Skip Epcot? Epcot 1 day? OR Skip AK, Epcot 2 days?! HELP!!

[Kitt_D]

Our first WDW trip- Me, DH, DD5 and my parents (mid 50s). Jan. 7-Jan.14

I need some serious INPUT here, people!

Which do you think is more enjoyable for a 5 year old- Epcot or Animal Kingdom?

We'll be in The World for 6 park-touring days, (not including arrival and departure days). I have one day scheduled completely "off" from park touring (to see Fantasmic at HS in the eve), and one "free" day to use however we want once we've been there a while (either return to a previously visited park, or spend in the resorts or DTD). Initially I had figured we would just skip Epcot due to it's size and the "stigma" that it's not very fun for the little ones.

But the more research I do, the more excited I am about Epcot, and I really want to see both FW and WS now! DH was at Epcot back in the 80's as a kid, and has a strong opinion that DD6 will be bored out of her mind if we go there, and that it's not worth the time. However, DD5 is a major craft & project girl, so I think she would LOVE the kidcot centers, as well as checking out all the different costuming and cultural differences in WS as well as the obvious kid-draw attractions at FW. What to DO?!

I can't see how we can really see ALL of Epcot in just one day, even if I could persuade DH that we should do it.

Personally, I don't see the allure of AK, and would prefer to skip it and do 2 days at Epcot. It seems like a glorified zoo, little shade, and it closes earlier than all the other parks. Am I missing something?

If you agree, give me some "ammo" to convince DH that Epcot is a must-do!

 

[sharonabe]

Your daughter will LOVE Epcot. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it is her favorite park. As you said, there is a ton of stuff in Future World that will amaze her, and if she is into crafts, the Kidcot stuff and all the cultural stuff of the countries will be fun to her as well. And you have the performers back in WS too. Your parents will also enjoy all of Epcot. Oh, and your daughter is old enough to enjoy the Kim Possible missions in WS too (if your DH likes techie interactive things, this might be a draw for him to do Epcot too).

I suggest you do one day in Epcot before you go to AK. Then if it isn't all you and I think it is, you still have your day to do AK. You are right that you can't do all of Epcot in one day, so sit down with your daughter and a good tour book (Birnbaum for Kids is a good one) and see what she is most interested in. Do those things at Epcot and anything else you get to do there is icing on the cake.

Good luck!

 

[WebmasterJackie]

Your daughter will LOVE Epcot. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it is her favorite park. As you said, there is a ton of stuff in Future World that will amaze her, and if she is into crafts, the Kidcot stuff and all the cultural stuff of the countries will be fun to her as well. And you have the performers back in WS too. Your parents will also enjoy all of Epcot. Oh, and your daughter is old enough to enjoy the Kim Possible missions in WS too (if your DH likes techie interactive things, this might be a draw for him to do Epcot too).

I suggest you do one day in Epcot before you go to AK. Then if it isn't all you and I think it is, you still have your day to do AK. You are right that you can't do all of Epcot in one day, so sit down with your daughter and a good tour book (Birnbaum for Kids is a good one) and see what she is most interested in. Do those things at Epcot and anything else you get to do there is icing on the cake.

Good luck!

I couldn't agree with this statement more!! Exactly what I would have suggested too!

 

[MainStMandy]

OMG AK is NOT a glorified zoo...it has so many amazing things. The Safari, fun shows like it's tough to be a bug and Lion King. You can head out to Conservation stations where you can pet animals and learn more about AK's conservation efforts. AK is probably our 2nd favorite park. Must do!!

 

[serene56]

It seems like a glorified zoo, little shade, and it closes earlier than all the other parks. Am I missing something?

Yes- the Festival of the lion king and/or the Nemo show. The Safari, etc.
Animal kingdom is NOT a glorified zoo. So much more then that, I think people who go there with the mind set on a zoo are dissappointed.

Since Animal Kingdom can be done in half a day-- i suggest a morning tour-back to the room for a break and Epcot at night.

 

[jboysen]

My dd3 (almost 4) loves Epcot! Nemo and Spaceship Earth are two of her favorite rides. We are looking forward to taking her on Soarin hopefully this Dec trip. She also loves WS with the Kidcot stuff. We'll take her there while DH and I take turns looking around. Also she has seen Belle and Sleeping Beauty in France. My opinion, don't skip it!

