When it is raining or just too hot to go to the playground, we often head to Monkey Joe's. Monkey Joe's is a chain and there are currently two Orlando area locations. We visit the one that is closest to us (and the tourist area) in Pointe Orlando on International Drive.
When you arrive at Pointe Orlando you follow the signs to park inside their parking garage. Coming in from the International Drive entrance you want to park on the far end of the garage because that will put you closer to Monkey Joe's. Monkey Joe's will pay for the first three hours of your parking if you get your parking ticket validated at the Monkey Joe's entrance desk but if you stay longer than three hours parking costs $3.00 for two additional hours, $4.00 for three, $5.00 for four, and $6.00 for anything over four hours. We can easily spend three hours in Monkey Joe's so if you want to take advantage of the free three hours of parking, make sure you pay attention to the time!
After you park the car Monkey Joe's is just a short walk away on the bottom floor, left side of Pointe Orlando (the side farthest away from International Drive). Strollers are allowed inside and I always bring mine due to the walk. Prices to play at Monkey Joe's vary depending on the age of your child but for ages two and under it is only $5.99 for a day of unlimited play (you can not, however, re-enter once you leave even if it is on the same day). If you are bringing along infant siblings there is no charge for children under two that do not play. They also sell frequent bounce passes that brings the price down to about $5/visit (which is a better deal for the three and under crowd than the specials often offered on daily deal sites). Make sure you bring your child's socks because kids are required to wear them at all times.
When you enter Monkey Joe's you pay and fill out a release form at the entrance desk. They do not keep the forms on file so you have to fill one out every single visit. In exchange for your money and a completed release form they give you a bracelet for you and your child(ren) good for unlimited play. They check this bracelet on the way out and make sure the parent matches up to the child(ren) they are leaving with so do not let your child rip it off! When my daughter was really young they would sometimes give us a sticker for her back or a stamp instead so ask if this is an option if you have a young toddler that will most likely try to rip the wristband off.
The front half of Monkey Joe's contains the snack bar, game area, prize redemption desk, and a seating area. There is also a seating area with more comfortable chairs adults can use while their children play but you can not see your child from that area if your child is playing on the bounce houses so I have never seen anybody actually using it.
All of the games at Monkey Joe's require you to spend additional money. You have to pay $5 up front for a "banana card" which can then be loaded up with "bananas" to spend on the games. Most games cost 2.9-3.9 bananas but a few are more than that so I suggest looking at how many "bananas" the games your child is interested in cost before you decide which banana package to purchase. You can keep the card and reuse it at subsequent visits, which is a good idea since you would have to pay $5 at your next visit for a whole new card.
The games are all your typical arcade games and games of skill. My toddler enjoys skee ball and any other game that involves throwing a ball or pounding on something. Each game spits out tickets, which you can redeem at the prize counter for prizes.
Fortunately my toddler is still young enough that she likes to "play" the games without me having to actually spend any money. She is happy punching the buttons and throwing the balls and has no idea that she is not actually playing and therefore not going to win any tickets. If you have an older child, however, you will probably have to spring for a "banana card."
The main attraction at Money Joe's is the bounce structures, which are located in a big open space behind the game area. Monkey Joe's has a good variety of bounce items, and almost all of them involve some type of thing you have to climb up and a slide. There are no visible restrictions posted as to how many children can go in a bounce item at one time, so if it is busy you will want to make sure to keep a close eye on younger children that can easily get trampled.
The back right corner of Monkey Joe's is reserved for the youngest bouncers. This area contains three bouncing structures that have signs posted on them stating that they are for children under three. (Unfortunately, I have never seen them actually enforce that policy and have seen many older children using these bounce structures, although I'm sure if you complained to a staff member they would probably point out the signs and ask the older children to play elsewhere).
The first of the three bounce structures is the one that is most like a traditional bounce house and the best one for younger toddlers. It has no slides or "steps" that need to be climbed, however, it has several colorful blown up sea creatures in it that your child is free to try to climb on. When my daughter was a year old this one was her favorite because it has plenty of room to crawl, run, and bounce in it. It has a snail and a sea monster you can attempt to climb up and sit on and a very tiny alligator "slide" that is more like a small ramp she enjoyed crawling and climbing on. At two she enjoys trying to climb up onto the back of the snail and sea monster and can climb the snail independently but still usually needs help with the sea monster.
Now that she is two my daughter prefers the other two toddler bounce structures over this one, both of which have slides and something you need to climb up to get to them. At 34 inches tall she is able to play independently in both of these structures now and climb up and slide down without help but when she was under eighteen months I had to help her climb up them most of the time, especially the one in the corner next to the sea creature bounce. The one next to the sea creature bounce has one slide and the other one has two so that you can race a friend down. The one with the one slide has more of a small obstacle course on the inside vs the one with two slides is more open like a traditional bounce house.
