Attractions at Epcot for young kids

[princesslover]

I was perusing allears.net and checking out the attractions in both World Showcase and Future World, and trying to figure out some "must sees" for my two daughters, who are 6 and "almost" 3. I know most of the movies and such probably won't interest them much, but I'm sure there are lots of things at Epcot that they would enjoy, I am just trying to narrow it down.

We likely will only spend a day there, too, which makes it difficult. We are planning to see Holidays around the World, so we will visit a lot of places to see the storytellers. We also want to see the candlelight processional.

So those of you that went to Epcot with young kids, what did they enjoy the most? What are some "can't miss" things for this age group?

Thanks!

oh, and we'll be there November 30-December 7 if that makes any difference at all.

 

[KellyNY]

I would have to say Epcot is better for big kids, however, they may like all kinds of street performers in World Sowcase, making masks in every country, meeting characters, rides at Norway and Mexico, Toy store at germany and Norway, There something about Nemo I think in Epcot but I am just not sure. Test track, MS are too rough for your younger DD, Soarin would be fine if your younger DD can sit quiet and do not move for appr. 8 min. because Soarin will lift you couple of stories high, so safety is n.1
Do not miss Sugar candy making in Japan, if you get close enough, the maker may give your dds the candy.
That is all I can think of...

 

[Amanda_the_awesome]

I would say that if they have seen the movie Finding Nemo then take them into the Seas With Nemo and Friends pavilion. There is a cute ride that goes through the story of Nemo and there is the aquarium at the end of the ride where they can view the fish.
Also the Imagination pavilion is cute for young kids.

 

[Binnie]

DD3 enjoys the Character spot and Nemo, but that's about it.

During our visit in November, I'm planning for us to go to the World Showcase for the first time. We'll see how that goes...

 

[Leota]

My son loved Epcot when he was little. We started taking him at just barely 4 years old. Now, that was a long time ago, he's 21 now....

Along with some of the great new things they have for young kids at The Living Seas with Nemo (the whole pavillion is excellent for little guys) Spaceship Earth is a hit, my DS loved the Universe of Energy because of the dinosaurs. Innoventions has some fun hands on, very bright & colorful stuff, all the Kidcot stops. Other folks have already mentioned Character Stop, Imagination, Norway & Mexico. If you only have one day, you'll be hard pressed to do all that & all the Storytellers & be done by the Candlelight Processional.

I would say the Character Greeting Spot, Living Seas with Nemo, Spaceship Earth & Kidcots are really the big don't miss ones for your kids ages. I'd say Soarin' too, but it depends on how big & how brave your 3 year old is.

 

[HLAuburn]

Apart from the rides everyone's mentioned (our faves are Nemo and Maelstrom), definitely make sure you check out the Kidcot stops....DD still remembers that fromour last trip and she's looking forward to it again.

Also, during Xmas, they have holiday storytellers in each country that your kids might enjoy.

 

[princesslover]

I would say that if they have seen the movie Finding Nemo then take them into the Seas With Nemo and Friends pavilion. There is a cute ride that goes through the story of Nemo and there is the aquarium at the end of the ride where they can view the fish.
Also the Imagination pavilion is cute for young kids.

Thanks everyone, for your replies so far. Pardon my laziness, because I know I can go look this up myself, but where is the imagination pavilion and the character spot? Are they in FW?

Soarin' sounds like so much fun. I hope I can convince my girls to go on it. Can all 4 of us go together?

 

[OTRGal]

My son would have spent a good part of the day at the model train near the Germany pavilion if we let him have his way. Do check that out if your children are interested in trains or miniatures.

 

[princesslover]

My son would have spent a good part of the day at the model train near the Germany pavilion if we let him have his way. Do check that out if your children are interested in trains or miniatures.

I saw that! That sounds so cool. My DD3 loves, loves, loves trains, so we will definitely check that out.

