Epcot or not?

[dizzyr]

We are heading to WDW in January and it will be our second no trip. The first one we had 4 days and did two at MK and one at AK and HS. This time we'll be there for 6 days and I was thinking of doing 2 at MK, one at each of the other 3 and leaving the last for whichever one we wanted more time at.

Now I'm thinking of giving up Epcot to do either universal (never been), discovery cove (loved loved loved it) or another day at one of the other three parks.

It will be me, my dh and my two girls 13 and 10. We like rides but couldn't be called ride people as we usually pick the shows, parades, people watching and characters (although I do plan on doing more rides this time around).

So to Epcot or not???

 

[Annadesu]

I think Epcot is worth going to atleast once, just for the world showcase. It's a lot of interesting things to look at, and cool shops. You might even learn a few things. I could easily kill an entire afternoon there. If you have park hopper, maybe just check the park out for half a day and then go somewhere else when you start getting bored? Have a good time!

 

[bamacmac]

I know Epcot is not everyone's favorite, but I just love it. I can't imagine going to WDW and NOT going to Epcot! It's an absolute must, ahead of AK and DHS, for me at least. There is plenty to do there, you just have to research it and learn about all it has to offer. And it would be great for your kids, especially at that age, to learn a little bit about the different countries! There are fun rides there and plenty of fun experiences to be had! Give it a chance!!!

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Epcot is our favorite. If you're going to blow off Epcot then go to Disney WATERPARK instead. Much better than Discovery Cove. You'll need a couple of days for Universal.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I'm not an Epcot fan but I think it's worth a visit. I would swap it out for a day at Universal though if that was the choice.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Epcot is our favorite. If you're going to blow off Epcot then go to Disney WATERPARK instead. Much better than Discovery Cove. You'll need a couple of days for Universal.

A Disney waterpark is better than Discovery Cove? I hadn't heard that before.

 

[bigcrit]

I agree about park hopping. I would combine AK and DHS into one day and add universal. Do not skip Epcot if you have never been, definitely worth it.

 

[quakechicago]

I have always loved Epcot. I'm so glad my kiddo adores it too. I'd combine AK and HS into one day as well and give it a try. The meet and greets are great, the little places in the showcase so fun, and there is so much to try, see and do! It's one of our favorites.

 

[minnie mum]

I would definitely not skip Epcot, especially if you've never been before. Some of the FW attractions are really quite good, and there are characters at the character spot and throughout world showcase. The live performances in the different pavilions in WS are also worth checking out, at the very least, even if you don't want to do the theatre shows. And the foods on offer are some of the best in any of the parks.

 

[dizzyr]

We won't have park hoppers unless they offer free dining that forces us to buy them. There's also no way we could combine AK and HS into one since AK was my kids favourite and HS was my dh's. We ran out of time at both to see everything. We could do one day at each park though and only do a second day at one park which would still leave us a day for universal or discovery cove.

 

[dizzyr]

Epcot is our favorite. If you're going to blow off Epcot then go to Disney WATERPARK instead. Much better than Discovery Cove. You'll need a couple of days for Universal.

But there's no Dolphins at the waterpark!

 

[Rosebud123]

Although I love Epcot, if your girls like Harry Potter and you can afford the extra $500, I'd be tempted to do Universal. We've only done IOA 2x but it was great. That being said, we're going for 11 days in Aug/Sept and skipping Universal this time because I don't feel like spending so much extra money!

 

[baldy6060]

I didn't go to EPCOT until my 3rd trip. It's now my favorite. My teens loved it too. We now make sure to have 2 days reserved for it and we always wish we had more.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

IMHO Discovery Cove was absolutely awesome! I love Typhoon Lagoon, but it doesn't even begin to compare to DC. Swimming with the dolphins was the ultimate animal experience, as well as swimming all day, the cool birds, and the included meals. Nope, no comparison and I LOVE Disney!

