What’s better than Cicis Pizza? According to my kids, a giant Cicis Pizza with a giant arcade!
We were in Clearwater for the day and, because it’s so conveniently located on the way out of Clearwater, we decided to check out the CiCis Pizza. The bonus being that the Clearwater CiCis has the biggest games arcade of any CiCis so obviously the kids were more than happy to stop there!
We arrived at CiCis at 4.30 in the afternoon hoping to get there when it was still quiet and we weren’t disappointed. It’s always been our experience that in the week, during the American school holidays it is quietest before or after main meal times.
The buffet, much like any CiCis Pizza, has an assortment of freshly made pizzas, pastas, salads and desserts. The new pan pizzas were available as well as a delicious pasta bake. We also ordered some boneless chicken wings which we really like. There was also the option to order our own design of pizza.
The buffet was, as usual, delicious. When the kids had finished eating, much to their delight, each had an hour of unlimited games in the very large arcade.
The arcade games are operated by cards which you swipe to play. You can either buy timed cards with unlimited games on them or cards with different amounts of credits on them. The kids had unlimited games for an hour and had a great time!
The arcade has a large mix of games. There are impressive large games such as a giant connect four and the biggest space invaders game I have ever seen.
There are modern ipad style games alongside more traditional games.
There are physical games such as a dance machine and basketball and even air hockey tables and a whole bowling alley.
The arcade also has a shooting range with targets to aim for that make things happen if you hit them.
My favourite was by far the massage chairs which give you a five minute massage for every swipe of the card! I had the kids swipe my massage chair in between their games and had a lovely relaxing time while they played!
On games where you normally win tickets, the tickets are automatically added to the game card so that when you finish playing in the arcade you can scan the card at the prize shop to spend the tickets.
We left Clearwater CiCis with a handful of plastic ducks and dinosaurs from the prize machines and having had a great time! I loved the idea of the timed cards because you know exactly how much you are spending and you aren’t limiting your child as to what they can go on. The cards also tell you how long you have left every time you swipe them so you know when your game time is coming to an end.
The Clearwater CiCis is located at 1560 N McMullen Booth Rd. As well as the buffet and arcade they also have party rooms for birthdays.
Taking an autistic child to CiCis Clearwater?
As with any CiCis, this one has busy and quiet periods. There are going to be more people in the evenings and at weekends as well as during the local school holidays. If you want to go when it is quieter and less crowded then try and visit outside of these times.
There wasn’t any loud background music in the restaurant.
The arcade didn’t seem too loud either. There was a large range of games to choose from meaning we didn’t have to wait or queue to use any of them.
The lights in the arcade were dimmed with the obvious bright lights from the machines.
The timed game cards are a great idea as they allow children to play what they like for a period of time and tell them how long they have left to play. It’s worth knowing that the cards have a 60 second cool down period so after they are scanned on a game they won’t scan on another for 60 seconds.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you would like to read more then feel free to follow my blog or like my Facebook page which I keep up to date with new posts as they are written. You can also find me on Twitter @KidsOnTour1.
