Review: The Lab at Loch Ness, The Bureau Escape Rooms, Orlando
Fun Factor: 7
The Bureau
5400 International Drive, Suite B, Orlando, Florida 32819
Date Played: June 16, 2026
Booking Size: 2 to 10 players — we recommend 4 to 5
Game Time: 60 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Horror Theme: No
Objective
A rogue scientist has sabotaged H.A.T.C.H. Laboratories, damaging the facility and placing the future of the Loch Ness species in danger. Your team must repair the laboratory’s equipment, determine which Nessie egg is the most viable, and complete the hatching protocol before the remaining eggs can no longer be saved.
Because of the extensive damage, your operatives will begin the mission divided between two laboratories. Each team must work independently, communicate clearly, and find a way to reunite before completing the mission together.
Our Experience
We had fun playing The Lab at Loch Ness at The Bureau in Orlando, and we recommend it with a Fun Factor of 7.
That Fun Factor is based on the multifunctional laboratory set, the clear progression of the story, the substantial amount of puzzle content, and a couple of large custom props that were particularly fun to see in action.
This is also a room that makes good use of its divided beginning. We are generally not fans of separated starts. But here, it worked.
The Separate Start
Your team begins split between two sections of the facility—cleverly named Lab 1 and Lab 2.
The first part of the mission involves figuring out how the two labs can communicate, repairing enough of the damaged systems to make progress, and eventually reuniting the entire team.
A separated start is not unusual in an escape room, but it does come with some special considerations. One thing we look for is whether the two groups receive reasonably equal experiences. It is never much fun to discover that one side got the exciting puzzles and effects while the other side mostly waited around for something to happen.
The Bureau handled that balance well. Both labs had meaningful responsibilities, and the work was distributed so that each side contributed to getting the team back together.
Team Size and Difficulty
We played as a team of two, which meant that each of us began alone in a different lab. We were able to do it, but this is one of those rooms where having a few more people would probably make the opening more enjoyable rather than simply making the room easier.
We think four players may be the ideal number, allowing two people to begin in each lab. A group of five should also work well, particularly if the players enjoy dividing up and working on multiple things at once. Three players should be workable, but one person will still need to begin alone. For those reasons, we recommend a team of four to five.
Overall, we pegged this room as intermediate. The puzzle difficulty should be approachable for most groups while still providing enough challenge, communication, and prop interaction for experienced teams to have fun.
A larger group will also be able to divide up some of the later tasks and may progress at a more relaxed pace than we did as a team of two.
Repairing the Laboratory
Once the team reunites and finishes restoring power, the game moves into its second act.
The focus shifts toward locating the instructions left behind in the laboratory, determining which Nessie egg has the best chance of survival, and figuring out how to carry out the hatching procedure.
Like many laboratory-themed escape rooms, part of the challenge involves finding scientific instructions and interpreting what they require you to do. Here, however, the process felt active and connected to the environment rather than simply requiring players to read a lengthy manual. There was some reading, but it was not burdensome.
We moved between the main laboratory and our original Lab 1 and Lab 2 spaces, bringing systems back online and making use of equipment throughout the facility. There may even have been a little jogging back and forth as we realized we needed something from one of the earlier areas.
The room is less about finding a key, opening a lock, or entering one combination after another. Instead, much of the progression comes from organically repairing the lab, working around its damaged systems, powering up equipment, and carrying out the steps of the hatching protocol.
Because supplies are limited, your team cannot simply try the procedure on every egg. You must first determine which egg is the most viable, giving the final portion of the mission a clear purpose beyond merely activating the next piece of equipment.
The Bureau supported that process with some fun, large-scale custom elements and props. A couple of those props produced particularly satisfying moments when everything finally came together and we got to see them work.
The Bureau Experience
Part of the fun at The Bureau begins before you enter the room.
Rather than walking into a traditional escape room lobby, players arrive at what appears to be a travel agency. That storefront, located beside what looks like a community church, serves as the entrance to The Bureau and helps establish the idea that you are being quietly recruited for a secret assignment.
Before each mission, your team receives a case file folder explaining the objective while incorporating the usual rules and safety information. It is a small presentation choice, but it makes the briefing feel more like part of the adventure.
Your game host will go over the material as well. Offering the briefing both in writing and orally is considerate of players’ different preferences for receiving instructions.
The case folder did not contain much reading, but when there are a few minutes to wait before the game begins, it gives the group something thematic to look through. We always appreciate when a company carries its story beyond the walls of the individual game, and The Bureau does that particularly well.
A Karaoke Detour—Wait, What?
After our game, we asked about the private karaoke rooms we had noticed at The Bureau. The staff allowed us to look around and take some photos and video, which we will include with this review.
To be clear, we did not actually rent or sing in one of the rooms, so this is not a Fun Factor review of the karaoke experience. Based on our walkthrough, however, we were impressed.
The Bureau currently has a treehouse-themed karaoke room and a vampire-themed room, both of which can be rented privately by the hour. We toured the treehouse room, and it appeared to be a comfortable and surprisingly elaborate space for a group of friends to relax and sing without performing in front of a room full of strangers.
It also seems like a clever way for The Bureau to use its available space and apply some of its escape room prop-building and scenic-design skills to a different kind of experience.
We really do not mean for this to sound like an advertisement for The Bureau. We were simply impressed by the privacy, comfort, equipment, and production value of the rooms.
Perhaps on a future trip to Orlando, we can bring a larger group, actually try the karaoke experience, and let you know how it goes. Based on what we saw, it looked like a fun addition before or after an escape room—assuming my singing does not place the Loch Ness species in even greater danger.
Final Thoughts
The Lab at Loch Ness is a fun, puzzle-filled laboratory mission that benefits from strong communication and teamwork.
Its divided opening gives both groups meaningful work and a great chance at collaberation, while the second half brings everyone together for a satisfying sequence of repairing equipment, interpreting the laboratory’s instructions, selecting the right egg, and carrying out the hatching procedure.
The custom equipment, set pieces, and large props help the mission feel more like operating a damaged laboratory and less like opening a series of lochs…um locks.
If you play The Lab at Loch Ness at The Bureau in Orlando, please let them know you saw it on Fun Factor Escape Room Reviews. Also, drop us a note—we always love hearing from you.
Until next time, keep escaping—and remember: don’t put all your Nessie eggs in one basket…and have fun!