I did figure out where the imagination pavilion is, but is the character spot in each country, or is there one character spot for World Showcase>

 

[ktlm]

My DD has been at 2 yrs 10 months (last Dec) and 3 (this May), and other than MK, her absolute favorite park is Epcot. In fact, I asked her last night if we went back to WDW where did she want to go, and she yelled EPCOT. On her 1st trip we were there from open to close and did not feel like we had enough time. She loved World Showcase and we spent most of our time there. Epcot is about letting the kids take time and explore instead of running from attraction to attraction. There are lots of princesses in WS to meet and the lines aren't too long. She loved the street performers and kidcot stationsn(watch out the markers are sharpies and they will stain). She could spend hours banging on the drums at the outpost. She likes just exploring the countries. She runs around Morocco pretending it is Aladdin and Jasmine's marketplace (in the afternoon you will find Jasmine near there sometimes with Aladdin or Genie and that is what got her started) She likes the toy store in the UK and you can usually find Pooh and Tiger or maybe Mary Poppins or Alice there. You can also find Auroa, Belle sometimes with Beast, Snow White sometimes with Dopey, and Mulan. We did not do much of the Holidays Around the World because all the different Santas were kind of confusing for her. We also did not do the Candlelight Processional. I watched some of it on You Tube and although she really likes shows decided that was not one she would sit through. At 3, she did like the film in China. She was impressed that the movie was all around you. She loved the boat ride in Mexico and wanted to ride it over and over on both trips. On the Future World Side, she loved the Nemo Ride, exploring the area at the end of the ride and at 3 loved Turtle Talk with Crush. She loved the Journey into imagination ride and the area after it. Unless your child is absolutely huge, an "almost 3" won't be tall enough to ride soaring. If you get fastpasses, one of you could take your older daughter as I bet she would like it. The Character Spot area in FW was a hit (in answer to your question it is one area inside a building with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald and Goofy). Also, first thing in the morning there are usually characters out near the gate. We saw Stitch standing by himself just waiting for kids to come over. He spent a long time playing with DD until some other kids finally started heading his way. There is also a water splashpad area by Mission Space she loved in May, but it may be too cold for that in December, you just never know what the weather is going to be. If you let them play in that, expect them to be absolutely soaked. Forgot Illuminations- the fireworks show at night if your kids will stay up that late. She begged to stay for it at 2 years 10 months and then about halfway through said okay I'm ready to go to bed now we can go. At 3, she stayed for the whole thing. She likes it from a distance. She doesn't like to be right up by the water.

 

[princesslover]

My DD has been at 2 yrs 10 months (last Dec) and 3 (this May), and other than MK, her absolute favorite park is Epcot. In fact, I asked her last night if we went back to WDW where did she want to go, and she yelled EPCOT. On her 1st trip we were there from open to close and did not feel like we had enough time. She loved World Showcase and we spent most of our time there. Epcot is about letting the kids take time and explore instead of running from attraction to attraction. There are lots of princesses in WS to meet and the lines aren't too long. She loved the street performers and kidcot stationsn(watch out the markers are sharpies and they will stain). She could spend hours banging on the drums at the outpost. She likes just exploring the countries. She runs around Morocco pretending it is Aladdin and Jasmine's marketplace (in the afternoon you will find Jasmine near there sometimes with Aladdin or Genie and that is what got her started) She likes the toy store in the UK and you can usually find Pooh and Tiger or maybe Mary Poppins or Alice there. You can also find Auroa, Belle sometimes with Beast, Snow White sometimes with Dopey, and Mulan. We did not do much of the Holidays Around the World because all the different Santas were kind of confusing for her. We also did not do the Candlelight Processional. I watched some of it on You Tube and although she really likes shows decided that was not one she would sit through. At 3, she did like the film in China. She was impressed that the movie was all around you. She loved the boat ride in Mexico and wanted to ride it over and over on both trips. On the Future World Side, she loved the Nemo Ride, exploring the area at the end of the ride and at 3 loved Turtle Talk with Crush. She loved the Journey into imagination ride and the area after it. Unless your child is absolutely huge, an "almost 3" won't be tall enough to ride soaring. If you get fastpasses, one of you could take your older daughter as I bet she would like it. The Character Spot area in FW was a hit (in answer to your question it is one area inside a building with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald and Goofy). Also, first thing in the morning there are usually characters out near the gate. We saw Stitch standing by himself just waiting for kids to come over. He spent a long time playing with DD until some other kids finally started heading his way. There is also a water splashpad area by Mission Space she loved in May, but it may be too cold for that in December, you just never know what the weather is going to be. If you let them play in that, expect them to be absolutely soaked. Forgot Illuminations- the fireworks show at night if your kids will stay up that late. She begged to stay for it at 2 years 10 months and then about halfway through said okay I'm ready to go to bed now we can go. At 3, she stayed for the whole thing. She likes it from a distance. She doesn't like to be right up by the water.

