Mummy From The Heart: Flip Out Trampoline Park Chichester

Thursday, 5 August 2021

Flip Out Trampoline Park Chichester - What did we think?

A couple of weeks ago we stayed in Worthing for a weeks holiday and we had a great time. When I asked my twins what they'd like to do, trampolining was top of their list and when they saw there was a Flip Out not too far away they were over the moon, as they'd heard before how good these trampoline parks are.

What does it cost?

Flip Out Chichester is super easy to find, as it is situated just a short way off the A27, which skirts around the outer edge of Chichester. There was a large car park available and notices to remind you not to park on the industrial park roads, so I assume it can get crowded at times.

It wasn't at all busy when we went on a weekday during term-time. I booked for the Daytime Bounce session which is 2.5 hours of bouncing. We booked the slot from 10am to 12.30pm and truthfully my girls didn't need that long as they were super tired after about 90 minutes. The cost was £12 for the session, which seemed reasonable but it was also mandatory to buy the Flip Out socks for £2.50 a pair, which seemed such a shame as I had trampoline specific socks with me from our local venue. But they told me some story about them not being tested on their trampoline and thus my girls could not use them. I had the socks to show them and they had the same kind of rubbery bottom, but they wouldn't even look at them and that feels like a bit of a con.

I also had to pay £2.50 per spectator to be on-site and wait for them. Again this feels like an unnecessary cost. I understand during busy times they may need to limit spectators and this is a way of doing that but when there were only about 10 people in the building, it is obviously just another way to make money. Thankfully they did offer a complimentary drink for each paying spectator, so my mum and I had a coffee and it was very nice.

During busier times, it is £10 for one hour at the early bird time of 9am or £12 for one hour for the rest of the day.

What do I need to know in advance?

As I mentioned earlier you need to be wearing Flip Out specific lime green socks and these cost £2.50 a pair. You can bring them if you have them from a previous visit.
If you want to use the drop slide, you'll need long trousers and long sleeves before you can use it.
Currently, they are insisting that everyone books online.
Children of 11 years and under must have a parent or guardian on-site at all times. Children between the ages of 12-18 years old must have a parent or guardian fill in the waiver but they do not have to be present when the child visits the park.
They ask everyone to sign a safety waiver before they attend and it is very comprehensive, but pretty normal for this kind of activity nowadays. They say you need to be in good physical health to bounce. Check out their advice if you are unsure.
They also ask you to watch their safety video before you attend and there isn't any briefing when you arrive, nor does anyone check that you have watched the video and understand the rules. There is a large copy of the rules on the wall as you enter the trampoline arena.

What is there available?

When we first arrived at 10am the drop slide and wipe out were closed which my girls were disappointed about, but they did open later in the morning once more people had arrived, so if you are due to go at a quieter time I'd check that everything will be open. The Ninja assault course also wasn't open until about 11am, but the price isn't adjusted even though they are not providing everything, which is disappointing.

There is a large area of trampolines and a jump assault course for more experienced jumpers, a long trampoline for tumbling, a basketball trampoline, Ninja assault course, wipe out area, drop slide and soft play area. Generally, there is a good variety of items, but I imagine it can get very crowded during normal times.

Have a look at some people enjoying the facilities at Flip Out Chichester.

If you fancy something a bit different they also run fitness sessions on the trampolines and these cost £7 per evening class. I bet they are a lot of fun as well as a fabulous workout. There are also after dark flip sessions and they do parties too. We saw one of the rooms set up for a Neon party, which looked great. If my girls had been a few years younger, they would have loved that.

Cafe and Soft Play

The cafe was very nice, it was airy, light and very clean. The staff were also great and very friendly. My Mum and I enjoyed a cappuccino in exchange for our spectator ticket and Miss M bought herself a slushie for £5. This sounds on the steep side but actually, she could refill it as much as she liked, so with my twin's sharing, it was very reasonable.

We didn't try any of the food, so I can't comment on that, but I see they do pizzas, which would be nice after a busy bounce session. In fact, I've discovered that the cafe is run by Diablos Pizza and they have a gas-fired pizza oven for an authentic tasting pizza.

If you go through the cafe, there is also a high-level viewing deck above the trampoline area and leading into the upper areas of the soft play where you can sit and enjoy your drink. I'd imagine this area is very useful if you have a little one using soft play. They have a reasonable entry fee of £5 for one adult and one under 5 to use the soft play for 3 hours.

Our Opinion

My girls did have fun but it is not a cheap activity and I think it is very poor that you are forced to buy the socks and to pay to spectate. On the one hand, they were very lucky to go at such a quiet time as it meant they could always use the trampolines and there was plenty of space for them to move about, but on the other half the areas were not open first thing in the morning.

Whilst I was writing this post I noticed there is another trampoline venue in Chichester, Air Arena, which is cheaper and looks better, so we'll give this one a go next time.