Planet Bounce Inflatable Park, Nottingham Review

On a rainy and grey Sunday afternoon, (after cancelled family plans – due to bloody Covid again!), Ava and I went to Planet Bounce Inflatable Park in Nottingham in the centre of town to burn off some energy and have some (incredibly tiring!) fun.

Planet Bounce Inflatable Park, Nottingham

Planet Bounce is an inflatable park in the centre of Nottingham which recently had a makeover so now there is even more to climb up and through, more slides, more things to jump on and off, and a ‘soft play’ area off to one side too.

The so-called intergalactic inflatable universe has a Helix, Base Jump and Interactive Zone where you can bounce, slide, explore and climb.

It’s suitable for all ages as long as you can walk and bounce and are fit enough, because it’s flipping exhausting I can tell you!

An hour at Planet Bounce is very tiring and you’ll be very hot and sweaty by the end of it whether you’re a child or an unfit adult! But it is lots of fun and my daughter absolutely loves it. She would love it regardless, but I think a big part of it is getting to play about with her mum and dad and just mess about and have fun, in a way that us boring adults wouldn’t usually (be able) to do.

I like it because she’s having fun, I get to challenge myself a bit and stop myself from being a wimp (jumping off an inflatable onto another, going down the steepish slides) and it’s my exercise done for the day too!

The new layout and design mean that there is generally enough room even when it is busy. There used to be one section that everyone congregated on as you jumped up onto big inflatable blocks to reach the end slide – smaller ones (plus many older ones, myself included) struggled to get up easily onto each section and then confident, practised kids would come along and take us all out and we’d have to start again! It got very busy and chaotic, so even though it was great fun I am glad that has gone.

There were plenty of staff when we were there however they did seem to congregate around together quite often and stand chatting particularly as it got later on in the afternoon so was much quieter. They did still seem to be watching out a bit but I would have preferred them to be more spread out especially if my children were on the inflatables on their own.

Stuff to know

They do general ‘jump’ sessions as well as ‘tots’ sessions for 0-4 year-olds, which is great because I wouldn’t want my little one being taken out by a boisterous teenager. I do wish they would do a session for say 3-10 year-olds so that little ones could go with older siblings or cousins, although I guess you would still end up with older ones not watching out for the small ones. It’s just meant that my daughter hasn’t really been able to go with her much younger cousin yet.

If you don’t want to join in the fun and your children are old enough to go on unsupervised (over 7) then you can sit in the cafe and viewing area during the session and keep an eye on your children – although there aren’t any tables right by the viewing windows so you can’t sit and constantly watch. It is a big area with lots of tables and seating though.

Check-in is usually very quick if you have booked online – you just say your name or show them your ticket in your emails. You are required to sign a waiver for each guest which is standard at places like this and you can do it easily before you go and it still applies for your next visit if you use the same email.

You must wear socks but you don’t have to buy theirs (although they are available to purchase if you forget to wear them and they are reasonable at £1.95). I would recommend wearing leggings or any comfy trousers as you will be doing lots of climbing and scrabbling about, and a T-shirt because you will get boiling hot! There used to be a huge fan as you enter the park which was so lovely to cool down for a minute but that was no longer there when we went this time, unfortunately.

There are free lockers that you just make up your own code for – although last time mine came open whilst we were bouncing and I obviously didn’t know until we went back to it to get a drink! It was definitely locked when we left it so it was a bit strange, but there are usually loads of people around so it’s unlikely anyone would take anything. Some people just shove all their stuff in and leave it unlocked anyway.

Food and drink

In the cafe area, there is a small shop selling drinks, ice creams and snacks. I would make sure you take plenty of bottles of water with you to keep in your locker because you will probably want a break and to rehydrate at some point!

The cost

Unfortunately, the price has gone up since the makeover; it used to seem like a bargain for one adult and one child but now it is in line with similar activities like trampoline parks but it’s still not horrendous. It does mean we won’t be able to go too regularly though which is a shame as it’s an easy thing to book and do if we have no plans and it’s pouring with rain.

You can book either 1 or 2-hour sessions – although I would say 1 is plenty! It costs £8 for under 5’s, £10 for 5-15 year-olds and £8 for 16+. Kids under 7 must be supervised on the inflatables at all times which costs £5 for the adult. This actually means if your child is 7 or younger then it is cheaper for you to join in the fun (£5 rather than £8).

I do think it would be a great idea for Planet Bounce to do an annual pass-type thing or even a pay monthly cost. I think it would encourage people to go much more regularly and use it as a rainy day type activity for the kids to let off some steam without it costing a fortune each time.

There is a 15% NHS and Military discount available.

Where is Planet Bounce, Nottingham?

Planet Bounce is located in Nottingham town centre on Huntingdon Street, NG1 3NL.

The nearest car parks are at Victoria Centre or Curzon Street which are both a few minutes walk away.

Find out more and book here: Planet Bounce Nottingham