Took the kids to a party at Chuck E Cheese

[kep]

I am completely creeped out. The poor guy in the mouse suit is freaking me out. I have never liked adults in full costume. Believe it or not, I have actually avoided ever bringing my kids here. It's their very first time, and DS1 is 10. The part of the party led by the hosts are so obnoxious. Only one more hour. :6: OMG, the noise.

[Melaine]

I've avoided it so far too....I'm too much of a germaphobe.

[gatorsmom]

I think there are different CEC and some of them are better-managed than others. My older 2 boys had birthday parties there and the hostess both times was kind and very helpful. They both worked hard for their tips!

It can get crazy and the lights and noise were too much for me and our kids after awhile. But they both loved their parties there and apparently their friends did too as we were invited to several parties after ours!

I hope you can get out of there soon but that your kids ultimately have fun. :)

[mom3boys]

I have never taken DS's there, and now we are going to HOST DS2's birthday there!! He really wants to have his birthday there (he has seen commercials). I more or less pre-emptively apologized to the parents of the kids we are inviting, that that is the location :(

[westwoodmom04]

My ds is having his party there as well. Kids love it; adults don't. It's just one of the sacrifices we make for our children:)

[twowhat?]

A family friend got the girls CEC GCs for their last bday. I am tempted to "lose" them.

[scrooks]

Dd just asked me for the first time this week "how come we never go to chuckie cheese ?" Ugh! Apparently she had heard about it in school. I was honest.. I told her I was worried it wasn't very clean and I didn't want her to get sick and maybe we could go this summer when less illness is going around....I am kinda hoping she will forget!

[KrisM]

We've been lucky. It's never very busy when we are there. I took DS1 and DD last Saturday about 1pm and we stayed maybe 45 min. There were maybe 4 others in the place. They had a good time playing the silly games and getting tickets. I sat in a booth and enjoyed some quiet time to myself.

DD went to a birthday party and I didn't like the hostess run part either. I thought it was loud and annoying. But, kids liked it. Again, it wasn't busy - we were the only party there, so about 15 kids.

[crl]

CEC is torture for me, but I think it is for most adults. Hope your kids had fun!

Catherine

[maestramommy]

You will need to sit in solitary confinement to decompress when it's over. :hug:

[maybeebaby08]

DD1 got introduced to CEC at a young age by cousins, luckily we've avoided a birthday party there so far. We took her to one the other day in NH and they were serving beer there, is this normal? They don't do this in MA and I thought it was so strange! Although I was secretly hoping to see someone who had one too many get on the new hampster wheel game ;)

[AmyZ]

I've avoided it so far too....I'm too much of a germaphobe.

I prefer to call it "chuck e disease"

[elliput]

We went once for a friend's B-day party. Sheer madness and we left as soon as we could. Of course, the location of CEC was on the closest major street we would access for shopping and going to therapy so anytime I took that route DD would point out CEC.

There isn't one around here for at least 230 miles now. :jammin:

[crl]

DD1 got introduced to CEC at a young age by cousins, luckily we've avoided a birthday party there so far. We took her to one the other day in NH and they were serving beer there, is this normal? They don't do this in MA and I thought it was so strange! Although I was secretly hoping to see someone who had one too many get on the new hampster wheel game ;)

I think you could buy beer at the one I have been to--in CA. I don't drink beer and it was in the morning so I didn't pay much attention.


I prefer to call it "chuck e disease"

Really? We have never gotten sick after being there.

Catherine

[SnuggleBuggles]

I like it- on a weekday morning. I do not like weekend parties though even they aren't that bad if the kids are older and can go around independently and you can chat with the other parents.

[KrisM]

I think you could buy beer at the one I have been to--in CA. I don't drink beer and it was in the morning so I didn't pay much attention.



Really? We have never gotten sick after being there.

Catherine

We haven't either. It's just arcade games at ours, so easily cleaned and probably no more germy than a door handle at school.

I've known a lot of kids who all get sick after a Pump It Up party, since the bonce houses are much harder to clean. Never CEC though.

[MamaInMarch]

I like it- on a weekday morning. I do not like weekend parties though even they aren't that bad if the kids are older and can go around independently and you can chat with the other parents.

This is how I feel. My kids don't mind it even when it's at it's craziest. But ours on a weekday when it first opens is not bad at all.

[blisstwins]

I was very opposed for no good reason. We went to one recently and my kids had a ball. It was not crowded at all. They ran around like crazy people, I read the paper. I would do it again, though it is not my favorite way to spend an evening!

