Guests paying to get in to a bday party?

[ilovemk76]

This is so wrong. I would not pay that kind of money just to get cake unless I was going to spend the day enjoying the amusement park and would get my money's worth. No gift from me if I have to pay to attend.

If you go could you send your 11 year old to a friend's house for a few hours?

 

[21hearts]

I would decline. I agree with others when they said that when you host a party your guests shouldn't have to pay to attend the party.

 

[luvmy3]

This is not the norm, but I have heard of it before.
I would decline the invitation.

 

[lisaross]

Just decline the invite!

Ok, budget minded friends. I need your help.

My daughter (3) was invited to a birthday party at a local amusement park.
The invitation says "chips, drink, cake and ice cream will be provided. Tickets in to the park are required for all 3+".

So, I go to the park's website. The "hosts" are paying for a party room inside the park. You can't get to the party with out paying admission. My daughter is 3, so it's not like it can be a drop off party. So, 1 child and 1 adult are $26 just to walk in to the party. My husband will be working that day, so I'll have to bring our 11 yr old with. Now $39 total.

Please help!!!

Is this the way of birthday parties in the recession?

 

[moonpie85]

lol this reminds me of a situation we came across recently. DH's tacky cousin had party for his kid at Peter Pipers (think cheap version of Chuckie Cheese) and there wasn't pizza, drinks, or tokens for the kids!!

 

[scrapquitler]

I would call for clarification.

PERHAPS the part about the tickets is a not very clear attempt by the host to let you know that they will not be paying for tickets for siblings??
Perhaps the host is assuming that she is paying for the GUESTS ticket only and thats what she is trying to actually say.

If I had to pay for the park admission for my 3 yo (and myself) to attend that party, my child would not be attending.

 

[kathie859]

Unless this party is for a close cousin, it's way too expensive! Seems like the organizer of the party didn't think this thru

 

[Mrs.Malone]

I think people feel pressured to have big parties for their children. The thing is, you have to pay for those parties. There is nothing wrong with having a birthday party at your house with just some kids having cake and ice cream.
I'd be mortified to ask people to pay to go to a party I invited them to. It's like asking everyone to pay a cover charge to a prty at your house because you have a clown and bounce house.

Exactly, and this is what I'm seeing as a recession-era trend around here--nice, reasonable birthday parties at home with cake and ice cream and games or outdoor play in nice weather. Not making GUESTS pay for extravagant parties! My kids have been to many at-home parties lately and have enjoyed every one.

 

[Shelly888]

I would call for clarification.

PERHAPS the part about the tickets is a not very clear attempt by the host to let you know that they will not be paying for tickets for siblings??
Perhaps the host is assuming that she is paying for the GUESTS ticket only and thats what she is trying to actually say.

If I had to pay for the park admission for my 3 yo (and myself) to attend that party, my child would not be attending.

That is what I was thinking as well.

My son wanted to see Toy Story 3 last year for his birthday party(turning 6) and this year Cars 2(turning 7). I had the hardest time wording the invites and was really afraid siblings and parents would be inviting themselves. I was paying for the invited guest(child in Ben's class) as well as serving popcorn, pizza, and cake. Turn out for TS3 was low! I wonder if some parents felt their kids were too young to stay without them, and didn't want to pay(it was 5/night bargain night). But Cars 2, all invited showed up and only 1 parent stayed. Again, we paid for invited child only served popcorn and cake. Worked out much better. Maybe because kids were older parents felt okay?

 

[momof1princess]

uh...WOW...definitely not the norm, and i would decline the invitation. at every party i've ever given for my child, or that she's ever been invited to, admission was paid by the hosts, and guests just brought a gift. i've NEVER heard of expecting a party guest to pay their own admission to a birthday party. TACKY!

 

[Hanover]

I would politely decline too.

My now 14 year old was invited to a movie party when he was 2 for a neighbor's daughter. We went and had to pay to get into the movies for my husband and I, which was fine. They paid for our son. For the snacks, the family bought one large popcorn and one large Sprite and had brought their own brown bags and dixie cups and split them among the dozen or so kids, getting their cup and popcorn bucket refilled. My DH and I thought that was rather tacky.

We would never post a party where we would expect others to pay their own way in.

 

[the5marions]

I also think it is tacky and not the norm, but I do see a possible alternative. Perhaps you could find another child that would like to attend and make arrangements for ONE parent to take two or three children. If two or three of you would split the cost of one adult ticket it would certainly keep the costs down and still let the children attend the party. I would feel real sorry for the birthday child if noone came to the party.

 

[disneyofcourse]

I went to lots of parties like that when I was young and the people hosting always paid. My parents did the same and always paid for the group.

 

[Marionnette]

Ok, budget minded friends. I need your help.

