How much time should I plan for Epcot with a 3 & 7 yr old?

[madamgeo]

I am planning my first trip in October. Of all the parks I've researched Epcot seems like it will be the least fun for my kids. Should I only plan half a day for it? Any advice would be very helpful. Thanks!

[Panna]

Personally I would Plan atleast a full day for it. They used to have some amazing shows that I know my daughters would have loved to watch at that age.

Epcot has Kid stops where your children can make crafts, that may take them a bit, if you decide to do that.

If they get cranky or don't seem to be enjoying it, it is easy enough to leave and go back to the room for a nap and swim (I still do that!) before going to another park.

[stahshee]

Half!! your dd3 will have realy nothing to do.

[clonetothebone]

I am having the same problem with planning. DS(8)and DD(6) are completely different. DS loves thrills and DD is a chicken booty. We are doing 2 mornings and 2 evenings to break it up for DD. I'm planning 30 minutes for each pavilion except USA. If it seems like they are board or tired then we just leave. :sunny:

[Kayleebug]

I am planning my first trip in October. Of all the parks I've researched Epcot seems like it will be the least fun for my kids. Should I only plan half a day for it? Any advice would be very helpful. Thanks!

My DD is 4 and absolutely LOVES Epcot!! (and has ever since our first trip when she was 23 months old) Now she is big enough to ride Test Track. She could live at the Living Seas. If she could stay and make masks in the countries all day, she would. We are planning a day and a half for our upcoming trip, and we're worried it won't be enough. I'm probably in the minority, but since it's so big and spread out, I'd say you would need a minimum of one day.

[tinkerbell60]

Epcot is one of those places that will surprise you - my kids loved it, they were 6 and 10 at the time. The kidcot stops are great for little ones. I was really amazed, it was one of their favorite partks next to MK. One to caution though is Honey I Shrunk the Audience - the 3D show - it has a giant snake and mice running past your feet - it was too intense for my kids.

[Grendalynn]

Epcot has a good day's worth of stuff to do or less. Its similar to the Animal Kingdom, in my opinion, in the sense that you can see almost everything and spend longer time as certain things than others and do/see most of it all, and still be out of the park before dinner. It is not like the Magic Kingdom in that it can take 2 days to thouroughly see everything and enjoyat less than full speed ahead.... (We were only at WDW for 3 1/2 days as we were on the land part of our Land and Sea Vacation). pirate:

We have a 3 and 7 year old who were 2 1/2 and 6 at the time we last visited. We spent the day at the AK, getting there early and heading back to the hotel for a swim and a rest. :angel: We then went into Epcot on a night that it was open late. We made the few attractions that we wanted to and had a nice sit down dinner at Alfredo's and then the Lazer show. I felt as though this was not quite enough, but we all got a little taste of it.

The first time we went to Epcot, DS#1 was 4 at the time and had a blast. Test Track being one his most favorite rides ever. We will be sure to go to Epcot longer the next time we visit WDW. Soon enough Epcot will better keep their attention..... as I said this is just our opinion, every familys and kids interests are different. :surfweb:

[Mickey'snewestfan]

DS6 really enjoyed Future World. He loved Turtle Talk in Living Seas, and enjoyed the land, Soarin, and Journey in your imagination. I enjoyed all of those things and appreciated all the air conditioning there (it was a nice break between fun but HOT days in the MK). We did one 1/2 day (9 a.m. opening till 1:30) and there were a number of things (Spaceship Earth, and Test Track in particular) that we didn't get to.

On the other hand neither DS nor I enjoyed World Showcase that much. It was really hot that day, which didn't help. My friend took her DD to eat with the princesses at lunch time and they enjoyed exploring all afternoon while we went to the pool and Beaches and Cream. We then joined them for an hour We saw a nice outdoor show at the American Pavilion and walked around a little, and then had dinner at Marrakesh which was very nice. Frankly that was plenty. However DS is an active little guy who'd rather "do" than "look" and I have traveled quite a bit internationally which may have made me a bit "jaded".

[GoneQuackers]

We have 2 young children as well, 5 and 2 the last time we were in Epcot, they absolutely loved it because of all the easy access to characters. My 5 year old is into the autograph books so while the wife and I enjoyed the different countries she looked for the characters that called those countries home. We spent a full day there easy, morning was all rides, afternoon was character hunting.

