Please give me feedback on Epcot/Hollywood Studios Plan?

[Cissigys]

Hi there! I'm planning our trip for next February and could use some input.

For background, it's just me and my five-year-old daughter going. We don't have too many rides planned for this day, since I already know a bunch of the Epcot rides make me sick to my stomach (no Soarin', no Mission Space).

My basic plan is outlined below, but I keep second-guessing myself. I guess what I'm wondering is whether the plan below looks good, or whether we should skip Hollywood Studios altogether and just do Epcot all day for a slower pace and more time to explore the World Showcase

Morning - Epcot (EMH day)

• Rope drop, do Test Track
• 8:30am ADR at Akershus for the Princess Breakfast
• FEA Fastpass after we're done with breakfast (once finished, use app to try and grab FastPass for Toy Story Mania in the afternoon)
• The Seas with Nemo and Friends
• Turtle Talk with Crush
• Counterclockwise World Showcase from about 11 to 2:30, stopping for snacks at Les Halles

2:30 to 3pm, walk to Hollywood Studios (my daughter will be in a stroller)

• 3:30pm, Frozen Sing-a-long celebration
• 4:00pm, Disney Junior Live on Stage!
• Toy Story Mania afterwards (hopefully fastpass is available)
• 5:45pm, Sci Fi Diner ADR

Any thoughts are really helpful! I feel like we're shortchanging Epcot a little bit, but there also aren't a lot of rides/attractions there that we feel strongly about.

 

[DisneyParkLover]

You didn't mention Figment, Livin' with the Land, Gran Fiesta, or Spaceship Earth. A five year old would probably enjoy some if not all of these.

And will you be staying at DHS after dinner? Fantasmic is my 4 year old's favorite nighttime show, so we wouldn't miss that one, but that may be too long a day for you.

You also didn't mention any characters besides Akershus. What about Character Spot or any of the Disney Junior/Star Wars/Olaf/Toy Story character meets? Also, what about other shows - Muppets, Beauty and the Beast, or Voyage of the Little Mermaid?

The answer is yes, both parks are getting shortchanged. Three hours isn't enough to fully explore World Showcase, but it's a good taste. I wonder more about the 4 rides I mentioned, all of which my four year old loves! I understand skipping some of the bigger rides due to motion sickness, but none of the ones I mentioned would likely be a problem and you are skipping way more than you are riding (in both parks).

DHS doesn't get as shortchanged as Epcot (in my opinion), because you don't like 3/4 rides there. However, you are skipping some shows and meet and greets that are pretty popular for that age.

All of that to say, I think your plan looks fine if that's what your daughter likes and what you have time for. Just know that you will be missing things at both parks. If you look at my list and don't see anything you or your daughter would be sad to miss, then you should be in good shape!

 

[SG131]

One thing to keep in mind is that fastpasses for frozen ever after don't start until 11am even though the ride opens at 9am.

Also, the frozen sing-a-long lasts a full half hour so it may be difficult to get to Disney jr.

I think if you can tweak your plan a little it would be worthwhile to do both parks with a 5 year old. Toy story mania and frozen sing-a-long were some of the highlights for DDs 4,7.

 

[Surgie2]

Any thoughts are really helpful! I feel like we're shortchanging Epcot a little bit, but there also aren't a lot of rides/attractions there that we feel strongly about.

I would agree that with a 5 YO you are short-changing Epcot. I think Epcot gets a bad rap as far as a place for kids. We will be taking 4 grandchildren ages 13 mo-5 years in May. This article really helped in my planning. http://www.buildabettermousetrip.com/epcot-with-young-children/

It is a little dated as it mentions Ellen's Energy Adventure but you can sift through and eliminate things that you definitely don't want (though it seems I read Mission Space now has something for young children?). We have a long stay so we are able to plan two separate days at Epcot. Rather than seeing FW on one day and WS on the other, we have divided the park between east and west. So we'll see the "east side" of FW and WS on one day (Spaceship Earth, FEA, Mexico Gran Fiesta tour, etc.) and the "west side" on another day. In actuality we will probably wander much of WS on both days since it is during Flower and Garden Festival. I think our grandkids will like the acrobats in China, picking a pearl in Japan and looking for Snow White in Germany. So our plan is to let them lead the way a bit in exploring and I'm really looking forward to our Epcot days. It involves so much walking since the park is huge. You might consider renting a stroller for that day to make better use of your time.

 

[Cissigys]

Thanks so much for the feedback! Now to just figure out which park to cut, since we won't be there long enough to give each park a day.

Hmm. My daughter likes Disney Jr. characters, but doesn't seem too thrilled with meet and greets. Maybe we'll dedicate more time to Epcot and then just scoot over to HS for dinner at Sci Fi at the end of the day...