Paying to go to a kid’s birthday party..?

[hannneshy]

Some friends of ours havs recently booked a party for their six year old at a zoo. The invite says all accompanying adults need to pay their own entry into the zoo (£15 per adult)
(details slightly changed for anon purposes)
Is this a pisstake, or am I being unreasonable?
if this was me, I’d have absorbed that cost into the cost of the party booking - I would’ve covered it. Surely..?

Why should they pay for adults? Are you expected to stay with your child?

Why would you need to accompany your child?

Just to clarify, its not as if we can just drop them off.. there needs to be an adult with them..

Well it's perfectly reasonable as long as they've told you in advance. Is it necessary for an adult to accompany each child? Can't you drop and run?

Yes.

I suppose it’s a bit much to pay for adults to visit the zoo? Presume you could have a day out there on the ticket. Surely you just need to drop at that party, not visit the zoo?

its not a drop-off , we have to be there with them.

At age 6 you should be able to drop them off.

Also, we’re not paying to ‘go to the zoo.’
we’re paying to sit in a party room at a zoo..

It's a bit odd to make parents stay.

But at least they've been upfront about it and they can either accept or decline.

Surely if you just have to accompany at the party you don’t need a zoo entry ticket? Is it an official party ie she’s paid the zoo to host it in their party room or is she just taking some kids to the zoo as a birthday treat?

Just drop them off if it’s in a party room.

Why can't you drop-off? Adults don't generally expect to paid for but then I wouldn't expect to stay either.

Drop and go in this case. The hosts should be able to supervise

The zoo shouldn’t charge adults accompanying children to this though? I’ve been to one at whipsnade and they don’t.

I wouldn't want to be the only adult in charge of half a dozen 6 year olds at a zoo. One of them could so easily get lost.

it is unrealistic to expect a zoo trip to be drop and run unless there are only 2 or 3 children.

I would just say we already have plans to go to the zoo with kids and grandparents so you won’t be able to go twice.

OP says " their" so fair to assume both of birthday child's parents are going. 2 adults to 6 children sounds fine to me

Sorry, x posted. In that case I guess you can't go if it's out of your budget. I don't really think it's out of order for them to say this though. They clearly can't afford to pay for the adults.

Have you actually asked whether you are expected to stay?
It's pretty normal not to pay for adults, however this does usually mean that the parents are happy to supervise children, but means that parents who want to stay know they need to pay.

I would be busy that day. No way would I be interested in that crap.

Bit much of the zoo to make an adult just accompanying their child to a party pay for a full ticket to the zoo if they arent going to be doing anything other than being in the party room.

If you dont want to / cant afford to pay for the ticket then decline the invitation.

Is it Edinburgh Zoo by any chance? That's exactly the reason we decided not to book ds party as we thought it was unfair/too expensive to pay for adults too.

Why would a child want to have a party at a zoo when they don’t actually visit the zoo, they just sit in a side room? It’s really weird.

I can't figure it out, why would they charge for people to sit in a room and not see the animals?

It's not a party I'd have booked because of the charge.