Epcot for kids?

[mommyintn]

My boys are 3 & 6 and we will be in WDW in March. My 6 year old is a little "ride shy". When I was showing him a pic of the Dumbo ride the 1st question was "is it fast"? It seems like the biggest rides are test track (no way he'll go on it and 3 year old will be too little), soarin' (6 year old might but 3 year old shut out again) and mission space (me and 6 year old get motion sickness). I was all excited about trying Epcot but am wondering if it would be a waste of money to use a ticket there. What do you think?

 

[GlennI]

You kids may enjoy the Honey I shrunk the Audience show, the land boat ride, plus the boat rides in Norway and Mexico, and of course spaceship earth.... but if you have to cut a park out, this would be your best bet.

 

[mommyintn]

Thanks!! Any opinions on MGM for this age? Thanks!

 

[GEM]

My little guy is only 2 1/2. Of course he can't ride any of the "big" rides, but he loves Epcot! I know he gets in free, but when he turns three next year we definately won't consider Epcot a waste of money for him at all.

Some of his very favorite things at Epcot are:

-The Journey Into Your Imagination ride. He is NUTS about the upside down house. It always makes him giggle like crazy.

-The Living Seas. He could have spent hours and hours in there. He really likes fish and he was mesmerized watching them in the round tanks. And, Turtle Talk was a HUGE hit with him!

-Watching the performers in World Showcase. He especially loved the Chinese acrobats, the MoRockin' band in Morocco, and Off Kilter in Canada. He clapped and danced and really, really enjoyed himself at all of those performances. At all three, more people ended up watching him than the show!

-He was also fascinated by the 360 films like "O Canada" and "Wonders of China". He just kept saying, "Wow!"

-The Maelstrom boat ride in Norway. This one has always been a big hit!

-He even just really enjoyed watching the Fountain of Nations dance to the music and change color at night. It really is an impressive sight - all choreographed with beautiful colors and movement. It's one of the coolest things in all of Disney World.

-Eating dinner at Morocco and watching the belly dancer. What can I say, he's a boy . . .

-Playing in the jumping water fountain on the walkway between Future World and World Showcase and looking at the "upside down waterfall" outside the Imagination pavillion.

-And, on all four of his trips so far, hands down his very favorite thing in all of Disney World has been . . . Illuminations! He loves this show so much! It's always the absolute highlight of the trip for him!

Anyway, I know your boys are a little older, but I still think they would find plenty to interest them at Epcot! I actually think MGM has way less to offer very young ones than Epcot does.

 

[MELSMICE]

Don't forget that in EPCOT, in each country there is a KIDCOT station. You get a "mask" that the kids can decorate, buy a passport & in each country you get the passport stamped & a "tag" from each country representative of something from that country.

MGM - Muppetvision 3D, Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, Playhouse Disney, Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast stage show, the Stunt show (I think it is Lights, Stunts, Action or something like that). They would probably enjoy many of these things.

 

[znjmom]

My DS's are 11 and 5 and they love Epcot. There is a lot for kids to do and see. I wouldn't skip it!!

 

[DisneyDreamingAubrey]

We went in March of 05, and my sons were 3 and 1. We loved it . I think what makes Epcot so wonderful is that it isn't a ride based park. There are a lot of fun things to see and do without having to wait in long lines or take nervous little ones on things they're not ready for. As an adult you'll love going into World Showcase and there are crafts at every Country for your children. I wouldn't skip Epcot, instead make it number 1 on your list.

Just skip the rides they do have..... Mission Space (VERY SCARY ), Test Track (VERY FAST )

 

[cwnhokie]

We didn't plan to go to EPCOT with our Ds 2 and 4. We ended up going back to MK on what was supposed to be a rest day and then went back and took a nap, when they woke up we went to EPCOT for a few hours. I wish we had spent more time there. We only had time for a couple things but I'm sure they would have enjoyed more. We did Living Seas and Turtle Talk with Crush was one of our favorites. They only go to do one Kidcot station but the really liked it and would have loved to do more. We will definately spend more time in Epcot next time. MGM had a lot of things for them, most of the characters that they love are there, Toy Story, JoJo, Power Rangers, Incredibles, Playhouse Disney. Pizza Planet was one of there favorite places, they could have spent all day there. Have fun whatever you do!

 

[Brina]

We were just in disney with two 5 year olds. One loved soaring, the other not as much. Both loved test track. We did not go on mission space as I was afraid I would get motion sick. DSs also loved spaceship earth and journey into the imagination (as did our 2 year old)and area when you come off of that ride. The loved the world showcase and did all the kidcots.

