Zap Zone opened BIG Best in Gams and closed their original Zap Zone location.
Disclosure: We received a Zap Zone Birthday Party and a Token Package in exchange for this review and additional promotion. All opinions are our own.
Zap Zone has closed their Ann Arbor location on Carpenter Rd. They have opened up Best in Games just up the street. Best in Games does have Laser Tag and an arcade, but birthday parties would be different.
This weekend my daughter had a Zap Zone Birthday Party. She loves visiting Zap Zone and it is a very easy party for us, so it was a win-win. At the party, the kids had a chance to play in the arcade, play 2 games of laser tag, have pizza, brownie, and we opened presents.
The Party
My daughter’s party was from 11a-1p at the Ann Arbor Zap Zone (4177 Carpenter Rd, Ypsilanti). I suggest arriving 10-15 minutes before your party to settle in our party room before friends start to arrive. We had a token package added to our party. The first thing we did was to divvy the tokens up by kid. We opted to give them each 10 to start and provide “refills” as needed. Our token supply was sufficient for each kid to have as many refills as they asked for.
Arcade
There is some downtime built into a Zap Zone party that is perfect for arcade time. As kids arrived, we handed them tokens and sent them out to the arcade. There was additional arcade time between the second game and dessert.
Prizes from the arcade make great party favors with no planning. Next time, I may bring bags with each child’s name on it for them to store their tickets, prizes, and 2-for-1 passes that they receive from the party package. At my daughter’s party, the most popular prize was the Zap Zone pencil case at 100 tickets. Candy was another popular prize among my daughter’s friends.
Laser Tag
Of course the highlight of the party was playing laser tag. The party package includes two rounds of laser tag. The first round starts with explaining the rules and how the equipment works. Then everyone is split into teams.
Finally, everyone dons their gear and then the battle commences. The arena contains two levels with various walls and corners to hide behind and two ramps to the second level. Each team needs to defend their base while attacking the other team’s base and the other team. There are also micro bases which belong to no team but yield points.
With her vacation over school break and illness, my daughter had several friends who were unable to attend. That meant that my husband and I were able to join the Laser Tag fun. After each game, the group gathers to see their score and which team won. Each player receives their own detailed score card. I was thrilled to finish third in the first game. Then, I was shocked to finish second in the second game. I finally beat my husband at a shooting game (twice)!
Food
Our Birthday Party Package included pizza and 2 pitchers of soda (Pepsi Products). Zap Zone budgets 2 slices of pizza per child (10 slices/pizza). Since we had a 10 child party package, we had 2 pizzas. My daughter chose one cheese and one pepperoni pizza. Since we were at 6 kids and 4 adults, we had plenty of pizza. At our last Zap Zone party, we added pizza (at additional cost) because we were at 10 kids plus adults. In addition to the pizza, you may bring in small snacks and cake. We brought in apple slices and a fruit tray. Zap Zone supplies all of the needed paper products – plates, forks, and cups. The food is served between games of Laser Tag.
After the second game of laser tag, some of the kids had more pizza and fruit. They then played in the arcade and redeemed their prizes before dessert. My daughter requested brownies. Don’t forget to bring your candles and a lighter. In our case, we used two candles representing 11.
Party Wrap Up
After dessert we had just enough time to open presents and wrap-up the party before our time ended. In addition to their prizes from the arcade, we had Penguin bouncy balls for each guest. We bought them at The Rocket Shop in Ypsilanti.
Planning a Zap Zone Birthday Party
Birthday Party Packages
Zap Zone offers 3 party packages: Basic Zap Package ($14/person), Ultimate Party Package ($18.95/person), and Supreme Party Package ($21.95). All of the packages include 2 games of laser tag and 2 for 1 coupons for guests and 2 free passes for the birthday child. We received the Ultimate Party Package which which also included pizza, soda, use of the party room (1 hour and 45 minutes), and a t-shirt for the birthday child. The Supreme Package adds on a game of bumper cars or cannon blaster to the Ultimate Party Packages.
Arcade tokens are not included in any of the party packages, but can be added for $20/100 tokens. We were provided with $40 in tokens in our package. With only 6 kids we had tokens to take home.
Invitations
Zap Zone offers invitations as part of their birthday party package. When you book a party, you can pick up paper invitations to mail to guests. They also offer electronic invitations through Punchbowl. We opted for sending Punchbowl invitations like the one below (no there is not actually a party at 11a today). Two other Zap Zone designs are also available.
Birthday Party Overview
After my daughter’s friends left, I took a quick Facebook Live video of Zap Zone’s arcade and party room.
My daughter and her friends had a great time at her Zap Zone Birthday Party. The party is very little work for the parents. I definitely recommend a Zap Zone Birthday Party for kids in elementary school and even into high school.
