UncleEJ Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 You actually like and gladly take your children to Chuck E. Cheese. I think I would rather take my kids the ER, than that horrible place. And if I see one more freaking commercial that sends my kids into a Chuck E Cheese freanzy, I might run away! Lol! They are convinced that place is heaven on earth and I am the "worst, most horriblest momma ever" because I haven't taken them there. Honestly, though, how have this country's mother not boycotted this place yet?? Or am I the only one that feels this way.... P.S. Just a major vent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 LOL! I hated that place the first time I went there (for a friend's kid's birthday) and vowed I'd never take my kids there! Greasy, noisy, full of obnoxious inconsiderate kids pushing each other for a chance at the video games! Kids peeing their pants in the tot area! Help! My kids' classmates have had a couple of parties there in the past couple of years. I have to say it seems to have gotten a lot better. It was cleaner and the video games were not right across from the tables. But I will still never take my kids there just for the "fun" of it. Blah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Shhh ... my kids have never been there! :D So glad - those places freak me out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We actually do quite a few family parties there. We did our "Christmas" there when my sister was here from out of state. It has something to keep everyone from the 4 year old to the 26 year old grandkids involved, the kids love the games and play together, Grandma who is in a power wheelchair can easily get around and see the kids, the food at ours isn't bad at all. We do though go at off hours and quite often we are the only ones there---our 4 families. Occ. a few more people are there but it is never mass chaos or crowded, etc. when we go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 My kids went once for a birthday party. Never again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleEJ Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Shhh ... my kids have never been there! :D So glad - those places freak me out. My haven't either! But the commercials, omg the commercials. Make. Them. Stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyLady Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I swear there's at least a story a month online about moms at CEC getting into fights! At a kids' place! For that reason alone I won't take my kids. I've been there a few times and vowed my kids would never go. I did get suckered into taking my DD when she was a toddler, but never again. I honestly feared for her life while we were there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antsam Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We usually go during the week as soon as they open. We have the whole place to ourselves for a few hours. And we only buy tokens with a coupon! The kids love it! Ours is pretty clean and recently renovated though. Jodie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 My mom took my kids once, way back when, and I have convinced my kids that Chuck E Cheese is a grandma-thing. For some reason, they believe me and only ask grandma to take them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSOchristie Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I don't mind it, actually :). Sometimes I will take them on a weekday morning. We buy tokens when they have a coupon for 100 for $20. I give each boy 20 tokens and let them go. There is no one there so I can sip my diet coke while they play, my two year old just likes to play in the play place and watch the animals sing with an occasional ride on the train or fire truck. Honestly, it's pretty cheap entertainment about once a month :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 It sends this introverted momma running for the hills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 The ERs here are way more crowded than the Chuck E Cheese places nearby. One of the Chuck E Cheese is two storeys, very spacious and quiet enough to catch a nap. Weekends, both Chuck E Cheese and ERs are overcrowded, and I am thankful for the urgent care being open seven days a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2att Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I don't mind it, actually :). Sometimes I will take them on a weekday morning. We buy tokens when they have a coupon for 100 for $20. I give each boy 20 tokens and let them go. There is no one there so I can sip my diet coke while they play, my two year old just likes to play in the play place and watch the animals sing with an occasional ride on the train or fire truck. Honestly, it's pretty cheap entertainment about once a month :). My kids are past the CEC age, but when they were younger, the above applied. On a weekday morning or right after lunch, we had the place to ourselves. But on a weekend or a school holiday--never in a million years. We had a CEC knock-off nearby that was actually quite nice in non-peak hours. Sadly, it has closed down now. It was a great place for kids to meet up in late summer after school had started, because August, September and October are still blazing hot here (too hot for mid-day park activities). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We go in the middle of the afternoon during the week when almost nobody is there. It's great!! You couldn't pay me to go on a weekend or for a birthday party :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We have never been. I think the closest one is probably about 100 - 120 miles away, so a little far for a kid lunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We went twice when Punk was under 3. Both times he came down with a stomach bug within 48 hours. I have avoided the place like the plague ever since. (Although my mom has taken the kids a few times without me.I view it as a win.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We never planned to go but then were invited to a party...we liked it a lot! When the kids were little we'd go once or twice a year. Many happy memories! Fwiw: This was years ago. Our cec was clean and well-managed. we went there at off-peak times. My kids didn't ask about it frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trlt Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 My older boys call it "Chuck E. Sneeze" because both times they went (with friends) they got sick! After the second time they both vowed they'd never go again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimberly in IN Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Yikes!!! I must admit, I liked CEC when my 3 oldest were younger. We have had a lot of fun at a bunch of them. (now I will go hide ...