Epcot not for children

[MisunderstoodLilo]

Hogwash, our kids have always loved Epcot...

Literally took the words out of my mouth! I wanted to say hogwash!

I love Epcot. I did as a kid, and my kids will too!

 

[Magpie]

When my kids were seven and nine they voted Epcot the Best Park Ever. They loved it! We spent two days there and could have stayed longer. They did everything in the Innoventions areas, including building a robot they could take home. The video games were great and they got a certificate for learning about fire safety. They visited all the countries and got tags for their masks. They got another certificate from Morocco just for talking to the two guys there, I guess. They got some kind of Harry Potter certificate in England for knowing trivia... just lots of stuff like that.

Test track was their favorite ride, though it might be a bit much for a 6yo. They also loved Turtle Talk with Crush. Basically, they liked everything. Except Mission Space, which made everyone sick. But even that will probably be okay now that they've got a non-spinning version.

And there were so many neat little surprises tucked away everywhere! Hidden gardens in the lands, sparkling sidewalks, jumping fountains, that little area where you can taste different soft drinks from all sorts of different countries...

Epcot is our family's favorite park, hands down!

 

[ballarinamom]

DD5 loved aspects of Epcot and was bored with others. She loved Nemo, Soarin and living the land. She loved Mission Space( green version ) and testtrack. One of her favs was Club Cool where she tried the different sodas from around the world. We all enjoyed Alkershus for dinner and she loved the "troll ride" (Maelstrom) and the three caballeros. She didn't care for much of the World Showcase except for her compulsion to complete her Kidcot mask. she and her dad really bonded over their joy for Spaceship Earth. Can you fill a day with fun- absolutely. Just plan on her wanting to bypass alot of it.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I have read several different things that says there's nothing for children to do at Epcot. On my next trip I was wondering how much time I should spend in Epcot with my 6 year old niece and what rides and attractions we should do. And how much time I should schedule to be there.

Here is an honest assessment. I'm sure I will be accused of being negative, but that is not my intent.

Summary. Epcot is not completely boring, but there are some things lacking for the kiddos. If it were me, I'd spend one day at Epcot, concentrating on the front section, possibly getting to two or 3 of the more kid friendly countries in the back section, let them pick out a place to eat (make sure you reserve it before hand) see Illuminations, and call it a day. Maybe eat a princess meal if yours are interested in that. Or eat somewhere else in world showcase if they are not.

long version.
First World Showcase.
There are some things to entertain a kid, but be prepared to skip a lot.
Nearly half of the countries in World Showcase are nothing more than shops and one or two eateries. To keep the kids entertained (or more accurately to placate them just long enough that they don't howl in protest, ) Disney has thrown kidcot stations up, where the kids get to color. They also provide a compulsion to complete a project such as a mask that they attach various cut outs of things from each country. But it's a pale substitute for actual attractions. And of course, you could let the kids color at home for about $5 for supplies that will last a long time. And to be brutally honest here, if Disney is throwing this at the place, they know there is otherwise a problem with the kiddo boredom factor. There are various mall quality shows that are there too. A couple of these have an amusing little show like the drums in Japan or the traveling comedy squads in Italy and England. But much of the comedy goes over a kid's head. There are a couple more countries that are what I just described above plus a little movie to tell you about them and a couple more with a genuine attraction and a show.

For this back section, I tend to suggest Mexico. Inside the pyramid there is a boat ride. I tend to suggest Norway. The Maelstrom is fun. There is also a little movie. I also tend to suggest the Acrobats in China. That is really fun to watch and there is also a movie with a pre show. I also tend to suggest doing some combination of these, plus eating dinner somewhere (make sure you get reservations) and save the rest of world showcase for another visit.

