Chuck E Cheese Birthday Party

[RCT]

Anyone held a Party :Party: there? How did you like it....were you satisfied? Ds has requested it for his 8th Birthday....leaning toward it...would love some feed back from those of you who have done it yourselves....I have attended them...seem well organized.....tia

[kat]

Not done a birthday party there, but have taken upwards to 100 kindergarteners there on field trip day. It was pretty stress free for teachers and the kids had a blast. Here they are super watchful of kids leaving with the right adult since they stamp everyone coming in and varify each child leaving with an adult having the same stamp.

[MaryL]

That place drives me crazy:crazyroll:, but my dks love it! :lol: I guess the kids running all over...yelling...8o 8o gets to me...but hey, I'm used to having "control". I think it's a fine place for a b-day party. The kids do have fun!

[Jeff]

we've been to parties and its a zoo and we've done one there (though we didn't get a package and go through their party plan) and it was a zoo as well but a blessing because we were not on a time line. The bad thing about doing one with them at a given time is that they allow 90 minutes. In our area the place was packed and the staff was running behind with the food. Needless to say they were boxing all the cakes for the people who were having parties and sending them on their way because the next group of parties was scheduled. Those groups looked pretty upset.

[AnnW]

Each of ours has had one there and it's absolute organized chaos!! LOL It was great being able to just walk away from the mess at the end of the party. Never encountered the problems that Jeff did, but we made sure that we weren't doing busy times (like a weekend). I think it's actually a pretty good bargain for all you get.

[vea29]

When I did my observations fror my paper...It appeared that it wasn't closed off to the public when there was parties going on. I don't know if I'll enjoy having the extra people around....I'm to much of a worry wart (or should I say control freak). I don't handle the confusion well.


But the kids looked like they were having fun.

[MaryL]

Originally posted by vea29
When I did my observations fror my paper...It appeared that it wasn't closed off to the public when there was parties going on. I don't know if I'll enjoy having the extra people around....I'm to much of a worry wart (or should I say control freak). I don't handle the confusion well.


But the kids looked like they were having fun.

No...I don't think ours is ever closed for the public. The "parties" are set up on long tables...with reserved signs. The rest of the people just find tables. I don't think the other people even notice the parties going on! :lol: They make an announcement calling for all the people in your party to return to your table, etc.

We've never had one of our dks parties there...and we've never gone there "just for fun"...only when invited to parties. I usually stay at those parties, and sit at different table with a book and a soda. I must say that it's easier now that dks are older, and can manage their own tokens/tickets, etc.

[Amy]

I could have sworn this was deja vu and that you already had a b-day party there. LOL Didn't you end up going last year or did you decide against it?chuck thread (http://boards.theideabox.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=6001&highlight=chuck+e+cheese)

[RCT]

:lol: last year we ended up just doing a pizza there with on friend....didn't do the package, ds didn't know that many people last year....so this time we are leaning toward the organized PARTY.....

Good Memory Amy!

[bizymum]

SOunds like it would be fun. We dont have a Chuck E Cheese here......

[partyplanner]

I can't handle all the screaming plus I'm leary about going due to cleanliness. I've heard horror stories about Chuck E Cheese's in other towns and pretty much stear clear. I much rather have a fun party at home. I get into making the cake and decorating the house for a theme. I had 11 2-5 yr olds this year and it went off without a hitch. Crazy? Maybe..but I love it! <g>

[AnnW]

I can imagine if it's your business you would prefer to do home parties, but "public" parties can be quite wonderful, clean and safe.

[KarlaB]

Originally posted by AnnW
I can imagine if it's your business you would prefer to do home parties, but "public" parties can be quite wonderful, clean and safe.

Not to mention less stress if you're not up to getting your house ready for a house full of guests. :)

[PamE]

Ooooh, yeah, the stress of getting it all together at home makes me cringe. We've never done a party package at CEC's that I can remember, but we have gone there for several bdays.

I decided at ds1's last bday that I would no longer make the cake for the bdays. :rolleyes: His rocket cake took three hours to decorate and didn't turn out all that great. Not my idea of fun, LOL! Dd1 wants the Crocodile Hunter for her next bday theme. Believe it or not they've got a great looking cake at Walmart! :lol:

[RCT]

Originally posted by PamE
Ooooh, yeah, the stress of getting it all together at home makes me cringe.

Dd1 wants the Crocodile Hunter for her next bday theme. Believe it or not they've got a great looking cake at Walmart! :lol:


I hear that....we have had several Bday cakes from WalMart...LOVE thier cakes.....

still unsure of what we want to do??????? got until Aug though

[partyplanner]

Instead of a cake try making cupcakes in ice cream cones. Less mess...easy to decorate...the kids love them! You make them as normal just in cones instead of muffin pans. I use a 9x13 pan or 9x9 depending on the number of cones I'm making to keep them upright in the oven. These are good for any kind of kids party.