 

[Nohal]

Have you checked the price of a 1 day park to park ticket at Universal? Even if you just get a 1 day 1 park ticket it is expensive. Also a taxi to and from is probably $60 each way. Even if you have a car and drive there is still the price of parking. I would spend the money and get park hoppers instead. You really need more than one day at Universal.

 

[dizzyr]

I would definitely not skip Epcot, especially if you've never been before. Some of the FW attractions are really quite good, and there are characters at the character spot and throughout world showcase. The live performances in the different pavilions in WS are also worth checking out, at the very least, even if you don't want to do the theatre shows. And the foods on offer are some of the best in any of the parks.

I like the idea of the live performances, that's something I could see my family liking as well. I did think about the food too as I've read good reviews but then I thought I can't (well I could but I shouldn't!) eat my way through the park!

 

[Disney_Alli]

Also if you're not really ride people I'm not sure how much you'll get out of a trip to Universal. It's major focus is big coasters with some really cool themed Harry Potter and Simpsons areas. I think your girls are the absolute PERFECT age for Epcot! My first trip to Disney I was 12 right between their ages and I loved Epcot - learning about the other countries and speaking to the CMs about their native lands was amazing. We decided to learn what each country called Santa Clause (even though it was only October) plus there are some awesome shows and performances around WS. The rides in Future World are also some of my favorites and you can get a dolphin fix in the Seas pavilion (you can even book a tour to swim with them if you want) Soarin' is a ride that has to be seen to be believed

 

[xlsm]

I know Epcot is taking a hit from people lately, but we always love it. It is really a great park! We could never skip it.

 

[dizzyr]

IMHO Discovery Cove was absolutely awesome! I love Typhoon Lagoon, but it doesn't even begin to compare to DC. Swimming with the dolphins was the ultimate animal experience, as well as swimming all day, the cool birds, and the included meals. Nope, no comparison and I LOVE Disney!

I hear you! On our last trip we did SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, WDW and a Disney Cruise and the day we spent at Discovery Cove was my favorite! It was so relaxing and I loved every single minute of it. The only thing stopping me from having it booked already is the cost.

Although I love Epcot, if your girls like Harry Potter and you can afford the extra $500, I'd be tempted to do Universal. We've only done IOA 2x but it was great. That being said, we're going for 11 days in Aug/Sept and skipping Universal this time because I don't feel like spending so much extra money!

Have you checked the price of a 1 day park to park ticket at Universal? Even if you just get a 1 day 1 park ticket it is expensive. Also a taxi to and from is probably $60 each way. Even if you have a car and drive there is still the price of parking. I would spend the money and get park hoppers instead. You really need more than one day at Universal.

They do love Harry Potter but I am questioning the extra cost. I also know that at least right now (I'm hoping by January it may be different) I won't be able to do the Harry Potter ride because of my size (which will probably put me in a bad mood even though I know it ahead of time and it's my own fault). With Discovery Cove although it's a crazy amount of money I know I will love the day and it's so different from Disney and parks that it would be a great mid trip break. With Universal I wonder if it will be a different enough experience to justify the extra cost for one day KWIM?

As for park hoppers I just don't see the value in it for our family. Because we have only been there one time there is still so much that we haven't done at every park - I just can't see up going to more than one park in a day unless it was because we didn't like it (which could only be Epcot since we've been to and loved the rest) so it doesn't make sense to spend the money on parkhoppers that at most would only be used once or twice.

 

[dizzyr]

I know Epcot is taking a hit from people lately, but we always love it. It is really a great park! We could never skip it.

It really does seem like people either love it or hate it. The last thread I read convinced me I wanted to skip it - this one is making me thing I'd be crazy to skip it! I'm now thinking maybe I should do what we did last trip and fly overnight (we are on the west coast of Canada) and arrive in the am. Last trip we did SeaWorld on arrival day so if we did the same thing this time we could plan for Epcot on arrival day because we'd probably want to make it an early night.