Vacation Nanny

[pascagoulabeach]

Has anybody ever used a sitting service in the park? Someone to watch the kids while the adults are riding rides etc....

I would hope that someone like that would have an annual pass so you would not have to pay daily park admission for them.

 

[Girimama33]

Has anybody ever used a sitting service in the park? Someone to watch the kids while the adults are riding rides etc....

I would hope that someone like that would have an annual pass so you would not have to pay daily park admission for them.

I do not believe such a service exists.
Most guests with younger children that are too young to rides certain rides get a Rider Swap Pass. You go to the front of the attraction and ask the CM for a RS Pass. The first person enters the ride while the other adult takes the kid(s) on something else. When the first adult is done, the second adult can use the RS pass to get on the ride with usually a shorter wait.

 

[hjgaus]

Has anybody ever used a sitting service in the park? Someone to watch the kids while the adults are riding rides etc....

I would hope that someone like that would have an annual pass so you would not have to pay daily park admission for them.

I see you are a DVC member!! If you go to WDW may I ask HOW you are able to ride the rides there?

Did YOU hire a nanny with annual pass while @ WDW?

Although I would agree with other poster to do the parent exchange pass it works for little ones.
We have not done this since 2002 but it's a great way to enjoy the rides WITHOUT hiring anyone to attend to the kids while you have fun!!
Most people bring other family members to help out such as grandparents!
Try and have fun!!!

 

[Pastalady]

If you are staying on site you can utilize the babysitting club at grand Californian but they will not take your child into the park. They do crafts, snacks, etc.

 

[DahliaRW]

I couldn't agree more with this

See, I wouldn't want an nanny to take my kids all day everyday. But, I wouldn't mind someone taking them for part of a day or evening so that dh and I could have some grown up time. In fact, last time we went with dh's parents and they took the kids from mid afternoon until past bedtime one day while dh and I went to NR for dinner and then to the parks just the two of us to ride some rides. We weren't being "bad" parents by skipping a few hours with our kids at all.

 

[MichaelaF]

As the mom of a 1-year old, this doesn't make me sad at all, and I totally get why the OP is asking. (And I love my son, but I also love going on adult rides with my husband, who I also love.) We use rider swap a lot (there are some great advantages to this, especially if you plan accordingly with FP), but sometimes it's nice to go on rides your LOs can't. I don't know why this is sad in any way.

WDW has Kid's Nite Out, which offers this service (mother/fathers helpers) at the Florida parks. (There, it is on you to pay for the child care worker's entry ticket, though I've read some of them have APs, but they can't guarantee it.)

Unfortunately, DLR doesn't have anything like this nearby. The one childcare agency I saw come up consistently, with good reviews, was Fullerton Child Care Agency. However, from what I can see on their website, I don't think they can do parent helpers at the parks, they can only do in-room babysitting services. And of course, you can use Disney childcare if you are staying in the Disney resorts. We chose not to use childcare, but if you are staying nearby, you may want to hire Fullerton for a few hours to have some time to yourselves, maybe hit a few rides and Trader Sams.

 

[SMD]

I know people who take their regular babysitter on vacation to watch the kids. My family would take a family vacation and if my parents wanted alone time they took their own trip. I realize that not everyone can afford it, but the people who bring a non-family member to babysit probably can. Of course if you hire someone to watch their kids in a theme park you should pay their expenses. Even if I had an AP, if a family hired me to babysit their kids in the park, I would charge a little more, taking into account that I provided my own admission.

 

[Escape2Disney]

When my kids were young (i.e. under 8), I had already started the tradition of going to DL once a year. I was a single parent with some significant health problems, and realized I couldn't keep taking them without help - at least while they were young.

For three or four trips, I brought a family friend (older teenager until early 20s) with us. I paid all of her expenses except spending money. My only requirement was that we'd all stick together in the parks so she could help when needed, and she would take them to the park if I needed to rest. When it was bedtime for the girls, they'd come back to the room with me, and she had a chance to tour the park alone to ride what she wanted to. That plan really worked well for us! Her family never went to Disney, so it was a huge treat for her and a fantastic gift for me.

 

[rtfelt]

I can totally understand OP question. I do this for family all the time. I'm local with an AP, so I always offer to meet visiting family at the parks. I'll stay with the younger kids, who aren't tall enough to ride the big rides, while the parents go on a "big" ride together. We don't spend the whole afternoon apart or even a few hours. They leave just long enough to use their FP for Space, then come back and continue with their kids, then leave again to use their FP for Indy then come back with the kids. It's not sad at all. They're with their kids most of the day, but they also want to enjoy these rides together, instead of alone. I think it's a great idea for someone to start this service. If my DD18 still had an AP (she didn't renew this year because she spends 8 months out of the year out-of-state at college) I would suggest to her to offer this service. She still would probably love to, but the admission would have to be paid. She's working as a nanny this summer anyway. As a long time AP, she could probably even help with knowing how to navigate the park

 

[DarthMole]

I can totally understand OP question. I do this for family all the time. I'm local with an AP, so I always offer to meet visiting family at the parks. I'll stay with the younger kids, who aren't tall enough to ride the big rides, while the parents go on a "big" ride together. We don't spend the whole afternoon apart or even a few hours. They leave just long enough to use their FP for Space, then come back and continue with their kids, then leave again to use their FP for Indy then come back with the kids. It's not sad at all. They're with their kids most of the day, but they also want to enjoy these rides together, instead of alone. I think it's a great idea for someone to start this service. If my DD18 still had an AP (she didn't renew this year because she spends 8 months out of the year out-of-state at college) I would suggest to her to offer this service. She still would probably love to, but the admission would have to be paid. She's working as a nanny this summer anyway. As a long time AP, she could probably even help with knowing how to navigate the park

This is exactly how I took the OP's question and don't think it's sad at all.

