Epcot or DHS for boys 8 and 5?

[Teachin5th]

I keep going back and forth. I know it really depends on the children, but I am trying to get as much information as possible. The 8 year old is not into the Disney Jr characters and the 5 year old tries to be his older brother . Once we surprise them next week, I was thinking of letting them look online and choose. My husband and I would rather go to Epcot. I think the 8 year old would really enjoy the different countries there, but I'm not sure about the 5 year old.

I have no idea if they will do the ToT or the RnR. I know the 5 year old won't, and I can never figure out the 8 year old.

Any guidance or input is appreciated!

 

[msmama]

I think that is a tricky one. They are our 2 favorites.

That said, Epcot is a full day park but HS is maybe a 3/4 day park. We don't do any thrill rides either. HS has toy story characters (and ride) Star Wars, the Indiana jones show. There are characters there that you can't find anywhere else. IMO, the food is the worst at any park

Epcot has great food, more rides probably. My son loves world showcase (almost 5).

I guess if I had to pick between the two I would go with Epcot though it is a tough choice. Animal kingdom is our first park to go if we have to skip.

 

[jac1976]

My son was 7 when we went last year and his favorite park of all was EPCOT. We spent a day and a half there. Granted, my son enjoys science, so just about everything held his interest. We are going back this Sept and DS has already started planning what he will do at EPCOT.

 

[Moodyzblu]

My boys are 8 and they have been huge Epcot fans since our first trip. They would even skip DHS but they love Toy Story Mania and Star Tours .. other than that though, that's pretty much it for them.
Epcot they just love to ride Test Track and Spaceship Earth as well as Nemo and Figment and Ellens Energy Adventure and they also love World Showcase.

 

[Teachin5th]

Thank you for your responses. This is so ridiculous to stress over, but it is driving me nuts! Thank you so much for your responses. It does help.

 

[magicfanatic]

Personally I think that Epcot is better than HS, but I do not like rides at all (Thunder mountain is the most intense thing I will go on).

Future world its self can take over half a day to do. Don't for get some of the less popular things, such as Innoventions and the activities at the end of Mission Space. You do not have to ride Mission Space to get to them just go in through the gift shop.
Wish I could give you more details but my information is a few years old and I don't want to give you wrong information.

 

[Wendybird55]

I a assuming you don't have park hopper - as it is easy to get from one park to the other via boats...

DS (6) was more into DHS on our last trip (Oct.). He loves TSM and using the interactive things in Art of Animation - he even enjoyed doing one of the drawing lessons there. He likes the parade as well plus the villains store and ToT store - though he doesn't want to go on ToT. He also enjoyed Fantasmic.

In addition there's the Indiana Jones stunt show and the Lights! Camera car action stunt show...and if your sons like Star Wars there's Star Tours. Plus who doesn't like the Muppet 3D movie.

I agree with PP that DHS does not have to be an all day park. As far as EPCOT DS enjoys visiting the Kidcot stations in the WS. DS is not a big inside ride person so we don't do any rides in FW except Living with The Land. He does enjoy innoventions.

Right now if you asked my son he would say he wants to go to DHS over EPCOT...but every kid is different. Both parks offer enough things for your sons to enjoy. Plus both also have great nighttime shows (Illuminations & Fantasmic).

Also DHS has beauty & Beast show which is good and for food Pizza Planet or Sci-Fi or 50's Primetime can be fun for your sons. And there's alwasy good character eet and greets with Lightning McQueen & Mater and Woody & Buzz adn the afternoon parade is fun.

 

[GoBearsGo]

Epcot. Rides in the am then head to the world showcase for a good choice of food. You can see the countries by allowing them to play Perry and you can even have a drink while they are doing it. Win win for everyone.

 

[homedad]

Epcot and u may be surprised our ds did TT at 4, and at 10 and 12 Epcot may be their fav park.

 

[Teachin5th]

Epcot. Rides in the am then head to the world showcase for a good choice of food. You can see the countries by allowing them to play Perry and you can even have a drink while they are doing it. Win win for everyone.

That is kind of what my husband and I were thinking.

We do not have park hoppers. I wish they liked Toy Story or more characters, so that DHS would be a clear winner. Maybe that changes once they get there? Have you guys ever had a kid that wasn't interested in the characters go nuts for them once they got there?

