Is Epcot Showcase for Kids!!!!!????

[Feelslikeadream]

We are going to WDW for 9 days in Nov for a MG. We have chosen to do Epcot our first full day,will we be wasting our time by taking the kids (12,9,9,9,5,4,3) to the World Showcase? DH and I went for honeymoon we were not too excited. It was beautiful ,but not too much to do. My Mom and Dad with my MIL and FIL as well as SIL will probably want to see it. We have a FREE arranged so we can go see things of interest. I do not want their (THE KIDS) first day to be boring or unenjoyable. Should we take them back to Resort to play, nap,swim? Still deciding if we are doing WC for dinner or breakfast. Any suggestions about Epcot????

 

[mrsv98]

I think EPCOT is great for kids. THe little ones can make masks and then get a "dangler" from every country in the World Showcase. Just look for the "Kidcot" stations in each country. A lot of time, the CMs will also write the kids' names in a different language, the kids love it.

Also Living Seas, Journey to Imagination and the Innoventions are all good places for little ones in Future World. The older kids will prbably enjoy Soarin' and Mission:Space as well as Test Track if it is reopened after refurb.

Really, you have to go by the temperment of your kids in terms of going the first day. If you have along trip, then they might enjoy hanging out at the resort and swimming. Our DD (5 1/2) loves Epcot, we spend all day until closing and go more than once in a week, so there are definitely things for kids to do!

Oh, you didn't say when in Nov you are going but if you wil be there during the holiday season, there is even more to do. Each country will have storytellers and special acts, there is the Candlelight Processional and the tree lighting every night. It is beautiful during the holidays!

 

[slp87]

Be sure to catch the candy lady, Miyuki (I think is her name) in Japan. She is great!! My DD also really enjoys seeing the acrobats in China. DD is into pin collecting/trading, so she can't wait to visit each country to buy or trade a pin in each.

 

[armomof3lvsdisney]

What is a "dangler" TIA

 

[CAP Aircrew]

Every kid is different but I can tell you my 9 year old son and 7 year old daughter thoroughly enjoyed Epcot and the World Showcase. They are 12 and 10 now and we're heading back there in August. We stay at the Swan and the proximity to Epcot is just great. Epcot is clearly on our agenda for this trip.

 

[Disney Fool]

It is SO UNTRUE that Epcot is not for kids! At Innovations, they can make a robot to keep --for free!!! There are all kinds of interactive things to do there. Take them to the Land pavilion, where the young ones can be a "junior chef" and make toll house cookies. And, of course, what child would want to miss "Turtle Talk" with Crush at the Living Seas? Even the 3 year old will love the dancing fountains that children can play in. Are you kidding? You may have a hard time getting them out of Epcot. By all means, put Epcot on the schedule--although going there the first day may depend on how exhaustive your travel was in just getting to Disney.

 

[party_of_five]

We really enjoyed the street perfomers at the different countries. I'm not sure which coutry had what but there was a mime, acrobats, the candy lady. I think your kids will love it, mine did. It was nice to relax and sample all of the different foods. My kids loved the kaki gori in Japan. We plan on spending two full days at Epcot this year.

 

[x morgan]

When I was around that age (ranging from 6-9) I despised Epcot. I wasn't ever impressed with the kidcot stations and whatnot. However, now that I'm older (14) I absolutely love it. I think it really depends on the individual personalities of the kids. Plus, if they get too bored, you can always take them to another park (if you have parkhopper passes) or just go back to the hotel. Best of luck with your trip!

 

[mrsv98]

What is a "dangler" TIA

Sorry, a dangler is a little item that represents the country and attaches to the mask. For instance, in England it is a Dragon, for St George and the Dragon; in France, it is a hot air ballon, in Norway a viking ship and so on. The kids get a mask in the first country they visit and then a dangler is added at each stop. There are markers they can use to color the mask, too. DD has hers and really enjoys talking about each one, she usually can remember something about the occasion when she got it, makes a great memory!

 

[tjmw2727]

We love Epcot, adult and kids. My dd's have enjoyed Epcot since they were toddlers and love it more now at 9 and 11. Of course Future Wold has the "thrill" rides and other attractions for all ages but IMHO the WS is not to be missed. In fact we spend almost every evening and a few full days at Epcot on every trip.

