I live in Mobile and have played this course several times. The good: imaginative layout, nice visuals, fun landscape, fun course. This review has nothing to do with the quality of the course. Both my kids, now 11 & 12, like playing there.
The bad: the clubhouse experience. Pimply, gangly, hormone-charged lethargy drips from each word not uttered by the staff. Boy or girl, it matters not. Were I 17 and showing some pelvic dish, perhaps I might get treated with a measure of affected disinterest. But being a parent with only brats in tow and nothing but a wallet to apologize with, I get customer purgatory: I hand too much money to some widget who struggles with the tedium of making change while talking on the cellphone, I affect some measure of enthusiasm for my kids' benefit without receiving any eye contact or thanks. On the way out I get a second shot of abuse as I offer unacknowleged thank-yous and smiles (we live in the south, after all) to the employees, for the sake of my children. The one time I did venture into the nether regions of the Funtasia Clubhouse for video games, I was treated to the squalor of half-alive video screens, discarded drink cups and sticky joysticks. It put me more in mind of a roadside Adult Video Truckstop than a "family fun center". When I called today to ask for ticket prices, I got a scratchy, rude outgoing message which gave me a full dose of Funtasia Ennui without ever setting foot in the place. So I decided this review would be in order.
Anyone who's ever tried to make "easy money" as an absentee landlord will recognize this scenario. The remedy? Hire an adult manager who will accept the responsibility of a clean and cheerful clubhouse, then give a performance bonus. Get rid of the closed culture of teen angst behind your counter. I'm after an escape from parenting, not a vivid example of what can happen when I don't. And lower your prices or offer some discounts already!
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