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

We have 6 touring days as well. We are doing MK 2x's...Epcot 2x's....1 AK & 1 HS day. These are full day schedules. We are also skipping EMH. I guess I am not understanding how come you have to chose. We have the same amount of touring days and we are doing both. But then again we doing take off days. We don't go in commando mode but for an almost 7K trip we take days off at home..when they are free.

 

[PiperPizzaz]

My 4 year old can't wait to go back to EPCOT. That is all he talks about. He LOVES Test Track. He also really loves the Figment ride (imagination), Nemo (seas), Soarin' and Livin' with the Land (Land) and Innoventions oh and the Mexico boat ride is a hit too.

We don't care for AK. I know a lot of people love it. IF you are animal people you will love it otherwise, not so much. We do a half day there but, I could totally skip it.

We used to not do EPCOT but, now we love it so things can change.

Have fun!

 

[Wall-E1]

I love Animal Kingdom, but if I had the choice, I would do two days at Epcot. It really is too big to see everything in one day. Even after two, you still will have not experienced it all. It also is my son's favorite park. I don't think children will be bored there. They have made it much more exciting than it was, back in the 80's.

 

[disjacksons]

I would do a day and a half at Epcot and 1/2 day at AK! One day at Epcot is definitely not enough IMO!

 

[henry72]

I think you should go to both parks. I wouldn't skip AK. It is NOT a glorified zoo. My DS loves animals so we will certainly be going there. I am not sure how thrilled he will be at Epcot but honestly that is not one of mine or DH's favorite parks. We want more rides and less "looking at things". But certainly with the amount of time you will be there you should be able to do both. (Though, yes, Epcot will take longer to see than AK.)

 

[d1gitman]

We used to do AK for a day and Epcot 1/2 day. We now skip AK and do Epcot for 2 days.

For some reason AK is always a disaster for us. Maybe because it seems hotter, more walking, less Disney-esque to us. Not sure why as it is a quality park, but we just haven't been able to master it in a way that we enjoy it as a family.

Epcot used to be a 1/2 day affair but over the years they have added and improved quite a bit. It now ranks pretty high on our charts. MK of course is the crown jewel.

If you have never been to AK, i would at least plan a 1/2 day. The operating hours are shorter anyway.

 

[d1gitman]

I like your Disney room. It has my mind wandering to create our own Disney room.

 

[ShannonMB]

You are going to get so many differing opinions here, we're likely to make your decision MORE difficult than less!

My DD and I personally enjoy AK more than Epcot. In fact, DD asked if we could skip Epcot this time, until I reminded her how many princesses she met in WS last trip. She does enjoy Soarin' and Nemo, too, and will try Test Track for the first time this trip (so she says).

That said, we both would HATE the thought of missing AK, and I am NOT a zoo person. We live a couple miles from a world-class zoo here in Columbus, and I can count on 1 hand the amount of times I've been there in the last few years. The safari at AK is nothing but FUN, FUN, FUN, can't wait to ride it again!!! Your DD may not want to try Everest, but anyone else in your party willing to try it will have a BLAST! Kali River Rapids is one of DD's faves in all of WDW (we wore ponchos last time in Feb ). Dinoland, It's Tough to Be a Bug (my fave 3D at Disney), Flights of Wonder, all are very fun. And IMHO, Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade is FANTASTIC and a must-do for us. We do a full day at AK each time and we STILL haven't scoped out the Nemo show, OR FOTLK, which is supposed to be outstanding!

So my vote would definitely be for 1 day at Epcot and 1 and AK. You could always start the 2nd day at AK and move back over to Epcot if you're bored. Can't imagine it, but I guess some would want to!

Have a GREAT first trip, and remember you can't see it all -- that's what 2nd trips are for!!!

 

[Golf4food]

I would not skip Epcot. The adults will likely enjoy Epcot a lot and so will the DD, especially things like Nemo, Imagination, etc. They've really been trying to make Epcot more kid friendly. AK is not our thing - been there, left after lunch, no desire to go back any time soon. The safari was fun once. Lion King show is one of the best in WDW but short and has long waits. Nemo show is the corniest, cheesiest sounding thing I've ever had to suffer through at WDW and that is saying something; visually stunning, musically hokey (but then I'm a musician so I have higher standards than many). AK is a beautifully themed park from a design standpoint - except Dinoland, which should be blown up and bulldozed as soon as possible - it is a disgrace to all things Disney. I can't fathom that they allowed Dinoland to be built. An abomonation, IMHO. The bird show at AK is funny. I would maybe do a half day at AK and Epcot on the second day, but definitely at least one full day at Epcot, especially for the adults - why should the kids have all the fun.

