Here are my ratings for the first batch of party suppliers. For this post, I'm going to discuss mostly about the venue, as it requires...well, quite a considerable amount of discussion. :-)
Party Venue: Jollibee Bluewave - Macapagal Ave.
❤ ❤.5 out of 5
Hmmm, I heard that this branch of Jollibee is host to a number of parties for families in the south. It's not surprising, as this is so far the nearest Manila branch to Cavite, Pasay, and Las Pinas. It's also easily accessible via taxi cab, bus, and the orange van from Buendia, if your guests are coming from Makati, Mandaluyong, Ortigas, and even QC.
Pros:
We chose this branch as we live in Bacoor and would want our friends and family in Manila to be part of our celebration, without having to worry about transportation. As it is right along Macapagal Ave., and is situated in the front area of Bluewave Metropark, it was easy to spot.
Parking areas also surround the venue, so those who came with their own cars didn't have a problem with that. The first five hours of parking is also free, so guests didn't have to park at an extra cost.
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| Hetty Room @ Jollibee Bluewave Macapagal Ave. |
We used the Jollibee Room, which is very much like the Hetty Room pictured above. I was first told it can accommodate up to 100 persons, but errr, turns out it can only take in 90. Oh well (more on those inconsistencies later. :-)). We had about 80+ guests during the party, and it already looked rather crowded. I'm approximating about 70 to 75 persons would be a good count of persons it can comfortably take in.
As far as airconditioning is concerned, I couldn't give a 'fair' judgement. One of the AC's in the room had a problem during my party, and was only fixed a few minutes before the party started. So for the first 30 minutes, it was rather hot. I'm guessing though, if the AC was functioning normally, and there were less guests, than probably it would have been a bit cooler.
We took the first slot for the room (10 am to 12pm), so when we got there, the place was really clean. We opted for that time because most of our guests are coming from night shifts, and waking up in the afternoon for a party is quite difficult for them. So most of them went straight from their shift.
Also, the first time slot means we were first to use the room. Instead of just the usual 30 minutes alloted for set-up, we were allowed a full hour since nobody's using it before us, and we also didn't have to worry about 'left-over debris' from the previous party. :-)
Cons:
The room set-up was vertical and pretty simple. There were about 14 sets of tables and chairs that can seat 6 persons for each set, and they were placed on the right and left side of the room. I personally prefer a rectangular set-up (tables and chairs set-up on three sides of the room, and 'stage' in front), as this allows the guests to have a better view of the program.
My biggest issue with this particular branch was inconsistency.
I went to the Jollibee Bluewave Macapagal Ave. as early as the last week of February to check it out, and had went back second week of March to have my preferred date and time reserved. When I paid for the reservation, I had immediately clarified with the party team representative if there were any restrictions that I should be aware of. I was informed about the 'no magicians/party host/mascot other then Jollibee's' rule. I even specifically asked about characters, decors, etc. They said other than the no outside magicians/entertainment rule, wala na daw. But being the OC person that I am, I researched on it and found out from a parenting forum (www.smartparenting.com) that there are indeed restrictions when it comes to characters, decor, cakes, and even lootbags for some branches! So I called the Bluewave Macapagal branch right away, and talked to the party rep available at that time, and just like I expected, meron nga.
The unfortunate thing about this is, NONE of the restrictions stated were written in the signed contract/agreement. So if I didn't care to snoop around and ask, I would have had a really bad morning on the day of the party. Tsk tsk. Here are some of the restrictions:
- No character cakes, lootbags, party favors, game prizes, balloons etc.
- No photobooth and food cart
- No entertainment coming from outside (magicians, clowns, puppet shows, etc.)
- No additional tarpaulin with other characters
So word of advice to mommies planning a party in any fastfood, make sure to ask about these restrictions, upon reservation pa lang. List down your questions, and be very specific as to what you want to know, to avoid any hassle with your preps and on the day of the party. If possible, prepare a document that the party representative can sign as his affirmation of his statements during your conversation.
More supplier reviews about my darling daughter's 2nd birthday party in a wee bit.
Happy planning everyone!
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