I’m so excited to share my experience with hosting our first Chuck E Cheese birthday party! I’m a bit of a control freak, so I can’t say I wasn’t worried about how this party would go down, but it was even better than I could have expected.
It’s important to note here that I’m in no way affiliated with Chuck E Cheese nor am I receiving anything in return for this post. It’s simply an experience worth sharing with other mommas in need of party planning help!
Chuck E Cheese Birthday Party Review
How does a Chuck E Cheese birthday party work?
When my daughter announced she wanted to hold her 4th birthday at Chuck E Cheese, my frugal brain immediately went to the cost. So I went on the Chuck E Cheese website and was pleasantly surprised by the affordable options. Even when we go the party-at-home-DIY-route (like we did for our Dr. Seuss birthday party!) there’s still the stress and time planning it all.
I truly love to throw parties, but not necessarily during the cold days of February, which happens to be my daughter’s birthday month. So this time I handed over the party planning reigns and here’s what happened…
What’s the schedule like?
We arrived at Chuck E Cheese about 15 minutes before the party was set to start. Everything was set up in the back already and our host greeted us. She handed over a bag of play passes as well as a birthday bracelet for my sweet birthday girl.
Our host then went over our order (we opted for extra pizzas and drinks for the adults). From there, she went over the schedule, which looked like this:
12pm – party starts, kids play
12:45pm – pizza time! Our host served the children and made sure they all got what they needed.
After pizza, Chuck E himself came out to dance with the kids. We then sang “Happy Birthday” while the host cut and distributed the cake. Since we got the Mega Super Star package, it also included Dippin’ Dots (yum!!)
From there, it would’ve been gift time, but we nixed that to do gifts at home.
After cake, it was ticket blaster time! My daughter wasn’t too keen on it, so her big brother stepped in.
Do they have to do the ticket blaster?
Our host was kind enough to show my daughter how the ticket blaster worked, but even then, my daughter wasn’t interested. My 5yr old son was all about it, though, so he stepped up to get those tickets. That said, there was also the option to skip the ticket blaster and simply collect 200 tickets (plus her 1000 bonus tickets as a part of the party package).
After the ticket blaster, the kids are then welcome to go back to playing.
Can you bring your own cake to a Chuck E Cheese birthday party?
Absolutely! While you can order a Chuck E Cheese cake, as they offer a number of gorgeous cake options, you can also bring in your own cake and ice cream. Or get a Chuck E Cheese birthday cake there! The choice is yours and let’s face it – you can’t go wrong when cake is involved.
Do you tip for a Chuck E Cheese birthday party?
I’ve actually reached out to Chuck E Cheese to see if they have a policy/common practice on this. While I in no way felt pressured to tip, there’s no doubt our hostess deserved it! Our total party cost was $300, on which we tipped $40. This might seem like a bit much to some (like my husband…hehe) but I’ve worked in food service before and the tip was well earned. That said, as an update, we did our daughter’s 5th birthday there and they actually removed the option to tip from the receipt (boo!) So bring cash for the tip because trust me – the host/ess deserves it!
Prices for Chuck E Cheese Birthday Parties
All Chuck E Cheese birthday packages include game play, pizza, drinks, and a live birthday show with Chuck E. The price varies depending on how much game play you want for each child and how many extras you opt for. Since having my first birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, they’ve since added an option to include large pizzas for adults. I appreciate this, as we always ended up buying extra pizzas on the side for more! They also now include Chuck E Cheese tote bags, which I absolutely love.
Is the Mega Super Star package worth it?
It really, really is. It was so nice to not have to worry about goody bags or ice cream, plus the unlimited play for the 2 hours really helped parents better enjoy the experience and not worry about watching (or having to re-up!) their child’s play points. I also love that the goody bags allow for every child to leave with something, regardless of how many tickets they earned. I genuinely love the Chuck E Cheese party pack.
What happens if you have no-shows?
Sure enough, on the day of the party we had a couple children who suddenly couldn’t make it. Luckily Chuck E Cheese offers a 2-child no-show policy so we weren’t charged for the absent children.
Chuck E Cheese At Home Birthday Party
Chuck E Cheese now also offers an at home birthday party option! You can celebrate at home with a Chuck E Cheese party pack with all the fun food, decorations, and gifts.
For only $60, you can throw an at home Chuck E. Cheese birthday party that includes:
- 2 large, 1-topping pizzas
- Chuck E Cheese cake
- 3 goody bags
- Chuck E. Cheese table decor, plates, napkins, and photo backdrop
- Birthday star gift: 1000 e-tickets and a Chuck E. plush toy
The Easiest Birthday Party Ever
Overall, I truly could not have been happier with the whole experience. I did EVERYTHING online on my own schedule and it was the smoothest, most relaxed party I’ve had. Frankly, I’m considering hosting my own next birthday party there – they do have beer, after all! 😉
Have you had a Chuck E Cheese birthday party experience?
Would love for you to comment below and share your thoughts!
Chucks Cheese birthday on W Broad Street Richmond, Va was a disappointment. Corporate lost our reservation and we didn’t get our add-ons, party favors; wrong size cake; tiny slices of pizza;; no Chucky; etc. Need refund. Did appointed 7 year old on his birthday. Staff at location could not even make up for ithis.
Did you not call to make sure everything was all set at the location? They called me the day before, but had I not heard from them, I absolutely would have been calling. You can’t trust technology 100% of the time.
I had my party at Chuck E Cheese on Jan 15, 2023 in Novi MI. I am 59 y.o. and have a medical condition a torn rotatorcuff I have 14 grandchildren so I was having the party there so they could run,play have cake ice cream and treats and someone else would do the hosting and clean up. Boy was I wrong the young lady we had was MIA 90 per cent of the time and I had to keep going to the front to have them send her to my table. I had to literally take her the empty pitchers for refills and I cleaned up the pizza plates myself by putting them on the table next to me. The kids had a good time but I was highly upset from having to host the party, and it wasn’t cheap I spent $321. The adults in my party wanted to talk to a manager, but by the time I got the bill I just wanted to get home and nurse my shoulder. The only time I didn’t have to look for her was at 3:10 hen she bought the bill, and my party was over at 3:30
I’m so sorry to hear you had such a crummy experience! I would definitely be reaching out to corporate and sharing your experience, hopefully they can help make it right.
My daughter had a wonderful 8th birthday today. Our party helper Meela was amazing. She was sweet and accommodating to our family. We had a perfect time thanks to Meela.
Oh I love that for you!! Happy birthday to your daughter! 🙂
So Chucky finally shows up. Once open to the public SMh
I love that they do what they can to ensure everyone stays healthy and has fun!