Once she hit age two it became very hard to keep my daughter contained to the toddler area. She is a bit of a daredevil and now prefers the older children's bounce structures to the toddler ones. Parents are allowed to assist children under four on the bounce structures if it is necessary, but at twenty five months old and thirty four inches tall she was able to do everything in all the bounce structures independently except for the bounce structure with the big Monkey Joe in front of it. Some of the tall slides are rather fast for a toddler but that did not seem to bother her at all.
The favorite bounce for my toddler and most of the other children seemed to be the pirate ship. The pirate ship contains one slide and a climbing wall next to it you need to go up to get to the slide. The bottom of the slide has a few inflatable pirate theme items in front of it such as a treasure chest that you have to walk around to get back to the climbing wall. This bounce structure gets rather crowded at times so this is the only one that I usually climb into with my daughter to make sure she doesn't get trampled by older children. There are chairs and even a few tables scattered throughout the bounce structure area so for the most part you can sit close to where your child is playing and keep an eye on them.
When my daughter gets hungry we stop for a snack. I don't think you are supposed to bring in outside food but they do not check bags and have never frowned upon me feeding my daughter cheerios, goldfish, fruit pouches, and other typical toddler snacks at one of their tables. They have plenty of different snack and more substantial food choices on their menu and it is reasonably priced and the pizza and other things I've tried have actually been pretty good. There are plenty of tables and chairs and the party rooms are completely separate so we have never had any trouble finding a place to sit.
If you choose to have a birthday party at Monkey Joe's they have several (five?) different party rooms. Most of them line the far wall of the bounce structure area but are completely private from each other and then one is located near the toddler area. I don't think I would want to be at Monkey Joe's when all of them are in use because I imagine the place would be quite crowded.
The best time to visit Monkey Joe's with a toddler is on a weekday when school is in session. We have gone many times during this time period and have been one of only a handful of families in there. I have never been on a weekend but I imagine that is when they have the bulk of their birthday parties. During the summer Monkey Joe's is often used by camp groups and it can get very crowded when this is the case but if you call ahead any inquire if any camps will be there that day they will usually tell you if they are expecting any. It is sometimes also noted on their events calendar on their website when large groups are expected. The camp groups usually come in when Monkey Joe's first opens and leave by 3 pm, so during the summer I take my toddler after her afternoon nap time, which is usually when florida experiences its rainstorms and we can't play outside anyhow.
Monkey Joe's is a great place for a little one to let off some steam on a day when they can't go to an outdoor playground. My daughter has loved this place since she was tiny, however, I have seen many younger toddlers that are afraid of the bounce structures so I recommend just trying it once before you buy a frequent user pass or a multiple visit deal on a daily deal website. When she was under eighteen months my daughter enjoyed the toddler bounce houses but she was just as happy running around in circles exploring the place, which you can do at many indoor places for free (the mostly vacant mall adjacent to Bass Pro Shop comes to mind!). The $5.99 price, however, is very reasonable so I was okay with the fact that she wasn't quite ready to do a whole lot of bouncing even when we'd come to bounce with some of her slightly older friends. Probably one of the best parts of all about Monkey Joe's is regardless of what age we've visited at and what she's chosen to do with her time there, I've always gotten a good nap out of her when we left for nap time or bed!
When you enter Monkey Joe's you pay and fill out a release form at the entrance desk. They do not keep the forms on file so you have to fill one out every single visit. In exchange for your money and a completed release form they give you a bracelet for you and your child(ren) good for unlimited play. They check this bracelet on the way out and make sure the parent matches up to the child(ren) they are leaving with so do not let your child rip it off! When my daughter was really young they would sometimes give us a sticker for her back or a stamp instead so ask if this is an option if you have a young toddler that will most likely try to rip the wristband off.
The front half of Monkey Joe's contains the snack bar, game area, prize redemption desk, and a seating area. There is also a seating area with more comfortable chairs adults can use while their children play but you can not see your child from that area if your child is playing on the bounce houses so I have never seen anybody actually using it.
All of the games at Monkey Joe's require you to spend additional money. You have to pay $5 up front for a "banana card" which can then be loaded up with "bananas" to spend on the games. Most games cost 2.9-3.9 bananas but a few are more than that so I suggest looking at how many "bananas" the games your child is interested in cost before you decide which banana package to purchase. You can keep the card and reuse it at subsequent visits, which is a good idea since you would have to pay $5 at your next visit for a whole new card.
The games are all your typical arcade games and games of skill. My toddler enjoys skee ball and any other game that involves throwing a ball or pounding on something. Each game spits out tickets, which you can redeem at the prize counter for prizes.
Fortunately my toddler is still young enough that she likes to "play" the games without me having to actually spend any money. She is happy punching the buttons and throwing the balls and has no idea that she is not actually playing and therefore not going to win any tickets. If you have an older child, however, you will probably have to spring for a "banana card."
