WOW. I seriously cannot even begin to say how epic this venue is and how absolutely magical they made my daughter's 5th birthday. I literally did not lift a finger at the venue. I showed up around 8:30/845 A.M. with my daughter's cake and food for the other parents who would be accompanying their kids. I was immediately greeted and the cake, adult refreshments, and gifts were immediately whisked from my hands and set up inside.
We had a mini co-ed mermaid-pirate party. I can't say enough wonderful things about the performers. The mermaid and pirate were absolutely fantastic--fully in character, full of energy, and completely captivating for the kids. My daughter was in awe the entire time, and they truly made her feel like the star of the show.
They were incredible with all the young guests--engaging them with games and jokes that had every child giggling and wide-eyed with excitement. The mermaid was graceful, sweet, and silly while the pirate had just the right mix of silliness and swashbuckling charm to keep the little ones entertained.
I HIGHLY recommend hiring the professional photographer they offer. He was there the entire time and VERY familiar with the venue. He was totally on top of capturing all the priceless moments and he was also amazing with the kids.
The decor inside makes you feel like you flew straight into Neverland. Also-everything inside was immaculate-from the parent lounge to the bathroom.
I can't wait to go back and I HIGHLY recommend Once Upon an Island for anyone looking to add some magic to their child's special day!
But don’t take it from us
The families say it best.
No actors and no scripts. Just parents, in their own words, after a day with us. Press play, then read what families have written about us on Yelp.
28 five-star Yelp reviews, collected in one place
Birthday parties
The big day, in their words.
Wow! What a truly wonderful experience both the kids and adults had! It was by no means inexpensive, buuuut in all fairness they do all the work for you and they do it extremely well! The princesses were A+ in the look and character, professional, friendly, great energy, and hard working! We chose the Ultimate Royal Sea Party with 4 princesses and all 4 of them spent the entire time with the kids doing various activities. It was maximum princess engagement for all the kids! We also selected the full service adult lounge which was really nice. It allows you to bring outside food, but they set up, refill, and clean for you! I was so impressed that they had a cute glass display for the tiny desserts I brought too. I didn't expect for them to arrange all the drinks nicely in ice also. This is a case of you really get what you pay for. 10/10! Venue, the ladies, set up, ease was all A+!
An absolutely incredible experience! Perfect for any child who loves the idea of a mermaid or princess makeover! My daughter is all about mermaids so we knew this would be the perfect venue for her 6th birthday party!
I booked the venue far in advance, which I recommend because this venue fills up, so I was able to snag a date and time that was perfect! It was super easy to book. …
We paid extra to upgrade one of the mermaids to a princess of my daughter's choice (she chose Ariel) and it was absolutely worth every penny to upgrade. I was pleasantly surprised to see Ariel was present for the entire duration of the party. She was partially in a mermaid style dress and then transformed into her mermaid form! It was absolutely magical!
The sand craft was super cute and the girls had so much fun having Ariel help make their sand creations! I loved the organization where some girls would be getting makeovers and some would be doing the craft. The other mermaids doing the make-overs were incredible! They were super friendly to all the girls and talked and entertained them the entire time they were doing the make-overs.
The venue has been remodeled since we had been there a year ago and it was absolutely gorgeous. You really feel like you are in an underwater cavern! I loved how the little forest doubled as a closet for the mermaid tails and a little hideaway for the kids!
I highly recommend this venue!!
I had my daughter's 4th birthday here. And as organized and picky as I am- this place exceeded my expectations.
The princesses are Immaculate! They looked like they are plucked right out of the cartoons. The gowns are not the cheap gowns you see - they exceed even Disneyland quality. Each princess stayed in character the ENTIRE time speaking even to each other in character.
Mermaid Chloe and Taylor helped run the show perfectly- surprise after surprise - and the best part is they are so considerate and nice. If you run a few minutes over- they don't kick you out. They help you carry your items to your car. I can go on and on - but believe me- this is the real deal.
