Any experiences good or bad with the Resorts Activity Centers "Child-care"

[bratray]

hello

i am rather hesitant to leave my toddler at the resorts childrens program- DH and myself would love to have a quiet meal to ourselves but with all that goes on sometimes in this world i am wondering if it is a wise choice to leave my child with strangers- does anyone know what type of credentials these child care providers are required to have and are back ground checks conducted?

anyone have any thoughts on this or any experiences good or bad you could share- i know i maybe over reacting but ........

thanks

lisa

 

[eeyore0062]

First off, how old is your child? If he/she isn't 4 years old, Florida law says he/she cannot stay at the resort run kid's clubs ( daycare, if you will). You would have to get an in room babysitter, and there are 2 very reputable services that serve the WDW resorts. The most popular is the Fairy Godmothers.

As for the resort childcare. It is very reputable, licensed by the state of Florida. You can request to see the licensure if it makes you feel any better. Our favorite is the Neverland Club at the Polynesian. (It is open during the day from 12 to 4 for kids and parents to go and play, which may be a great way to get a feel for it before you decide if this is what you want to do.) Dinner is provided with this service, and the cost is $10 per hour (it just went up in September). They have a buffet style meal. There is a big movie theatre screen playing Disney animated films, there are centers with arts and crafts, computers, video games, and "let's pretend" areas with dolls, "play house" type toys. Our DD always comes home with all kinds of "creations" she has made at the arts and crafts stations. The workers are very attentive, and help the kids with their projects, etc. You are given a beeper so that if there is any problem, they can reach you, and also you are given the phone number, so you can call at anytime.

We felt very comfortable letting our child stay here, and in fact it is one of her "must do" activities on our WDW vacations! I can't speak highly enough about the facility or the staff!

Other activities in which our DD has participated include the Wonderland Tea Party, which lasts an hour and is at 1900 Park Faire on select afternoons. The kids decorate and eat cupcakes and drink "tea" (apple juice), Alice reads to them, and they make arts and crafts projects. I believe they start letting children of 3 participate in this, as long as they are toilet trained. The other activity was the Pirate Cruise, which was also wonderful! This an a 2 hour activity, and the kids actually go out on the boat and stop at the beaches of the resorts to hunt buried treasure. There are 4 chaparones on this, and 2 are certified lifeguards. The kids are fitted with regulation lifevests, which they are required to wear at all times. My DD thoroughly enjoyed this, as well! The castmember in charge of the 2 above mentioned activities is Drew, and he is wonderful with the kids.. and has been doing this for years!

 

[goofy4tink]

We, also, loved the Neverland Club. My dd, then 8, thought it was a high point in our time at WDW. In fact she is making deals for how many times she can go in Aug!!! The caretakers seemed very attentive. But, I'm basing this on an 8 y/o's report. I do know that the kids have to be potty-trained. So that may be an issue for you. You could try the in-room sitters. I've heard they are also pretty good. Then your child could go to sleep also.

 

[RNMOM]

Our boys participated in the Sandcastle Club at the Beach Club and the Cub's Den at Wilderness Lodge.

They both loved it so much the begged to go back. My youngest was 6 when we left them. I felt very comfortable with them and I am also very careful about where my children are at all times.

I know many people have posted about the inroom sitting in a positive way before.

 

[bratray]

thank you for your comments- it makes me feel a lot better that people have had positive experiences!

lisa

 

[Makeupmania]

We didn't like the Neverland Club at all. The people that were working there at the time were VERY snotty and had an attitude. I would never go there again...

Just my opinion...

 

[josierac]

My kids have stayed at the Kids club at the Grand Floridian and didn't like it at all. It's very small and everything is in one room.

This summer we wanted to have a dinner alone and asked if they wanted to go to the kids club and they said no. I suggested we go and take a look at it (Sandcastle Club at the YC/BC). Well they loved it so much they asked to stay right there and then.

The place is big and has loads of things for them to do.

 

[vicb]

Another thumbs up for the Sandcastle club, it's spacious, friendly CM's, close to Epcot and BW. My kids loved it.

 

[Janet2k]

Bratray, we have used Disney's in-room sitters and we have used Disney's childcare clubs. All of our experiences have been wonderful. My daughter's favorite childcare club is at the AKL: click here to view photos of Simba's Cubhouse. She also likes the Poly's Never Land Club.

 

[Janet2k]

By the way, here is the link to the official WDW website and what it has to say about the various childcare clubs: click here to go to it. I have complained to Disney that they don't have any info posted regarding the AKL's childcare club. They told me that they would fix it, but I see that they haven't. I guess it's time to contact Disney again and ask them to update their webpages. *Sigh* The work of a Dis'er is never done.

 

[jlima]

My reviews of what I've experienced:

Camp Dolphin at WDW Dolphin - DS 8 (was 5 then!) thoroughly enjoyed his evening here. There were video games, books, board games and movies, and the kids went to the fountain restaurant (can't remember the name) for dinner.

KinderCare in-room sitters - our DS was 16 mos old & we got a sitter the night we did the Fireworks cruise. We were at the Dolphin again. She came in a KinderCare uniform and had a bag of toys. We left a room key, some cash and the stroller. She took him to Tubbi's for dinner, and walked him around the lobby and grounds. I wouldn't hesitate to use their service and I'd recommend it to anyone.

KinderCare childcare center - Same trip. We went to Universal IOA for the day and felt it was just too much for him to spend the day in the heat. The KinderCare center is located on property just beyond the Disney Institute. It seemed to be a well-run center. Be aware that your child will be a drop-in at a well-established day care program. Their managers and care providers were quite professional.

Pirate Cruise at the GF - DS8 REALLY enjoyed this. It was a surprise for him, and a year and a half later still talks about the treat bag the kids got at the end of the cruise and how neat it was to go out on the boat. We went into the MK for a few hours and had a relaxing morning. Don't hesitate to send your kids on this!! It was really neat.

Hope this helps!

 

[bratray]

Once again thanks for the information everyone!!

Janet- i am staying at AKL and didn't realize there was a child care on site- thanks so much for bringing this to my attention and the pics are great!!
lisa