Bringing Nanny

[Mainst]

Hi-

We are bringing our Nanny with us in Sept (DS3 and DS 19 months at time of trip). First time we have travelled with a nanny, but she works for us full-time. A huge Disney fan herself and she has never been to any Disney park before.

Looking for other families to share their experiences with this- tips/tricks/advice. Anything you would do different or do the same again.

We are a close family. It's me, DH, and my mother going along with kids. Definitely a family trip. Not looking for opinions about having a nanny, bringing a nanny, etc.

 

[Happyjen27]

I would make sure I had connecting rooms with a door between them for us and the nanny. We did that with the ILs. This way, my kids got to fall asleep in their own room in their own beds, and leave the door open to the connected room where the ILs could relax in their own space too. Then, when you get back to the room at night, you simply close the door connecting the rooms and you each have your own privacy.

I would be very up front about the hours and days she will have as free time to explore and enjoy on her own, and when she is expected to be on the clock. As with all things in life, clear, up front written communication is the best route to ensure everyone's expectations are being met.

 

[msmama]

I had a friend who took her au pair. They stayed in a DVC suite but got the au pair a regular room at the hotel. That way they all had their own space and didn't have to spend all their time together. Her kids were older though so they were all going on rides together as a family and didn't need anyone to stay back with a baby like you might want to.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Well, not quite the same, but...

1) Years ago, I had a friend who went to Disney for a week as their Nanny. (She was their regular sitter at home, but not a live-in Nanny.) Anyway, myself and several other friends were at WDW the same week. She spent one day at Typhoon Lagoon with us and went out to Pleasure Island with us one night and Chef Mickey's another. She had a blast with the family she was working for, but I know she really appreciated the breaks to have her own fun. I don't know if your nanny would appreciate a little time to herself.

2) Schedule a date night - When my boys were little, my sister and DH's brother (both 18 at the time) joined us on a trip. DH and I had an adults only night one night while they watched the boys and it was wonderful.

3) Be very clear about who is paying for what (food, tickets, souvenirs etc...).

 

[Mainst]

Great tips. We are renting a house off property (I know gasp) but just 6 bedrooms for less than a price for a moderate one room makes most sense for us.

We will have 2 cars as DH plans to sneak off for some golf at 6am in the mornings and meet up by 11am.

 

[jklmw]

MainSt thank you for asking that question. My DH and I always talk about bringing our babysitter, a huge fan of Disney
We don't feel comfortable with any of the babysitting services. my brother used Disneys service and loved it, his kids were also older.
We are true lovers of Disney and love doing date nights in the park, when the kids go down for the night (my mom has come, so we didn't have to pay her, well....not in an hourly rate way, hahaha. Room service and a fancy umbrella drink by the pool and my Mom says she is overpaid...

We would not want our babysitter to come for several days. maybe 2 nights and 1 day, obviously we would pay for her room and gas. We dont want her to take the kids to the park or the pool just to be there in the room with them. We live about 3 hours away. I also think she is an AP holder.
Do we pay her her regular rate? Do we pay food? Should we let her bring her friend/husband? Advice would be awesome!

 

[megsoro]

When I was a nanny (30 hours a week) I went on several vacations with my family. While not Disney, we did other theme parks, the beach, DC, etc, and it pretty much worked like this:

I would accompany them to attractions they needed a hand wrangling the four children on. (Museums, rides without rider swap, where I would stay behind with a few of the kids) and generally, I'd be free to wander when they felt they didn't need my help. If the family wanted me at a meal to help with the children, they paid for it. I was on my own for other meals. On the trips that required hotel rooms (they had a time share and many times got condos with separate bedrooms) they paid for my hotel room, and sometimes I'd share with their oldest daughter, or another family member that was traveling with us. Tickets to attractions were covered as well. If something was an upcharge (say a 3-D IMAX film that was too scary for the children to see) I covered that.

This worked very well. However, my employers paid me the weekly amount no matter how many hours I worked. So if you pay hourly, it may not be as simple.

As to bringing husbands/friends, etc. My employers never minded, but my companions knew that they were on their own when I was working, just like at home. There were several beach trips where I brought my sister. She paid for everything for herself, and many times offered to chip in to the beach house the family rented.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

My co-worker just returned from Disney and they brought their nanny with them. They paid for her travel, room, all meals, and ticket. Some days she helped during the day time and some days she watched their toddler in the late afternoon through the evening while the adults went out solo.

I know they came to an agreement for extra pay for the seven day trip but I don't know how much extra they paid her.

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

I want to be a nanny at Disney. lol. Someone take me on a trip to WDW

 

[Mainst]

Bump

 

[VbChristy]

I was a sitter for a week in Vegas for a 9 month old while I was in college. The parents had a trade show. They paid my travel expenses. They had a timeshare that I stayed in a bedroom in. I had a set number of hours I was expected to work, and then I received a per diem for food plus a salary for the week. If I was to take anyone to sit for my son now I would expect all their extra would be covered plus payment for their time.

 

[VictoriaDoesDisney]

If you wanted to save a little money, you could always hire locally. There are plenty of great ways to search for a qualified and trustworthy person to help out like Care.com and a really good service in Orlando is Extra Hands Inc. I'll leave some info below if anyone is in need of some help

Site: http://vacationsitterfl.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExtraHandsInc/timeline