Theme parks. The crowds, the chaos, the children popping out from every direction. While it’s fun to make magical memories with the kids, add a theme park to the mix and it can be a little too much.
Unless you have a fairy god nanny in your corner. Which is exactly what 22-year-old Cyan Nardiello is. Parents pay her to take their kids to theme parks – Disney World in Florida being the main one – as a theme park nanny.
Cyan has managed to turn this incredibly clever idea into a magical business called Once Upon A Nanny and we’re sending this woman ALL the applause. What a magical business idea!
How it started
Once upon a time, during a family vacay when Cyan was 13, she fell in love with Disney World. She moved from New Jersey to Florida for college simply so she could visit her favourite place on earth whenever she could.
In fact, when she was looking into colleges, she typed in “closest college to Disney’ which led her to the University of Florida.
To make a bit of college cash, Cyan became a nanny for a child who was then 7. On the child’s last day of school, Cyan asked if she could take them to Disney World in celebration, and a tradition was born.
The two started visiting Disney World together after school and Cyan realised this was something parents would greatly benefit from.
How it’s going
She started up Once Upon a Nanny, which helps both local residents and vacationing families find care for their kids at Disney World, Universal Orlando, and other theme-park resorts.
Cyan charges $35 AUD ($25 USD) an hour to visit Disney World and other theme parks, so, for an eight-hour day of rides and magic, she’s pocketing $280 AUD.
She started the business a little over a year ago and has since hired a whole kingdom of magical theme park nannies to lend a helping hand.
Cyan and her theme park nannies will either take the kids without the parents or accompany families and help out – a big bonus when you’re outnumbered by your kids!
If the family I’m working for wants an extra set of hands, I’ll stay with them through the park,” she said. “I can also take the children to do age-appropriate activities while parents go on bigger rides or drink around the world at Epcot.Â
These vacations are expensive, and I believe parents should be able to have just as much fun as their children.”
Cyan now spends two to four days a week at her favourite place on earth with either tourists or a few regular local families who will treat their children to a day at Disney World once a month.
I’m there a lot,” she said. “It’s always as much fun as the first time I went.”
She’s also recently opened up Once Upon a Nanny in Disneyland, California. Magical!
I don’t know about you but I reckon this idea is brilliant. Definitely, something to think about when visiting the theme parks in Australia.
I attempted Dreamworld once and nearly lost two out of three of my kids. Plus a shoe. Never again. Not without a fairy god nanny. Fingers crossed Cyan and her theme park nannies can bring their magical powers to Australia one day soon.
