cartchamp
Registered: September 2009
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 21
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Review Date: Sun September 13, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Professional & On-Time
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Cons:
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None
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Heather did a great job with the kids! She was on-time & prepared with lots of games. She was very professional and took notes on all of our instructions. I was feeling guilty about leaving the kids on our last night of vacation, but after 1 week of their craziness, I needed some me-time. This was worth every penny! My husband & I had a great time at Night of Joy, and the kids had their first full night of sleep! A very magical end to our vacation.
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bferrer
Registered: June 2009
Location: McKinney, Texas
Posts: 6
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Review Date: Fri June 26, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Wonderful sitter, happy children
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Cons:
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price
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Expensive, but worth it if you need a night out without the kids. I paid $84 for 4.25 hours to go smoke some cigars and drink mojitos with my husband, and it was worth every penny. Miss Jeanne was wonderful with our 5 year old and 11 month old. When we arrived back to the room, she was sitting in the dark watching our children sleep peacefully!
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Nurseomi
Registered: May 2006
Location: Sterling Heights, Michigan
Posts: 4
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Review Date: Wed January 28, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Wonderful women, kids got to bed early, we got to have adult time
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Cons:
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didn't get the same babysitter even with repeat request for it
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We spent a week in the world with our two year old and four year old. We really wanted to have some adult time, so decided to try Kids nite out. We loved them. My 2 year old was too young for Disney's childcare, so we had no other options, really.
The first night, Ginny a sweet, friendly, grandmotherly woman arrived with a suitcase full of toys. She had 30 some years of preschool and daycare experienced, and obviously loves working with kids. The kids had a great time. They talked about her the rest of the trip. Ginny told them stories, played house with them, then tucked them into bed with multiple bedtime stories. We were out til late, and the kids were in bed early. It was great
Even though we had originally made a request to have the same babysitter the two nights, Ginny did not have us on her schedule. She said she was free, however, and suggested us call back to request her. We did so, but still didn't get her.
The second woman, Eva was also very nice. She was also grandmotherly, and the kids enjoyed her too.
I HIGHLY recommend using this service. At home, we rarely use a babysitter, but because of the high excitement of being at WDW, kids can be exhausting, and a break that includes adult time is refreshing. The bonus of having the kids get a good night sleep with an early (normal?) bedtime makes them more likely to behave, and be happy--making the whole vacation a better all around experience.
This was our first time using this service, but we are already planning on using it next time. If you use one of the Disney kids clubs like Neverland club, the kids won't get in bed early, and if you are counting pennies, two kids using Kids Nite Out is actually cheaper too.
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hvandiver
Registered: July 2007
Location: Shreveport, LA
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Fri August 15, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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parents had a night without the kids, and kids asked for the in-room childcare DAILY after the 1st night
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Cons:
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cost--it's expensive, but it's Walt Disney World
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We used this Wonderful service on 2 different nights at the end of May, and happened to have a different woman each night. I was afraid my 11 yr old son would find the evening boring, in our hotel room without his parents (who were having "all the fun in WDW without him"), 7 yr old brother, and 2 yr old brother. I was hopeful that it would be as good as the customer reviews I had read here about Kids Nite Out. I think it was even better! ALL 3 boys talked and talked about how much fun they had with "Miss Charlotte" and I'm sorry I can't remember the 2nd babysitter's name  , for I would LOVE to request either of these women to watch my children ANYtime we're back at WDW! Both women played Playstation games with our 2 older sons (we brought our own Playstation from home for the boys to play while we were at the parks), and played blocks and colored with my 2 yr old at the same time. Each babysitter also wrote notes about what the kids did while we were gone, and made a note about something positive the kids did each evening.
We left $ for them to use in case they left the room. We specified on a form that it was fine for them to leave the room to go outside on the resort's grounds, just not to any area with water--ie, pool.They went for a walk on our 2nd night, to the arcade at the resort (which we never had time to visit with our kids) and our kids had an absolute Blast with the babysitter! The babysitter said how proud she was of my 11 yr old, who purchased an arcade card, and played as long as he wanted, and then gave the card to the next child he saw for her to have fun in the arcade. My 2 yr old is Very high energy, and is constantly getting into drawers, toilets, playing with water faucets, opening and shutting doors, etc. He's a handful to say the least. The babysitters both said that he was a lot of fun, "no problem at all".
The childcare providers just seemed very happy and friendly at all times. Which kid wanted every night for the babysitters to stay in our room with them: the oldest, 11 yr old boy! Our kids were so tired after playing in the parks daily that they were very happy to stay in our rooms while we had a much needed "parent break".
