Kids Clubs...has anyone used it for this?

[jacksonsmom]

My husband & I are thinking of putting our son (4.5 yrs) in a Kid's Club (Neverland Club, Cub's Den, etc) for about 3-4 hours so we can go to Magic Kingdom & go on the rides that my son won't go on (splash Mountain, Space Mountain) and then we are thinking of hopping over to MGM and hitting ToT and RnR.
Has anyone done that, use the Kids Club so the "big kids" can go on the bigger rides?

What is a good kids club? I am thinking of the Neverland or Cub's Den.

Thanks!

 

[LKS]

We didn't do this, but you are aware that the clubs are only open in the evening, right? Also, as I recall, there were technically limits on how long you could leave the kids at some of the clubs. I think the Neverland Club was unlimited. You would probably need to drop your child off as early as possible - perhaps 5pm?, then if MK was open late, I would do MGM first and come back for MK so that I was closer by when the park closed. Depending upon how late the parks are open, or perhaps if there is an E-night, you might get a lot done, or it might not be worth it.

 

[tigger2on]

If you were to do this, drop him off @ Neverland in the Poly as it is on the monorail to MK. Simba's Club is at AKL so you'd have to travel from there to get to MK and that would waste alot of time, plus if they have to page you, it might take a while to get back!
I believe all the clubs open up at 4 so if you could get him, there ASAP after opening, then you'd get 3 hours in even if they close @ 7pm.
He can eat there if hungry and it was a $10/hr charge..which I think is a great deal.
We drop our 7 yr old off at the club's when we want to do Pleasure Island... I don't se the differnce with you droppi ng him off to do some grown up time at the parks... it is YOUR vacation too! Plus he'll have fun at the club's as well!

 

[jacksonsmom]

Originally posted by LKS
We didn't do this, but you are aware that the clubs are only open in the evening, right? .

Yes, the imformation I was told was they open at 4:30 & is opened until midnight. We do not plan on being out to Midnight!!

I was thinking if we drop him off at 4:30 & then picked him up at 8:30 (or sooner) we should have enough time to run over to MGM first & then hit Magic Kingdom. Maybe even if we get those done in record time, grab a nice bite to eat, just the two of us.
We will have a rental car & plan to drive from the Kids Club to MGM & Magic Kingdom, so that might cut down on travel time.

I guess I would like any feedback on the Neverland Club or Cub's Den since those are the two we are leaning towards right now.

 

[jacksonsmom]

Originally posted by tigger2on
I don't se the differnce with you droppi ng him off to do some grown up time at the parks... it is YOUR vacation too! Plus he'll have fun at the club's as well!

Thanks, I was feeling a little guilty for even thinking this since it is a family vacation.

But I just think he will have more fun at a kids club (he loves playing with other kids) then waiting for my husband and myself while we swap rides. (We can not leave WDW without riding ToT!!!)

I thought the Cub's Den was at Wilderness Lodge??

 

[marcyinPA]

We are using the Cub's Den for the first time with our two ds's ages 4 & 8. We have Ps's to eat at Artist Point that evening and have the boys booked for 2 hours in the Cub's Den. I, too, felt a little "guilty", but THEY are really looking forward to it! A friend of mine has used it with her DS and she really talked it up to my boys, so they can't wait!

On past trips, we always brought my mom along so she stayed with the boys so my dh and I could have some alone time. This year, we decided just to make it a "4 of us" trip but we still wanted to have a quiet dinner at one of our favorite WDW restaurants!

Have fun!

 

[tjmw2727]

I think that if you pick a kids club close to the park you could do one park but probably not two- depending on the time of year you choose.

You could use the kids club at Poly or CR and make it a quick monorail hop to the MK and get the e-ticket rides in. You could use the BC/YK or Boardwalk kids club and walk or hop to MGM for Tot and RnRc and still be close. I honestly don't think you could do both parks but I could be wrong!