We were thinking Epcot would be a whole day, and DHS would be half day. The half day would be ok, if that's what we choose, because it is in the middle of our trip. It would really make for a good rest day.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[bigmamimia]

It would most likely be cheaper to add another day to your passes than to add park hopper. Then you could spend as much time as you wanted at either park and not feel rushed. With the money you save adding a day, instead of park hoppers for 4, you could afford another nights stay in the hotel.

 

[Diz Kids]

My two boys are 8 and almost 5 and they choose Epcot hands down. They do love Toy Story and Star Wars, but they like more of the rides at Epcot. DS, 4 was just able to to on Test Track and Soarin' recently, and to see him skipping with excitement on our way out of Soarin was one of those memories you will always have. They also love the smaller rides like Figment, Nemo, Spaceship Earth. My boys don't love the countries, but with a stop for a snack in a country that may not excite them as much mixed in with the couple of rides throughout, they like it enough to still enjoy the time there. I agree with PPs that you can spend a longer day in Epcot and get more out of it. If the kids do end up liking characters, there are plenty of character opportunities at Epcot as well, so you won't lose out on that.

 

[Teachin5th]

It would most likely be cheaper to add another day to your passes than to add park hopper. Then you could spend as much time as you wanted at either park and not feel rushed. With the money you save adding a day, instead of park hoppers for 4, you could afford another nights stay in the hotel.

That would definitely be ideal, but I am already taking them out of school for 3 days. I can't take them out anymore. Plus, I'm a teacher, so I need to get back to my kids, too.

Thank you so much for the advice. You have all given me a lot to think about. I think it comes down to doing either a half day at DHS and relaxing a bit midtrip, or doing a full day at Epcot. Hopefully, once they find out about the trip they can help us decide.

 

[Avalon_toon]

My boys - 8 & 12 - say EPCOT is their favorite park. They like DHS too, but given a choice, EPCOT would definitely win.

 

[wallawallakids]

Epcot is our favorite park in WDW! All 4 of my kids LOVE it. There is a lot to do there with boys your age plus it is so big. Have a great trip!

 

[ariane37]

I have to chime in with EPCOT. It is my DS7 fave park, and 2nd fave for DS10. They love it for all the reasons pp have mentioned, but let me say again Innoventions!! I think many people forget or don't know about this & my kids have loved it since about age 4 or 5. We have to do the Piggy Bank game at least 3x each visit
There's also Club Cool, where you can sample Coke from different countries. In WS my younger one makes it through the countries by stopping at each KidCot station. And if your boys happen to like Pokemon, they'll love the store in Japan.

 

[jlsmith376]

Wow I'm surprised so many kids prefer Epcot - I always thought of it as the adult's theme park. My kids enjoy DHS over Epcot, but we usually only spend a half day at either one. This last time they really enjoyed watching the Jedi Academy show next to Star Tours. They also really love the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area. They aren't into Disney Jr. either but they do like Toy Story, Cars and Star Wars so DHS is a must for us.

 

[laurenspop]

My 8 year old granddaughter would chose Epcot every time - and it has been this way for a few years now

 

[MSSANDRA]

Two boys, been both of those ages....one prefers HS..hands down and is not a huge Epcot fan. Other one....loved Epcot at that age but really like HS too.

HS- DS, now 6, loves just about everything there, except TOT or R&R which he is too short for. He LOVES everything star wars. He even likes the Great Movie ride a lot. He is also a HUGE fan of Fantasmic and always wants to eat at Pizza Planet. There are more current TV and movie characters here if that is a plus.

Epcot. My older one has ALWAYS loved TT here. Little one LOVES Soaring. Both liked Space Ship earth from an early age. Neither were big on WS though for some reason, DS6 loves that boat ride in Mexico a lot!

You really can't go wrong. I would let the boys pick.

 

[CanuckTraveller]

We just came back from our first trip with non-Disney fan boys aged 8&5 yrs. DHS was their favourite park. The oldest loves Star Wars, so the Jedi Training academy was the highlight for him. Neither are huge Toy Story fans but they loved Toy Story Mania. They also loved the stunt car show (don't remember the name...).
They liked Epcot too, it was their second favourite park, but the crowds were big the day we went and there was a lot of time spent waiting in lines and negotiating what we would do and what we would give up. That definitely put a damper on their experience.
I think you can have a great time wherever you go