Update: This has been renamed to Lilo’s Clubhouse.
There is a Disney World Childcare option at Neverland Club at Polynesian Resort. The following is a review, written by my reader Kelly, about the Neverland Club at the Polynesian. This one of the Walt Disney World Childcare options that Walt Disney World Florida has on site.
We used the Neverland Club at Disney’s Polynesian Resort during our trip this past May to utilize a babysitter at Disney World. We did make a reservation ahead of time and it’s kind of a crap shoot on how busy they get. Sometimes they are packed, other times, not. I was told that the Neverland Club can accommodate up to 99 kids which seemed like a LOT to me. I wasn’t terribly sure that the kids would be well supervised if they ever got near capacity but they assured me that they never get that full and they will be well staffed. You do kind of have to plan fairly well as they give up your reservation spot if you don’t show up within a certain amount of time. I can’t remember if it’s 20 minutes or 30 minutes past your reservation time. I asked the reservation person a LOT of questions and they were very helpful. They told me that the Neverland Club is one of their biggest Centers with different areas that may cater to different age groups. Captain Hook’s ship has video games like Playstations. There’s a dance stage, a dress up area, TVs, and crafts stations. For those who are younger, (toddler age) the club at the Grand Floridian may be better suited for them as they max out at 35 total kids there and have more stuff for younger kids.
I thought the Cast Members at the Neverland Club did a good job and treated my kids VERY well. When we checked our kids in, they were given a menu to select what they wanted for dinner. (Dinner is included and it’s the typical kids menu you’d see at just about any Disney restaurant…mac n cheese, chicken nuggets, etc.) They asked if our kids had allergies, and they were allowed to check off the items they wanted on the menu sheet, and verified with us if we approved of their choices. We filled out the waivers and emergency contact forms, and they were whisked away through Wendy’s window into the play area. There didn’t seem to be very many kids in there…a handful or 2 if that and from what I could see peeking through Wendy’s window, there were at least 2 Cast Members inside the play area. (The reception area is set up to look like Wendy’s room with a bulletin board that lists that evenings planned activities such as dance parties, free play, crafts, etc.) Then my husband and I headed off for a kid-free date night. :)
Upon our return a few hours later, the we were greeted by the same Cast Member who checked us in. She checked us out, and asked a Cast Member to let my kids know that we were there to pick them up. My daughter came out with a totally different shirt than I sent her in. I was a little puzzled. “She got ketchup on her shirt, so we gave her a new one to wear,” the Cast Member cheerfully explained. “She’s welcomed to keep the shirt.” The shirt was just a regular shirt, not a Disney shirt or anything, but I could tell it was brand new, and I was so happy and impressed that they took care of her. I would’ve been just fine if she had just worn her stained shirt (which looked like she got into a back alley brawl with a bottle of ketchup and lost!) but I was certainly appreciative that they took great care of her and got her a clean shirt to wear. They informed me that her stained shirt was in with her stuff. And by stuff, I mean a large shopping bag that they pulled out of Wendy’s armoire and it contained all sorts of crafts, coloring sheets, and projects that my kids had worked on while we were gone.
I asked my kids for their review of their time at the Neverland Club and my then 3 year old said he had a fantastic time. He was never bored. He played, did crafts, chatted with the Cast Members, he went on and on about how much fun he had. My 5 year old, on the other hand, did complain about being bored there. She said she did have fun, she got to explore and try everything they had to offer from video games to dress up, in the end I think she was bored because there weren’t really any kids her age for her to socialize with. The Neverland Club was pretty empty that night. Perhaps being tired played a role in it. She didn’t have a bad time or anything, in fact, she still talks about it and said she’d like to go back, but at the time, the lack of social factor and fatigue wasn’t what she’d expected. Both of my kids came out of there with smiles on their faces and said they were well taken care of. That makes mommy happy. :)
In the end, I think the Neverland Club was a great option and choice for those who would like to steal away for a little while, do some grown up rides, have dinner, etc without the kids. My husband and I had a wonderful date night at EPCOT and was able to take some time to ourselves and make it “our” vacation as well as a family vacation. I’m very thankful and happy that Disney thought to provide this service and plan to use it again in the future.
Learn more about the Walt Disney World Resorts and contact Destinations in Florida to help you book your perfect resort.
Vick says
They also had parties at this location when it was open, here is the link to the birthday party pictures, It was no doubt a once in a life time thing! https://www.facebook.com/Brookes5thBirthdayPartyAtNeverlandInDisney
Kristin from Couponing to Disney says
That looks like so much fun!
Rita says
Thanks for posting this. It reassures me that we could do this. Next time we will do date night and get some time to ourselves.
Melissa says
We used the Neverland Club last October and we spent around $80 for 3 1/2 hours for 2 children. It was well worth it to have a night out. My husband and I went to California Grill to celebrate our anniversery.
ceb104 says
Do they limit where you can head for dinner? Not that I’d leave property, but I was just curious say if we used the Neverland Club and then ate dinner at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for example…
Jane says
There is 14 years between my second and third child. We do an annual trip to disney. When my youngest turned 4, we had 1 evening where she went to a disney children’s club and we had dinner with our older children at a nice restaurant. We have used the child care facilities at Polynesian and Wilderness Lodge. The cost was usually around $40 and included her dinner. She loved to go and looked forward to it. She is now 14 and still has pleasant memories of the facilities.
Sue says
There is a Pinocchio’s Workshop located in the Grand Californian @ the Disneyland Resort and it is $14 an hour with a 2 hour minimum but the dinner was optional and about $6 more. There they get to go up to the Concierge Lounge and watch the fireworks! It has been awhile for us in WDW but I think the per hour was similar.
michelle says
what was the cost of this?
Lori says
I’m wondering the same thing. Our Disney trip is still years away, so I know the prices won’t be the same. But it would be nice to get a ballpark figure.