 

[my4kids]

If you have a park hopper pass and extra time, sure you should go, and sure there are things for them there...but if you are not using a park hopper and are thinking about spending a whole day there.....they would be happier back at MK or MGM or AK. MGM has alot for little ones. My kids had total melt downs somewhere around Japan in EPCOT. (Why does it always have to happen on the other side of the lagoon where you have no choice but to walk a loonnnngggg distance to get out of there?) If we were going again (DS9 DD7 DS5 and DS1) I would skip the World showcase altogether. Future world has some great kids stuff - and WS is beautiful and perfect for adults, but not adults toting kiddies. The Kidcot stations are OK, but I did not buy 6 plane tickets and spend thousands to take my kids to a park so they could sit at little tables and color. They do that at home, and they can do it at our local mall on Kid's Morning. I would much rather be watching them run up main street to get to the Buzz Lightyear ride AGAIN.

 

[1of6]

Where do you get the passports for the kids? And do they stamp them at the Kidcot stops or anywhere in the country?

 

[Em&Bec'sMom]

We were there over Thanksgiving with DD8 and DD4. We were there for Princess Bkfst at 10 am and stayed through IllumiNations, and came back for about 6 hours another day. Lots in Future World that they both enjoyed. DD4 was a bit bored with World Showcase, but DD8 loved it. She had been reading about it and looking forward to it, but we've been big on museums and other "learning experiences" so this was par for the course for her. Definitely get the passports (we got ours inside the temple at Mexico). The country hosts wrote little messages for our girls in the different languages, including writing their names in Chinese characters. They loved it! Also, there are pressed penny machines for each country. Both my girls turned it into an almost treasure hunt to find each one. TIP: the penny machines for Japan and China are located in the gift shop at the back entrance to Epcot (between France and UK). We also ate dinner at Marrakesh in Morocco and had a great time, but again, it's because we knew our kids weren't fussy eaters (Granma was the one who had trouble finding something on the menu!)

 

[WAHMto5]

This was actually our first time at Epcot this past trip. Every other time we have been to WDW, we always go to the other 3 parks but not Epcot. We are SOO glad we did this time. Everyone really enjoyed it, especially me! The little ones really enojoyed the "Kidcot Stops" and making the masks. My VERY shy (just turned) 4 yr old LOVED "Soarin". We are looking foward to going back on our next trip.

 

[estherhead]

MGM & Epcot are our favorite parks, our girls are 3 & 5. We just went in December & kept going back to these two parks. If you have to skip a park, I'd skip Animal Kingdom. Though the stuff to do there is awesome, it only takes a few hours. Our 3 year old didn't ride Mission Space or Test Track and LOVED Epcot. She refused to leave the Living Seas stating that SHE would be staying with the fish, thank you very much. She LOVED LOVED Soarin. Still talks about the France movie a month later. If your child is ride shy I would say Epcot and MGM are the perfect parks as walking around is the enjoyable part. And Kidcots are wonderful. And MGM has Herbie now. That was a big deal with my younger one.

 

[dbarker]

Where do you get the passports for the kids? And do they stamp them at the Kidcot stops or anywhere in the country?

We got our "Passport" kits at one of the gift shops in Epcot. Yes, they stamp them at the Kidcot stations.

Funny story: We had planned on doing Epcot the first day (like all the guide books say). We got to Epcot, ride Spaceship Earth, then as we are walking past the fountain, DS5 looks around and asks: "Where are the rides?" We explain some of the things about Epcot to him, and he says "No, where are all the rides? You know, like Dumbo? Like we saw on the (planning) DVD?" DH and I look at each other, smile, and go to MK. Moral of story: Always be flexible w/ your plans.

Oh, btw, we returned to Epcot the next day and DS5 was perfectly happy with it all. He had the best time in the "Lands" making his mask and getting his "Passport" stamped. After the first couple, he knew the routine and would get to the kidcot station before we would.

 

[lilostitch]

My almost 7 year old DD has always LOVED Epcot! We go to Disney at least once a year, and she has enjoyed Epcot each time. One of her favorite activities is getting her mask and having it stamped all around the different countries! A lot of the countries have wonderful entertainment as you walk past, it is amazing! The acrobats in China, the live statues in France, the "drums" (what are those things called?) in Japan, etc. I'd be surprised if your sons didn't enjoy it.