Sea World or Epcot?

[mshanson3121]

DH and MIL have no desire to do Epcot. MIL says there's nothing for the kids there. (They are boy, 8, and girl, 5 - into pretty well anything Disney, animals, science etc...). So, our itinerary doesn't really allow for a day at Epcot. However, I'm worried that after spending all this money to go, I'm going to kick myself if we don't go to Epcot, for at least a bit. We do not have park hoppers, so if we add in Epcot it will have to be on either our Discovery Cove day, Sea World day, or the day we leave.


So... I'm thinking that we could plan on going DC for like 9-3 type thing, go back to the house, have supper, a little break, and head into EP for a few hours? But that will make for quite a long day. Or, we could perhaps head into Epcot for a few hours on the day we check out. And then hit the road. Doing this will mean spending an extra night in a hotel on the way home. But, my husband is a teacher and off all summer, so that's not such a big deal.


Or... I'm wondering if we should just skip SW and spend the day in Epcot instead? I'm so torn. My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE ocean animals, aquariums etc... but aren't big on roller coaster rides etc... So, there's really only going to be 3 or 4 rides that will interest them at SW. So then it's basically just the Shamu show and dolphin show and the aquarium exhibits. Which, they will love! No doubt about it.

But... The Seas in Epcot has an aquarium I know, and it looks like it's quite nice as well. Plus, I figure, we're driving the entire east coast to get to Florida. We can easily just stop somewhere on the way home and do an aquarium - Georgia's, Boston's, Baltimore (they have dolphin shows) etc...

Thoughts?

 

[skipfierce]

Absoluely EPCOT. We went to EPCOT for 3 days back in Oct with my 6 yr old and she loved it! I remember going when I was a kid as well and I loved it back then too. Sure it is less focused on kids than Magic Kingdom but there is still plenty for kids to do. I will never go to the World and not go to EPCOT!

 

[Sleepy425]

I would not try to cram Epcot in to any of those days, except maybe departure day. It will be so much to do in one day - especially in the heat of summer. I think you'd be worn out.

While Sea World does have a lot to do, I would just replace it with Epcot. It will save you a lot of money, and I think you will be surprised by how much there is for the kids to do in Epcot - the countries have character meet and greets, fun shows, and KidCot stations to keep them entertained.

 

[bigsis1970]

You will kick yourself if you skip Epcot.. Oh my the culture you can expose your kids too, try different types of foods in each country, stop at the kidcot stations and have them write your children's names in their language.... Oh please don't skip it... The Living Seas with Nemo and Friends houses a GIANT aquarium.. and there is the Agent P interactive game to play around the world showcase.. I think you'll be very sad if you decided not to add it in... I would suggest not combining it with another park day.. it would be an exhausting day and therefore not that enjoyable for anyone.. if you can only go on check out day then that'll be a great way to end your trip! anyway these are just my thoughts.. good luck with your decision! Michelle

 

[tweak89]

I'm going to have to vote Sea World. If they love sea animals just the shows alone at Sea World could fill your day. And, their new Antarctic ride is great and ends up with a visit to their Penguin habitat (where you are literally feet away from the penguins).

I enjoy Epcot more now as an adult (mostly for the food/drinks) but found it just ok as a teen. If they took out Soarin'/Mission Space there would be no reason for me to spend a park day on it. If I were you I would research the attractions at each and decide which park provides the most attractions that would be of real interest to your kids. Asking about Sea World on a Disney forum will produce a very skewed perspective (as would asking about Epcot on a Sea World board).

 

[Emca11]

I LOVED Epcot when I was a kid. Granted that was 21 years ago that I was there last, but I enjoyed it more than the Magic Kingdom. There was a ton of things for kids at that time, I can only imagine what they have added since. We are taking our kids (6&4) next month and will be spending a full day there.

There really isn't anything else like Epcot that I know of, but as you said, you can find replacements for Sea World.