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heatherwith4 Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 It's ok during the week when school is in, but on a weekend - no way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmhearn Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I hate it and would love to avoid it, but we get invited to a family birthday party there at least once every year or two. The above post about letting them loose on a weekday morning doesn't sound too bad, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We have never been, and if we went my boys would really hate it. They hate crowded places, and noisy places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I used to take my kids a few times a year when they were little (and to similar places). It was great for me. They played and I spread out at a table and either read or planned school. We'd stay for hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleEJ Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Well, I have to say, a lot of your responses may persuade me to give it a try. I have always felt like CEC is busy, noisy, dirty and a waste of money. But I may have to give it a try on a Tuesday morning some time. I guess I won't know if my particular CEC is yucky unless we try. The only problem would be if the kids love it and I hate it, they will definitely want to go back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 All my memories of it from when I was a kid were sort of gross. Dumb video games, swarms of kids, inedible food, dirty rug, darkened and weird dining area with the animatronic characters. We went for the first time for a party last week actually and it was fine. Almost empty except for the party, well lit, clean. The food was not good, but there was a big fresh veggie tray for the kids and the pizza and cake weren't anywhere near as gross as I was expecting - definitely edible, if nothing to write home about. There were a number of good two people little video games and the games were sort of fun - skee ball and other interactive type stuff, so better than all the old fashioned arcade games from when I was a kid. And the tokens weren't as much as I expected. Overall, it was fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We went twice when Punk was under 3. Both times he came down with a stomach bug within 48 hours. I have avoided the place like the plague ever since. (Although my mom has taken the kids a few times without me.I view it as a win.) We call it Chuck Your Cheese. :lol: My dd barfed all over the back of my dh's car seat on the way home from there. :ack2: The pizza is so disgusting it would make anyone barf. I can not believe how much they charge for that cardboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Well, I have to say, a lot of your responses may persuade me to give it a try. I have always felt like CEC is busy, noisy, dirty and a waste of money. But I may have to give it a try on a Tuesday morning some time. I guess I won't know if my particular CEC is yucky unless we try. The only problem would be if the kids love it and I hate it, they will definitely want to go back. If you go do not buy the food, just play games. The food is so not worth the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Shhh ... my kids have never been there! :D So glad - those places freak me out. Neither have mine. Since they don't have cars or licenses they are still dependent upon me for transportation and I have zero interest in going to one of those places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I used to go fairly often. We homeschool, I can take my kids when most kids are in school. We have the place to ourselves. It is not super loud. It was great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I got severe food poisoning from the salad bar there... never again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 When the kids were little, I loved taking them to Chuck E Cheese. We rarely ate the food there though because nothing was good. We'd just have drinks and maybe split a fries which tasted like frozen which I'm sure they were. We loved playing all of the games. My favorite was skee ball. The only other place with games was the bowling alley and it just wasn't near as much fun as CEC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 My haven't either! But the commercials, omg the commercials. Make. Them. Stop. I've never seen a CEC commercial, and I used to watch quite a lot of kids tv when my kids were little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuddleJumper1 Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We never planned to go but then were invited to a party...we liked it a lot! When the kids were little we'd go once or twice a year. Many happy memories! Fwiw: This was years ago. Our cec was clean and well-managed. we went there at off-peak times. My kids didn't ask about it frequently. This was our experience almost exactly. It's been years since our last visit but we always had a good time. Actually enjoyed some of the games with the kids. We always went at off peak lunch times and only a few times a year. I will never forget when dd had her potty party (we celebrated potty training success) She chose CEC. Grandma and Grandpa bought her fancy big girl pants as a treat. She was so excited she ran through the place waving glitzy girly panties above her head. It's wonderful memory she will never live down. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I've never seen a CEC commercial, and I used to watch quite a lot of kids tv when my kids were little. I don't know if it's true anymore, but when my kids were little, it felt like they sponsored EVERYTHING on PBS Kids. So before and after every single PBS show, there was a CEC promo. Ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We went to a birthday party during peak, weekend hours. Just what you might expect. My dc loved "shopping" with the tickets you win from the games. We spent the ride home explaining the actual cost of the items, quarters to tokens to tickets to Smarties (one roll) and compared that to how many Smarties they could buy if I just have then the quarters and they went to a regular store. Took off a lot of the shine. I like the daytime meet-up space idea, though. Especially with the coupon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I took one of my kids there for his friends bday parties about 8 yrs ago. Will never ever go back. Luckily the closest one is over an hour away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I went there as a child and loved it. But then I went back as an adult WITHOUT kids and it was the 9th level of you know where. DH and I were childless and happy about it. We didn't want kids and didn't know anything about kids. Somehow or other we were roped into attending our nephew's Chuck E Cheese birthday party. DH left the place with a killer headache and I left with a twitch that didn't go away for a month. We vowed that if we ever had children their birthday parties would be held in the library with the strictest librarian we could find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 My kids went once for a birthday party. Never again. This is what I was going to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Took dd1 once when we lived in Georgia. She didn't like it much, was afraid of Chuck :) so we haven't been to another one since and besides its a good hour and a half drive to the closest one anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Well.... it's been a few years, but I have been to a few birthday parties there and although it's not my favorite place in the world, I don't think it's that a awful. Granted, we only stay a couple of hours, but.... in our town the ER is much worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AStableBeginning Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We have only ever gone during normal public school days. We get there right at opening and leave before preschool classes release. We don't eat the pizza. My 11yr old and I do not have gallbladders and the grease will give us horrible stomach pains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 We will meet for birthday lunches with friends during the week. Ours is clean, and serves affordable, tasty food. And beer, though we don't partake :) We use coupons for meals and tokens. Parties on the weekends make me cry. Nightmares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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