Childcare Activity Centers

[JStiffler]

Does anyone have a review of the centers?

DD will almost be 6 and we want to take her to a center while my husband and I celebrate our anniversary w/ dinner and some time at Epcot.

 

[kimbe21]

We used the Sandcastle Club at the Beach Club for the first time last month. Our boys are 3 & 5 and they ended up having a great time. They were a little hesitant at first but the staff was great and very friendly. Once the boys saw the "awesome star wars toys" they couldn't say good- bye to us fast enough! They were there 2 hrs and only 3 other kids were there. It was well worth the cost to be able to enjoy an adult dinner! We will use this service again.

 

[Disneylover99]

My daughter was 5 (almost 6) when she went to the Sc Club at the BC. She loved it!!!! We will definitely return!

 

[kastoney]

We used the Sandcastle Club at the Beach Club for the first time last month. Our boys are 3 & 5 and they ended up having a great time. They were a little hesitant at first but the staff was great and very friendly. Once the boys saw the "awesome star wars toys" they couldn't say good- bye to us fast enough! They were there 2 hrs and only 3 other kids were there. It was well worth the cost to be able to enjoy an adult dinner! We will use this service again.

What is the cost? Haven't found it listed anywhere.

 

[JStiffler]

$11.50 per child, minimum of 2 hours

 

[girlb4amirror]

We also used the one at the BC with a 5 year boy. He loved it and begged to go back, so we took him again on our last night while we packed.

 

[JStiffler]

Does anyone know the maximum time allowed? Or what they do if a child falls asleep?

 

[AllieV]

We've used three of them. They all open at 4 or 4:30 pm and stay open till 11pm or sometimes 1am, depending on season. You can leave them the entire time. They eat there, have bathrooms, and accommodations for resting.

The Dolphin Club is great. The same woman has been in charge for years and is really good with kids. They take them down the hall for dinner at 6, so dropping off timely is important. We left him there when he was almost 4 and he was fine. There is an art room, a screening room, a toy room. One night we left him till 11pm and he was laying on a blanket with pillows watching a movie in the dark. He could have fallen asleep if he wanted.

Neverland has fabulous people. They are all young help and there was always a guy there each night as well. He knew all the kids names and played with them. They took turns manning the front desk. When they left, they got to pick out toys from a chest to bring home along with whatever artwork they had done. They order dinner in at 6pm and 8pm and it's free and they don't leave the club. He was five this last trip. It's very secure and you can't even see the kids or the rooms when you drop off, which I liked. They always asked for the carbon copy when I got him even if they recognized me (we dropped him 3 nights).

The Sand Castle was my least favorite but probably DS favorite. He was five when we went in April/May. The large open space didn't look fun and there were a lot of older kids there, which worried me. This one had full size video arcade games, which he LOVED. You could see the entire place from the entrance and the desk didn't close off the entry. I worried a kid could run by them easily or one could be snatched. The kids in charge were a little ditzy. They never asked me for my carbon copy when I picked him up. Ultimately, he was ok though.

 

[JStiffler]

Great review!! Thanks so much!

 

[AllieV]

I should add that my son has been in daycare 10 hrs a day since he was 6 weeks old, so he's very used to the setting. Some stay-at-home younger kids don't do as well. But my son is also VERY hyper, especially after 2pm. I'm quite sure they earned every cent looking after him. But at every locale, they all commented that he was great. I asked them for a sincere report and not the standard answer as I needed to address his behavior regularly (hitting, pushing, fighting, etc), but they said he did none of that at all. The fact that he could stay there for hours a night for 7 nights and not have one problem astounded me and spoke to their skills.

I think they must have very good training in handling children and also lots of stuff to do to keep them occupied. One night at the Sandcastle, he was the last one left and one of the guy caretakers was on the floor with him building something. I think they are very interactive and organize them well.

As for cost, I think it was $10 or $11 an hour. I got a discount of 30% for my DVC membership. They are not allowed to accept tips, I tried. At the Dolphin, they give you 2 free hours with a dinner receipt from a Dolphin restaurant. They do accept tips and expect them.

 

[JStiffler]

My DD will be 1 mth away from being 6. She's good with centers once I leave. Lol she never wants me to go, but once I'm out the door, she's fine.
We are staying at Coronado Springs, but I'm still torn as to where to have our anniversary dinner. Once that is decided, it will be easier to pick an activity club for DD. I truly appreciate your reviews! They are very helpful!

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

We took our kids to the Sandcastle Club two years ago and they had a great time. We dropped them off at 5:30, went and had dinner on the Boardwalk and then walked into Epcot to browse around World Showcase and watch Illuminations. We picked them up at 9:30. I think they enjoyed having some parent-free time as much as we enjoyed our kid-free time!