Childcare IN the parks?!

[OnceUponATime33]

I could've sworn I had seen that there were child activity centers inside Magic Kingdom and maybe another park, but now I can't find it!

I know they have these activity centers in a few of the resorts for $15/hour. Do they have something like this inside the parks?

My family of 3 adults and 1 child is going to Disney for the first time in February. Us adults would like to ride a few rides together that my 3-year-old won't be able to ride!

TIA!

 

[hiroMYhero]

I could've sworn I had seen that there were child activity centers inside Magic Kingdom and maybe another park, but now I can't find it!

I know they have these activity centers in a few of the resorts for $15/hour. Do they have something like this inside the parks?

My family of 3 adults and 1 child is going to Disney for the first time in February. Us adults would like to ride a few rides together that my 3-year-old won't be able to ride!

TIA!

The closest thing to childcare is Jedi Training Academy. Parents are known to sign up 3 year-olds and it would be for approximately an hour.

Seriously, no childcare in the Parks. The kids' clubs are at some of the Deluxe Resorts and the Swan/Dolphin.

 

[kandb]

You could child swap, unless it is imperative that the 3 adults have to ride the rides together?

 

[MOpGrad2013]

Rides with restrictions have a Rider Pass. Part of the party will ride the ride while some stay with the child. Then after the ride, they swap. Not every one will ride together, but I think it will work in your situation.

 

[OnceUponATime33]

You could child swap, unless it is imperative that the 3 adults have to ride the rides together?

We would rather all of us ride together, but if we can't, that's okay.

With child swap, could Adult 1 & adult 2 ride together, and then swap and have adult 1 & adult 3 ride together? Or would adult 3 have to ride alone?

 

[Magic Band Defender]

I could've sworn I had seen that there were child activity centers inside Magic Kingdom and maybe another park, but now I can't find it!

I know they have these activity centers in a few of the resorts for $15/hour. Do they have something like this inside the parks?

My family of 3 adults and 1 child is going to Disney for the first time in February. Us adults would like to ride a few rides together that my 3-year-old won't be able to ride!

TIA!

No childcare in the parks. I have a 2.5 year old (no other children) and on our last trip it was him and 4 adults. We used rider swaps, fast passes, and not all of the adults in our group wanted to ride every ride. It worked out well for everyone.

 

[OnceUponATime33]

Rides with restrictions have a Rider Pass. Part of the party will ride the ride while some stay with the child. Then after the ride, they swap. Not every one will ride together, but I think it will work in your situation.

Does this apply to ALL rides that have height restrictions?

 

[kmb584]

Does this apply to ALL rides that have height restrictions?

Yes. Just ask for a rider switch pass at the stand-by entrance.

 

[Dis703]

We would rather all of us ride together, but if we can't, that's okay.

With child swap, could Adult 1 & adult 2 ride together, and then swap and have adult 1 & adult 3 ride together? Or would adult 3 have to ride alone?

With a rider swap pass up to 3 people can ride so yes 1 could ride again with 3 in your example.

The only option for childcare in the parks is to hire someone to go with you. I'm sure it's quite pricey but there are area sitters who will come along into the parks. For many I believe you have to pay their entry fee in addition to their rates though.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Does this apply to ALL rides that have height restrictions?

Yes and you can also get the Rider Swap pass at the FP line.

This means only two adults need to FP the ride and the Swap allows the 3rd adult and one more adult to ride again without the need for FPs. You can get in more rides this way. For every height restricted ride, only schedule 2 FPs.

 

[CountyMounty]

Rider swap should work well in you situation. Of course not all of you can ride together but no one will have to ride alone and one lucky person gets to ride the ride twice. While obviously it uses up more time then being able to just ride all three together once, the rider swap pass is like a fast pass so it doesn't really take all that long.

The rider swap pass works like a fast pass regardless of whether you use the FP lane or the stand by line for the first ride so for any rides that you are unable to get a FP for or rides that dont really make sense to use your precious FP allotment for there is only one wait in the stand by line and the second riders would still get to FP that ride. Another good thing about the rider swap is you do not have to use it immediately. If the first two riders go on the ride and there isn't time for the other two to ride at that moment for whatever reason, or you just would prefer to do it later that day (or for that matter a later date) then you can just hold onto your pass until your ready to do the ride.

We used rider swap for every ride it was available for 8 days with our 2 and 8yos and it worked our very well (especially for the 8yo who got to do everything twice).

 

[sookie]

Hi OP,
I believe you are mistaking the Baby Care Centers for a childcare center for a "Children's Activity Center" in WDW terms.

Here is information on the Baby Care Centers at WDW: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/baby-care-centers/

The Baby Care Centers are in all of the parks. These are places you can take a baby for a cool place to rest, to change a diaper or clothes, or to feed your baby (that includes nursing). These are very nice areas - I consistently hear that the Baby Care Center in Animal Kingdom is awesome.

But no - you cannot leave your baby there. It is a place for you to utilize for your convenience to help facilitate your care of your baby while in the parks.


Children's Activity Centers

If you are interested in actual childcare, there are a few places you could look into. The first and most commonly used are termed Children's Activity Centers by WDW.

Your choices for Children's Activity Centers would be:
Lilo's Playhouse at the Poly: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/lilos-playhouse/

Simba's Cubhouse at AKL: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/animal-kingdom-lodge/simba-cubhouse/

Sandcastle Club at Beach Club Resort: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/beach-club-resort/sandcastle-club/

Cub's Den at Wilderness Lodge:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/cubs-den/

Camp Dolphin at the WDW Dolphin Hotel: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/dolphin-hotel/camp-dolphin/


You can also look into In-Room Babysitting as an alternative to using the Children's Activity Centers.

In-Room Babysitting

You can also inquire as to having a personal sitter come to your room or even with you to the parks, but you must book these sitters in advance. I believe the advance notice on this is several days to weeks in advance, and you have to pay them for minimal blocks of time - even if you only plan to use them for an hour or two. Here is some more information...

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/child-care-services/

Independent childcare provider Kid’s Nite Out offers one-to-one babysitting in the comfort of your Walt Disney World Resort hotel room. Arts and crafts, reading and playing games are among the fun-filled activities for children 6 months to 12 years of age.

Rates

Number of Children Price (per hour)
1 $16
2 $18.50
3 $21
4 $23.50
After 9:00 PM, a $2 charge will be added per hour. Additionally, a one-time transportation fee of $10 is also required. Please note that rates are subject to change without notice.

In-Park Assistance
You can also reserve a childcare specialist to accompany you and your family during your visit to the parks, providing a helping hand where needed.

Reservations
To contact Kid's Nite Out, please call (407) 828-0920, 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM, 7 days a week. Guests under 18 years of age must have parent or guardian permission to call.

 

[mirak]

The only option for childcare in the parks is to hire someone to go with you. I'm sure it's quite pricey but there are area sitters who will come along into the parks. For many I believe you have to pay their entry fee in addition to their rates though.

I wouldn't call it cheap because most charge about $15 an hour and will require at least a 4 hour minimum, but you almost certainly won't have to pay their park admission. Most teenage and 20-something girls living in the Orlando either work for Disney or have an annual pass.

But with three adults and just one child, I agree that child swap is a way better option.

An in-park nanny made more sense for us because we're two adults with three kids, the youngest being only 2, and we want to take the older kids on rides together.