The Little Ice Rink

I love this little ice rink. It’s usually pretty crowded, but it’s always fun. There are tons of little kids which makes you a better skater! Lol! The staff is super friendly. I also love that they sell hot cocoa and little snacks. It gets super cold, and they’re always a nice treat for the kids. The only thing I wish they didn’t have was those Bobby seals for the little kids. There are way too many of them out, and not enough room to get by them.

Nice, friendly staff… easy process to sign waiver, pay, get skates and lots of room to sit. I had never been ice skating before and was a bit scared but this place is perfect for a beginner. The skates were comfortable and not too hard to walk in… but the seal seals the deal! No need to worry about falling and a perfect way to give your friends a ride. It’s a little low to the ground for adults but still works if you don’t mind bending over a bit.
Although there were lots of kids, they were extremely well behaved (thank you parents!) and it didn’t feel too crowded.
It would be even better if they had lockers for your shoes & stuff and in & out privileges.
We had so much fun, we’ve made plans to come back!

I think the business pitch for Ice America, operator of this rink, went something like this: «We’ll open a small ice rinks in parking lots or wherever they’ll have us, hire some local carny folk since we don’t need to do background checks or pay very much and then charge the locals a ridiculous amount to skate here. It’ll seem like a decent deal, though, since it’s unlimited skate time. You’re probably thinking, ‘But you’ll have a whole bunch of people on a very small ice rink. They’ll never leave!’ Sometimes that’ll happen but that’s where our skates come in. Most people in California don’t own ice skates, so they’ll rent ours. Our skates are cheap, clunky plastic things designed by a master sadist to literally inflict psychic damage upon your soul. We call it ‘The Devil’s Shiatsu Foot Massage’! We’ve never seen anyone but kids last more than twenty minutes in them. We’re working on ways to discourage kids from being on the ice too long, too, but that’s proving more difficult since they’re less likely to be discouraged by pain, especially the obnoxious ones. Also, no refunds.»

Great having a nice, small ice rink in alameda but
1. The computerized waiver signing sucks. Way more time consuming, tedious and line back-​up causing than paper waivers would be. Sad that you even need to do this to ice skate when it’s not even necessary for ski slopes.
2. Way too expensive! $ 50 for two adults and a child (including seal stabilizer)

This is a great ice rink for beginners. They even rent out plastic seals as skating aides for those who need it. It runs seasonally Nov-​Jan each year. The rink draws mostly Alameda locals and everyone is very friendly. We even got free tickets from a nice man standing in line right in front of us!
My only complaint is that the rink is tiny and hence, gets really congested and crowded at times with lots of people and lots of seals. Also, there are a lot of young kids running around that aren’t the most well behaved (i.e. not skating in one direction, chasing or pushing each other, cutting people off, etc.). It would help if they enforced basic ground rules a little more, especially since the rink is full of a lot of beginners.
Overall, a great place to go with friends or family — something to look forward to each year! :)

This place is great for beginners, this is why I would come here before you decide to go to one of the more popular rinks in the city.
Pro:
–kid friendly
–water fountain
–seals for the little ones
–free parking lot
–free helmets
–outdoor heater
Cons:
— rink is on the smaller side
Note: You must sign a waiver prior to skating, you will only have to do this once for the season.

I came here with my wife, son, & two nieces. My wife has been wanting to give this place a try every year but had not been been able to due to timing and all. So, we arrived about 30 minutes before the current session was over and the next one was in about an hour. Seeing how we walked here from where we live about a ¾ mile up Shoreline, we decided to go to grab a bite to eat and come back to pay for the next session.
The ice rink itself is indeed a small one and very kid-​friendly. They rent seal strollers so that the little ones can use to help from falling on the ice. They also provide helmets.