[hellokitty]

I cannot tolerate Cec during wknds when it is nuts. During the wkday it can be very quiet. We've discovered that compared to magic mountain and Dave and busters, it is way cheaper to take the kids there to play some of the same type of games. I never though I'd say this, but we may throw a Cec party for ds3. He really loves going there. He has a summer bday though, Which makes it easier to have a wkday party for him when it won't be nutso.

[joonbug]

Been there only once for a bday party (bday kiddo turning 3, DD was only 1.5 at the time though). Loud and lots of crazy running kids but no worse than any similar play space over the weekend. We avoid mall playspaces and play rooms over the weekends anyways, but go to bounce houses and such often during the week if we can... Out of all places, DD always seems to get a stomach bug after a trip to Ikea :( lol...

[egoldber]

I was very opposed for no good reason. We went to one recently and my kids had a ball. It was not crowded at all. They ran around like crazy people, I read the paper. I would do it again, though it is not my favorite way to spend an evening!

:yeahthat:

Every so often, younger DD asks to go. We get 20 tokens and dole out the tokens 4 at a time, so she has to check in every 15 minutes or so. I take my Kindle and read. I can think of way worse ways to spend an hour. :o

Now on weekends in the afternoons, it's nuts.

[TwinFoxes]

I didn't like CEC when I was a kid, I certainly don't now! I've never seen one that's just arcade games. It's the ball pit that just seems like a giant Petri dish.

[hellokitty]

I didn't like CEC when I was a kid, I certainly don't now! I've never seen one that's just arcade games. It's the ball pit that just seems like a giant Petri dish.

Hmm, they must be different. I have never seen a cec with a ball pit. Ours has mostly arcade games, some rides for little ones and some games for little ones and a play area, kind of similar to mcdonald's playland for kids to climb up.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Yep, no ball pit at any I have been to. They have a climby thing but no balls. Yes, I have heard those can be gross but it doesn't bother me.

[Cam&Clay]

One of the funniest moments in DS1's childhood happened when I was in a long line at the grocery store checkout. He was in the cart. I sighed at the long line and said, "This is mommy torture."

He said, loud enough for all to hear, "But I thought Chuck E. Cheese was mommy torture?"

Everyone in line laughed.

[twowhat?]

One of the funniest moments in DS1's childhood happened when I was in a long line at the grocery store checkout. He was in the cart. I sighed at the long line and said, "This is mommy torture."

He said, loud enough for all to hear, "But I thought Chuck E. Cheese was mommy torture?"

Everyone in line laughed.

:hysterical: Oh, this is just so, so awesome!

[gatorsmom]

Yep, no ball pit at any I have been to. They have a climby thing but no balls. Yes, I have heard those can be gross but it doesn't bother me.

I think they must be doing away with the ball pit. My nephew is 18yo and I remember the ball pit at CEC when he was little but I having seen one in a CEC since then and we've been in about 4 different ones in the last 7 years. I'm guessing CEC is aware that their success depends on a large part on the mommy perception.

[TwinFoxes]

Hmm, they must be different. I have never seen a cec with a ball pit. Ours has mostly arcade games, some rides for little ones and some games for little ones and a play area, kind of similar to mcdonald's playland for kids to climb up.

I have to admit, I haven't been in years, so maybe they don't have them anymore. Maybe they got tired of those urban legends about needles and snakes in the ball pits.

[egoldber]

The one in Fairfax at Pickett and Little River does not have a ball pit, FYI. :)

ETA: I think they took them out because there is less $$/SF cash flow from a ball pit vs. an arcade game. ;)

[TwinFoxes]

The one in Fairfax at Pickett and Little River does not have a ball pit, FYI. :)

ETA: I think they took them out because there is less $$/SF cash flow from a ball pit vs. an arcade game. ;)

Good to know. ;)

[crl]

One of the funniest moments in DS1's childhood happened when I was in a long line at the grocery store checkout. He was in the cart. I sighed at the long line and said, "This is mommy torture."

He said, loud enough for all to hear, "But I thought Chuck E. Cheese was mommy torture?"

Everyone in line laughed.

:rotflmao:

Catherine

[KrisM]

Oh, ball pits would gross me out!

Ours is just arcade games - skee ball, air hockey and things that give you tickets.

[blisstwins]

My kids have gotten seriously sick every time they tried the IKEA ball pit. I nixed those years ago. Ick.