 

[Hopeful8]

I'm in the same boat as you - debating between the two. I think I've finally decided that, for my family, SeaWorld is what the kids would love more than Epcot. Not an easy decision, good luck!

 

[rznhal]

Just got back from a five day trip with my kids 9 and 4....they love epcot!! The countries are so much fun....your kids might like the agent p activity ( mine love it). The aquarium is very cool, and with all the money you save by adding a day at Disney versus a one day SW ticket, you can have lunch at coral reef, the restaurant that looks into the aquarium!!! Even tho they aren't into rides I bet they would like the living with the land boat ride...so cool to see the food and animals growing there!!

They might also enjoy the pick a pearl in Japan?!

Have fun whatever you decide

 

[calablovedisney]

I am not sure my answer will be very helpful since I would be equally torn between the 2. But, I do want to say that my kids enjoyed Epcot when they were younger and they still want to go more than once on our trips. They are now 13 & 15. We enjoyed Seaworld without doing any rides there and still fit in an entire day. Feeding the dolphins and stingrays, walking the exhibits and seeing the shows will take up your day. I think there were 3 different shows and we only fit in 2.

That being said, Epcot has Turtle Talk with Crush (which my girls still enjoy), Nemo, Soarin' and Test Track. At least we like those and there are shows and we find the countries fun.
It sounds like you might make your group happiest if you go with Seaworld though, so if you must choose between the 2, I think I would go with that.
You can't really go wrong. It is hard being the planner and feeling like the success of the trip is on your shoulders. At least that is how I get. But, it will be great whichever you choose.

 

[mshanson3121]

Just got back from a five day trip with my kids 9 and 4....they love epcot!! The countries are so much fun....your kids might like the agent p activity ( mine love it). The aquarium is very cool, and with all the money you save by adding a day at Disney versus a one day SW ticket, you can have lunch at coral reef, the restaurant that looks into the aquarium!!! Even tho they aren't into rides I bet they would like the living with the land boat ride...so cool to see the food and animals growing there!!

They might also enjoy the pick a pearl in Japan?!

Have fun whatever you decide

Financially, it doesn't really make a difference. We already have 5-day Disney pass, and our ticket to Discovery Cove includes a free pass to Sea World. So either way, one ticket doesn't get used. But I was looking more at Epcot and my son especially, LOVES cultures (especially CHina, lol) and music, and I think he would really enjoy all the shows, too. Especially ones like the Mariachi, Matsuriza, Sbandieratori etc... And I admit, as homeschoolers, Epcot is tempting since I'm already thinking of the awesome unit studies we could do to go with all the countries, lol.

 

[ldymcbth]

My kids are of a similar age and they LOVED SeaWorld - we didn't ride a single ride outside of a couple in the "kids" section, but we filled the whole day with shows and the walkthrough exhibits, etc. They LOVED it. If your kids are interested in those animals already, I would think they would love SeaWorld.

That said, I also really like Epcot - but it's not as awesome as it was when I was a kid. I think your idea of going there on your last day (a travel day) is a great idea - you can spend a while there, maybe have lunch at Sunshine Seasons (QS), and then leave midafternoon. That way you get a taste of Epcot and the next time you go, you might have a better idea about ways to spend the time.

My kids like Epcot, but they like Test Track, Soarin, Mission Space - I'm not sure if your kids would like those. But it sounds like they WOULD like Nemo, I think Soarin' is a good bet, and maybe the boat ride in the Land Pavilion that I can't remember the name of right now! My kids like walking through the World Showcase, but don't enjoy spending a ton of time in each location - not enough of an attention span for that, yet.

Hope that helps!