Those touting rider swap should keep in mind that every minute consumed for the second ride (FP wait + ride time) is essentially wasted vs. everyone going at once. Plus there's the added benefit of the rest of the party being able to ride together.

 

[mickeymom629]

I can totally understand OP question. I do this for family all the time. I'm local with an AP, so I always offer to meet visiting family at the parks. I'll stay with the younger kids, who aren't tall enough to ride the big rides, while the parents go on a "big" ride together. We don't spend the whole afternoon apart or even a few hours. They leave just long enough to use their FP for Space, then come back and continue with their kids, then leave again to use their FP for Indy then come back with the kids. It's not sad at all. They're with their kids most of the day, but they also want to enjoy these rides together, instead of alone. I think it's a great idea for someone to start this service. If my DD18 still had an AP (she didn't renew this year because she spends 8 months out of the year out-of-state at college) I would suggest to her to offer this service. She still would probably love to, but the admission would have to be paid. She's working as a nanny this summer anyway. As a long time AP, she could probably even help with knowing how to navigate the park

I think this situation sounds great for all but, if I were the parent, I would definitely want some kind of background check/information on the sitter I didn't know, even inside a theme park. Actually, this is a retirement job I would LOVE!!

 

[Girimama33]

This is exactly how I took the OP's question and don't think it's sad at all.

Those touting rider swap should keep in mind that every minute consumed for the second ride (FP wait + ride time) is essentially wasted vs. everyone going at once. Plus there's the added benefit of the rest of the party being able to ride together.

But Rider Swap is what is available in the parks for parents with small children who cannot ride certain rides...that's why it was touted. They do not currently offer a nanny service, and there is not a local company that offers this type of service.

 

[DarthMole]

But Rider Swap is what is available in the parks for parents with small children who cannot ride certain rides...that's why it was touted. They do not currently offer a nanny service, and there is not a local company that offers this type of service.

That's fine, all I was doing was supporting the idea that it may be a viable service since it was suggested in the comment I was quoting. People also mentioned bringing family along or their personal babysitter, which in those cases are much more efficient than rider swap. For those families without an extended support structure, rider swap is good and as you pointed out, all that is available.

 

[rtfelt]

I think this situation sounds great for all but, if I were the parent, I would definitely want some kind of background check/information on the sitter I didn't know, even inside a theme park. Actually, this is a retirement job I would LOVE!!

Yeah, I agree with both. As a job, these family members are so appreciative, but they don't know I love the excuse to go to DLR again It's just as fun for me especially because my youngest is now 13, so I don't have the young child wonder in my immediate family until the grandkids start coming. I LOVE doing it I get service "points" for doing something fun

I wonder if any of the child care services that do have background checks, would have this. My daughter is on Care.com and I know there are others. I wonder if you queried their site if you could find someone willing.

 

[Malcon10t]

That's fine, all I was doing was supporting the idea that it may be a viable service since it was suggested in the comment I was quoting. People also mentioned bringing family along or their personal babysitter, which in those cases are much more efficient than rider swap. For those families without an extended support structure, rider swap is good and as you pointed out, all that is available.

Hey, at all the rides with height requirements, there are kennels... Just leave the kids there!!

I am joking as we won't even use it for the dog. The dog is our responsibility in the park, don't need to drop her in a kennel so we can ride.

I used to bring my sisters along. They were 12 and 14 years older than my kids. Perfect for swapping with.

 

[Lisa71]

Just to answer the original question no but kids nite it does offer the service and I know people who have used them for that. They can come with you to the parks and help in any way needed. We have used them for one adult dinner and they were great. The sitter we had has done the parks regularly and said she helped a lot of large families or single parents. Our DS is disabled and I could see using them. He has a one on one at school and thank goodness I am married..I not I would do it!! We loved the service for our dinner and they are all safety certified and background checked..and get additional disney training.

 

[kris14]

i like the idea of having a sitter that would take my kids around the park for a couple of hours. our anniversary falls during our trip so i would love to go out to dinner and spend some time just DH and myself. but i would feel bad leaving the kids cooped up in the room while we are off enjoying Disneyland.

 

[disneyhopeful4]

I can think of lots if reasons for wanting this type of service! We were fortunate enough to have family that could help out, but if we didn't I could certainly understand the benefit of having another set of hands and eyes around. I hope the OP is able to find a solution!

 

[sandysue]

Round the clock sitters will accompany families and or children in the parks.
OP asked for info and a resource, not opinions and judgement.

 

[tiffjoy]

I think it's too bad someone came here asking a legitimate question and instead received judgement on their parenting. Saying this is "sad" is a big stretch since OP didn't specify anything more than wanting a babysitting service inside the parks rather than outside. PLENTY of posters ask about the kids clubs and babysitting services for an evening alone without their kids. I don't see the difference here.

We have a nanny, but we do not bring her on vacations, and we don't vacation without our children. That's just our choice. Everyone is different.

I do wonder if you could try a few local nanny agencies. They might be able to help. Doubtful, but it's possible. If they don't, they might be able to point you in the right direction.