We hosted our daughter's 5th and 6th Birthday at this location and to say we love this place is an understatement! It's truly magical in every possible way. Not one detail was overlooked, everything is prepared for you (based on the package you select) and the amazing staff takes care of all the logistics. We are raving fans and hope that OUAI continues to thrive. Thank you to the fabulous staff, and talented Princesses for making unforgettable moments for our girl and our guests! We'll be back and we'll send friends!
To start off, I never in my wildest dreams expected such a magical experience for my daughter and family. The reviews are so solid for this business, but the effort and imagination they put into the experience is just amazing.
Our visit started with Santa's wonderful helpers guiding us into the elfavator to travel to Santa's Village. Then we met a talking reindeer, and were ushered into the workshop, where my daughter was greeted by the friendliest elf. She got a super cute wooden toy car, which she proceeded to push up and down the ramp. Then, she got to pick a special Christmas stuffed toy out to keep. And if that wasn't awesome enough, we got to help her make a snow globe.
Then, the guest of honor came to see her. Ava had cried in the past with visits to Santa, but she was so comfortable the whole time. We could tell, because she sat on the floor with Santa and went through their fun little gift boxes and dumped them out and put things back in.
Santa graciously tried to read a story to her, but she was so amped, that we got through only half. Haha. Then we had some more time to explore, and got some family pics.
Overall, this was absolutely magical for us. I can't say enough nice and wonderful things about each and every person we met today. This was the most special gift of our holiday season. We are so grateful to the owners and staff of Once Upon an Island for having us today.
I encourage you, that if you can do this activity with your children, do it. I know it can be on the higher end of holiday family activities, but the memories made will last forever. Which makes it an amazing experience.
My daughter just had her 6th birthday here and she had the BEST time! Everything from the start was amazing and organized and they really do the best job at making the parents not lift a finger. The kids were so happy and entertained the whole time. The mermaids and Ariel were fantastic. Would highly recommend using this company for anyone whose daughter loves mermaids or princesses.
From the moment we entered it was magical! My Granddaughter was greeted by her Mermaid "Merina" who was 100% in character!! She spent every moment talking, playing, engaging with Sage (my Granddaughter). The tea party, jellyfish salon, dress up, learning to wave hello & goodbye with her mermaid tail! It was the most MAGICAL experience for Sage!
She is still talking about it!!
Extra bonus for all of you! We took the ferry across to the island. I told Sage we are going to a "magical island". It was the perfect bonus!
When we returned home & Sage was asked what she did today her 1st response was "I took a boat to a magical island and met mermaids!"
My heart it truly full!!! Worth every penny!!! BESTGrandma & Granddaughter Day EVER!!! She will never forget!
I was overwhelmed at first of how this party was going to turn out for my daughter and it was absolutely worth every penny! The staffs works hard to put me at ease planning this wonderful birthday party and I have nothing to critique because they nailed it from the beginning to the end of the event. I would suggest planning this venue about 1-2 months ahead of time to give the staff and yourself time to plan it out because it will be well worth the wait to get the party how you want it to be for your darling. I wouldn't hesitate just do it! It's just so magical to see their eyes light up seeing all the princesses, heart full of joy, and memories they will cherish for a lifetime! I also recommend hiring their photographer it's well worth it not worrying about capturing it yourself and enjoying the moment. All the princesses are compassionate, loving, kind, and clever to make it so magical for the kids!… Kuddos to Emily and Nichole for being so awesome helping us plan this event and going the extra mile to make it so special for my daughter! Hands down top notch service. I would do this again for my daughter with no doubts! All her friends were raving about the event afterwards the next day wanting to return for more fun with all the characters! Exceptional service from the bottom of this mamas heart thank you so much!
Makeovers & daily adventures
Mermaids, princesses and pirates.
I honestly can't believe I didn't know about this place! I did so much research for our trip to SoCal looking for fun places for kids and of ALL of the things we did (recommended by out hotel concierge!) This was far and above the absolute coolest, most magical and memorable day!!!!
The level of theming and execution of detail rival Disney and all but blow most other theme parks or venues out of the water.
My kids minds were totally blown- Our sons absolutely loved the pirate elements from the face paint, to climbing inside a treehouse hide out, playing on skull rock and more while our daughters dreams absolutely came true turning into a mermaid from head to toe! One of the main highlights was definetly making our own stuffed animals as well, SO cute!!!