Honestly, I worried the first night we went without our kids. Typical mom (I'm a sahm who's NEVER spent a night without her kids, so I was hesitant to leave the children with strangers), I guess. After we heard such glowing reports from our children, I was able to relax during our 2nd night, and had a relaxing, non-stress-filled evening with my dh in a FUN place:MK.
We are returning back to WDW in mid October with my dh's family. Why are we going to WDW over other destinations? Yes, WDW is a blast, but this will be our 8th trip in 7 yrs. After hearing us describe our experiences with Kids Nite Out, the other family chose WDW b/c of the great in-room childcare. So, yes, we will be utilizing the wonderful Kids Nite Out.
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LightningMcQueenMom
Registered: February 2008
Location: Maryland
Posts: 22
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Review Date: Mon May 26, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Great service - friendly reservation agents to answer your every question, reliable
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Cons:
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expensive
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We used Kids Nite Out for the 1st time for our sons - ages 3&1 so we could go out to dinner at Artist Point with the grown-ups only. As they were too young for any of the Disney Childcare clubs, I researched and researched and read only positive feedback from users of this service - although I did not know anyone personally who had used it before. I called the number on the web and talked to a reservation agent for several minutes. She was very patient and helpful in explaining all the policies of the service, all the training the babysitters go thru before becoming certified, and what to expect on our visit. We were given our choice of Grandmotherly or College age and if I recall correctly (I made this reservation several months in advance) I believe we were also asked if we wanted only a female sitter. I decided college age since that's more of what they were used to although it's a rare occasion when we get a babysitter. I had to give them my credit card information at the time of booking and they explained the cancellation polices in full. I did call a few days to confirm before we left and all was good. They told me who was booked for our visit at that time so I could let the boys know who was going to be their sitter. I thought that was a nice touch.
On our evening out, the sitter arrived right on time. She was not at all what I expected but the kids warmed up to her right away. She was a childhood development student, but was kind of reserved. I guess I was expecting a bubbly person - I don't know. She did not have a bag of toys or goodies or anything like that. After talking to her for several minutes and getting everyone settled, we gave her both of our cell phone numbers and wrote down our itinerary and were off. We had already fed the boys but did not bathe them yet and she let us know that she was not allowed to do that which was just fine with us. DS3 just chatted her up and they ended up watching CARS and playing a little before bed. When we returned from dinner, they were both fast asleep in bed and she had a paper report to pass to us about everything they did and ate. We tipped her accordingly since the fee is paid to the service at time of booking and we were not sure if she got a percentage or an hourly wage.
The next day DS3 filled us all in on his adventure and seemed to have a great time. He has talked fondly of her quite a few times since, so I feel confident we had a good sitter. The service is expensive and they do have a 4hr minimum so we would probably only use once or twice during our trip depending on how long it was. It was nice to see Disney from an adult perspective too and the kids were so tired at the end of the day, I felt that everyone was much better off. And on that note, we would definitely use them again.
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sutari
Registered: May 2008
Location: Stafford VA
Posts: 4
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Review Date: Sat May 10, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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daughter loved it
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Cons:
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none
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We sent the 7 year old to Neverland and got Kids Nite Out for the 2 year old. The sitter arrived early, with a backpack full of things. I was a little concerned that this older woman would find our daughter a handful, but it seems like things worked out great! We had been offered choice of man or woman, and then college age, grandmotherly type, or in between. We had specified woman, but no other. Our daughter took to her right away, going through the loot in the backpack. They went and got dinner at Captain Cooks, played on the beach, read stories etc. She even talked to Mickey (babysitter's husband) on the cell phone! All and all, a great, though not cheap, experience. For one child it was $14/hour MINIMUM 4 HOURS plus a $10 transportation fee. So it was an expensive (but nice) date!
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jfellows
Registered: December 2006
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Wed April 9, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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friendly, kids loved it, caring
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Cons:
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As a friend told me, "if you are going to get child care, do it at Disney". Friendly, loving child care and they brought there own package of fun crafts and toys for the kids to play with. Followed our instructions carefully and took the kids for dinner and a walk so they weren't stuck in the hotel room. Overall, a great experience and a great night out for the adults!
