epcot with a preschooler

[EmilyS90]

So this thread is going to be 2 topics in one.

1. If you've taken your 4-5 yr old to epcot, what things did they like best?

2. I've read EP can be a bit hit or miss for young kids after seeing MK. Our current plan has 5 park days, with MK the first 2 days, and EP the last day (with AK and HS in between). Should We switch EP with one of the MK days?

 

[sdsatl]

My kids loooved Turtle Talk and Nemo. My husband and I were also entertained during Turtle Talk. My five-year-old loved seeing (not riding) Spaceship Earth, and my seven-year-old loved meeting the princesses and Mickey, Minnie, & Goofy. One really cute thing was when Ariel ran up to us for a picture, because my daughter was dressed like her. Made her day. We didn't do the passport/Duffy thing, but we pressed pennies and they loved that. They also liked walking along the beach outside the showcase, because we rode the boat from HS and walked by a resort (Beach club, I think?). They had a fun day, but nothing came close to topping the MK for them. I would definitely consider doing Epcot earlier in the week, if you can.

 

[Ava]

My 5-year-old thrill seeker loved both Test Track and Soarin'. (I don't like Mission Space so I didn't take her on that one.) Turtle Talk and that whole pavilion was also a hit. I would say she liked everything we did, but I would move your Epcot day earlier in the week if you can since MK is likely going to be the favorite park. I like to start and end our trip in the MK, and stay for the parade/fireworks the last night.

 

[pixiemama91]

My DD who was 3 at the time really enjoyed the memo ride and Turtle talk. She also liked walking around looking at all the different aquariums they have in that area, and there is a little play are here. She also liked the Living with the land ride and we had fun looking at all the different plants and some of their strange names. We walked around the world showcase which she enjoyed some. I am hoping she will like this area even more when we go this year. We also played around in an area ( can't remember exactly where it is) where there were a bunch of interactive games. we spent a good hour there.

This year I am thinking of getting her a passport and having it stamped in each of the countries.

 

[LaurEm378]

My son loved Epcot last year at age 4. Soarin, Nemo, Turtle Talk, the aquariums, Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth (especially the part where he saw himself in cartoon form on the screen), Journey into Imagination and the activities after the ride, Innoventions, just standing in FW watching the monorail zoom through the park-- he got a kick out of all of it and still talks about those experiences.

What really surprised me was how much he enjoyed World Showcase. We did a few Kidcot stops-- just sitting down with other kids and coloring was a welcome change for him in the middle of these crazy vacations. We rode the Mexico ride 400 times at his request. He was just as excited seeing a man juggling in China or playing drums at the Outpost as he was riding Splash Mountain.

Honestly, I think ages 3/4/5/6 are the sweet spot where EVERYTHING is exciting in its own way. The things he loved most about WDW were not at all what I'd predicted. He's just as excited about going to Epcot on our next trip as he is about MK--it's all Disney World to him.

 

[Ariel8676]

My son just turned 5, but was 3 when we were there last.. he LOVED Test Track, Soarin', Spaceship Earth, Turtle talk, and Nemo.
My 3 girls have always loved Epcot, and always loves the World Showcase and the Seas pavilion

 

[MainMom]

We like to start and end our trips with Magic Kingdom. I would put Epcot earlier in your trip.

 

[ariane37]

My son loved Epcot last year at age 4. Soarin, Nemo, Turtle Talk, the aquariums, Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth (especially the part where he saw himself in cartoon form on the screen), Journey into Imagination and the activities after the ride, Innoventions, just standing in FW watching the monorail zoom through the park-- he got a kick out of all of it and still talks about those experiences.

What really surprised me was how much he enjoyed World Showcase. We did a few Kidcot stops-- just sitting down with other kids and coloring was a welcome change for him in the middle of these crazy vacations. We rode the Mexico ride 400 times at his request. He was just as excited seeing a man juggling in China or playing drums at the Outpost as he was riding Splash Mountain.

Honestly, I think ages 3/4/5/6 are the sweet spot where EVERYTHING is exciting in its own way. The things he loved most about WDW were not at all what I'd predicted. He's just as excited about going to Epcot on our next trip as he is about MK--it's all Disney World to him.

I think LaurEm378 pretty much nailed everything my DS's loved about EPCOT at that age! First time we went older DS was 4.5 and I couldn't believe how much he loved it It remained a close 2nd to MK until age 9 or 10 when HS gained an edge because of TOT and RnRc lol. But he does still enjoy EPCOT as does DS9 who also LOVED it from probably age 2.5. Only thing I would add to the above post is the passport you can purchase in the WS gift shops. You get it signed by CM's in every country, they write your child's name in their language and generally a line or two in their language, also. I think the first time we did this youngest DS was 6 or 7 though, so your DS may get more out of it on your next trip

 

[rdevine10]

My kids loved Epcot from a very early age. Just as others were saying: Nemo (huge favorite with the aquarium), Turtle Talk, Living with the Land, Journey into Imagination, Spaceship Earth, some of the Innovations, the small boat ride in Mexico, and as soon as they were tall enough they both loved Test Track & Soarin. I would never skip this park with a preschooler- my kids loved it and still do!

 

[disnut8]

I would do Epcot earlier and save the second Magic Kingdom day for your last day. I also agree to get the passport for walking around the countries. Your child may be a preschooler but it's a great way to learn about the different countries. You could also get a world map before you go and point out where each of the countires is located.

 

[DisneyFave]

What really surprised me was how much he enjoyed World Showcase. We did a few Kidcot stops-- just sitting down with other kids and coloring was a welcome change for him in the middle of these crazy vacations. We rode the Mexico ride 400 times at his request. He was just as excited seeing a man juggling in China or playing drums at the Outpost as he was riding Splash Mountain.

