Is Epcot worth it for 3 & 4 yr old?

[ortegah]

Yes! I know I've heard people say they weren't thrilled with Epcot, but it was our absolute favorite park. Yeah, it's a lot of walking, but it's so worth it. Lots of stuff to do in the Innoventions section for all ages. The nemo ride is great, turtle talk with Crush was so neat! Last year we made sure we went back a second time. This time I assure you we'll go at least twice if not more

 

[drnlhome]

What is the passport you guys are talking about?

You can buy them in the gift shops. It comes with stickers for each country and the country then stamps the book so it prooves that the kids visited each country. I seem to recall it comes with a button as well.

 

[scrapquitler]

My 4 year old loved Nemo, TestTrack, Mexican River ride, racing and making the robots, doing the passport in the world showcase, Turtle Talk and and playing in the area outside of Mission Space.

I didn't expect him to like Epcot much all, but I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[RainK]

Thanks so much for all your help. I am definately looking forward to going to Epcot now.
My last question: since we only planning on spending a 1/2 day, would you recommend starting out in the AM or PM? ( 9am or 2pm? ) When is it least crowded? I hear they have a food festival at the time we are going -

I will have to def. get the kids a passport. That sounds cool.

 

[Mkrop]

Morning, we went back on day to ride Soarin again, have dinner and see Illuminations and the waits were bad and all the FPs were gone. WS doesnt open until 11am.

 

[englishrose47]

Any restaurant recommendations in there?

My husband loves Italian, but I want something fun for the kids too.

There is Garden Grill in the Land that is a Character Family style meal. Also the Biergarten in Germany is very kid friendly. The kids get to dance and are invited up while the musician perform. I think innoventions is a must for kids they can build their own robot and there are so many other things to do plus there is comfy seats for adults to rest and all inside !!

 

[asktriplets]

we are another family that loves epcot.

you've already gotten great suggestions on what to "plan" to do there, but i think the greatest part about epcot (ESPECIALLY world showcase) is what the little kids discover on their own...we find it to be a great adventure, and if your kids are still a bit like-minded in their interests, it will be a blast for them to wander around...point out interesting architecture (show them sculptures, let them walk up and down the steps in italy and near the moroccan fountains, etc), let them wander the rose garden path in england and find the waterfall in canada, and watch the model train outside of the germany pavillion, sample desserts from a bunch of different countries, look at the interesting things for sale in different countries (like the socks in the dept. store in japan !). walk through the tin toy museum in japan, look for lizards in the bushes, take the boat across the lake, watch for the GREAT entertainment (the "candy lady" outside the dept. store in japan, mo'rockin in morocco, and the chinese acrobats are some of our faves). if you are there for food and wine festival, there are lots of fun snacks to sample (we get 1 dessert from a number of different countries and split it between the 5 of us). if you are there for flower festival, there are ALL sorts of extra activities for the little ones (butterfly garden, crafts, garden mazes, playground equipment...it is GREAT!)

i always recommend (especially for the little ones who seem to find their own entertainment!) to WAIT on the masks until the kids need some distraction....we didn't do the masks for the first 3 or 4 trips to epcot, and now that we've done them for the last 3 trips, it seems to a bit of a distraction, i think, in that now the kids want to move from one country to another JUST for the masks...it IS great fun, and we always have a nice chat with the CMs and learn how to say "hello" and "thank you" in that language, but it takes away the "wandering" feel that encourages kids to enjoy what is around them, KWIM? as it is, we ask the kids to wait until the 2nd or 3rd day in epcot before we start on the masks.

...if nothing else, know that Sharpie sponsors these masks and all markers are permanent!!

as for WHEN to go, we like to go 1st thing in the AM, get FPs for Soarin, and get right on the Land ride, then walk over to do the Living Seas, then back for Soarin' and then go over to the "jumping fountains" in front of Imagination for a break/snack. we'll pick up FPs for something else we want to do, then head back to world showcase for lunch and do the mexico and norway ride (if the kids are up for this one).

ideally, i think you'd like to be at epcot in the morning (when lines are the shortest) AND back later in the evening (to use any of the FPs you picked up earlier in the day and for dinner)...epcot is so beautiful at night. when the kids were more interested in sitting and looking from the stroller (at 2 and 3 y.o.), DH and i would head over in the evening, and stroll WS...the kids were happy with some glow sticks and a few snacks, and DH and i had a romantic evening stroll (a margarita from mexico or a glass of wine from italy added to that "date" feel!)

i'd strongly recommend a stroller...even if as a "just in case"! *I* get tired walking around epcot, and i absolutely can't stay the whole day...i need a break in the middle!

hope this helps, and have a great time!

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

Our DDs were 3 & 6 on the last trip. We tried EPCOT for the first time. Previously, husband had said "NO WAY!" due to his own bad experiences back in 1984.

We weren't able to do everything we would have liked. But, the girls LOVED the kidcot stations and doing the masks. They also really enjoyed Soarin.

They will be almost 6 & almost 9 on this next trip and we are looking forward to Epcot. Older "gets" visiting countries this time.

Epcot isn't for everyone. On our hopper passes last time, we were headed in just to visit 1-2 countries one evening before Illuminations. We rode the tram in w/ another family who asked where we were going to eat. We said we were just visiting some places on the World Showcase that we hadn't been through yet and were going to watch Illuminations. They had 2 boys w/ them ... couldn't imagine why anyone would waste their time ... boys talked about how BORING Epcot was.

