Child care options for evening out

[EmilyS90]

I feel like I'm constantly asking questions lately.

So we have an evening planned during our trip for dinner at Downtown Disney for just my fiance and I, plus some time to shop on our own. Our dinner reservation is at Raglan road at 7pm, so we'd probably like to get to Downtown around 5-5:30, and probably get back home around 10 at the latest.

We're staying at AoA and I know there's Kid's Nite Out and Fairy Godmothers. Has anyone used either of them before? Did your kids like them? I'm so reluctant to leave her with a sitter, but we'd really like the "us time".

I've also heard that the kid's clubs at other resorts can be used even if you're not staying in them? But I don't know how much of a hassle that would be with disney transportation. If anyone's done that, advice would be awesome.

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

Yes, you can use kid's clubs at other resorts even when you're not staying there. I would suggest though, however with Disney transportation that may be a bit of a hassle. However from what I have heard kid's clubs seem to be the most favored option for childcare, and kids seem to love them. Just from looking up where the kid's clubs are what I would personally do is bus to Epcot, walk to the Beach Club and use the kid's club there, and then take a bus to Downtown Disney from the Beach Club. However, I would probably want to allot more time for that option.

From reading these boards Kids Nite Out also seems to be well received. Obviously I have no first-hand experience either but I've heard many good things about the kid's clubs and Kids Nite Out and very few bad things.

 

[KateMW]

We've loved the Kid's Clubs in the past, but only used the one at our hotel bc it would be a pain to get there, drop off and then leave again. Our daughter used to beg to go! On our next trip, our son will be too young for the clubs, so we'll be using a sitter service for a couple of nights {DH will be there on business so I have some dinners I need to attend} plus one day while we're at Universal and my husband is at the meeting, I'm going to take my older daughter to the park and leave her bro at home, so we can ride all the rides together!

 

[LordAthens]

I can't speak for the sitter options (our trip coming up is actually the first ever trip with the kids), but what I can tell you is you're going to burn a lot of time using Disney transportation, walking, etc.

I was in Orlando on business in November and I used Uber and Lyft exclusively the entire time I was there. It was wonderful and about half the cost of a traditional cab service. The cars were nicer, the drivers were mostly friendly and none of them tried to bone me by taking a longer route.

I would highly recommend taking an Uber from AoA to whatever resort you want to drop the kids at, have the driver wait (almost all of them are willing to wait as long as you give them a realistic time frame), then have them take you to DTD. From there, if you want to spend the money, take an Uber back after you're done at DTD, or take Dis transportation.

I was very, very impressed with almost every driver that I had for the week while I was at the convention center for IAAPA. Most of my fares from the hotel to the convention center, or for other errands were under $10. The most expensive fare was from my hotel (on I-Drive near Westwood) to MCO, about 15 miles / 25 minutes and it was only $30. You do not have to tip, it's not needed as part of their service (though you certainly can if you feel like you had exceptional service. I tipped two of my drivers in cash).

My 2c. If you're trying to have a nice adult evening out, spend a few bucks to not burn so much time on Disney buses.

 

[NOLAteacher]

I hope someone replies with experiences with Kids Nite Out and Fairy Godmothers. For two children, it seems that a babysitter would be more cost effective now that the kids clubs charge $15 per hour per child. Also, it would be nice for the children to go to bed at a normal time so they'll be well rested for the parks the next day. I'm not sure which child care sitting service to use. I'd love to hear from anyone who has used them!

 

[Jing]

We use care.com everywhere we travel and at home. I like that you can review profiles and interview the person ahead of time. We plan to look into kids night out and extra hands for comparison though.

 

[DisneyGuy758]

In 2007 we used Kids Nite out. our DSs were 7 and 1 at the time. The care taker came directly to our room, and had activities for them to do (coloring, Mr. Potato Head...). We were gone around four hours, and after tip it was a little over $80 for the night. Might seem pricey, but we also had dinner at California Grill, and spent a little time at Magic Kingdom on our own. When we got back, she was doing homework, and both boys were asleep.

She had a written form of everything they did, a receipt from dinner along with the change from the money we left. I feel it was a great investment, and would have no problem using the service again.

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

We used KNO in November and it was GREAT. The sitter showed up 15 mins early (but didn't start the clock until our reserved time), took time to speak with us about what she could/would do with them (they had to stay on resort property and no water activities), and we discussed dinner.

H & I spent the night in Epcot eatign and drinking @ F&W Fest and got to see Boyz II Men in concert. It was a GREAT date night

When we cam back to the room she had a list of everything they did along with the printed receipt from dinner. All 3 kids were fast asleep and the sitter was reading a book.

We were gone for 5 hours and I think after tip it was around $140 (3 kids). Money well spent We'll certainly use them in the future.

 

[3pletprincesses]

We've used kids nite out annually for a night for the past 5 years. @ years in a row we had the same girl because we requested her the second year. My triplets were 3 and 4 back then and we liked the fact that she was still around. She would bring the kids to the food court for dinner shortly after we left for dinner. She then brought them to the park at the resort for a few minutes to play and run around and would come back to room for story, movie or colors. All the ladies we had brought a big back pack full of books, coloring books and toys. Every time we would come back around midnight and the kids were in bed sleeping. I have nothing but good experience with them. My youngest was babysat by them with her sisters when she was 3 month old and all went well. According to her sisters back then who were 5 yo, she barely cried and the time she did, they went around the resort for a walk with the stroller. They do not bring kids to swimming pool nor give baths and stay away from pools. everytime the sitter would arrive 15 minutes earlier than needed and at the end of the "shift" would have report on what they did and how the kids were and a list of everything they did. My girls are now 9 and still looking forward to have a parent's free evening LOL Each time they were babysat for about 6 hours except for when the baby was 3 month old

 

[NOLAteacher]

Someone told me that we have to buy dinner for the babysitter with Kids Nite Out. Is that true? I see you guys mentioned a receipt for dinner. We'll be staying in a cabin at Fort Wilderness and that seems like a lot of trouble and extra expense. (We can feed the kids before the sitter comes or leave something to heat up in the microwave.)

 

[Minnesota!]

We use the Kids Clubs and they are wonderful, without fail. We just always pick whatever one is closest to where we are going to be