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traci26
Registered: June 2006
Location: Ft. Lauderdale,FL
Posts: 24
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Review Date: Wed April 9, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Everything
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Cons:
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None...maybe cost
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I am so happy that allears finally added this section. This review may be a bit old but still useful I hope. In Dec.07 I vacationed with DH, DD, and DS (11 1/2 mths) at the time. We were attending the MVMCP one night. We thought it was way to late to bring DS and plus we needed a break too. Anyhow, we used the Kids Nite Out service. Let me say that noone other than grandparents have ever watched my children. Call it paranoia if you will. Anyhow, I did some investigating and thought it might be ok. I went to their official site and looked at some of the praise letters sent in by customers and picked one of those names. I requested, Eleanor. A real grandma (suprised she didn't have knitting stuff and chicken soup). The reservation request is on their website and they call you to confirm. You do give them a CC number but is not charged and they do give you 24hrs to cancel if something comes up. Eleanor arrived right on time and asked us everything someone should know when watching a baby. She fit my hopes perfectly. We were staying in the cabins which I'm sure made it a cakewalk for her. Baby to bed and hang out in the living room for her. We felt a little nervous but she did make us feel at ease. We were gone about 4 hrs or so. Upon return everything he did was documented and apparently everything went well because he was out to the world. Yeah, Eleanor. I hope she stays with them for a while because she's who I want next time. I can't remember the cost exactly but there is a transportaion fee and it is about 11 hr.(has to be split between Kidsniteout and her). We also left her an additional gratuity. Very happy with service.
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mickeyscounsel
Registered: April 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Tue April 8, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Kids Loved It
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Cons:
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Pricing
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Overall, we were very happy with this service. We got a sitter for our 3 & 5 year olds, so we could take our 8 year old to do the "big" rides a night when the MK was open until midnight. Our 8 year old had a bad headache when the sitter arrived, and wasn't up to going to MK, he just wanted to go to bed. The sitter was already there, so we decided to take the 5 year old to the parks, for a special night out with Mom & Dad. The 3 year old had a great time with the sitter, and the 8 year old slept the whole time. The sitter said no problem with the change, but after she left we noticed she changed the fee from 2 kids to 3 kids. She never had 3 kids, just a different 2 kids than planned.
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lraynor
Registered: June 2007
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Tue April 8, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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They come to your location. Flexible hours.
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Cons:
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I utilized this service for my two grandchildren on a recent trip. We had Ginny come to our room and she was excellent. My grandson (age 3) is very shy and unsure around new people. We were very surprised that he took to Ginny so quickly. My grand-daughter (age 18 mos) went right over to her. My grandson caught sight of a plastic dinosaur and he was all set. Ginny respected his shyness and let him come to her. As a child care person, I developed a great respect for her right away as she recognized this about my grandson. We went out for the evening to utilize extra magic hours. The program is pricey and all I can say is it was worth it. The bulk of the money goes to the program so I made sure that I gave her a reasonable "tip" as well. All their employees go through training with the program and extended training with WDW I believe. They are first aid and CPR certified as well. They will ask about allergies, ages of children, and what type of person you are looking for when you call ie: grandmotherly, male/female, education and experience in the early childhood field etc... As a person who has worked in the field for more than 20 years I am pretty particular about who I will leave my grandchildren with. This program is absolutely perfect for families with young children. Their hours are very flexible and they can do most things that do not involve water (pools, bathing). I strongly recommend them. The fact that they individualize to the needs of your family is a huge plus.
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TraceyMTQOE
Registered: April 2008
Location: Tampa, Florida
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Tue April 8, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Always excellent
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Cons:
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None
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We have used this service on multiple occasions when family or friends had children too young for the Kids Clubs. It is excellent - not one single person has had a negative experience (or comment!) no matter how protective a parent. We have had different sitters on each occasion (min 6) and every one was awesome! We've left tiny infants, one year olds and up to age three, all an excellent experience.
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SimbaOne
Registered: April 2008
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 7
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Review Date: Tue April 8, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Wow, great service
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Cons:
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Expensive
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It is expensive, but so worth it. Our daughter was almost 3 when we went to WDW in March 2008, and we just thought she was too young to stay up late, especially considering that half the kids lined up for the parade at MK at night slept through it anyway! We had a nice babysitter named Jessica. My daughter has never been taken care of by anyone other than grandma, so I was really nervous, especially since we had babysitting reservations for 4 nights and they had told us that the same girl would come for all 4 nights. Of course, that is a good idea, but I was nervous I (or DD) wouldn't like the girl... then what? Anyway, Jessica came right on time and DD fell in love with her instantly. She brought colouring books and playdo. Some night she took her to dinner in the food court if we hadn't fed her before. She also went for walks on resort grounds and kept a detailed diary of the evening. All in all, we were glad we used the service. The service was excellent in all aspects and I would never hesitate to call them again. I wish we had something like that where I live! DD was always anxious to see Jessica and never felt like we were abandonning her. Quite the opposite, she would show us the door whenever Jessica arrived. It enabled DH and I to go to more adult restaurants for dinner, enjoy rides that DD was too small for, etc. And most importantly, it allowed DD to get all the sleep she needed so she could enjoy the days in the parks. We will definitely use Kids Nite Out on our next trip.
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