Each country has someting unique and enjoyable, some are rides but most are live entertainment and other things of interest. My dd's love the acrobats in China, the candy maker in Japan as well as the live performances esp Canada and UK. Our family tradition is the Vioces of Liberty and the movie in American pavilion at least once a trip.

Your kids can do a mask if they like, whatever country you start at will give you the mask and a stamp with a "decoration" from that country. Each subsequent pavilion will add a stamp and another decoration. Great interaction with the CM's who are actually representing their countries and you can spend as little or as much time in each pavilion.

Check the times guide when you enter the park for the special shows and events happening that day and have fun!

TJ

 

[Leota]

It depends on the child. My DS, now 17, loved Epcot from 4 - 7. It was his favorite Park. Then MK took over til he was about 15. In the MK Rules years, he did like to do Epcot & the WS Passport made it lots of fun for him.
At around 15, Epcot became No. 1 again. Good thing, it's DH & my Favorite as well.

I do know other kids that don't love it tho. The difference I noticed was that my DS was always interested in Science, Technology & World Studies. He grew up going to museums, science centers, planetariums & such. The kids I know that didn't love Epcot did not have that background/likes.

 

[susykt4]

My kids (ages 5 and 3) love World Showcase because of all the characters. We met soooo many characters in WS during our January 2006 trip. However, you actually have to explore each country to find them. Our first day in Epcot, we spent from park opening until 5:30 in Future World and didn't ride Test Track or Mission Space (and crowds were low that week so we spent very little time waiting in line.) We were too wiped out to even think about World Showcase at that point...

My kids love World Showcase, but if time was an issue, we'd be willing to skip it in order to do the more exciting things in Future World. Personally, I'd probably skip MGM over WS, but that's just me. If time in the parks is NOT an issue, the more you research all the things available to do in WS (and FW too) the more fun you will have at Epcot. Our first trip we were overwhelmed by Epcot's size and accomplished almost nothing. We totally felt like we wasted a day of our trip. Our next trip I did tons of Epcot research here on the Disboards and Epcot was the adults' favorite park and the kids' 2nd favorite after Magic Kingdom. DD then 4 was given the choice of which park to go to our last day and she chose Epcot.

 

[MAGGIED]

Another vote for kids at Epcot... my DD(16) and DS(13) both love it. We have seen the movies, rode on the attractions, tasted the wonderful food, made robots, picked a pearl, and so much more. My kids also love going for the Food and Wine Festival in the fall - I don't think I have ever seen them eat so much food....lol... even my picky, vegetarian, allergic to nuts DD... I think the kids will take the lead from your attitude towards Epcot...there really is a lot to do

 

[Pixiedust34]

I love the World Showcase when I was a kid, and my kids like it now.

 

[ChairborneRangr]

We are also big fans of Epcot for kids. The important thing is to keep an eye on your show schedule otherwise the World Showcase can feel like "World of Gift Shops". Our favorite performances for kids are: Kristos (Cirque du Soliel type balancing act), Jammitors (Stomp type percussion group w/ garbage cans), The Candy artist in Japan, the Servier Amusant (Spelling? A balancing comic waiter) in France, The Storytellers at the Outpost (mon - fri, only) and the Chinese Acrobats. Our youngest plays violin so we try to take in "Mo' Rockin" which also features a belly dancer.

There are tons of Character meet & greet opportunities and a couple of character meals.

Smaller kids like the Viking ship playground in Norway. The Mexico ride is sort of lame for adults but any little kid who likes "It's A Small World" will like it. There is a koi fish pond in Japan and the exhibit of tin toys (also Japan) is worth a quick look, if you have a spaceship or toy car fan.

UK has a short hedge maze that small children seem to enjoy.

Morocco is a lot of fun to wander through - my kids spent a surprising amount of time there.

Germany has an outdoor miniature railroad that some kids enjoy watching.

My kids also loved having the Kidcot attendants in Japan & China write their names in Chinese or Japanese.

Ellen's Energy Adventure is a good place to escape the afternoon heat and fun for dinosaur fans - a great place for a power nap for everyone else. Spaceship Earth generally has very short lines in the afternoon.

Icestation Cool has been changed to Club Cool but still has free soda samples.