I just didn't get that!

 

[Native NYer]

There's lots to do with young children at Epcot. We visited Epcot in June 2007 (when my nephew was 3) and in January 2008 (for his 4th birthday) and he absolutely loved it.

Some must-see attractions with young children:
*Spaceship Earth
*The Seas with Nemo and Friends
*Living with the Land (my nephew LOVED this - not sure if he got all of the agricultural stuff, but he really enjoyed the boat ride)
*boat ride in Mexico, the name escapes me right now
*Journey into Imagination with Figment
*the model trains in Germany - loved watching the trains make their way through the model village

 

[blana]

DS (2) had a good time at Epcot. We hit the Land, which he loved since it involved a boat ride, The Living Seas with Nemo, wandered the aquarium, rode Figment (the only freak-out of our whole trip), then wandered the lands, with favorites being Norway & Mexico for their boat rides. He also liked meeting the characters in the various countries, at least when he wasn't napping. We heard for days how "Poppins colored my book!" I think DH was a harder sale on Epcot than DS. Oh, and he loved the "Giant Ball", including the ride inside. Especially getting to hit the buttons on the touch screen.

 

[sss]

Hi,
Just adding my support for those kidcot masks, my twins loved them at age 3 and age 4 years old (two different trips). Also, when we brought them there during Food and Wine Festival at 14months old, it was a great way to get them to try new foods. Food and Wine let us relax and take it slow and stop a lot to try yummy things and share them with the kids. It is good, particularly mid-week to slow the frantic pace down a little. Can't say enough great things about going to Food and Wine with little ones particularly mid-week when crowds are low. JMHO.
have fun.
sss

 

[PinCrazed]

The first couple times we went to Epcot we really struggled with our kids. Trying to find enough things to entertain them was difficult. With Nemo and the Crush experience (my kids personal favorite) there really is a lot to do.

Heck between the above, the fountains, honey i shrunk the audience and spaceship earth we have found plenty of things for them.

World showcase is still too much though.

 

[PEANUT1]

I agree with everyone else...the countries are boring for the kids, except the mask stations and the log flume in mexico with donald duck. my daughters loved it.

i wouldn't do dinner in italy with kids. the place is pretty fancy. just my personal opinion.

we spent more than a day at epcot with 2 kids ages 4 and 1. soarin is amazing, nemo, imagination (my daughter still talks about the figment ride) test track if fun for them too...if they are tall enough.

 

[jenseib]

Alfredos closed in Italy. I'm not sure if the new resturant has opened yet or not.

Ok, we jsut booked a trip today and are going in 13 days! Woo HOO! Last year we went this same time and found several characters in a building, I think behind one of the innoventions (sp?) buildings. It wasn't marked clearly and we were lucky to stumble on it. We had bascially the characters to ourselves. Does anyone know if they are still there? I thouight I read they were making a new set up for character greetings in Epcot some time last year and wondered if it's the same spot or moved somewhere else.

 

[mom4graceandlogan]

Ditto everything asktriplets said in her post. It is our favorite park and we have been going 1-2 times a year since our kids were 18 months old. Spent 22 days in the world last year and we all love Epcot. It kills me when people say they totally skip it because their kids are too young. And yes the best stuff in Epcot is really what your kids discover for you! We love the world showcase. We spend more time in Epcot than MK. I will never forget visiting the United Kingdom there and my 2 year old stumbled upon alice in wonderland and Mary Poppins in the back of the toy store. No one was waiting to see them. Mary Poppins sat my daughter down in her lap and in the most proper way sang supercalifragilistic(sp?) to her. It is beautiful and relaxing, however, the experience may be a little different during the food and wine festival re: activities so I would read up on that. I have to say that stopping at the adult beverage carts is an extra perk of the park! We love eating at the Biergarten, while the food is not my first choice, the kids love dancing center stage to the polka band and we have met some really interesting people there.

 

[UAB master]

Someone please tell me about the masks I've been reading about. Thanks.

Also, I remember going to Epcot as an 8 yr. old- right after it opened. It was fun to me then and it didn't have nearly as many "kid" things to do. I am looking forward to taking my DS4 in September.

 

[PEANUT1]

they have these kid stations at most of the countries to color paper masks. they are held together with a large popsicle stick. it is a great way to pass time while waiting for a dinner reservation.

and yes....the new italian restaurant has been open for about 6 months and it is great!

 

[labdogs42]

My 3 yo LOVES Epcot and has loved it since he was 15 months old. He is now just tall enough for Soarin' and Test Track, so if your kids are over 40", Epcot is a must do for them , since these rides are a blast! Even if they can't ride those rides, there are tons for kids to do. Make plastic robots in Innoventions, Kidcot, the Masks, lots of great characters in World Showcase and at Character Connection, Imagination, Nemo, Turtle talk, Spaceship Earth, the playground at the exit of Mission Space, the fountains that the kids play in by Test Track and the one in the plaza between FW and WS, the jumping fountains by IMagination. Wow, so much! Can you tell that Epcot is my favorite park, too?

 

[juliana_sd]

Interesting how different everyone is - I was wondering if one full day was enough for me and my 4 year old! He's scared of Soarin' though so we'll probably skip that (no other adult to swap with). Luckily I've ridden it many times at DCA

 

[ntink]

EPCOT is my favorite as well. My kids love the different entertainers in each country and as far as I remember, all EPCOT restaurants have kids' menus so you can really eat where you would like.