Booking & Arrival
The Great Room Escape is located just off Miramar Road at:
9340 Dowdy Dr, STE 105
San Diego, CA 92126
Located on 2nd Floor.
(we are no longer Downtown in the Gaslamp)
Parking Spaces 1-14 are reserved for our location but you can also park in any open spot, as long as you do not enter into the Dissidence gate/lot.
GAMES OPERATE THURSDAY - SUNDAY
Thurs & Fri: 4:00pm - 9:15pm
Sat: 12:30pm - 9:15pm
Sun: 11:30am - 7:45pm
OFF HOUR games may be available when booked in advance! Please contact the office should you need a game outside of the schedule offered online.
MAIN OFFICE / CS
Mon-Fri: 10am-3pm
Call/Text: 619-988-3733
E: gresandiego@yahoo.com
- Art Heist: 10 person room
- Mad Lab: 10 person room
- Lost Tomb: 8 person room
If you reserve for less than the max amount but have more people that want to join, you can have them pay at check in. (cannot go over the room max)
You must pay for at least 4 people to book a game, even if you are playing with less than 4 people. All games are private private and you will NOT be paired with other groups.
If you initially booked for less than the room capacity but end up with more people, they can simply show up and pay at check in with credit card. (you must stay within the Max Capacity of the room)
Please arrive promptly at your reserved time. Games must start on time. If you are late and the game starts late, the time will be taken off of the 1-hour play time for your game. No refunds or reschedules will be offered for participants who are late, miss their game, or are a no-show.
Parking is available in the parking lot as well as on the street, both are free!
Parking Spaces 1-14 are reserved for our location but you can also park in any open spot as long as you do not enter into the Dissidence gate/lot.
While games are recommend for ages 16 and up, if kids are at least 6 years old, they can participate! Please see Age Restrictions below:
Ages 5 and under: NOT allowed in the game due to safety precautions such as small objects, outlets, sharp corners, loud noises. Our rooms are not toddler proof so please plan for them to stay home. **Exception: Babies (not toddlers) can be allowed in the Art Heist but they must remain secured in a stroller or carrier seat for the duration of the game. They cannot be picked up and carried around. You are allowed to exit the game if you need to tend to a crying baby**
Ages 6-15: must have at least 1 parent/adult in the game room with them, will be counted towards the room capacity. All minors need to the waiver completed by a parent/guardian.
Ages 16-17: can participate in the game without an adult, but will need to be accompanied by at least 1 parent/adult at check-in. Adult must remain on site or nearby for duration of game. All minors need to the waiver completed by a parent/guardian.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are bringing a group of minors, a parent must be responsible for them & their behavior AT ALL TIMES while at our venue. Our Game Masters are not responsible for watching minors so please be sure the designated adult for the group is prepared to be responsible for their behavior while here. If they are destructive to our rooms/props or are disruptive to other customers/events in the venue, your group will be asked to leave.
Unfortunately we are located on the second floor and the building does not have an elevator. There is one flight of stairs to enter and exit.
Yes, THANK YOU for your service! We are happy to offer $5 off per person for Military.
To receive the discount, use code MCAS when you book online. **You must present your Military ID at check in**
While we do not serve food/drink, we typically have water bottles and snacks for sale.
No food/drink will be allowed in the game rooms.
If you want to bring in food/cake to have on-site for a celebration, you will need to reserve the Party Room in advance. Please check the EVENTS page for details and how to reserve.
Yes! We have a Party Room that can be reserved for celebrations or conducting a meeting. It can be reserved either before or after your game, based on availability. Please see the EVENTS page or contact the Main Office for details!
PLEASE NOTE: If you have reserved the Party Room, all food/drinks/decor/guests/kids must stay in that room. The venue has shared spaces for all customers, so kids will not be allowed to run freely in the lobby or other areas of the venue. Please be respectful of our staff and rules as well as the experience of other customers that are in the venue.
While we do not have an “easy/kid” room, we do have lots of pre-teen & teen parties at our location! All of our rooms are made to be a challenge but you are allowed 3 hints during the game. With a group of kids, we also have a little wiggle room to squeeze in a couple more if needed, capacities listed below.
If anyone is under the age of 16, you must have at least 1 parent in the game room (counted towards room capacity) and please be prepared, the parent(s) may need to jump in and help along the way.