A friend of mine made them for her son's Batman party and cut out simple bats out of construction paper. She cut out a hole in the center of the bat and slide it around the cone. It was a hit. She also found blue trash bags that she cut in half to use as capes. Her decorations were very simple to make and easy on the wallet.

[Mickey]

I'm going with a Chuck E Cheese party (or similar) next year. Had a house party this year for ds (Spider-man theme) and it was hard work and stressful for me and over-stimulating for all the kids (and too long for all of us! LOL!). And what a mess when it was over!

Had his 4th b-day party at Chuck E. Cheese's and it was great! I brought a cake, ordered a pizza, the kids played for a while and that was it--walked away from the mess! Fun for ds and friends and so easy for me! (And no, I don't work for Chuck E. Cheese OR own stock in the company! ;))

[Jeff]

We've gone to a movie theater (preplanned with the manager) and that was great. Same benefits as chuckecheese but much MUCH quieter. We went to another place that was a bit like chuckecheese with the added benefit of minature golf. That worked really well too. We gave them their tokens up front then had cake, ice cream, and gifts about 15-20 minutes into the party After that we hit the golf course. That ate up the rest of the time then some. The parents came out the the course to get their kids and it was pretty easy to visit a bit with each parent. I refuse to have any parties here. I told someone that I would even pay 100 bucks if someone would run the parties we have elsewhere.

[Diane]

Originally posted by Jeff
We've gone to a movie theater (preplanned with the manager) and that was great. Same benefits as chuckecheese but much MUCH quieter. We went to another place that was a bit like chuckecheese with the added benefit of minature golf. That worked really well too. We gave them their tokens up front then had cake, ice cream, and gifts about 15-20 minutes into the party After that we hit the golf course. That ate up the rest of the time then some. The parents came out the the course to get their kids and it was pretty easy to visit a bit with each parent. I refuse to have any parties here. I told someone that I would even pay 100 bucks if someone would run the parties we have elsewhere.

I agree Jeff... I think I'd pay just about anything just not to have it in my house. LOL I've had several and finally decided that enough was enough. Going somewhere else is a lot easier and definitely a lot less stressful. It's nice being able to get up and walk out, leaving the mess behind for someone else to take care of. LOL I can come back home and my house doesn't look like a hurricane has gone through it. LOL

Good luck with your planning Renee... I'm sure your ds will love/enjoy whatever you decide to do for him. :)

[KarlaB]

Originally posted by partyplanner
Instead of a cake try making cupcakes in ice cream cones. Less mess...easy to decorate...the kids love them! You make them as normal just in cones instead of muffin pans. I use a 9x13 pan or 9x9 depending on the number of cones I'm making to keep them upright in the oven. These are good for any kind of kids party.

I made these with my kids one time, but the kids didn't like them and the cones got soggy. Ick! Not a hit at all for us and needless to say we haven't made them again. :\

[RCT]

I am leaning toward CEC's its a little $$ but I think in the long run it's well worth it...this it DS's first Birthday Party that he has wanted to invite school pal's....it's always been just family....

still gotta call my local McDonalds about dd's birthday...although I might just take her and her best girlfriend to see Finding Nemo, or the RUGRAT meet Thornberries.....that would be way fun....the to McDonalds for lunch....dd is low maintenace ;) so far:tinysmile

[Fern]

I agree that birthday parties outside of the house are the best. I really liked AnnW's idea a few years ago when she took the girls for make overs. I do birthday parties here for the gymnastics club and parents love it, I work the kids with an hour of physical activity then feed them and clean up the mess. For a lot of the city clubs birthday parties are a large part of their business, and it's something different.

[imamama]

I'd vote CEC, too! Did that for dd's b-day last year. It had it's pros and cons, but the cons weren't so bad I'd never do it again. We now have a place called Play World Down Under which is really neat! I like it better than CEC b/c it's more open, and while noisy, not so much as CEC. Plus, you get a private room when it's time for pizza and cake. AND, there's more playgroud equip than video games... great for getting the dk's to concentrate on the cool equip more than asking for more tokens!

Partyplanner - I can see where you'd make a play for the at -home party, since it is your business, but basically, you're doing the same thing for people that CEC and similar places do... you're providing the ideas and such, but you're not actually having the parties at your house where YOU have to clean up before the guests come and after the tornado of kids has left. I can appreciate a home party, doing dd's here this year since we have the new house and tons more room, but I'd take a party somewhere else anyday! If you had to attend or host and clean up after every party you helped plan/coordinate, you might see things in a different light!

