Kid's Clubs?

[Golden Rose]

DS has recently turned four, and we find ourselves contemplating placing him in one of the Kid's Clubs for an evening. I don't know anything about them except that they exist, and are only for 4 and older...

I would really appreciate any stories people have of their kids either loving or hating the various kid's clubs, particularly younger children.

I also have a few specific questions...

Is the price the same for all the kid's clubs at all the resorts? Anyone know what the price currently is?

Do you have to be staying at that resort to use the club?

Are you allowed to leave the resort grounds while your child is at the club?

Are all the kid's clubs more or less the same?

How far in advance can one book them? How far in advance does one generally _need_ to book them?

Thanks in advance!

 

[txloopnlil]

DS has recently turned four, and we find ourselves contemplating placing him in one of the Kid's Clubs for an evening. I don't know anything about them except that they exist, and are only for 4 and older...

I would really appreciate any stories people have of their kids either loving or hating the various kid's clubs, particularly younger children.

I don't know about any of the others, but we put my just turned 5 year old twins in the Cub's Den at WL one night this week, so the adults could enjoy a good meal in peace. My boys had a blast! They had lots of games, computers and toys to play with. There was only 2 other kids there when we checked in, but they apparently left shortly thereafter. My kids go to daycare and our church nursery, so they didn't have any separation issues - they saw the cool toys and took off and barely looked back when we said good bye. They were fed dinner and given a Mickey Head Rice Krispy head as a snack when they left. I wouldn't have any hesitation about doing it on our next trip.

I also have a few specific questions...

Is the price the same for all the kid's clubs at all the resorts? Anyone know what the price currently is?
I think it is all the same, but don't remember. Cub's den was $11/hour and we were billed in half hour units
Do you have to be staying at that resort to use the club?
I know you don't have to be a resort guest. We debated which club to leave the boys in - our home resort or where our dinner was. We decided it was better to leave them in our home resort where it was a shorter trip up to bed when we picked them up

Are you allowed to leave the resort grounds while your child is at the club?
Yes, - You are asked where you are going and need to leave a contact number. We only went to CR which is very close.

Are all the kid's clubs more or less the same?
don't know

How far in advance can one book them? How far in advance does one generally _need_ to book them?

I booked the same time I made my reservations for dinner, about 2.5 weeks out, but there were only 4 kids total from 7pm to 8pm, and my twins were the only ones there from 8pm to 10:30. I don't know how busy it gets during the high season though.

My kids list that evening as one of their best experiences outside the parks.

 

[KristiMc]

Our boys (7 & 4) loved the Neverland Club at the Polynesian. They wanted to stay longer when we picked them up.

You do not need to be staying at the resort to use the club. You also do not need to stay on property. We went to dinner at the Grand Floridian.

In October it was $11/hour/kid. That included their dinner.

 

[RMulieri]

It is for kids age 4 and up and they MUST be potty trained.They make no exceptions for this. My dd went to the Sandcastle Club one night , and some parents knew their child was not potty trained but lied and left them in a pullup.Well the kid peed thru the pull up and the staff was livid, not to mention the parents were called back, after trying to get a hold of them for awhile. You can pick any of them ,you do not have to stay at the resort. Neverland at the POly is the biggest and best themed. Cost has gone up it is now $11.25 per hr per child. The clubs include dinner in the price and you select it for your child when you arrive ( chicken fingers, mac n cheese etc). Clubs hrs are from around 430p -12 am. Reservations are a must during peak times. You can leave the disney resort and go outside Disney, BUT if there is an emergency or your kid does not like it, you are that much further away.

 

[JESW]

My kids are now 10 & 14 and the oldest has aged out of the clubs and dh & I are very sad about that! Every trip we left them in one of the clubs - and some trips even 2x if they were tired and didn't want to go out at night!

The only two we used were The Neverland Club at the Polynesian and Simba's Cubhouse at The Animal Kingdom Lodge. We made dinner plans nearby the club so we wouldn't waste the time and $$$ in travel. (The cost does add up when you have 2 kids in the club) We miss our quiet dinners at Jiko, but now the kids like it there too. When they were at The Neverland Club we liked eating at The Kona Cafe and then wandering around the grounds of The Polynesian.

Both my kids liked the clubs and we had to drag them out when we got there.

Try it and see how your son does. The staff can get ahold of you if the need to.

Jill

 

[ilovejack02]

My DS had so much fun at the Neverland club. We had drinks in the bar at the Poly then a long dinner at Kona and then wandered the grounds for awhile. He was mad when we came back to pick him up lol.

Plan on trying the Animal Kingdom club next time around and if Pleasure Island is reopened by then.. that is where we will head.

