Things i've learned at ChuckECheese-advice to the newbies

[goofyme]

as i sat the other day with my coke in hand watching all the young mama and papas chase after the kids, i came up with some wisdom for those who have not past the 50 visit mark.

*a promise to go to Chuckecheese only helps behavior for about two days before the trip....a week before does little good
*although the pizza is pretty decent, we usually go to a decent chain restaurant instead(i.e. outback, chili's, etc)and just play games at chucke's
*never go to said restaurant after your chuckE visit, you lose the upper hand after your playtime(it will not tire them out and calm them down before you eat)
*a trip to lowes or home depot beforehand usually will go pretty good also
*tickets-from a competitive person. Men, i know you hate when they play the game by themselves and only one ticket comes out..it's depressing seeing the fellow in the wife beater t-shirt, gold chain necklace, and hat turned around backwards with hundreds if not thousands of tickets in hand. i know it challanges every ounce of your male ego...however, it is not worth the effort to get more tickets...you only increase the size of the plastic crap your kids will get to pick out
*be proud of the bottom shelf prizes
*don't try to talk your kids into what "you" think they should get when choosing from the plastic crap
*make sure you are out of town(at least 20 minutes away from the restaurant) before you let them play with their plastic toy crap..it will inevitably break and you'll have to go beg for a new one
*the stupider(a word in my book) the game, the more tickets you'll win(ok, my competitiveness shows-i like the dino game where you jump rocks)
*free refills on drinks
*don't trash talk your wife when playing skee ball- you will probably then lose(the next 3 visits)
*sometimes some good internet coupons on their website
*don't touch door handles in bathroom with bare hand
*wash your hands before you leave
*the whoopie cushions are not very good and a big or even decent size bottom from an adult will cause a blowout and a lot of crying
*if you lose a token don't bother with attendents, they usually don't care and it is not worth the effort or look they give you
*and finally, no matter how much wish, your "invisible" number stamp will always match your kids


how bout others??

 

[Val]

I especially like the last one....oh how I wish!

 

[swea_pea1]

Goofyme,


I'm with you, newbies need some guidance on this matter....here's my contribution:

*If you're going to buy a balloon for your kid, do it on the way out the door. Buying it beforehand yeilds two results: 1. You will end up holding it the entire time; and 2. A barrage of whining will ensue from children that are not yours along with an equally nasty helping of dirty looks from their parents.
*The zone defense never works as well as man-to-man. If you don't have enough adults for your children, ask friends, neighbors, relatives, or the guy picking up an anniversary card for his wife at the Hallmark store next door to help.
*No matter how hard you try to stop him, your 2 year old will join the birthday party going on in back because the Big Rat is there.
*It takes a village to raise a child. Please feel free to discipline my child who is running as fast as she can through the restaurant with her juice in one hand and her ice cream in the other.
*Taking a 16 year old there once (just once) will typically drive the point home better than any public service announcement can.
and lastly,
*Playing in the ball pit is a contact sport. Make sure your children are padded appropriately.

Looking forward to others!

 

[cubsfan]

*Taking a 16 year old there once (just once) will typically drive the point home better than any public service announcement can.

 

[phorsenuf]

Originally posted by swea_pea1
*Taking a 16 year old there once (just once) will typically drive the point home better than any public service announcement can.

Now that's a riot! Spitting coffee at 6:30 in the morning....is there a better way to start your day??? LOL

 

[powellrj]

Never get the cotton candy (unless you are riding in someones car you want to be very very nasty to)

your teen will not use a refillable cup no matter how much you beg.

go for breakfast....a) no crowds and you can get in and out
b) you don't have to eat the pizza because its
too early

 

[cgcw]

Originally posted by swea_pea1
*No matter how hard you try to stop him, your 2 year old will join the birthday party going on in back because the Big Rat is there.

