F&W and kids

[MommyinHonduras]

We are planning our first Disney trip with one Epcot day. We were planning to enjoy each country in the afternoon and kids DD11,DD10,DS8 and DD6 would enjoy P&F game and we could snack and take our time exploring. Everything I'm reading says with all the booths and activity this will not be as easy? Will future world be less crowded in the afternoon if we did a few things there early and then went at 11am to the countries and then back to FW say after 4?

 

[Baptist]

What date do you plan on being at Epcot?

Your plan sounds good. Get there early and do as much as you can in FW. Then, snack your way through the countries for lunch. Note, the P&F game is not that good. My kids got bored with it quickly. But, many people like it.

I always like to set FP+ for later in the day. Get either a Test Track or Soarin for 3-4 or 4-5 time slot. You will be in a great position after your lunch and country exploration with FP+.

After your second round of Future World, head back for more F&W for dinner.

Enjoy! Although anytime is a great time to be at Disney, I really like the F&W festival. Have a magical trip.

 

[GWhitten98]

We went this past year for the first time(no kids), but honestly the crowds didn't really start setting in till late afternoon on the weekdays. From 11 to 3 you could move and explore pretty easily. Now the weekends was not so calm. If I was going with kids I would make sure it was a Mon through Thursday. I think hitting FW 11 or 12, snack through lunch and then go back to FW sounds like a great plan.

 

[MichelleWDWfan]

I agree with GWhitten98. Avoid Epcot F & W with kids on the weekends. It gets packed with adult locals who drink themselves silly.
Last year I was shocked at the difference when we attended on a weekend day as opposed to a weekday. Alot of ppl drunk, throwing up.
F & W with kids definately Mon-Thurs.

 

[gorjus121]

We went to Epcot in November 2014 during the F&W festival with friends and our children aged 4,5,&6 at that time. It gets so crowded it was impossible walking around with a stroller especially on the weekends. I would suggest going earlier in the day and be done by late afternoon. If possible avoid the weekends especially in the evenings. There was also people that were quite drunk throwing up, all over bathroom floors and in bushes. This was all well before 7:30 pm. I'm sure there are others that have not seen people that drunk during F&W. I had read about these things happening on the DIS boards but when you actually see it it's kind of gross especially when you're trying to eat food at nearby outdoor kitchens.

 

[HopperFan]

We are planning our first Disney trip with one Epcot day. We were planning to enjoy each country in the afternoon and kids DD11,DD10,DS8 and DD6 would enjoy P&F game and we could snack and take our time exploring. Everything I'm reading says with all the booths and activity this will not be as easy? Will future world be less crowded in the afternoon if we did a few things there early and then went at 11am to the countries and then back to FW say after 4?

This. Once WS opens it will progressively get more and more crowded. On the weekdays it will get bad around 5 or so. Weekends, especially Friday night and all day Saturday I would avoid with kids. It's a food and drinking festival. Disney loves it as folks hand over lots of money for overpriced drinks. Families should work around it.

 

[ldymcbth]

I did F&W with my kids this year and I will never do it again. We did a Friday, and started in World Showcase right at 11a. By 1p, it was a madhouse - already full of falling down drunk people and crowds so thick it felt dangerous. We were able to do one adventure of Phineas and Ferb, eat at about 4 food stalls, and listen to a little bit of a band - that was it - by 2p it was just too much to handle and we went back over to Future World. The lines for food were crazy (even right after opening) and I just felt like I spent the whole time in line. I will not go back to Epcot during F&W again.

 

[MommyinHonduras]

Thanks, this is just confirmation. Wishing PH for 8 was not so much, I would love to hit up another park on our Epcot day. Might even skip it unless we go without the kids. We arrive on the 13th and it starts the 14th. We had planned to skip AK originally and now it is looking like a must do for the trip with the new ROL and night safari and Epcot might make it to the chopping block.

 

[cel_disney]

We have been going to F&W for years and our kids come with us. We usually plan to eat lunch there.
My kids are now 9 and 5 and have had no problem enjoying it with us! We usually pre-discuss what we want to eat so we know generally where we want to stop - they love the pulled pork, and the beef in France and the ravioli in Italy and the Waffles in Belguim!