A couple of notes to help you decide:
The Art Heist is an art studio themed room that is more like a traditional escape room with solving puzzles and riddles in order to crack codes and open locks and does not have any loud noises, flashing lights, or special effects. While the hidden Masterpiece will be a challenge to find, this room is suitable for pre-teen/teen detectives. (10 person room, can fit 12 max)
The Lost Tomb transports you to the inside of an Egyptian Pyramid and has an Indiana Jones feel to it. This room has a few more hands-on tasks like searching for puzzle pieces, completing a ball maze, interactive hieroglyphs, etc. that may get the younger ones more involved. There are also some cool special effects throughout out the game but nothing that needs to be cautioned about. (8 person room, can fit 10 max)
The Mad Lab is better suited for ages 13+ as the clues are more heavily based on advanced math involving scientific equations and decoding number sequences. This room has some unique elements including: the Game Master being inside the room as a “mad scientist”, a quarantine chamber, alarms noises, and flashing lights throughout the game. If you book for a younger group, we strongly suggest that you have at least 2 parents in the game as your help will surely be needed. CAUTION: this room is not recommended for anyone that may have sensory concerns. (10 person room, can fit 13 max)
DISCLAIMER- YOU WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE: If your group or anyone in your group exhibits the following behavior, you will be asked to leave the venue and will forfeit the opportunity to return to our establishment or to receive a refund: 1) If the staff deems that you appear under the influence or of disorderly conduct. 2) Rude or aggressive behavior towards the staff. 3) Allowing minors to run around the venue or leaving them unattended by a parent. 4) Continually breaking the rules or causing damage to room/props will result in the game being stopped and being asked to leave. Please respect our venue, our staff, as well as the experience of other customers at the venue.
IF YOU ARE BRINGING MINORS: If you are bringing a group of minors, a parent must be responsible for them/their behavior AT ALL TIMES while at our venue. Our Game Masters are not responsible for watching them so please be sure the designated adult for the group is prepared to be responsible for their behavior while here. If they are destructive to our rooms/props or are disruptive to other customers/events in the venue, your group will be asked to leave.
HOW DOES THE GAME WORK?
Nothing in the game requires special training or skills, you just have to be willing to work as a team and be persistent!
If your group gets stuck, there is a 3 hint system which will be explained during check in. To make the game the most challenging, try to avoid asking for any hints!
Then you are stuck here for eternity!
Just kidding? Do not worry, if time expires, we will let you out of the room!
No! All personal belongings will be stowed in a bin while you play the game. You can only rely on your brains!
Bring your inner detective!
Food/Drink will not be allowed in the game and personal belongings will need to be stowed away for the duration of the game.
We suggest wearing comfortable clothes/shoes as you will be standing and moving around for about an hour. We do not require you to do anything overly physical or get your clothes dirty. While we do not allow running, we cannot always control how other participants will act in the game so we always recommend closed-toe shoes but not required.
- No children under the age of 6
- No filming, recording, GoPro video or photography (other than group photos outside of rooms)
- No use of cell phones or wifi enabled devices during the game
- No food/drinks during game. (Food/Non-alcoholic drinks are allowed in party room for private events)
- Intoxicated participants will forfeit playing in the game and will not be eligible for refund.
- All personal belongings will be stowed during game, you can only use your Brain!
CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICIES
You can Reschedule your game up to 6 hours before your reserved time. You must do so through the "View/Change Booking" link in your Booking Confirmation email.
You may change the # of participants or move to another available date/time through the link in your Confirmation email, no later than 6 hours before your game time.
*These actions must be done through the link in your confirmation email. Leaving a message or email does not qualify as making your change*
Once you are within 6 hours of your reserved game, you cannot make any changes nor cancel. Sorry, no refunds will be given for cancellations/changes within 6 hours of game, no-shows, late participants who miss game, traffic delays, weather, etc.
(OFF HOUR Games & the Party Room have a different policy)
You can CANCEL your booking up to 6 hours before your reserved time. You must do so through the "View/Change Booking" link in your Booking Confirmation email.
*These actions must be done through the link in your confirmation email. Leaving a message or email does not qualify as making your change*
As long as you cancel in accordance with the above policy, you will be able to receive a refund. If you are also canceling a PARTY ROOM reservation, please see the next question for that policy.
Once you are within 6 hours of your reserved game, you cannot make any changes nor cancel. Sorry, no refunds will be given for cancellations/changes within 6 hours of game, no-shows, late participants who miss game, traffic delays, weather, etc.
(OFF HOUR Games & the Party Room have a different policy)
If you need to cancel your Party Room reservation, you must email gresandiego@yahoo.com to notify us, no later than 24-hours before your Game Time. You will then be able to receive a refund, minus a $10 fee, back to your card.
Should you cancel within 24 hours of your Game Time or do not email the office to notify us, you unfortunately will not be able to receive any credit.
Please have everyone arrive promptly at your reserved time to ensure that the Game starts on time. If you cause your game to start late, time will be taken off of the 1-hour play time for your game.
No refunds or reschedules will be offered for participants who are late, miss their game, or are a no-show.
WAIVERS
Yes, each participant will need to sign the waiver in order to participate in the escape room activity.
ALL MINORS under the age of 18 will need a Parent or Legal Guardian to complete and sign their Waiver.
You can complete the waiver for yourself and/or your minor(s) online in advance or you can do it at check in on your phone by scanning the QR code at the desk.
While our rooms are not intended to be scary, some of our rooms have special effects that may startle you, as means of fun distraction of course! While we have rules to make sure the game is as safe as possible, we cannot always control how participants will act when they are under pressure, startled, or over-excited. We also monitor the games to keep them as safe as possible and if anyone needs to exit the room for any reason, your room monitor will escort you to the exit. Please just be aware, you will not be allowed to re-join the game nor will you receive a refund if anyone in your group decides not to enter the game.
*Strobe Lights & Special Effects are in use during Mad Lab game.