CoCo Key Water Resort Birthday Party Package Discounts for MomsOfOmaha.com Visitors [Archive]

Rhonda Dunaway

01-12-2012, 10:37 AM

Review of Kids' Birthday Party at CoCo Key
I helped out with a birthday party my son attended at CoCo Key last Sunday. The reason it's taken me this long to post a review is that I had extremely mixed reactions to the experience, and I needed to take some time to sort out my thoughts and opinions about different aspects of the experience. I think I'll start out with what was good about the experience and then work my way toward what wasn't so good.

About the Party Attendant
The best thing about the party was a young lady who was the party attendant assigned to our group, Destini. Destini was everything you could hope for in a party attendant. She was kind, cheerful, polite, organized, efficient, patient with the kids, alert to any issues that needed to be addressed, and always working with an eye toward making things as easy as possible for the mom who was hosting her son's birthday party. I remember observing her at one point in the party and thinking what an amazing worth ethic she had for someone so young and how she possessed all the qualities that I would look for if I were hiring a staff member. In a word, she was outstanding.

About the Facility
I hadn't been to CoCo Key in 2 or 3 years mainly because we had such a negative experience the last time we were there. The resort was so crowded that day that we couldn't get in the water without getting kicked or hit in the head, we couldn't find anywhere to sit, the resort had run out of towels, we had to wait in line well over an hour for food, middle schoolers were getting out of control in the Lazy River and ruining the experience for everyone else, and the lifeguards were inattentive.

Nevertheless, I know that a lot can change over time and that the resort has also changed hands since then, so I was willing to view the experience with fresh eyes.

When I first drove up to the hotel, what struck me was that it seemed outdated and that it had the air of being a little run down at the heels. I have never stayed overnight at the resort, and I don't know whether any interior remodeling or redecorating has occurred at any point in the recent past, but I thought to myself that if I were ever going to book an overnight stay at the resort, I would want to take a look at the inside of the hotel and some of the rooms first. According to what I've read in industry reports lately, the Ramada Hotel chain is near the end of the line when it comes to quality hotel chains.

The day of the birthday party was the least crowded day that I have ever seen at CoCo Key. We were admitted immediately with no wait. The pool area was not crowded whatsoever, and I never had to wait in line to order food or to use the bathroom. It could have been that Sundays right after Christmas are slow times for the resort, and that the other times we've attended (mainly during summer vacations and school breaks) are known for being more chaotic.

Because of Hockeymom's post in another discussion thread http://www.momsofomaha.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8111 (http://www.momsofomaha.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8111), I was very concerned about and focused on the overall cleanliness of the facility. When I first went to the snack bar to get a soda, I noticed that the floor in front of the concession area was completely littered with crumpled up napkins and straw wrappers. Because the resort wasn't busy at all and because the employees behind the concessions area were just standing around talking, I wondered why someone hadn't bothered to pick up the trash. When I went back to the concession area later to get a soda refill, someone had picked up the trash.

The rest of the facility was tidy on the surface, but it was not clean. The floors, walls, counters, tables, chairs, etc. appeared to be very grimy and in dire need of a good scrubbing. Because of HockeyMom's earlier post in this thread http://www.momsofomaha.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8111 (http://www.momsofomaha.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8111) and because of my own previous experiences at CoCo Key, I approached the ladies' restroom and locker room with some trepidation. From what I could tell, they were odor-free that day. Again, although there were a few towels lying on the floor here and there, the areas were surface tidy for the most part, but some deep cleaning also appeared to be necessary. Also, several of the soap dispensers were empty, so it was difficult to wash my hands.

About the Swimming
The kids spent the first couple of hours of the birthday party swimming. Because they were 10-year-old boys, they spent most of their time in the basketball court, the Lazy River, and the slides. Overall, they seemed to have a very good time swimming.

About the Concessions
I went to the concession area a few times to get a soda and then later to get refills. I didn't care for the food choices, the area was unclean, especially the glass or plexi-glass in front of the concession area, which needed a lot of Windex, and the concession staff members were rude and unfriendly.

The Party Room and the Refreshments
The party room and the refreshments were fine. The party room was very clean, and it was a decent size, so that we didn't feel cramped or crowded. The refreshments were hot dogs, chips, soft drinks, and cupcakes, all of which were fresh and tasted good.

A Visit From CoCo the Parrot
At the conclusion of eating cupcakes and watching the birthday kid open his gifts, CoCo the parrot (not an actual parrot, but a person wearing a gigantic furry parrot costume) briefly visited the kids. This was an aspect of the entertainment that I personally felt was "too young" for the boys involved, but I realize everyone has their own ideas about things like this, and I wasn't the one throwing the party, so it obviously wasn't my choice. I don't know whether or not CoCo Key offers other more age-appropriate options, but its worth checking into if you want to have a birthday party for an older kid there. Also, it was kind of traumatic for me, and for the parrot, too, I'm sure, to have a roomful of 10-year-old boys (with the exception of my son) hurtling themselves at the parrot and trying to tackle him.

The Rest of the Birthday Party Entertainment
The kids who attended the party were each given a noisemaker, a sports-themed goody bag and an arcade card to play a few games at the party's conclusion. As with CoCo's visit, I felt that the noisemakers and the goody bags were a little on the young side for 10-year-old boys.

Conclusion
Taking the excellent party attendant out of the equation, the birthday party at CoCo Key was one of the least impressive kids' birthday parties I've ever attended (and I've attended a lot of them). There are just so many great places to have a kid's birthday party in Omaha that there's no reason to settle for something that's less than wonderful. However, if you have a child who absolutely loves CoCo Key and insists on having his/her birthday party there, I would recommend trying to set it on a date and at a time when the facility is not as likely to be crowded because the kids will have a much better time swimming, and you will have a much easier time trying to keep up with them. Also, depending on your child's age, you may want to review different aspects of the birthday party package to determine if they are going to be age-appropriate for your child and his guests, and, if not, you may want to find out if there are other options.
__________________
Rhonda Dunaway
Administrator