsoever. So trying to set up for my party I was going into my party time reservation to hurry up and set up while my guest stood there and waited to sit down, losing that time for the party and then having to be cleared out at exactly 6:30 because they had other parties reserved right after was a hard pill to swallow especially when I paid over $500 there for a party. I would not be complaining about the money spent if it wasn't so stressful to even get my party started reasons why I paid a $50 deposit to make sure that my tables would be reserved. I don't even know if my deposit was taken out of the money that I paid for the party everything was so rushed. My host knowing the troubles that I went through in the beginning was very accommodating for the rest of the party I appreciate him reason why I gave 2 stars. I wasnt able to enjoy the party that I paid and invested so much time and money in. I wouldn't recommend having a birthday party here maybe just to come out with the family or friends...

I enjoy roller skating and usually have a wonderful time when I am there, but honestly the huge safety issue needs to be addressed. I have been to this rink several times now, and with each time that I go, I see the same thing: little kids roller skating around everywhere, in all directions, and it is really not safe for any of the skaters.

Just to put things in perspective, I don't do tricks or skate as if I were jack sparrow. I skate at a decent pace, skate in the same direction as everyone, and follow the rules. Still, I've run into more than a few kids just because they pop up out of nowhere or skate the wrong waydirectly into the line of skaters traveling in the other direction. I actually saw someone break their leg after crashing into a group of children skating the wrong way. And in several cases, I’ve seen adults trying to avoid falling on children by having to push them out of the way at the last second. It’s crazy.

What makes it more frustrating is that when a collision happens, the parents often get mad at us, the adults, even though we’re not the ones letting their kids skate unsupervised or against the direction everyone is going in. It’s not fair, and it makes the experience stressful instead of fun.

I simply think that the rink needs to either reserve some space or time outright for young children and beginners, or else have more actively engaged staff manage and direct them. Anyone may skate, but putting littlechildren together with older or more skilled skaters without separating or some type of organization at all causes collisions...