[Lovemy3babes]

What kinds of rides and shows are there to do for kiddos age 5 and under? Anything much?

[katyjeka]

Our 3 DD's have always loved Epcot. We are going in Dec. and are planning to spend 3 half days there. Our kids have always enjoyed the WS, and love all the attention that is showered on them. We've found very little waits for characters and they have, on more than one occasion, walked around a country with them. Makes for great pictures! I think alot of people avoid Epcot because they think it has nothing for young kids, big, big mistake!! Our DD's, (even when under 3) love the boat rides in Mexico and Norway. When we were there in Dec. 04, our oldest, then 9, was picked to help the CM from Canada, with a game. Needless to say, we spent over an hour there. Get your kids a passport, and let them interact with the CM's. They love to see the kids and enjoy telling many wonderful stories to them. Our only advice is to break it up, if possible. If you take them in the morning for a few hours and do half the countries, they'll will ask to go back to finish their book. They make for great, inexpensive souveniers, that are alot of fun to share at show and tell!! Have a great time, Janice

[bigbabyblues]

My kids (5 and 2) love Epcot. Last year we did 2 full days and a part of another day. They've never complained or asked to go to another park, they just enjoy what's there, and there's plenty of it.

Have a great trip!

[KristiKelly]

We have always spent a full day in Epcot since our kids were 2-1/2. There are lots of things for kids. May not be as fun as MK but our kids still like it. There is Test Track and Soarin'. There is a building (can't remember the name of it) with lots of games, there was a bowling game that DD LOVED and a baseball game that DS did over & over. There is a Coke attraction with Coca Colas from around the world, some not so bad, some REALLY bad. Our kids liked this. Our kids enjoyed many of the countries in World Showcase, esp. Mexico & Norway because of the rides. They always do the KidCot stations. Epcot is a big park, I always forget how large it is.

[owensamo]

What kinds of rides and shows are there to do for kiddos age 5 and under? Anything much?

Here are the things my DD (3) loves at Epcot:
Kidcot stations
Off Kilter
The Circle of Life (the Land)
O Canada (The Circlevision show in Canada)
Living Seas (she could spend 2 hours in there just looking at fish)
Turtle Talk with Crush
The cars in the exit area from Test Track
The play area at Mission: Space
A lot of the stuff in Innoventions
Chinese Acrobats
The trains in Germany
El Rio del Tiempo (Mexico)
Living with the Land

I'm sure the list goes on. She loves any of the live acts in the countries - or anywhere else. We haven't seen all the movies, but I'm sure she'd love the Circlevision in China, too. There's also the Maelstrom in Norway (boat ride) that I think she's been on, but I can't remember for sure. She did like the live music at the Biergarten, and the bellydancers at Restaurant Marakesh.

I personally think that at Epcot there is more to *experience* than to *do*. While there may not be a lot of rides for the littles, there is a *ton* of things for them to experience at Epcot.

Mur!

[Tink1999]

Depends if they're girls or boys and what they're into. 1/2 day should be plenty of time.

My kids were bored there. We went early for a princess breakfast for DD4, after that I brought her around to some countries where she did a couple of crafts and we looked for Belle. My DH brought DS8 around to do Fast Track and a couple of other rides. By lunch both kids were begging to leave. They wanted to swim or go to a place where there was more to do.

Tink

[lauritagoddess]

My DS was 3.5 and we spent a whole day there and could have spent even more time. He loved Epcot, in fact he had more fun there than any of the other parks. He really enjoyed meeting the characters in the Character Connection in Future World, the video games in Innoventions, the Living Seas, Soarin' in the Land, El Rio del Tiempo in the Mexico pavilion, and really just checking out all the different countries.

[lisaross]

we have two boys 4 & 6. Thinking of getting to epcot at opeing (our 1st day)- going on Test Trak and Soarin and kind of staying the that side. We have lunch reservations for 1:00pm at Garden Grill (character) lunch think the kids will enjoy this. After lunch maybe we'll do a couple of countries then back to hotel for swim, dnr ect.


On our last day we have dnr reservations for Coral Reef at 6pm and then plan to walk around the countries and stay for the fireworks.

Those who are experienced, do you think i'll get enough done b4 my 1pm lunch reservation? if we want to do test trak again should i get a fast pass b4 going to lunch?

lisa

[Denine]

my DD is 3-1/2 and she LOVES Epcot! We have friends that have 3 kids and they all love it too.

