We were in Disney with my almost 2yr old twins and my 5yr old in November. We hired a babysitter for one night and we were very happy with her. I don't remember the name of the company but Disney gave me the phone number. We had her come early so my 5yr old could meet her and get comfortable before we ran out the door. It didn't go smoothly at first but within 5-10 minutes of our leaving they were all fine.
Congrats on getting the Illuminations Cruise, Meredith! I've never traveled to WDW with really little ones but several on this board have and will surely be by with some Been There Done That tales.
We used the babysitting service that the Polynesian Concierge set up for us called Kids Night Out (407 207 1300). I think that Disney still uses them at this time. We knew Disney would link up with the most reputable agency (licensed and bonded) which screens all of the babysitters. We were very pleased, the first time we used them we had only one son who was 6 months old. We were thrilled and our son was very happy. They even provided a pager for us for a fee just in case our cell phone went out of range. I would recommend calling them and they will answer any of your questions. We felt more comfortable after speaking to them over the phone and then having the babysitter come earlier (20-30 minutes) prior to us leaving so that we could feel her out and get our son used to her. I was not comfortable with having them show up once they were asleep for the same reasons as you mentioned. I think it would scare my children to wake up with a stranger versus the babysitter coming early, the children seeing you comfortable with them and then they will help them to sleep.
I found the old fees were $13.50 an hour for one child with a four-hour minimum.
Congrats on getting the Illuminations Cruise, Meredith! I've never traveled to WDW with really little ones but several on this board have and will surely be by with some Been There Done That tales.
Val, Co-CL Disney Vacations
We have used All About Kids every time we have gone to Orlando.
Deb
Hi there,
We used the babysitting service that the Polynesian Concierge set up for us called Kids Night Out (407 207 1300). I think that Disney still uses them at this time. We knew Disney would link up with the most reputable agency (licensed and bonded) which screens all of the babysitters. We were very pleased, the first time we used them we had only one son who was 6 months old. We were thrilled and our son was very happy. They even provided a pager for us for a fee just in case our cell phone went out of range. I would recommend calling them and they will answer any of your questions. We felt more comfortable after speaking to them over the phone and then having the babysitter come earlier (20-30 minutes) prior to us leaving so that we could feel her out and get our son used to her. I was not comfortable with having them show up once they were asleep for the same reasons as you mentioned. I think it would scare my children to wake up with a stranger versus the babysitter coming early, the children seeing you comfortable with them and then they will help them to sleep.
I found the old fees were $13.50 an hour for one child with a four-hour minimum.
I would not recommend taking them on the cruise.
Hope this was helpful,
Trista