Elizabeth86 Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 Can you go for just the games and not order food? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceseeker Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 Yes 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 Yes. The food is terrible. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyLiberty5013 Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 But bring hand sanitizer... 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaniemom Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 and hearing protection 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 Yes. The food is terrible. It is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 We went a lot when the kids were young. Even the kids didn't like the food. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 The food's not as bad as in my childhood memory. Like, I've been a couple of times in the last few years and the pizza was really almost edible. I was surprised. But I still wouldn't call it good. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 Yes but ideally I will never set foot inside one again. It's a noisy, chaotic nightmare. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth86 Posted June 19, 2017 Author Share Posted June 19, 2017 The reason i ask is there is a similar place near us and when we go the boys never eat, they just want to rush off and play. They make usnuts while we are eating. Since we will be heading to the city and dont get there much we want to eat something we want and nut be rushed and then take them to chuck e cheese for the games. Thet have been asking to go and the games is all they care about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Yell Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 Yes but ideally I will never set foot inside one again. It's a noisy, chaotic nightmare. My daughter begged to not attend a best friend's birthday party because she hated that place so much. Even though I hate it even more than she does, we still went for a little while. So just go for the games, the less time anyone spends there the better, IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 Yes but ideally I will never set foot inside one again. It's a noisy, chaotic nightmare. We always head there on a weekday at 11am (when they open) during the school year; at that time it is deserted!! Sometimes there will be one or two other children, and another few will trickle in closer to lunch time, but by then we are almost ready to go home to have lunch. Since there are no lines, the kids can play a lot of games in an hour. As a side note, when we have eaten there, I was really impressed with their gluten free pizza. It is cooked sealed in a bag to prevent cross contamination in the oven. They even give you your own sealed plastic pizza cutter...which we then brought home to use as a Play doh toy. Wendy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historically accurate Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 As a side note, when we have eaten there, I was really impressed with their gluten free pizza. It is cooked sealed in a bag to prevent cross contamination in the oven. They even give you your own sealed plastic pizza cutter...which we then brought home to use as a Play doh toy. Wendy That's really cool! We have some Chuck E Cheese tokens that have been hanging around in a baggie for years after our one and only foray with some friends. I should really take the youngers sometime and let them burn through them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 DD hasn't been yet. Fortunately, there isn't one nearby us. A work friend established a brilliant rule, "You can't go unless you've been invited". Enough of his daughters friends have parties there that they go as much as the parents can stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 And you actually never have to set foot in one if you don't want. My kids never went. Parenting win for sure! :hurray: :lol: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 Please do not order the food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noreen Claire Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 I loathe that place with a passion so, of course, there is one right up the road. The noise hurts. (I have sensory issues.) My aunt gave us $70 in gift cards for Christmas; she meant only $35, but had a hard time ordering them online and she insisted we keep all of it. We went last Tuesday, when it was 100F outside and we have no air conditioners. We got there when they opened, played every.single.game a million times, had the not-entirely-terrible all-you-can-eat pizza & lettuce buffet (that is *not* salad!), and stayed for 3 hours. Greatest Christmas gift ever. Glad I never have to go back. ;-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Yes but ideally I will never set foot inside one again. It's a noisy, chaotic nightmare. Pretty sure it could be one of Dante's circles of hell. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 I used to take DD21 there when she was a little kid. We would go on a rainy/cold early afternoon. I would just order a coke, bring a book, then sit near the door. I kept the tokens at the table and then just let her go. She could go run around like a crazy child, I would glance up from my book every so often and because I kept the tokens, she was basically forced to check in with my any time she wanted to play a game. It was a great and fairly inexpensive way to have her run off energy on a day she might be kept inside. As to the bolded, they have out-technologied that method. Now each child gets a refillable debit card of "tokens"/credits. When you get there, you buy a certain number of credits from an ATM-like machine, and tell it how many debit cards you want those credits divided among. It spits out the cards, which have RF IDs, so that the kids just have to tap their card against any game they want to play to have the credits automatically deducted. When the kids quickly blow through their allotted credits, which is super easy to do with "virtual" currency, then you can reinsert the cards into the ATM to refill them. Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 We always head there on a weekday at 11am (when they open) during the school year; at that time it is deserted!! Sometimes there will be one or two other children, and another few will trickle in closer to lunch time, but by then we are almost ready to go home to have lunch. Since there are no lines, the kids can play a lot of games in an hour. I guess we're a rare commodity in that we have several fond memories of Chuck E Cheese when our boys were young, but we always went in "off" times so it wasn't crowded. Once my crowd allergy got triggered, we knew it was time to leave. We wouldn't consider the food good, but it was edible. I like that they kept a few "older" games so hubby and I could enjoy some nostalgia playtime. I vaguely recall going on a weekend once and leaving quickly saying "never again," so I think I know what the horror stories are based upon. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 I never minded Chuck E Cheese when my kids were younger. We didn't go often but with coupons it wasn't that bad and they loved loved loved it. Grandma in her power wheelchair could go and watch all of the grandkids from toddlers to teens have fun. We actually liked the pizza. Not in a "the best pizza ever" thing but it was decent. The going to the "debit card" type thing vs. tokens would likely be a deal breaker for us....as the power to Dole out tokens 2-3 at a time to make the experience last a LOT longer was part of the benefit for us. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My4arrows Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 We typically go a couple of times a year for fun for my kids, but never eat there. I'm one who is ok with it and it gives DH and I a break while they run around and have fun. Ours hasn't been busy when we a re there and that makes it better too. Ours hasn't ever done the cards and if they did change over we wouldn't be going as often. The tokens would go to quickly then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 CEC was such a happy place for us! We would go during the week and during the day so it wasn't chaotic. It was a special treat and I just loved watching my kids have so much fun. Fond memories. *tearing up* The debit card thing sounds like no fun! Do they still have tickets? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 CEC has good memories for us, too. When DH's company went to Atlanta, DD and I went with him several times a year. It became traditional that when hotel check in time on his last day arrived, we'd go to CEC, and spend the afternoon. It was during the week, so usually it was her and a few preschoolers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 (edited) I am weird I guess I don't mind going. We go on weekdays and its not busy of course and the games are cheaper than any other arcade place. We've gotten food when their has been a deal our has a pizza salad bar and its really not bad. It is still tokens here. Edited June 20, 2017 by rebcoola 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 Yeah, no need to order food. Last time we went (which was a bit over 2 years ago??) they were using tokens at our nearest location. I took ds to a birthday party. They ordered the pizza and the moms had a little bit. I don't remember it being terrible, but I'm sure it wasn't the best, either lol. I've had worse (Pete's Party Castle). I was also pregnant at the time so I'm sure I was too hungry to care. Some of the equipment gets gross and at least one time we thought several machines were broken. I couldn't enjoy myself at all the one time when it was overcrowded and people weren't keeping their kids close by. I tried to play skee-ball but some kid was in the way and/or climbed on the actual machines where you toss the ball. So annoying. But if you go when it's not overrun, it's not so bad. Bit overstimulating but I was able to manage. One time we just bought a couple cups of coins and invited a few other kids for ds' birthday and ate with them somewhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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