Future World.
Here I think you'll find a lot more to do for the kiddo.
The living Seas. Everything in here is right up kiddo alley.
The land. Ditto.
Imagination. Ditto.
Ellen's. This can be long, but if they're in to Dinosaurs, they'll love it.
Mission Space. Green side is fairly tame in a Star Tours light sort of way. If they don't like small spaces, stay away.
Test Track sounds and looks bad, but it's really not. It's a mild thrill the kiddos usually like.
Innoventions. This is pretty much filler. Many of the video games are of lesser technology than the Wii. But the build your own robot is fun.
The character meet and greet is an excellent spot to meet the main characters with shorter lines than in Toontown or camp Minnie Mickey.
Space Ship Earth.. Actually kind of neat. Kiddo's seem to like going backwards at the end.

All in all, I think Epcot is worth a day and children can have fun there. But I also think the repeat factor is very low on certain attractions and some of it is simply not up to par despite the stop gap kidcot stations thrown at it. Hope that helps.

 

[momtimesone]

The first time we vacationed at Disneyworld we went to Epcot but only for fast track and the Living seas. This past trip We decided to try the countries. My son loved it and now on the next trip he has asked that we go there first. I for one would of never thought he would like it but he did and I'm glad Whatever your plans I hope you and yours have a blast

 

[Disney MAINEiac]

my kids love epcot, we have been going since they were 10 and 7. we usually spend several days at epcot during each visit. and they never get tired of illuminations

 

[Shorty82]

Among the things already mentioned the World Showcase is a good place to meet characters. We saw Mary Poppins in the UK (but didn't get her picture or anything), Koda in Canada (Kenai wasn't around), Aladian and Jasmine (Genie was there too) in Morocco, Chip and Dale in an out of the way spot of The American Adventure, and Mulan and Mushu in China.

There are also other characters that greet around the World Showcase but we didn't see them.

Whoever says that Epcot isn't for kids doesn't know what they are talking about.

 

[Shorty82]

The first time we vacationed at Disneyworld we went to Epcot but only for fast track and the Living seas. This past trip We decided to try the countries. My son loved it and now on the next trip he has asked that we go there first. I for one would of never thought he would like it but he did and I'm glad Whatever your plans I hope you and yours have a blast

It's Test Track. Just so you don't confuse anybody.

 

[rgrgirl]

I always loved Epcot as child. The good thing about it too is that it is also educational. As an adult, I enjoy epcot even more.

 

[5 for WDW]

Our kids are 10,7 and 4. Epcot is their favorite park, even over MK. We were in WDW for 10 days in September and we spent 3 in Epcot.

My kids love the rides but, visiting World Showcase is their favorite thing to do.

Have a great trip!

 

[bradk]

It's Test Track. Just so you don't confuse anybody.

it's also no longer called the living seas the official name is the seas with nemo & friends, although i prefer the seas. even more than the living seas. goes better with the land.

 

[kaweb]

we spent two full days in Epcot, with 2 kids, then 8 & 4!!

They loved doing the masks and Kidcot stops in the World Showcase, and really got into exploring each "country." As a bonus, many characters can be found in and about, so that helped keep our youngest's attention. We watched shows in some places, and peeked into shops--it was truly a wonderful day.

We spent another day in Future World...our DD, 4, loved, loved Spaceship Earth (I know it's closed till Feb., can't recall when you're going) and the Nemo ride wasn't yet open, but she would have adored that! Turtle Talk w/ Crush is a must do. We spent time in the Land, saw the films, rode the rides... my 4 yr old freaked out and wouldn't do Soarin (but the kind CMs whisked us away, and let me go back in to ride w/ DS, 8 (again for him) while DH waited outside w/ DD). Overall--there was PLENTY to do, and in fact, we didn't get to spend much time at all in Innoventions, we figure it's there for another trip!

Plan a full day, I'd say, at least! She'll have a great time!

 

[ReneeA]

My kids were 3 & 4 our last trip and it has consistently been their favorite. We spent more time there than MK last time.

 

[Charleyann]

At age 8 years old my DS didn't like Epcot. Then at age 10 years he absolutely loved it! It is now his favorite park. We went to Epcot twice last year. It was his choice....


