Children and Planning Session

[GlobalDiva]

Hey everyone

For those of you who have children, or are guardians of children--did they attend the planning session with you? How did you and your planner handle that?

 

[disprincessatheart]

I don't have any, but I believe that we were told we couldn't bring children. The session took a long time - and I can imagine no kid under 12 at least would have sat thru it.

 

[TamTab]

I also don't have any children but I do have a brother who is 26 and has cerebral palsy and can not be left alone. You could say he is like an over grown child. Anyways we brought him along to our planning session and Meri had no problem with it. I would advise you to check with your planner and go from there.

 

[PrincessBride010103]

The paper says specifically for the tasting that children under 18 cannot attend.

for the planning session I wouldnt reccommend bringing children..my DH could barely sit through it...and he's sorta like a child

 

[lov2b@disney]

We have 3 boys and it would have been too much for them to sit through and definately wouldnt recommend having them at the tasting- mostly d/t the fact that it is done in the kitchen (ours was at the GF kitchen) for safety reasons!

 

[M&M126]

Just ask your planner. My 11 year old niece came and she was fine. Granted she's a little older so it was probably easier for her to sit through that than it would be for a younger child!

 

[Janet2k]

For those of you who have children, or are guardians of children--did they attend the planning session with you? How did you and your planner handle that?

GlobalDiva, when my husband and I first met with the FTW folks, our daughter was attending the Wonderland Tea Party at the Grand Floridian Resort. That gave us approximately an hour and a half tops for our meeting, which we thought would be fine. But our meeting went longer than we had expected, so my husband had to high-tail it to the GF in order to pick up our daughter before Disney turned her over to the Its A Small World ride people. I stayed behind with our FTW Sales Manager and completed the meeting. When I was done, I went to the GF and met up with my daughter & husband, who had been waiting (im)patiently in the lobby of the resort.

When it came time for my FTW Planning Session a few months later, I left the entire family back at home on the West Coast. Instead, I asked three of my Dis buddies to join me in FL for my Planning Session. That session was a marathon one. I think it lasted somewhere around 8-1/2 hours. Granted, that is not the norm for a Planning Session, but I was awfully glad that I didn't have to worry about my kids being with me for it. They would have been bored out of their minds.

So, that's what I did. For my first meeting, I put my daughter in one of Disney's kids programs; and for my second meeting, I left my entire family at home.

Good luck with your decision, GlobalDiva. I know you'll make the right one for yourself.

 

[GlobalDiva]

I don't have any, but I believe that we were told we couldn't bring children. The session took a long time - and I can imagine no kid under 12 at least would have sat thru it.

Yeah, I don't think my 4-year old nephew could sit through that, definitely.

I also don't have any children but I do have a brother who is 26 and has cerebral palsy and can not be left alone. You could say he is like an over grown child. Anyways we brought him along to our planning session and Meri had no problem with it. I would advise you to check with your planner and go from there.

Thanks TamTab!

The paper says specifically for the tasting that children under 18 cannot attend.

for the planning session I wouldnt reccommend bringing children..my DH could barely sit through it...and he's sorta like a child

LOL I cracked up when I read that. As well as not bringing my nephew, I don't think I wanna bring my dad either. God knows he can't sit still.

We have 3 boys and it would have been too much for them to sit through and definately wouldnt recommend having them at the tasting- mostly d/t the fact that it is done in the kitchen (ours was at the GF kitchen) for safety reasons!

OK, advice definitely noted!

Just ask your planner. My 11 year old niece came and she was fine. Granted she's a little older so it was probably easier for her to sit through that than it would be for a younger child!

Yeah, my nephew's a boy, and he's 4, so I definitely think he won't have the poise of a well-behaved 11-year old girl

GlobalDiva, when my husband and I first met with the FTW folks, our daughter was attending the Wonderland Tea Party at the Grand Floridian Resort. That gave us approximately an hour and a half tops for our meeting, which we thought would be fine. But our meeting went longer than we had expected, so my husband had to high-tail it to the GF in order to pick up our daughter before Disney turned her over to the Its A Small World ride people. I stayed behind with our FTW Sales Manager and completed the meeting. When I was done, I went to the GF and met up with my daughter & husband, who had been waiting (im)patiently in the lobby of the resort.

When it came time for my FTW Planning Session a few months later, I left the entire family back at home on the West Coast. Instead, I asked three of my Dis buddies to join me in FL for my Planning Session. That session was a marathon one. I think it lasted somewhere around 8-1/2 hours. Granted, that is not the norm for a Planning Session, but I was awfully glad that I didn't have to worry about my kids being with me for it. They would have been bored out of their minds.

So, that's what I did. For my first meeting, I put my daughter in one of Disney's kids programs; and for my second meeting, I left my entire family at home.

Good luck with your decision, GlobalDiva. I know you'll make the right one for yourself.

Thanks Janet! i think we'll try to have someone come up with us who can babysit my nephew for the day, because I really need my sister there at the session with us. That way, he can have fun at the pool or at a playground with a relative while the rest of us get down to wedding business

Thanks everyone, for your advice and ideas!

 

[Janet2k]

i think we'll try to have someone come up with us who can babysit my nephew for the day, because I really need my sister there at the session with us.

GlobalDiva, on one of my vacations, my sister brought along her infant and toddler. We used an in-room sitter (via Disney) and it worked out well. We actually used a couple of in-room sitters during that vacation and all of them worked out beautifully. No complaints from my sister or I.

Since the child that you're talking about is older (4 years), he is capable of attending one of Disney's childcare clubs. However, you're going to have to arrange a late meeting with the FTW folks since the childcare clubs don't (normally) open until late in the afternoon. Verify the operating hours with Disney. My children have used both the in-room sitters and the childcare clubs, and they've always had a wonderful time.

 

[Janet2k]

I'm not certain but I *think* Disney still uses Kid's Nite Out: click here. Verify that with Disney (since they probably put the service that they recommend through the ringer just so you can feel comfortable using them).

 

[Janet2k]

Okay, I just went to the official WDW website and found the following (link):

Kid's Nite Out
Treat yourself to a night out while your children enjoy one-on-one childcare in the comfort of your hotel or resort room. Relax knowing professional staff gives individual attention and encourages the playing of fun-filled activities. To contact Kid's Nite Out, Inc., please call (407) 828-0920† from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm, seven days a week.

 

[shezfrombermuda]

I just returned from my planning session. I went with my mom and 15 month old daughter. Our planning session almost went for four hours. They couldn't believe how well behaved my daughter was. She tasted cake, had a snack, walked around the wedding pavilion, "coloured", and had a small nap in her stroller. For the tasting session you are not allowed to bring children (anyone under 18) due to safety issues. As Janet said, Disney uses Kid's Nite Out. During our break, we took my daughter back to the hotel and then returned for our tasting session.

 

[Janet2k]

I just returned from my planning session. I went with my mom and 15 month old daughter... For the tasting session you are not allowed to bring children (anyone under 18) due to safety issues. As Janet said, Disney uses Kid's Nite Out. During our break, we took my daughter back to the hotel and then returned for our tasting session.

Shezfrombermuda, I'm glad to hear that everything worked out well for you.

 

[shezfrombermuda]

Thanks, Janet. The woman from Kids Nite Out was great with my daughter. I would definitely use them again.

 

[Janet2k]

The woman from Kids Nite Out was great with my daughter. I would definitely use them again.

I'm really glad to hear that, Shezfrombermuda. I'm still not sure what we're going to do for our 25th anniversary next year, but if we go through with a Wishes event and I have a planning session, it's nice to know what the options are for my daughter.