Personally I would just use child swap at MK for the rides he dosen't like or isn't tall enough for. IIRC my dd's rode Splash and BTMR at 4 and loved them both, the height requirement is 40". You could use FP for Space Mt or child swap while the other parent takes your son on Buzz or for a mickey bar.

If it were me I would use a kids club at one of the boardwalk resorts and hit MGM for TOT and RnRC, walk or boat to Epcot for nice dinner and Illuminations and then head back for your son.

We usually use the kids clubs for dinner a night or two depending on how long our trip is and choose one close to the restaraund. IE - AKL Simba's club for dinner at Jiko. My dd's love the kids clubs and look forward to "their special night out".

Have Fun
TJ

 

[Doodlebug939]

What are the ages for the kids club. My daughter will turn 4 about a week after week our visit to Disney. Will they take her?

 

[Magic2000]

I think the ages for the kids clubs start at 4. You may want to just call and ask.

My DD has stayed at Simba's Clubhouse while we had dinner at BOMAs. She had a great time and has been asking to go back. She was only there for an hour, but she got to pick what she wanted for dinner (hotdog, FF, choc milk) and she mostly colored with markers!

This past Oct, she stayed at Cub's Den while DH & I had dinner at Artist Point. Again, she had a great time and I'm pretty sure she picked the same thing for dinner - hotdog, FF & choc milk!

I think it would work out great to go to the parks for a little while to ride the "big" rides. That way, when you're at the parks with your child, you can let them pick what they want to do!!

Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[BevS97]

we used the kids club at the Harbour Club so we could see Fantasmic (my dd is scared of the dragon), we had plenty of time to get the boat to MGM, do a ride, eat and then watch the show and we were back for dd around 10.

another night we used Simba's cub house and ate at Jiko - we had originally planned on going to MK for an e-night ,but we decided we woudln't have time to get to the park and back for a reasonable hour, so we opted for a fancy meal instead.

Bev

 

[NotUrsula]

We've done it several times for e-nites, which is essentially what you are thinking of doing. DS didn't mind at all; he knew we were planning to rides the rides he couldn't or wouldn't go on, and he LOVES the NL Club.

 

[JESW]

The kids clubs start taking them at age 4. Last June we left the kids (then 4 & 8) at Simba's Cubhouse at the AKL while DH & I got to eat at Boma's (we were seated in the adult section - what a treat! ). We were staying at the AKL so that was very convenient. We only left them there for 2 hours and they were very disappointed when we came to pick them up!

In November DS was 9 and DD was almost 5 and we left them at The Neverland Club (we stayed at the Polynesian) for 3 hours this time. DH & I love the Kona Cafe and then we went over to the MK to try out Mickey's Philharmagic to see if the kids would like it. We also got to watch the fireworks and hold hands while walking down main Street. Sigh. So nice to have a place to leave the kids for a while so we could have some alone time.

The kids LOVED the Neverland Club and were not happy to see us even after 3 hours! DD is the arts & crafts queen and they had all kinds of things for kids to color, cut, glue, glitter, etc. They liked the buffet-type dinner since DS could get pizza (he's a very picky eater!). When we arrived to pick them up they were putting on a puppet show with a group of other kids. They had a blast!

I would not hesitate to leave your child at one of these places - especially if your child enjoys the company of other children and is ok with leaving you. They give you a beeper so they can contact you if anything goes wrong.

We are going back down in a couple of weeks and hope to get the kids back into the Neverland Club. Not sure how long we are going to leave them this time. (It does get pricey tho with $10 per child per hour

Hope you have a great time!

Jill

 

[jacksonsmom]

Thank you Jill.
The Neverland Club sounds like something my son would really enjoy.
I even asked him tonight if he would be OK to go to a Kids Club and play with the other kids while Daddy and I rode the big rides he doesn't want to go on. He told me YES!!!!

He doesn't have a problem with strangers & I had to use drop off daycares before for emergencies & he has never had a problem. He loves interacting with other children.

Does anyone know the food on the menu at the Neverland Club? Another picky eater here....as long as there is mac & cheese he will be happy though.