Charleyann

 

[ShuisFan584]

I think it's silly when people say Epcot is not for kids. I think Epcot definitely has a lot of fun things for kids to do.

I would definitely spend a lot of time at The Seas Pavilion (I forget what they changed the name to). Everything there is fun for kids. It has the Nemo ride, Turtle Talk with Crush which is very popular for kids, and a lot of exhibits.

At the Land Pavilion I would definitely suggest Soarin.

The Imagination Pavilion is also a good one for kids. It has the Journey into Imagination ride, and the Image Works area outside of the ride is always a lot of fun, especially for kids. If your niece isn't afraid of 3d movies, you should also definitely see Honey I Shrunk the Audience.

Spaceship Earth is a class so you don't want to miss that.

Innoventions has a lot of hands on activities and you can easily spend a lot of time there.

Universe of Energy is pretty long (about 45 minutes), but it's interesting and I think your niece would like it.

I'm not sure if she's old enough for Mission Space, but they have the Training Lab outside of Mission Space that has a lot of hands on things.

And of course, if she's into thrill rides, I would definitely recommend visiting Test Track.

Also, when visiting the countries around World Showcase, definitely stop at the KidCot stops!

I hope that gives you enough reason to visit Epcot!

 

[Tammysue5]

We had heard that Epcot was not much for kids and so we "thought" we would not spend much time there. (we stayed at WDW for 12 days) Epcot ended up being where we went most. The DD5 DD8 DS16 all loved Epcot.

DD5 thought Soarin was the best... went on it tons of times. Turtle talk w/Crush... must do ! Our whole family LOVED it. The kids liked it because I was the adult that Crush talked with during the show... He asks your name and if I swim fast or turtle speed... (I said turtle speed) so throughout the show he would include my name in his talk.... Called me "totally Tammy" and when he was swimming around on his back.... he said " Hey, Look at me..... I'm Tammy" The whole family still gives me that line!

Believe it or not... my DDs LOVED the Land... the ride where you see the pumpkins shaped like Mickey Heads....Ellens Energy adventure....Innovations...here you can make plastic robots and bring them home. Our family 'competed" against others in races w/our robots. The kids and I played a game on a huge screen ahead w/another team playing against us.... there were others behind us on our team that helped us. Wonderful interaction games. The kids areas in World showcase. We loved it. While you will need to decide for yourself, please do not just go by what you hear... if we had... we would have missed one of the greatest parks.

 

[vickiea]

We were in WDW early Oct (2007) for our first time, our family and another family, two of the kids were girls, my DD 51/2 and our friends DD 6 (as well as 3 boys - 3, 3 and 21 months).

They all loved Epcot. There was so much to see and do, and we didn't even do the Kidcot stations - not enough time. So many interesting things to see in innoventions, building Robots. At 6 your niece is probably tall enough for Test Track (my DD found it a bit too fast, but she tried it), Mission Space - try the green version first if you are unsure how she will be with the extreme spinning.
They all loved Soarin', and ask repeatedly 'Can we go to Epcot today to ride Soarin'?" Too bad I have to say no since we live all the way in Western Canada. Of course Nemo, The Land, etc.

There are lots of characters to see too.

In world showcase, just looking at all of the different types of buildings and seeing the types of clothing worn by some of the CM's gave out kids lots of things to ask questions about, and then some of the countries had movies about them too.

We had a very special moment in the Canadian pavilion, where our kids sang O'Canada along with the CM Felicity (she rocks!) while waiting for the movie. They got greats cheers from the crowd after, and what made it more special was it was Canadian Thanksgiving that day too.

Epcot, while not as great as MK for me, is definitely a close second.

Enjoy!

Vickie

 

[GoofyaboutMickey]

We were never big fans of EPCOT for our 14 day trip in August I had only planned one ECPOT We ended up going 4 days!!! Lydia (4) loved meeting all the princes the kid cot stations and seeing the street performers. Zach and RJ (10, 14) had a great time with the passports, and we could not keep them off of sorin and test track