As if everything wasn't already amazing enough for the kids, there is an entire parents room with couches, television, bar seating etc. for parents to relax in with free latte's and they even offered us champagne!!! I WANT TO INVEST IN THIS COMPANY! The perfection & thoughtfulness of not only the theming but the service and performances were truly just so impressive.
THANK YOU for the highlight of our trip.
I cannot begin to express what a magical experience this was for our family. I was amazed at the care to detail that was put into the location, costumes, planning and experience. The mermaid and pirate who helped us were so good with kids. My son is shy and he was having an amazing time. They were so good with neurodiverse kids! My kids left feeling so special and they had the best time. It will live in their hearts for a long time.
Whenever my neice is in town we love taking her to a "princess experience". We've done Bippity Boppity Boop at Disney. And Tea for Tots at Morning Lavender. They were all fun. But this was the best for both the parents and kids. Unlike Disney, the family members can all watch, and for an extra fee, Mommies can also participate by becoming a mermaid too. It was also more interactive than either of the other two experiences, because our niece got one on one time with her mermaid host, and got to have tea time and a Photoshoot. The adults also have a nice lounge area, where you can have lattes or some bubbly, if you choose. We appreciated that they considered the adults in the experience. Overall, we highly recommend this experience.
This is one of the primary family activities I love doing with both my children. Since Ariel turned 3, she has never been more star struck by the princesses that make her over and have tea parties with her. Every event is so personalized and special, it has helped us through monumental milestones of family transition, deployment, etc. They have something nice for the parents as well so that they can also enjoy the experience like champagne, lattes, and a lovely seating area. My son Wilder also really enjoyed being a pirate and finding treasure… enjoying the fondu and fun activities the kids were there to enjoy. These experiences are so wonderful because even an hour makes such a big difference to their lives and we don't have to schlep around giant parking lots or worry about extra expenses and lines like at Disney. They just feel special and get the greatest experience for a lot less expenses and hassle. The location by the beach with the nicest folks also makes it great. Sometimes we walk around after or take the ferry and have ice cream. The park across the street is inviting as well.
The most magical and most special place I've ever taken my daughter! In her words it was the "best day ever!". Such an enchanting experience with our beautiful princess mermaid. She treated my shy daughter with such love and care. We were in awe the entire time. The best-thank you for being so wonderful and making her 5th birthday a forever memory!
Characters at your party
When the magic travels to you.
We had Elsa for my daughter’s birthday, and she was absolutely amazing! First, she arrived right on time. Second, she looked just like Elsa from the movie, if not even more beautiful! Most importantly, she was so engaged and connected with my daughter the entire hour. I truly appreciated how professional and wonderful she was throughout the whole experience. When I asked my daughter what her favorite part of her birthday was, without any hesitation she said, “Meeting Elsa!” Thank you, Elsa, for coming all the way out to Irvine. Everyone had such a blast with you, and you made the day so special for our daughter.
I can not express how truly grateful I am to Once Upon An Island for making a little girl whose been through so much this past year have an absolutely spectacular 4th birthday. They sent us the most perfect Elsa. She was truly wonderful and a huge hit. She made my great nieces day. She was so kind, gentle and patient with the 2 of them. She went above and beyond; making a birthday memory that will be remembered all of their lives. She arrived just like clockwork and surprised the girls. She sang and danced and played non-stop.
Everything from start to finish was easy! Had a pretty odd request and the team came through with flying colors helping to make all the planning make sense and the flow of the party carry on flawlessly. Was the perfect focal point that brought happiness to the attendees and made the theme come to life. Totally recommend!
My daughter was extremely happy with the mermaid and team sent by once upon an island. They were attentive to the kids and made them believe they were real mermaids. My daughter said it was the best bday ever!
Wow. Way better than I even expected. We had four FANTASTIC mermaids for our party. Everything was totally seamless, the kids had an amazing time celebrating my daughter’s fifth birthday. It literally couldn’t have been better.