This year, dd wants a few friends to sleep over. I'm planning on starting it late in the day (4-5 p.m.) and having 2-3 inflatable pools, plus her new swingset for activities, then we'll do grilled burgers and dogs, make-your-own sundaes and a cake. All OUTSIDE where I can hose down the spills! I think they'll get worn out enough to sleep (fingers crossed) through the night! And parents attendence will be optional (there are a few who will come for the party only)!!! I'll have my family to help with the grilling/serving, but it'll still be a major effort! As I said, you have to clean/straighten before and after... lots of work for an overworked mom! LOL

Fern - I want to have a gymnastics party for dd when she's a bit older, I've heard they're wonderful! We have a place that does them here and I've heard nothing but good things so far!!!!

Renee - don't forget to check out the CEC website for specials... and when I had dd's there last year, I found a coupon at dealofday.com for 5 free tokens, printed one off for each attendee and mailed them with the invitations.

[MaryL]

I think it all depends on what you are comfortable with. I've had all but one of dks parties here at our house. The only party we've had elsewhere is ds2's Tae Kwon Do party in April. Now, I also work with kids...and having the party at home doesn't stress me out. I really plan enough activities and variety to fill the time. I don't want the kids playing in ds's bedroom, etc. I also keep my at home parties to a very reasonable amount of time...2 hours MAX!!! Sometimes we worked it around a meal...sometimes we opted for mid afternoon.

Imamama....I had ds1's "sleepover" party 2 years ago (he was in 2nd grade) and we called it a 1/2 sleepover. The boys came at 5:00...had pizza...played games...opened gifts...did cake...got into their p.j.'s...layed out their sleeping bags...watched a movie...and their parents picked them up at 10:00 p.m. This was a PERFECT option for us...the kids all felt like they had the "sleepover" experience, but no one actually fell asleep (got homesick...overtired...etc). Plus...no breakfast to worry about. I'm thinking about letting ds2 do the same thing next year. For a "giveaway" I'm thinking about giving each guest a flashlight!8)

[AnnW]

Amy...isn't your little girl 5? Are her friends doing sleep overs at that age? Neither of my kids at that age would have made it all night at that age....you might consider Mary's idea. It would surely devastate your dd to have some/all of her guests leave.
The party sounds wonderful with all the other activities!!

[littlesista06]

I did the 1/2 sleepover party when dd turned 6 and it was a blast! (took Mary's idea!) We had 1/2 hot dogs, 1/2 carrot sticks, etc. They came from 6 - 10 pm.

I love doing dd's parties at home. I get a bit nervous when I take other people's kids out to public places to do parties - the kids are wound up, all over the place and I have a tough time keeping my eye on them all (you never know who is out there just looking to take someone else's kid home with them.) But that's just me. :)
I love decorating the house inside and out - I love making her cakes and invitations and favors.

There's nothing wrong with either way - as long as the b'day kid is having a blast and the parent is enjoying the experience, all's well. :)

PS - I made the cake in the ice cream cones and since dd ran out of icing before she got 1/2 way through so they were a bust! LOL
If you can get icing down in the cone, I'm all for tryin' it again! :lol:

[imamama]

Mary, your 1/2 sleepover idea is great!!
Ann - yes, dd will be 5 on her b-day... there will actually only be 2-3 girls spending the night. The rest I know won't so I'm arranging for their parents to pick them up, or stay at the party... they're all good friends, so they get to pick if they'd like a few free hours!

[imamama]

Mary, your 1/2 sleepover idea is great!!
Ann - yes, dd will be 5 on her b-day... there will actually only be 2-3 girls spending the night (and they've made it through other sleepovers). The rest I know won't so I'm arranging for their parents to pick them up, or stay at the party... they're all good friends, so they get to pick if they'd like a few free hours!

[partyplanner]

Partyplanner - I can see where you'd make a play for the at -home party, since it is your business, but basically, you're doing the same thing for people that CEC and similar places do... you're providing the ideas and such, but you're not actually having the parties at your house where YOU have to clean up before the guests come and after the tornado of kids has left. I can appreciate a home party, doing dd's here this year since we have the new house and tons more room, but I'd take a party somewhere else anyday! If you had to attend or host and clean up after every party you helped plan/coordinate, you might see things in a different light!


I have planned and held plenty of parties in my home even before I started my party business. That is actually why I started my business. I like the idea of hospitality in the home enjoying family and friends.

When it comes to kid's parties though I limited the party to 1-2 rooms and have some what of a schedule including snacks, 1-2 games (either invented by me or found on the internet), opening gifts and cake. Keeping it simple is the best key. If it wasn't simple I wouldn't do it. <g> By limiting the party to 1-2 rooms you have less mess. By having a simple agenda you keep things going with less chaos.