Plan at least a full day there.

[Dizneydaz]

My DD6 princess: loves Epcot! One of the best times we had at WDW was when just she (almost 5) and I (the rest of our party went to Tampa-it was closed-Hurricane) went to Epcot by ourselves for the first time. We spent some time in Innoventions-she loves that, and we were able to visit all the countries in WS and get all the stamps on her mask. We also spent time in the toy store in England playing with the train set and got a lot of autographs. We saw Mary Poppins (Eng) 3 Mousketeer Mickey and Goofy (Fra) Belle and Aurora (Fra-perfume shop) Jasmine and Aladin (Mor). We rode the boat rides-Maelstrom( Norway) and Mexico-she also loves them! We spent time in the Living Seas (now they have Turtle Talk with Crush)

She also likes the Lion King movie in The Land, Soaring, Test Track (without question-she says), playing with the puppets in China, playing the bongos in the Africa display, riding on the boat(s) in the WS. Ice Station Cool is fun too-all the soda the can sample (some are good, some are bad!) She also enjoys talking to the different cast members.

As she says (she's sitting on my lap right now) "there are a lot of things I like about Epcot!"

What I enjoyed about that day (even though it was steamy hot) was it was a very easy going, non-hectic day. We took our time and enjoyed the park!

And don't forget the fireworks-Illuminations is awesome!

[bjscheel]

Epcot was our take it easy day with DDs 3 and 6. We got there at 10:30 and left around 5:30. They loved Soarin' and that is the main reason I want to go back to Epcot! Did not care much for Living Seas but they did a craft there. Spaceship Earth was so-so. They took time for the play areas. Then we kind of skimmed around the countries to get to princess lunch at Norway. We did see an act in France and found Mulan in China. Then we caught the character bus (which is gone now I think?). We saw Minnie's butterfly garden and did another craft there. Simple but enjoyable. We really need to delve into the countries more. We could easily have spent more time there but we needed to catch our off-site shuttle.

[DawnM]

My kids loved Epcot!

Here is what we enjoy the most:

Universe of Energy
The Living Seas
Stop at the Kidcot in The Living Seas for a lanyard for the "charms"
Travel "around the world" and stop at each Kidcot for charms and stamps

Plan to see Myuki in front of the Japan center. She makes the most beautiful candy on a stick. Get there early so your kids can be right in front of the cart and they will get one! Look at the schedule for times.

My boys are now tall enough for Test Track and Space. I can go on Space 20 times in a row....no kidding!

Dawn

[mareed]

Epcot has also always been a favorite of my 2 boys since they were 2 1/2 and 5 1/2 which was our first trip. Our most recent trip was when they were 6 1/2 & 9 1/2, and it was still their favorite park (& ours, too!).

We really enjoy some of the simpler things like the train in Germany, watching the illuminated fountain synchronized to music, and the lights in the ground. These last 2 items are great to sit for a bit while DH and I enjoy a margarita from Mexico while the kids play with the lights, or enjoy the fountain & music. One trip, I videotaped them conducting the fountain like it was an orchestra - it was priceless!

Of course, we go for longer trips (avg 10 days) and have AP's, so we feel we can slow down and enjoy the ambience a bit more than if we were on a shorter trip, or feel we had to get maximum value from passes by only hitting the major attractions. We still hit the major attractions, and visit our favorites multiple times, but it's spread out over about 3 days for Epcot.

[Atchley]

You need at least a full day. My kids loved Epcot. They were 5 and 3 at the time. They loved the KidCot Funstops in World Showcase. The masks that they got to draw on and then to get a stamp and a piece for their mask at every country was really neat. And FREE! No one can pass up a free souvinier that kids love. Epcot has a lot of neat and interesting things for kids of all ages. My kids never once complained about Epcot. Your family will really enjoy it.

Have a great trip!

[mikesmom]

My son has gone there from age 7 on (he's now 23). He loved Epcot. Nobody has mentioned Innoventions. If your kids are at all into computers and other tech sort of stuff, they will LOVE it. computer games, interactives, robots,- all the stuff dear to the heart of the gadget types. For that matter DH loves it, too. One of the areas in WDW that has constantly changed and updated stuff! Could spend hours in there alone!