Thank you so much for this! I have taken notes on everything you (as well as others) have said. Very, very, helpful! I'm glad to hear that your DD liked it so much.

 

[ajcolorado]

Serveur Amusant (Balancing Act / France Pavilion)

Dragon Legend Acrobats (China Pavilion)

Miyuki (Candy Artist / Japan Pavilion)

are the 3 "must see" entertainers in the World Showcase for our family. We always spend a very full day at Epcot.

This article might help: Epcot wiht Young Children - http://www.buildabettermousetrip.com/article-epcot-with-young-children.php

 

[dolphindan1]

Dont forget the Turtle talk with crush show...He would like the ride at Mexico and Norway too....I think...

Epcot is my favorite park and both my boys love it and we have only done the kidcot masks 1 time, never did a meet and greet, and have yet to see turtle talk...so there is plenty to do...I would go and let the kid decide if he likes it or not....He may enjoy Test Track too...its like riding in a normal car only better..if tall enough (40")

 

[Kae]

My kids loved Epcot at that age. The trains were a big thing. But I also think they enjoyed that it was more laid back. Kidcot stations big hit as others have mentioned. At that age they were more willing to try different foods so we ate at alot of the different CS in World Showcase. And they talk about Illumnations more that the other nighttime shows.

Kae

 

[g-dad66]

Soarin' sounds like so much fun. I hope I can convince my girls to go on it. Can all 4 of us go together?

It has a 40" height requirement, so your 3-year-old may not be able to ride.

My 5-year-old grandkids love all of the "big three" in Future World -- Soarin, Test Track, and Mission Space (tame side). Also Turtle Talk was a big hit with them, as well as Storm Struck in Innoventions and also Spaceship Earth.

 

[ktlm]

Forgot one. At 3, DD loved living with the land, which kind of surprised me. It is in refurb now, but should be open by the time you go. It is in the building with Soarin. My DD got off and wanted to get back in the line to ride again, but we didn't have time because we had an ADR at Biergarten. If you are looking for restaurants, my 3 year old ranks Biergarten above all character meals except princess meals and she ties it with those. They have a show with a German band and a dance floor and the kids can dance during part of the show. The princess meal at Akershus was also a big hit when she was 2 yrs 10 months. She liked Spaceship Earth too, but I wouldn't make that the 1st ride at the park for the little one as it was a little dark and isn't a cartoon character ride. I think DD was most impressed by the fact that she was inside the giant "golf ball" and discovering what was inside.

 

[Silver Queen]

So glad that you're taking your children to Epcot. As the previous posters have indicated there are so many things for children to do. As an educator I think it's so important to give children many different kinds of entertaining experiences, not just the fantasy, animation ones. It's really amazing what young children will find interesting and enjoyable. When my son was young he loved Epcot and there's even more to offer young children these days. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Nutz4Dizney]

My sons (now 8 1/2) first trip he was 1 1/2 years old. I asked the same question and everyone told me the EPCOT would not be very entertaining for him so I only planned 1 day there. When we got there he did not want to leave, out of all the parks (including MK) in WDW his favorite park has always been EPCOT.

When he was little the Innoventions, the land, the seas, Ellens energy, Figment ride were his favorite. He also liked the rides in Mexico & Norway. Can't forgot the kidcot stops LOL


He will be going on his 8th trip in Sept and had me put 3 days aside for EPCOT only.

This year he wants to make sure he gets to see all the Movies in Showcase (he has only seen Norway & Canada).

 

[crazyfordisney2000]

Last trip DD was 3 DS was 6. They both loved Soarin. But DD is tall, there is a 40" height restriction. They both LOVED the kidcot stops. They asked to go back the next day to finish the countries. They both also enjoyed Nemo, and turtle talk with Crush. When DH took DS on Test Track (DD got through the line up, then changed her mind), I took DD to the "water jumping" fountain just outside the entrance of the ride. She got very wet (I had a change of clothes for her with me) and she loved it. My DS said Epcot is his favorite park! ( I do think it has alot to do with Test Track, though Enjoy Epcot!!