 

[paintnolish]

No! Don't skip Epcot! It is our whole family's fave after MK! My kids have always liked it, too. We like to do 2 days there, but 1 is better than nothing, although, like a pp said, 1 1/2 there and 1/2 at AK good be good, too. AK just really doesn't do it for me. There are things worth seeing, certainly, but I have been to very nice zoos many times, so we mainly skip things like the jungle trek.

 

[marymac123]

I agree-Don't skip Epcot! My DD4 Loved it more than Animal Kingdom.

 

[d1gitman]

This would likely be how we approach a 6 park day trip

Day 1 - Magic Kingdom
Day 2 - Animal Kingsom & Downtown Disney
Day 3 - Waterpark & Boardwalk
Day 4 - Disney Hollywood Studios
Day 5 - Epcot
Day 6 - Magic Kingdom

For us, Magic Kingdom is a 1st and last day must.
Animal Kingdom is a shorter day thus you could do Downtown Disney for dinner and evening
Waterparks are our "down days" as the water is refreshing and we sleep like rocks at night. Waterparks close early so Boardwalk is a nice dinner and evening to enjoy the activities on the Boardwalk.
Then to do DHS, EPCOT and MK for the last three days leaves all teh best for last in our opinion.

 

[itchin2go]

Epcot is my daughter's favorite park. If we could only do one park, it would be Epcot. AK is our least favorite.

Things to do at Epcot:

Soarin
Turtle Talk
Nemo
Honey I Shrunk the Audience
Imagination with Figment
Kim Possible Adventures (!!!)
Jumping fountains outside Imagination pavilion
Club Cool (free tastings of Cokes from different countries)
Character Stop in Future World (great way to get all the biggies under your belt in efficient fashion)
Princesses around World Showcase
Chocolate Crepes in France
Pastries in France
Pastries in Norway
Kaki Gori (like a Japanese snow cone)
Miyuki the candy lady
Kidcot stops (especially her name being written in Chinese)
Maelstrom in Norway
Boat Ride in Mexico
Pretzel in Germany
Bears in Canada

You CAN get the rides done in one day, no problem. Then soak up as much as you can of the rest of it and go from there.

Our first trip, I planned our first day at Epcot, because a guide book suggested it. The thought was, once a kid sees MK, nothing else is good enough. Well, we had SO much fun at Epcot, we went the next day as well.

 

[RoraBorieAlice]

I would not skip Epcot. The adults will likely enjoy Epcot a lot and so will the DD, especially things like Nemo, Imagination, etc. They've really been trying to make Epcot more kid friendly. AK is not our thing - been there, left after lunch, no desire to go back any time soon. The safari was fun once. Lion King show is one of the best in WDW but short and has long waits. Nemo show is the corniest, cheesiest sounding thing I've ever had to suffer through at WDW and that is saying something; visually stunning, musically hokey (but then I'm a musician so I have higher standards than many). AK is a beautifully themed park from a design standpoint - except Dinoland, which should be blown up and bulldozed as soon as possible - it is a disgrace to all things Disney. I can't fathom that they allowed Dinoland to be built. An abomonation, IMHO. The bird show at AK is funny. I would maybe do a half day at AK and Epcot on the second day, but definitely at least one full day at Epcot, especially for the adults - why should the kids have all the fun.

You have taken the words out of my mouth!!! AK is my least favorite but totally worth a visit for a first timer! EPCOT has come a LOOOOONNNNNNG way since the 80's!! The kid cot stations are fun and the Kim Possiable challenge is fun for both adults and kids! Me and my husband did it last week and it is just the two of us!! I also made him do the Kid Cot mask thing because it was his birthday I am such a nice wife!! They have made EPCOT a lot more family friendly then it was. Characters in most countries and always something for them to do!!! I would make time for Both Parks but plan a trip back to Epcot at the end of your ANimal Kingdom Day!!!!