[crisi]

A favorite for us as well.

I'm assuming that this is your first trip. My advice would be to get hoppers and make your days as flexible as possible. We usually have Epcot as our evening park and make dinner reservations there. That way, if we want more time, we get to Epcot at 3:00 for 6:00 reservations. If we want less time, we are jogging to make our reservations (not likely, since we enjoy Epcot). Now we also schedule a morning there - with Soarin', Test Track and Mission:Space and a seven year old, we want to knock those off early before fastpasses run out. So with our morning and perhaps four afternoons/evenings, we might spend 2 1/2 days in Epcot - and we don't spend a lot of time in Innovations or browsing the countries (though the kids like Off-Kilter, the Chinese Acrobats, Comedia in Italy and the Japanese drums.)

We can also spend a lot more time in AK than a lot of people. But I find a day at MGM is usually wasted - not much we enjoy there - while other people love it. Which is why you want to build flexibility in your schedule. If no one LOVES Epcot, you should minimize your time there. If everyone LOVES it and no one likes MGM, spend less time at MGM and more at Epcot.

[Christy93]

Our children love Epcot. We usually go in the middle of our stay for at least a whole day. It's a nice break from the hustle of the MK park. We visit the countries, ride the small rides and Soarin! We enjoy walking through the countries. Our last trip we went to Epcot for 1 whole day and 2 half days. We enjoyed this park much more than MGM. :cool1:

[rkandmjsmommy]

My DD fell in love with Epcot when she was 5, she LOVES test track, and now Soarin' and Mission Space. The kidcot in the countries is a must do every trip and its nice b/c DH and I can explore the countries while they color. There are boat rides in 2 of the countries. MY DS who will be 4 in June also Likes Epcot, MK is his favorite b/c of Peter Pan, but he LOVES figment, the Epcot ball and is hoping to be big enough for Soarin in Octber. I tell everyone to try Epcot, you may be surprised at how much your kids like it. have fun

[tazdeb]

I like to think of EPCOT as a fine resturant while the rest of the Disney Parks are fast food. The enjoyment is in the details. I think most people rush through it with their children looking for the "A" attactions. And after they do TT, MS, and Soaring, think the rest is kind of lame. What they dont realize is there twice as much live entertainment there as in any other park. Almost every country has some sort of live show be it the "living statues", bell ringers, acrobats, off kilter, mexican warriors, marching bands,candylady....etc... all of which want children participation. My children could spend a day just going from country to country watching the shows. And they are learning while there at it. They also like to EAT their way around the world, trying a little bit (we share) of local food from the take out places in each land. People have already mentioned the kidcot stations and the fact that there are more characters here than any of the other parks with less lines (Our favorite place is the walkway by the International gateway entrance that always has characters with no lines). Then there is the front of the park that is like 4 different museums/aquariums, with hands on features with buttons to push, experiments to try etc.....most people just rush by theses things. There is a great patriotic show in the American pavillion, a fountan show, a great fireworks laser show and is the only park that is easy to walk to from 3 great hotels. Spend just a 1/2 a day at EPCOT with childen?....GOOD IDEA..... The real reason I like it the best is it never seems crowded.....have fun.....TAZ

[mikymouse]

We took our DS6 and DD4 to Epcot and did the following:

11:30AM 12:30AM - Living Seas (Turtle Talk with Crush)
12:30AM-1:00PM - Walking slowly to Noway for Lunch
1:00PM - 2:30PM - Lunch with Princesses (including 20 minute wait)
2:30PM- 2:45PM - Norway Ride/Movie
2:45PM-3:15PM - Walking to Germany Snow White/Trains
3:15PM-3:30PM - Playing African Drums
3:30PM-4:30PM - More Living Seas
4:45PM - Dessert at Coral Reef
5:45PM - Done

The kids did enjoy the stuff we did but were constantly asking to leave.
As you can see we did not get to see alot(no big ticket rides), but the place is huge and the kids were tired. They might have had more energy if there was some more little kid stuff plus we should have done AM for energy level but had to plan around the lunch ADR. Hoping to go back and do it better next time but none the less if it weren't for the Princess Lunch I think they would have enjoyed one of the other parks better or I need to plan other stuff at Epcot. I would have liked to see the Mazes (in the UK?) and the Figment ride. DH & I want to come back for sure, we missed alot.