an Epcot Question

[mtnminnie]

....I know this is the camping board.... but, you guys tend to be nice...so I thought I would ask here.

We are going with nonparkhopper tickets. (just to preface)

Mine will be first time visitors. We are planning two days at Magic, one at Animal. I think my kids are going to really adore both parks...a lot (based on interests).

Then, we have one ticket left. I have HUGE Frozen fans...huge. And, for this reason and this reason alone we are going to Epcot. Also, mine are not into big kid scary factor rides. We plan on making this a true family vacation and skip quite a few of the thrill rides. I think they will like Soarin. We may have a few want to do Test Track. But, I am not sure a full day ticket price is worth it for Epcot.

...am I missing some fun family things to do, especially if we are not huge eaters...although we do plan to "snack our way through Disney".

I am rather wondering if I should go with three day non park hopper tickets and then order a one day park hopper...if this is even something people do?

advice is appreciated. we go late October.

 

[3kidsdad]

Number 1: late October will be Food and Wine Festival, lots of great snack foods to try and lots of great entertainment. With that said it also brings huge crowds but mostly on the weekends when us locals go. But if you go on a Monday through Thursday and go early you can do the entire festival in just a few hours.

Without knowing the children's ages I will keep it general. Epcot is our families favorite park. When the kids were little they used to love going to all the Kidcot Fun stops and coloring. They also loved doing all the Kim Possible Missions that have now all been redone and are Agent P. If you really take your time and immerse yourself in each pavilion of the WS you can easy spend an entire day without ever doing an of the rides and attractions in the front of the park.

 

[G719]

A 3 day nonhopper pass plus a 1 day hopper would be more expensive than a 4 day hopper ticket.

Things my kids enjoy at epcot: the seas with the aquariums and nemo ride, the kidcot stations in the countries, the Perry adventures. There are lots of characters in epcot. During food and wine there's a cute scavenger hunt that you can do and you get a pin for it. There's a small fee for it but if you have a pin collector, they'll like it.

 

[tiggerdad]

My kids liked the aquarium, and when we went for Food and Wine they actually liked several of the dishes that we got. They also enjoyed the Illuminations show at the end of the day. I don't think EPCOT is a wasted ticket. Obviously not as entertaining to the kids as MK or AK, but not a waste. If you are able to catch some of the various shows that are going on around the World (kids really enjoyed the lumberjacks at Canada, though I think they are now gone).

 

[tetera]

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[tetera]

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[G719]

Club Cool is a favorite spot for my kids too.

My kids did enjoy trying some of the foods at the food and wine booths too. They were 11 and 8 and aren't adventurous eaters. They liked marking off the food they tried in the free little passport guides they have.

 

[tinkerbell1112]

my kids are currently 10 & 13 - been when they were 3, 3 & 5, 5 & 7, 7 & 10, 10 & 12 and again this coming fall - I will tell you honestly EPCOT was their least favorite park until this past trip at 10 & 12. They found Agent P (and LOVED playing), enjoyed the food and Club Cool.

I do feel though, that I need to point out, that Hollywood Studios has always been my kiddos favorite. It was Star Wars. Need I say more. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Beauty & the Beast - as well as Muppets

Only you know what your kids will enjoy or not. We only traveled once without hopper passes and that was the trip we did less than we usually do and we were at the hotel earlier than normal. This past summer we ended every day at Magic Kingdom so my kids could get a new pack of Sorcerers cards and play a bit more before heading back to our hotel.

 

[lynzi2004]

Our kids were 3 and 5 on this last trip and EPCOT was their second favorite park. Now they are thrill seekers at a young age and loved Test Track and Soarin, but they also loved the Nemo ride and especially Turtle Talk with Crush. Don't forget about the Innovations buildings, I think our kids could have stayed there all day! There is so much to do in those buildings! They also loved the World Showcase and doing the Kidcot stations would be a lot of fun! If you have Frozen fans, then a FP for Frozen Ever After is a must. Also, Epcot is the only place to meet Anna and Elsa.

Editing to Add: If the kids are into characters, you might want to consider doing a 3 day base ticket and adding the Halloween Party as your second Mk day.

 

[mtnminnie]

thank you for all the helpful ideas. I will need to consider them all. Epcot is a must stop simply b/c of Anna and Elsa. My son loves Nemo and all those guys, so it might end up being a hit for us. I will need to think about the Halloween Party. I will have to look into all of those options.

 

[jknezek]

thank you for all the helpful ideas. I will need to consider them all. Epcot is a must stop simply b/c of Anna and Elsa. My son loves Nemo and all those guys, so it might end up being a hit for us. I will need to think about the Halloween Party. I will have to look into all of those options.