What a well run company! The characters are fantastic with kids, and are so professional from being on time to the office manager attending to all my scheduling needs. This is a must stop shop for every kids birthday party! What a memory! Five stars!
Thank you to our hosts and mermaid princesses for making my daughter’s 6th birthday unforgettable! Once Upon an Island was great at pre-party communication and details. Despite the hot summer weather, the team was able to make the poolside celebration fun for all (including the parents!)
“Rapunzel” was amazing! She had the perfect look and princess voice. She could even sing beautifully. She did very well with our group of 3 and 4 year old girls. My daughter hasn’t stopped talking about it. We went with this company on a friend’s recommendation, and will absolutely use them again in the future!
Thank you again for a second incredible party! Jasmine was incredible and so sweet with the kids. We loved the transparent mask she wore! The kids were so delighted to see her and so much fun! Customer Service from initial contact was great!
Once Upon a Christmas
A private visit with Santa.
We did the VIP 30-minute Christmas Santa experience... let me tell you - this made our family's ENTIRE holiday season!!! First of all - let's talk about how I don't have to go wait in line at Disneyland for hours for my toddler to meet Santa. And this was WAY MORE MAGICAL than any mall or theme park holiday experience.
We were greeted by the most adorable elf, I think her name was Ginger-snap? Are you serious, so cute. And we "entered" the North Pole through this amazing portal! THEN WE MET A TALKING REINDEER, who my child is still talking about to this day. Then the big Santa reveal... my kid couldn't believe his eyes! Then he got to spend the entire time with Santa, doing crafts, talking, and playing with ALL of the decorations in this magical dreamland. Speaking of the decor... I've never seen anything like this. Truly the real life North Pole!!! And the music and the lights...
You HAVE to see this!!!! Run to Once Upon An Island NOW. This is going to be an annual event for us. THANK YOU for the magic! Best thing I've ever done during the holidays.
We had the most amazing time for the third year in a row at the Once Upon A Christmas North Pole experience!!! Words can't even describe how unique and magical this is. Every year this keeps getting better!! We took our twin nephews to see Santa & the elves. We were greeted by the most adorable elf who helped us write some letters for Santa. The boys stood on this special spot outside to test their Christmas spirit to open the enchanted doors with Santas patented Spirit-O-meter machine.
Once we were inside our elf sugar plum guided us to stop at Santa's reindeer barn where we talked to his reindeer before we were transported to The Elf Workshop where they made toys magically appear! The boys were absolutely mesmerized by the talkative Northern Most Mailbox where they dropped off the letters to Santa. Finally behind the last magical door was Santa himself. I would highly recommend booking this experience, it is worth every penny and great for all ages because they have different packages that fit the age of the kids you have with you. 100 stars!!! Thank you once upon an island for putting together another magical Xmas!
The once upon a Christmas experience really captures the holiday magic.
We took our kids to the VIP experience again this year and it not only brought the same magical experience as last year, but also had new things. This experience goes above and beyond the typical meet and greet Santa experience. Instead of a quick chat and a photo with Santa they offer a totally immersive and personalized experience with Santa. My kids favorite parts were the official nice list certificates, the conversation with Santa about those favorite things (that Santa already knew before we got there) and reading with Santa by the fire. I was impressed with the ways they physically represented Santa's magic. Keeping that innocent magical experience alive yet another year for my littles.
My kiddos are shy so you can't tell in the pictures but after they were talking about it nonstop.
I would highly recommend this experience as a family tradition.
If you get the chance to do the Once Upon a Christmas, don't hesitate. It is the most wonderful Santa experience my kids or myself have ever seen. The whimsy and magic that is accomplished here is amazing. My kiddos were enamored with the elves, the decor, the naughty or nice machine, and most of all, Santa. Santa is just fantastic and his elves are so much fun. I have already recommended this to all my friends with kids. I highly recommend it here as well. Enjoy the magic of Christmas on Balboa Island and create memories with your kids that will last them a lifetime!!
My kids LOVED Christmas show! It is truly a unique and different Santa experience from all the ones they've had before ! It is personalized and makes it impossible for kids not to believe the story ! Not only kids loved it but mom and dad were amazed too !!! Recommend !!!!
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