Is this a plan that will work for Epcot with kids?

[dawndelo]

This is our first trip to Disney and need advice on my plan for Epcot. Kids are 3 and 5. We have reservations for the Princess Storybook at 1:30. We will probably not get to the park very early because we have breakfast plans with friends at hotel, so lucnh will probably be the first thing.. The plan after lunch would be to do the Disney Rewards Meet n Greet at Innoventions West. Then do Nemo, Crush and The land. After we do that do World Showcase and then catch Illuminations at 6:30. I have no idea what kind of walking this is, but we will rent a stroller. Is this a reasonable plan or not enough time to get it all in. Thanks!

 

[tassma]

My kids are 3 and 5 and we have been to Epcot with them at that age. IMHO it will depend on the crowd levels while you are at Epcot. I think you are probably looking at an hour at least to get through lunch. They don't usually seat you right at your time (but you probably know that). You actually cue and then get a photo with one of the princesses. Then you start eating and the other princesses come around. It is neat and my DH's favorite character meal.

The Disney rewards meet and greet is worth it if there isn't a long wait. You could probably go by there and decide if it is worth it. If the wait is long you and your other adult party members could switch off on cueing.

The Future World part should be doable in your time frame, but I don't know how much of the countries you are going to see. I don't think you will have time to do the KidCot stations or Kim Possible, but those are great ways for our kids to enjoy the countries. There are characters throughout the countries, which also helps. Germany is a pretty good place to view Illuminations and is "about" halfway around from Future World.

Mostly, don't worry about it. If you could get there earlier, then great. Otherwise, just adjust your plans once you see the crowd levels and your energy levels. BTW - France is a great place to have a snack. We love Germany's Biergarten for dinner and it is fun to see the kids dancing with the Oompa Band.

Lastly, when are you going that Illuminations is at 6:30? I thought it was almost always at 9 or 9:30?

Have fun!

 

[ktlm]

If your kids are enjoying Epcot, I don't think there is any way you can get it all done in that short amount of time. We have taken my DD at both 2 yrs 10 months (last December) and 3 yrs (this May) and Epcot was her absolute favorite park other than MK. Her 1st trip, we were there from the time they opened until the time they closed and did not feel like we had enough time. The second trip we allocated 2 days to Epcot.

DD loved Akershus. Also, the World showcase has lots of Princesses outside in the afternoons with fairly short lines (sometimes even Genie, Aladdin, Dopey and the Beast are out there with the Princesses). If your kids are anything like my DD, she didn't care if she had just seen the same princess in Akershus, she wanted to get in line and see her again outside. Epcot was more about DD wandering around and enjoying herself than running from ride to ride. She loved all the rides you mentioned. What you might not realize is that some of those rides also have areas after them for the kids to explore. For example, there is a whole aquarium area after the Nemo ride.

She loved exploring the WS countries and the KidCot stations and stopping to watch the street performers. On the Future World side, in addition to the rides you mentioned, she also loved Journey into Imagination and the area after that. At 3, she really liked Spaceship earth. Both trips she absolutely loved the boat ride in Mexico and would have ridden it over and over if we let her. The only film we did with her in world showcase was the China one as I wasn't sure how she would do with that, but she absolutely loved seeing it all around her. If you get there just in time for the Princess lunch, you probably won't get finished until sometime between 2:30 and 3:30 which really doesn't leave you much park time. To give you an idea of the walking, I have read that walking from one end of World Showcase to the other end is 1.2 miles.

 

[giginator]

I agree with the last poster. I think you need two days to see Epcot, it is sooo big and a lot of walking. Most people are fooled thinking there isn't much for kids. We just returned last month, my boys are six and three and LOVED Epcot. Even the world showcase there is a lot for kids to do and see to keep them entertained. My boys would have rode the boat ride in Mexico over and over again as well, twice was enough for me.

 

[mavdav]

We were there last month and the wait for the Disney Rewards photo was soooo long. The only time there was less than 10 people was about an hour before it started. The catch is that they don't tell you who is behind the curtain. I didn't really want to wait in line for a character that my kids didn't like. (DS 3 and 6). The Innovations that the photo session is in, is really cool. My oldest DS loves to the fire house game, where you take the flashlight, run from room to room and find the fire hazards before they catch on fire. Its fun to do.

These are the little things at Epcot that make it fun. We were there for 2 weeks, and Epcot was their favorite park!

 

[WantToGoNow]

After we do that do World Showcase and then catch Illuminations at 6:30.

Illulminations is shown at 9:30 not 6:30. We give 1 full day to FW and 1 full day for WS - I've never tried to do both on the same day because WS is huge and takes the better part of a day to get around if you stop to look, see shows and do rides.

 

[Jimham4]

Illulminations is shown at 9:30 not 6:30. We give 1 full day to FW and 1 full day for WS - I've never tried to do both on the same day because WS is huge and takes the better part of a day to get around if you stop to look, see shows and do rides.

In January '10 Illuminations is at 9 and Fantasmic is at 6:30

 

[happymommy]

I agree with the other PP's - you really will not see much at Epcot if you just get there for a late lunch that day.

My kids also have always loved Epcot since they were 2 and 4! Is there any way you can get there early? I would recommend doing so to get a fastpass for Soarin' definitely.

The meet and greet sounds maybe fun, but honestly if you've just come from a character meal, I think it's a waste of time. That is unless you are primarily interested in meeting characters. We aren't too into that, as my kids enjoy more spending time exploring the pavillions and Innoventions as well.

Also, with kids that age, have you considered bringing your own stroller?

It is a lot of walking. I mean a lot. I personally love it, as I love walking on vacation. But Epcot is quite large.

On our first few trips, we did less sit down and character meals, as they do take up some time. We'd rather walk for a while first, then spend time at a meal. I wouldn't want to start a day with a big meal, or what this sounds like to me in your case is two meals.

Also, there are lots of cool places for snacks in World Showcase, too! (and beer...) Just letting you know.

I'd at least get there as early as you can for a Soarin' fastpass (oh, unless your little one is not tall enough, I don't know the height requirement). But it is so cool.

 

[fakereadhed]

thing.. The plan after lunch would be to do the Disney Rewards Meet n Greet at Innoventions West.

The lines are too long if you don't get there before 1pm. Getting to FW close to opening really makes for a much more pleasant experience, especially with little ones. I would consider a super early breakfast with the friends.