My daughter (3) was invited to a birthday party at a local amusement park.
The invitation says "chips, drink, cake and ice cream will be provided. Tickets in to the park are required for all 3+".

So, I go to the park's website. The "hosts" are paying for a party room inside the park. You can't get to the party with out paying admission. My daughter is 3, so it's not like it can be a drop off party. So, 1 child and 1 adult are $26 just to walk in to the party. My husband will be working that day, so I'll have to bring our 11 yr old with. Now $39 total.

Please help!!!

Is this the way of birthday parties in the recession?

Your RSVP:
"I'm so sorry but Pumpkin will not be able to attend. I hope that she and Princess can get together at another time to celebrate."

I can't say that I'm surprised at this kind of invitation. There are so many people who feel that their special occasion is a good enough reason for others to open their wallets. Just look at all of the wedding threads where brides expect so much from the bridesmaids, couples expect guests' gift amounts to "cover their plate", honeymooners who make their plans with the expectation that bridal money will pay for it and destination weddings where the invited guests are expected to shell out for a trip they may not have had on their bucket list. Those same entitled brides are now having children and assume that people will be just as thrilled to pay up in order to bask in their wonderfulness.

 

[arihillfarm]

Ok, budget minded friends. I need your help.

My daughter (3) was invited to a birthday party at a local amusement park.
The invitation says "chips, drink, cake and ice cream will be provided. Tickets in to the park are required for all 3+".

So, I go to the park's website. The "hosts" are paying for a party room inside the park. You can't get to the party with out paying admission. My daughter is 3, so it's not like it can be a drop off party. So, 1 child and 1 adult are $26 just to walk in to the party. My husband will be working that day, so I'll have to bring our 11 yr old with. Now $39 total.

Please help!!!

Is this the way of birthday parties in the recession?

Reading this again, it does sound like you are expected to pay for your daughter's admission otherwise it would have said cake, ice cream, chips, drink and admission for the guest will be provided. I would politely decline.

-Astrid

 

[Mrs.Malone]

Your RSVP:
"I'm so sorry but Pumpkin will not be able to attend. I hope that she and Princess can get together at another time to celebrate."

I can't say that I'm surprised at this kind of invitation. There are so many people who feel that their special occasion is a good enough reason for others to open their wallets. Just look at all of the wedding threads where brides expect so much from the bridesmaids, couples expect guests' gift amounts to "cover their plate", honeymooners who make their plans with the expectation that bridal money will pay for it and destination weddings where the invited guests are expected to shell out for a trip they may not have had on their bucket list. Those same entitled brides are now having children and assume that people will be just as thrilled to pay up in order to bask in their wonderfulness.

 

[mjkacmom]

I would politely decline too.

My now 14 year old was invited to a movie party when he was 2 for a neighbor's daughter. We went and had to pay to get into the movies for my husband and I, which was fine. They paid for our son. For the snacks, the family bought one large popcorn and one large Sprite and had brought their own brown bags and dixie cups and split them among the dozen or so kids, getting their cup and popcorn bucket refilled. My DH and I thought that was rather tacky.

We would never post a party where we would expect others to pay their own way in.

Well, I'm sure you didn't expect the host to pay for both you and your husband (actually, DH and I have never attended a kids party together), and that is how we do popcorn when we go to the movies (a large refillable bag is only a couple bucks more that a small). We just bring in water bottles.

OP, I would get clarification - she might just be trying to prevent having to pay for siblings (I'd just leave the 11 year old at home if I didn't want to pay).

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't think there's anything new about this. When DS was little I looked into having a zoo party, and you had to have admission to get into the party room. While we had year passes to the zoo, most of the people we would invite did not, and we simply could not afford to pay for tickets for everyone. So we had to change plans. I made all of our family and friends travel for our wedding (we live in WA and the wedding was in OR, so friends and hubby's family had to travel a couple hours in a car, and my family and extended friends had to fly anyway to get to the wedding), I wasn't going to make people pay to get into the zoo.

Nothing new, but I'm also sure she's expecting a lower turn out...at that age, a zoo membership is nearly a given...but not an amusement park.

 

[SaraJayne]

I would politely decline too.

My now 14 year old was invited to a movie party when he was 2 for a neighbor's daughter. We went and had to pay to get into the movies for my husband and I, which was fine. They paid for our son. For the snacks, the family bought one large popcorn and one large Sprite and had brought their own brown bags and dixie cups and split them among the dozen or so kids, getting their cup and popcorn bucket refilled. My DH and I thought that was rather tacky.

We would never post a party where we would expect others to pay their own way in.

Yay! A dixie cup of soda! What is that, two sips worth?

OP, I'd decline, too. Our rule is "we invite, we pay." Always has been and always will be. That goes for friends or parties.

 

[DVCLiz]

I would go, take both my children, and pay and have a really fun family day. And I'd take lots of pictures!!!!