This is promising--your 4 year old loved Splash Mountain?? I was thinking I'd have to cross it off my list for my visit with my niece.

 

[LaurEm378]

This is promising--your 4 year old loved Splash Mountain?? I was thinking I'd have to cross it off my list for my visit with my niece.

He very unexpectedly loved it! Before we went in May he was not a thrill seeker and had never done any ride anywhere with drops. When I showed him videos of Splash and BTMRR before the trip he was all "I'M NEVER DOING THAT" and that would have been okay with me (I'm chicken).

Then he saw the Barnstormer in person and wanted to try it, so my dad took him on it and he loved it. That was his gateway to all the mountains, including Space and Everest.

It still shocks me that he loves these rides. I guess my advice would be to just let your niece watch people ride Barnstormer and 7DMT, and if she wants to ride them and enjoys them, see if she wants to ride everything! She might surprise you!

 

[msmama]

If you don't want to buy a passport for the countries, your child can color a Duffy bear on a stick (sometimes they have perry the platypus too) and get that signed in each country. We learned how to say hello in every co countryy.

My son has always preferred Epcot to MK actually, but that's because he prefers to walk around or play to rides. So world showcase is huge for us.

The only thing I can remember that no one else has mentioned is the play area at the end of mission space. You I don't have to ride to play. Go in through the gift shop and through where people are editing and there is a cool play area back there.

Innoventions is also fun and a cool place to hang out on a hot day.

 

[artemis4]

Our youngest was 5 on our last trip. We had two Epcot days, and he loved the park. He enjoyed every ride he could do (no mission space but he loved the play area, and TT was closed for refurb that trip). He really liked the Duffy puppet and getting it stamped in each country. He liked doing Agent P with his brother, and doing Innoventions things.

On our last day, we had three hours in the park that was just him and me, as the big kids were doing a YES class. The two of us did Turtle Talk, a second trip on Figment and Maelstrom, and made it our mission to meet characters. We did 16 in all that morning, and he had a blast.

He's already been telling his younger cousins how much fun they will have in World Showcase on our two-family trip this fall.

 

[rizzo0904]

My son was there for his fifth birthday. He's tall, so he enjoyed Sum of all Thrills, MS, Soarin, TT. He also like the two Innoventions areas.

 

[kimieko]

My nephew loved Nemo, Figment, Test Track, the aquarium and some of the shops around the worlds. We went during the food and wine festival opening weekend and it was crowded so we didn't do too much in the World Showcase. Then dinner at The Garden Grill was awesome!

 

[SadieDawn90]

My little girl (a very opinionated, almost 3 y/o) enjoyed Epcot a lot. There's so much to see and a lot of things to teach them about. She loved Nemo, and the ride in the Mexico pavilion. For the most part, though, we tour Epcot at a very leisurely pace and I think that's part of why she enjoys it. The world showcase is essentially my favorite thing and we like to meander

 

[Heidi K]

My 5-year-old's favorite thing at Epcot was Club Cool! (little pavilion sponsored by CocaCola where you taste pop/soda from around the world) He also rode the Mexico ride multiple times (never a line) He loved Figment, didn't like Soarin. He loved the Great Piggy Bank Adventure (in one of the Innoventions buildings)

 

[staceyeileen]

So this thread is going to be 2 topics in one.

1. If you've taken your 4-5 yr old to epcot, what things did they like best?

2. I've read EP can be a bit hit or miss for young kids after seeing MK. Our current plan has 5 park days, with MK the first 2 days, and EP the last day (with AK and HS in between). Should We switch EP with one of the MK days?

As far as rides/attractions, my DS who just turned 5 loves Soarin, Test Track, Nemo, Turtle Talk with Crush, Figment and Spaceship Earth. He hasn't done Sum of All Thrills yet but I bet he'll like it.

Other things he likes:
The play area at the exit to Mission Space
The interactive displays at the exit to Spaceship Earth especially the Power City shuffleboard-like game
Aquarium at The Seas
Innoventions
The train display in Germany (we spend at least 30 minutes watching this display)

 

[Fratthouse]

My DS is only 3, but he LOVES epcot. His absolute favorite thing is the Duffy / Agent P world showcase kidkot thing. The first time we did it, he had SO much fun going to each of the stations and getting his stamp. It really kept him engaged in World Showcase and allowed me to enjoy it, too. I can't say enough how awesome the kidkot castmembers are, as well. They would chat with him, and if we started a little conversation would tell us all kinds of information about their country and culture. It's a blast - and FREE. We do this every time we go.

He also loves:
Nemo
Turtle Talk
Exploring the aquarium at the seas pavilion
Spaceship Earth (which is awesome, because it's also one of my favorites, too!)
Livin' with the Land
Watching the fountain in the main pavilion (it is set to music sometimes and is like a miniature water show)

He's not tall enough for Sorin' or Test Track, but I'm sure he will love both of those as soon as he's tall enough (neither are very intense or scary). The play areas at the exit to Mission Space, Spaceship Earth, and even Figment are all pretty fun as well.

In world showcase, he loves:
3 caballeros ride (we could probably ride this all day and he'd be happy)
character M&G's (this is the BEST place to meet Pooh & Tigger - they are hidden in the back of the England Pavilion and rarely have much of a wait at all!)
O Canada and Reflections of China movies (the 360 experience is pretty cool)
Voices of Liberty in the US pavilion (we stumbled upon them doing a version of "Let It Go" that left us both entranced)
the chocolate caramels from Caramel Kuche in Germany
Illuminations

Epcot gets a bad rap for parents of small children, but it's really one of our favorites.