The main attraction at Money Joe's is the bounce structures, which are located in a big open space behind the game area. Monkey Joe's has a good variety of bounce items, and almost all of them involve some type of thing you have to climb up and a slide. There are no visible restrictions posted as to how many children can go in a bounce item at one time, so if it is busy you will want to make sure to keep a close eye on younger children that can easily get trampled.
The back right corner of Monkey Joe's is reserved for the youngest bouncers. This area contains three bouncing structures that have signs posted on them stating that they are for children under three. (Unfortunately, I have never seen them actually enforce that policy and have seen many older children using these bounce structures, although I'm sure if you complained to a staff member they would probably point out the signs and ask the older children to play elsewhere).
The first of the three bounce structures is the one that is most like a traditional bounce house and the best one for younger toddlers. It has no slides or "steps" that need to be climbed, however, it has several colorful blown up sea creatures in it that your child is free to try to climb on. When my daughter was a year old this one was her favorite because it has plenty of room to crawl, run, and bounce in it. It has a snail and a sea monster you can attempt to climb up and sit on and a very tiny alligator "slide" that is more like a small ramp she enjoyed crawling and climbing on. At two she enjoys trying to climb up onto the back of the snail and sea monster and can climb the snail independently but still usually needs help with the sea monster.
Now that she is two my daughter prefers the other two toddler bounce structures over this one, both of which have slides and something you need to climb up to get to them. At 34 inches tall she is able to play independently in both of these structures now and climb up and slide down without help but when she was under eighteen months I had to help her climb up them most of the time, especially the one in the corner next to the sea creature bounce. The one next to the sea creature bounce has one slide and the other one has two so that you can race a friend down. The one with the one slide has more of a small obstacle course on the inside vs the one with two slides is more open like a traditional bounce house.
Once she hit age two it became very hard to keep my daughter contained to the toddler area. She is a bit of a daredevil and now prefers the older children's bounce structures to the toddler ones. Parents are allowed to assist children under four on the bounce structures if it is necessary, but at twenty five months old and thirty four inches tall she was able to do everything in all the bounce structures independently except for the bounce structure with the big Monkey Joe in front of it. Some of the tall slides are rather fast for a toddler but that did not seem to bother her at all.
The favorite bounce for my toddler and most of the other children seemed to be the pirate ship. The pirate ship contains one slide and a climbing wall next to it you need to go up to get to the slide. The bottom of the slide has a few inflatable pirate theme items in front of it such as a treasure chest that you have to walk around to get back to the climbing wall. This bounce structure gets rather crowded at times so this is the only one that I usually climb into with my daughter to make sure she doesn't get trampled by older children. There are chairs and even a few tables scattered throughout the bounce structure area so for the most part you can sit close to where your child is playing and keep an eye on them.
When my daughter gets hungry we stop for a snack. I don't think you are supposed to bring in outside food but they do not check bags and have never frowned upon me feeding my daughter cheerios, goldfish, fruit pouches, and other typical toddler snacks at one of their tables. They have plenty of different snack and more substantial food choices on their menu and it is reasonably priced and the pizza and other things I've tried have actually been pretty good. There are plenty of tables and chairs and the party rooms are completely separate so we have never had any trouble finding a place to sit.
If you choose to have a birthday party at Monkey Joe's they have several (five?) different party rooms. Most of them line the far wall of the bounce structure area but are completely private from each other and then one is located near the toddler area. I don't think I would want to be at Monkey Joe's when all of them are in use because I imagine the place would be quite crowded.
The best time to visit Monkey Joe's with a toddler is on a weekday when school is in session. We have gone many times during this time period and have been one of only a handful of families in there. I have never been on a weekend but I imagine that is when they have the bulk of their birthday parties. During the summer Monkey Joe's is often used by camp groups and it can get very crowded when this is the case but if you call ahead any inquire if any camps will be there that day they will usually tell you if they are expecting any. It is sometimes also noted on their events calendar on their website when large groups are expected. The camp groups usually come in when Monkey Joe's first opens and leave by 3 pm, so during the summer I take my toddler after her afternoon nap time, which is usually when florida experiences its rainstorms and we can't play outside anyhow.
Monkey Joe's is a great place for a little one to let off some steam on a day when they can't go to an outdoor playground. My daughter has loved this place since she was tiny, however, I have seen many younger toddlers that are afraid of the bounce structures so I recommend just trying it once before you buy a frequent user pass or a multiple visit deal on a daily deal website. When she was under eighteen months my daughter enjoyed the toddler bounce houses but she was just as happy running around in circles exploring the place, which you can do at many indoor places for free (the mostly vacant mall adjacent to Bass Pro Shop comes to mind!). The $5.99 price, however, is very reasonable so I was okay with the fact that she wasn't quite ready to do a whole lot of bouncing even when we'd come to bounce with some of her slightly older friends. Probably one of the best parts of all about Monkey Joe's is regardless of what age we've visited at and what she's chosen to do with her time there, I've always gotten a good nap out of her when we left for nap time or bed!
Your posts are great! Thanks for the info!
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