We had this happen just last night at my DS4's birthday party -- except for the little girl had to be at least 5. She sat directly across from my DS when we sang happy birthday to him. I thought for a minute that she was going to help him blow out the candles on the cake. The mother stood over to the side and watched her daughter -- with a smile on her face. I couldn't believe it. I have no problem sharing ChuckE -- I know it's a public place and kids get excited (as they should), but, I think this mother should have stopped her daughter from just joining in. I could have understood better if it was a toddler/preschooler, but this girl was old enough to be taught the difference. Evidently, the mother didn't see it as a problem. And, fortunately, my DS4 whose pretty outspoken, didn't notice. I know he would have if she had helped him blow out the candles.

 

[stevenpensacola]

There's a comedian named Tim Wilson who has a song titled
"Chuck E Cheese Hell" which really captures the chucky experience.

This should take you to a file of the song:
http://www.rickandbubba.org/audio/cheezhel.ram

 

[peg2001]

This is a great thread!

* The younger the child, the more determined they will be to play games that are way too challenging for them

* You can sometimes distract this child by letting them play the "ticket" game where they feed the tickets already won into the receipt machine

* You CAN bring back your re-fillable cup the next time you come (hoping this doesn't bring Disney mug thread flashbacks for anyone)

* The stamp on the hand still does nothing to calm the panic in a parents heart when they can't find their child in the pandemonium.

Peggy

 

[KristiKelly]

DH's favorite - They sell beer, he says you have to have one to even tolerate *that place*

 

[scrappinMickey]

love this thread!!!

 

[RitaZ.]

LOL!!! Too funny!

I won't go to CEC anymore. The closest one to our house is 25 minutes away and it's just as well. When we were on vacation last summer, we stopped at a CEC and the "experience" there was even worse. Two women almost got into a physical fight, two managers came out to separate them. Apparently, one woman's child had hit the other woman's child and it got ugly after that. We couldn't wait to leave!

 

[rdrjj5]

Here is another

* make sure your child is old enough to get around the tunnels above or else you will have to go up and navigate thru the other children following the hysterical crying.

 

[TEENEE]

Always take a large bottle of tylenol with you to CEC. You will need it.

 

[wilderness01]

This thread is so funny!

 

[maps]

i ususally go on school days with my kids since it's less hectic.

one time, there were these 2 little girls that just joined in with my kids. no mothers to be found so of course now i had 4 kids to watch(1 girl found gum in the tunnel and started chewing it!)

i also noticed these 2 teenage girls (who should have been in school) playing all these games and really getting excited about their tickets and prizes.... i thought it was weird that they would come here to "play".

turns out, they were the "mothers" of the 2 kids i was watching play with my kids! unbelievable!

 

[momm2four]

make sure your child is old enough to get around the tunnels above or else you will have to go up and navigate thru the other children following the hysterical crying.

*Speaking of tunnels, if your child does get stuck and needs rescuing, rest assured it will be in the curly-cue tunnel that also serves as a slide. I still don't think my knees and back have recovered from that search and rescue mission.

*If your kids are like mine, start trying to leave 30 min. before you actually need to be out of the door. Trying to pull four young boys out of Chuck E Cheese with shoes/coats/prizes in tow is like trying to pull me off this computer.

*The same child who has been caught (and admonished) for baring it all and "going potty" in the front yard, the very same one who stood on the stage at church and sang at the top of his lungs through the entire song...yes, the child who begs to watch the Goosebumps movie with his older brothers, will cower under the table crying hysterically when Chuck E. Cheese shows up.

I must admit I love Chuck E Cheese, now my DH on the other hand would rather have his head slammed in a door than visit this establishment.

Lori P.

 

[disneygals]

*If you have your child's birthday party there, the only guest who's parent is NOT there will be the one who throws up

*allow an hour to redeem the tickets (an hour and a half if the kids can't add yet) only to find the coveted plastic items on the floor of the car



for all previous posts!

 

[mom2boys]

** don't waste your money on food for the kids, they are way too busy playing to eat


That's me - doing a happy dance because my kids think they are too old for Chuck E Cheese - I no longer have to endure the place!

 

[goofyme]

wonderful replies...i've learned more thanks to you..you mean my kids will grow up to be 16 yo??

this happened to me on the honey i shrunk the playground where you slide down the kodak film but i saw it also at cec...the child in the pull up/diaper comes out of the tunnel with that dreadful loose poopie draining out the sides...........yuck