babysitting/clubs

[KIS]

I would like to hear from those of you who may have used any of the babysitting clubs in the Epcot resort area. We are staying at the Dolphin. We know the Dolphin has a club as does the Beach Club and the Broadwalk.

In addition to these clubs, my daughter loves the sound of the Neverland Club (her preschool put on their rendition of Peter Pan this past June). If we're considering a night of dancing on the Broadwalk or going to Epcot for some World Showcase exhibits that we don't think our daughter can tolerate, wouldn't traveling to the Neverland Club be rather inconvenient?

So, we are especially interested in report about the Dolphin Club and the babysitting clubs at the Beach Club and Broadwalk Club.

Thanks.

KIS

 

[Reflection]

The name of the kid's club at the Yacht Club, not the Beach Club, is the Sandcastle Club. The kid's club at the Boardwalk, the Harbor Club, is currently closed.

If you are planning an evening at the Boardwalk or EPCOT, the Sandcastle Club would be more convenient than the Neverland Club at the Polynesian, particularly if you are relying on WDW transportation (monorail or bus). If you have a car, travel time from EPCOT or the Boardwalk to the Polynesian via car is not that signficant. Note the clubs are open from 4:30 to midnight, costs $10/hour/child, and the child's meal is included. I don't recall if there is minimum amount of hours. Also, a credit card is needed to guarantee a reservation.

On previous trips, my daughter (now age 10) has stayed at many of the WDW kid's clubs, but particularly likes the Sandcastle and Neverland Clubs.

We have not had an opportunity to stay at the Dolphin,and I cannot comment on that hotel's kid's club.

If you opt for the Sandcastle Club, or the Neverland Club, your daughter will have a wonderful time. Good luck with your decision.

 

[KIS]

Dear Reflections,

Thank you for your reflections!

I did not know that one of the clubs for kids was closed. The Sandcastle Club is definitely in the running then.

I wish I could hear about the Dolphin Kid's Club. Does anyone have any experience with that one so that I can compare?

KIS

 

[Reflection]

Kis

We will be staying at the Boardwalk Villas in just a few days! I found out the Harbor Club--the kid's club at the Boardwalk--was closed when I called in June to make reservations for child care services. The Harbor Club would have been closer to Swan. Generally, I wait until we are on property to make reservations for the kid's clubs, but I had no idea about crowd levels due to Fairy Tale Package, and thought it best to plan ahead.

My daughter likes the kid's clubs so much that she wants to stay longer on the nights she is there or return other nights of our stay. Club Dolphin sounds like a lot of fun. I am certain your daughter will have a wonderful time there.

 

[KIS]

Dear Reflections,

thank you for your note and good wishes. i hope you have a wonderful time on your trip. the broadwalk looks like a lovely hotel from the pictures i see on websites.

what age is your daughter that might help as a point of comparison? my daughter will be a little over 5 years old when we travel in April.

i guess your daughter knows her pace. my daughter can go, go, go and then, she likes quieter activities, so i guess i will need to be even more flexible. who knows she may feel like your daughter.

when was the last time you went to WDW? if it's been a year or so, your daughter's interests may have changed, only she may not know it yet. KIDS!


Anyway, have a great trip.

KIS

 

[Reflection]

Kis

My daughter is 10. She was 5 on her first trip to Disney, and her favorite activity was swimming in the hotel pool.

We usually travel to WDW once per year. Our last trip was August 2002; although we also were at WDW in April '02 because I was at a conference; so that was a bonus trip for her. Actually, WDW was not part of our vacation plans this year--I was planning on the beach, but my daughter suprised me by saying, "we're not going to Florida this summer?" Then, WDW released the Fairy Tale Package and now we are on our way.

My daughter's energy pace sounds about like yours. She likes the rides, but I like them even more than she. And some of the thrill rides are just not for her--Splash Mountain and Tower of Terror. What is funny is that she will repeatedly ride the Dudley Doo Right water ride at Universal's Islands of Adventure, which has a steeper drop than Splash Mountain, I believe. Kids!!

I think part of the appeal of the kid's clubs for her is the opportunity to play with other children. My daughter is an only child and our trips are just the two of us. The appeal to stay longer or come back another night to the kid club is generally because she has made 'play plans' with a new friend.

Apart from deciding what park(s) we will visit on a certain day and a short list of must do rides, I don't plan much beyond that. If the park is crowded, we hop to another, and try the first park on another day. Flexibility is key, I think. So if she wants to ride Goofy Barnstormer 10x in a row at Magic Kingdom--if you are rope drop for Toon Town Fair, you can do this quite easily--then we do so. Then when she's in the kid's club, I can knock myself out with the thrill rides.

Have you thought about any of the Grand Adventure activities for children at the Grand Floridian for your daughter? Three activities are offered: Pirates Cruise, Alice's Teaparty ("tea" with Alice and the Madhatter), and Grand Adventures in Cooking. My daughter loves all three, but particularly the Pirates Cruise and Cooking class. She's doing all three activities this year, because this is the last year that she can. The age range is 4-10.

 

[KIS]

Dear Reflection,

My daughter is also an only child. Your daughter sounds like a lovely kid. I can relate as a mother to the inconsistencies with the fear factor. I can also relate as mother to witnessing her "play plans", being an only I do not begrudge her such opportunities. This weekend at the lake we were at, she was making plans for the next day with a little girl. The two of them were all in agreement. Consulting with the mother, I learned that the child would not be there the next day, despite her own 5 year old intentions. I think I'll be taking play plans at the parks in a similar fashion, but you never know, she may find a fellow Dolphinette.

It seems like your daughter has come to count on your WDW trips. That's lovely.

I am trying to be flexible and shorten our list of must-dos. We are spending three half days in MK (one is an evening) -- that's in addition to our hope to go on one of those family tours of MK that's more or less a scavenger hunt. That scavenger hunt, by the way, is sandwiched in between a 1900 breakfast and 1900 tea party. My daughter's a big Mary Poppins fan and she loves the idea of a tea. She was Tinkerbell in her preschool's rendition of Peter Pan. So, the MK tour, which, as I understand it, tends to feature Peter Pan, will be exciting for her. (If it's not a Peter Pan theme, I think she'll have a blast anyway).

I hope your vacation proves to be the best one yet.

KIS