 

[Golden Rose]

The potty trained part shouldn't be an issue, although I admit that he did have one accident the other day when he got so involved with a new toy that he couldn't quite make it to the potty in time. It was a one time problem (I hope!) and he should be fine for a couple of hours.

Does anyone know if it is possible to go by the club and let him play there for a few minutes with us present to see if he gets comfortable there? I would hate for him to be miserable for long during our vacation just because we would like a couple of hours to ourselves.

 

[RMulieri]

The potty trained part shouldn't be an issue, although I admit that he did have one accident the other day when he got so involved with a new toy that he couldn't quite make it to the potty in time. It was a one time problem (I hope!) and he should be fine for a couple of hours.

Does anyone know if it is possible to go by the club and let him play there for a few minutes with us present to see if he gets comfortable there? I would hate for him to be miserable for long during our vacation just because we would like a couple of hours to ourselves.

What we did is we had ressies for a Wed night at Sandcastle Club, so on Tues afternoon at 430p when they opened we brought our dd by to see the place etc. They did not have a problem with it.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

Here's a little info I copied from somewhere several months ago: (Since no one else has submitted this)




Simba's Clubhouse - 407-938-4785
Location: Animal Kingdom Lodge, 1st Floor, Zebra Trail off of the Pool Area
Hours: 4:30 p.m. - Midnight
Price: $11.00 per hour for each child. Minimum 2 hours

Ages: Age limit is 4 to 12, must be potty trained (no pull-ups)
Reservations: Advance reservations are recommended by calling 407-WDW-DINE. Same day reservations may be available. Call the facility directly after 4:00pm

Hours: 4:30 p.m. to Midnight
Cancellation Policy: 24 hour cancellation policy. There is a 30 minute grace period, after which the reservation is released.
Features: Group child care featuring free arcade games, Sega/Nintendo, board games, big screen TV, movies, dolls and stuffed animals, coloring, crafts and much more.

Meals: Included in price. Served sometime betwee 6:00 - 8:00pm
Menu: The following can be ordered when you check the child in:

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich with Chips, Chicken Fingers with Fries, Hamburger with Fries, Hot Dog with Fries, Mac N Cheese

Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
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The Mouseketeer Club
Location: Grand Floridian Resort, near Gasparilla Grill & Games
Hours: 4:30pm-midnight
Price: $11 per hour per child (2 hr minimum)
Activities: Children's activity program offering unlimited video games, movies, games and crafts.
Ages: Age limit is 4 to 12, must be potty trained (no pull-ups)
Menu: Dinner is included and served sometime between 6:00 - 8:00. Selection includes Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers, Peanut Butter & Jelly and Chicken Strips
Reservations: Required by calling 407-WDW-DINE. 24 hour cancellation policy.

Pagers: Available to parents at drop off with a deposit required

Polynesian Resort Childcare

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The Neverland Club
Location: Polynesian Resort, near Snack Isle
Hours: 4pm-midnight
Price: $11 per hour per child (2 hr minimum)
Activities: Children's activity program centering around the Peter Pan theme, offering unlimited video arcade games, cartoons, and assorted toys. Included in the price is a buffet meal from 6:00pm to 8:00pm only.
Ages: Age limit is 4 to 12, must be potty trained (no pull-ups)
Menu: Pizza, Chicken planks, Mac N Cheese, the Captain's Fries, Hot Dogs, Corn on the Cob, Fresh Fruit and Dessert. A snack of goldfish and juice box is served at 10:00pm.
Reservations: Required by calling 407-WDW-DINE. 24 hour cancellation policy.

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Yacht and Beach Club Resort Childcare
SANDCASTLE CLUB (WDW resort guests only)
Location: Off Beach Club lobby near Atlantic Wear
Hours: 4:30 p.m. - Midnight
Charge: $11.00 per hour for each child. Minimum 2 hours
Ages: Age limit is 4 to 12, must be potty trained (no pull-ups)
Reservations: Advance reservations are required. 407-WDW-DINE. Must be a guest of a Disney Resort.

Hours: 4:30 p.m. to Midnight
Cancellation Policy: 24 hour cancellation policy. There is a 30 minute grace period, after which the reservation is released.
Features: Group child care featuring free arcade games, Sega/Nintendo, board games, big screen TV, movies, dolls and stuffed animals, coloring, crafts and much more.
Meals: Served sometime between 6:00 - 8:00, included in price
Menu: Chicken Tenders, Hot Dogs, Macaroni and Cheese, Peanut Butter, and Jelly Sandwich, French Fries


I haven't done one yet, but we plan to in a couple weeks. Does anyone have any pictures???