EPCOT is also one of my favorites with my kids because there is so much to do. People don't really think about it, but there is stuff all over EPCOT, even if it isn't always the highest quality stuff. Many rides have no, or very limited waits, so you can generally find ways to simply walk on Spaceship Earth, The Land, Imagination, Energy Adventure, and the Mexico Ride. There is really only one thrill ride at EPCOT. Mission Space, and it makes me sick as a dog so I don't go on it anymore. Test Track is one of the fastest rides at WDW, but it is essentially a convertible car going 65mph on a banked track. If you own a convertible, it's basically a fast acceleration followed by your commute to work with fun corners. Soarin is interesting and fun, but again, it doesn't actually move. You just feel like you are moving. So I don't really consider it a thrill ride so much as a very good simulator. Then The Seas and Frozen are simple dark rides. My kids were big Frozen fans as well, but frankly we had more fun in the ride queue than in the ride itself. Nice AA though.

Then you have the missions stuff, all the characters if your kids are in to that, and the best restaurants in the parks. EPCOT is a must-do for my family for a day, and you can spend the better part of one there at the very least.

 

[mtnminnie]

as followup.....

what are your favorite snacks in Epcot? ...we won't be dining.

and secondly, if you had to choose, would you as a first time visitor have two park days in MK or would you have one full day and then do the Halloween party instead? and why?

 

[jknezek]

One and the Halloween Party. You can get into MK at 4p.m. if you have party tickets. If you ride the stuff that is closed during the party on your other MK day, most of the things during the Halloween Party will have shorter lines. Plus you get the party extras, parades, characters, and shows (and some not so exciting snacks). We did a day where we went to MK and stayed (separate ticket) for the Christmas Party. That was dumb. The Party ticket cost as much, or more as multiple day tickets, and with kids we had to leave and rest mid-day anyway. Do one or the other. But I would experience the party and have 1 more MK day rather than have 2 regular MK days.

 

[G719]

If you finish with Epcot early and don't stay for illumination, you might enjoy exploring the Boardwalk area. Get ice cream at ample hills there. It was very good! We did this one evening after dinner at Epcot. Then we took a bus from the Boardwalk hotel to MK and took the boat back to the fort. It probably took as long as it would have taken us to walk to the front of Epcot to catch the bus.

 

[mtnminnie]

ok....sorry for so many questions....

the way we are coming in and staying we would have the option of either the Halloween or the Christmas Party (we would not choose to do both). We could only do the Halloween Pary on Sunday the 29th...and we don't want to miss TOT at the Fort...I don't know when that happens. so many decisions....


nevermind....the Christmas Party starts after we leave. Guess that one was an easy decision.

 

[mtnminnie]

would you do the Halloween party on the same day as check in? or would you hang out at the pool?

 

[G719]

would you do the Halloween party on the same day as check in? or would you hang out at the pool?

Depends on a lot of things: how long is your travel that day? How early did you get up to travel to the fort? How late can your kids stay up and then how early do you want to be up the next day?
For a first trip, I would probably lean toward skipping the party unless you really want to do all the extra things that go along with the party. And since you're already going to enjoy the Halloween festivities at the Fort, you may not feel you miss out by skipping the party. I think the Fort trick or treat is usually on the 31st.

 

[mtnminnie]

thank you!

 

[bama_ed]

I think the Fort trick or treat is usually on the 31st.

Last year ToT was on the 31st but that was the first year it wasn't officially on the Halloween activity list. Here is the 2016 list: https://www.disboards.com/threads/october-2016-movie-rec-calendar-halloween-events.3550745/

Campers are free to hand out candy to other campers and that normally occurs on the 31st starting around 5 or 6pm.

If you want Ed's opinion (and you didn't ask for it), ToT had been an official Disney activity and on the Recreation Calendar for many years and drew hoards of people from other resorts on property, lots of locals, and it was jammed by all reports. Disney had paid to provide Cast Members to deal with the crowd but since it was a camper to camper activity, Disney withdrew their official involvement with ToT in 2016 and let it take place organically. There was no way Disney could charge admission for the event, they didn't hand out any candy, and it carried a lot of expense with it.

But I'm betting it will take place again this year and in future years.

Bama Ed

 

[mtnminnie]

Oh, I hope TOT happens BamaEd. We specifically are camping for this very event. We have never experienced a really suped up hopped up crazy Halloween in our little rural America and the kids are more excited about this event than the parks themselves.