 

[DisMama5]

I wouldn't try to fit anything more in the days of DC and SW, those both you can spend all day at and still have stuff to do. Preferably SW but at DC things are time slotted, depending what package you got? We went and got there early but our dolphin swim was one of the last of the day. Anyway if anything id do the last day or not at all. Epcot isn't a big deal with our family, we could skip it and be totally OK. We like illumination and the nemo stuff but that's about it for us, our kids are young though. Totally depends on the likings of your family, but it sounds like Seaworld and dc are going to be good if your kids are into animals so I'd shoot for departure day or skip.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

Honestly there are more things for kids to do at Epcot than people think. Epcot has been my older sons favorite park since he was 3. We always plan 2 days in Epcot at least (1 day at future world and 1 day for world showcase). A couple years ago we tried to cram Epcot into 1 day and I thought my feet were never going to be the same, lol. Even world show case has stuff to do for the kids. They have that phinieas and ferb thing and they also have the kid stop as well. Last year I bought the Epcot passport for the kid stop and my older son loved that. Anyways if it were me and it was between sea world and Epcot, epcot would win hands down. We haven't been to sea world in a couple of years bc all they have there for the younger kids are the shows. My older son is on the spectrum and also has adhd so just shows can be a bit of a nightmare for us. My younger son though loves animals and animal shows so we are giving sea world another try this year. We will see how it goes

 

[Moms]

Another vote for EPCOT. It was my daughters favorite at age 6 when we made our first visit with her and has remained her favorite through 20+ visits since. There is LOTS for kids at EPCOT ... she still has the "Passport" with all of the "stamps" from the WS countries that includes a greeting in the language of the country! I think they still have these. She also had (as a young adult) the opportunity to scuba dive in the seven seas reef!

 

[Raenstoirm]

Is your girl into princesses? Epcot has every princess to meet with. Each country has its own meet and greet. (France- Belle, China- Mulan, England- Alice and Mary Poppins, plus Pooh and Tigger, Jasmine, Aurora, Donald in Mexico, plus the Munks and Stitch and quite a few others). The Living seas has Nemo and Crush plus a pretty large walk through aquarium. If you want to do something special you can eat at Coral Reef (overlooking the largest inland aquarium in the world).
That said, I have not been to Seaward Orlando since 1998 so I am sure it is very different and the penguin exhibit and ride look really cool.

 

[HopperFan]

Would you consider splitting up and then meeting back together? I think everyone could be happy with their day and end up back together for a nice evening.

If you are staying offsite - you and your DS get dropped off at EPCOT. Your DH, MIL and DD head over to SeaWorld. At the end of their day, which is likely to be way before yours, have them come back to EPCOT, use their extra Disney ticket to come in and meet you all for dinner and Illuminations.

From the sounds of it your DS will love EPCOT and the World Showcase in addition to the Future World attractions. You could really turn it into a fun learning experience and sometimes it's nice for Mom/Son days (I know). But there is lots there your DD will love if you take her. My kids have gone since they were toddlers.

Your DH and MIL will be happy and your DD can see Shamu, the dolphins and penquins and the Shamu Happy Harbor play area. There are lots of rides in there geared for the young children and she might enjoy. Your DS is likely to be bored.

There really is no comparing EPCOT to SeaWorld, they are so different in terms of focus, quality of parks and things to do etc. I keep trying to love SeaWorld (went back last month with our Discovery Cove pass) but it's in need of direction or additions to make it a true full day.

NOTE: Do NOT plan anything other than dinner after Discovery Cove. It's a day you don't want to shorten and it is a tiring day so at the end you won't be up for another park.

 

[kmarie99]

Epcot has the Agent P game too, which is great for kids (and Adults).

That is a hard decision to make, good luck.

 

[hops&dreams]

my advice: go to EPCOT! We spend 2 whole days there, easily!

There are 2 sections of Epcot: Future World and World Showcase.

Future World is science-y. There are "rides" like Living with the Land, which takes you through where Epcot is experimenting with growing methods (plants/food), fish farming, etc. There's The Seas, which focuses on fish and such (duh). There's Spaceship Earth that has the history of man on a "ride" and interactive games at the end. There's plenty more - Soarin', Test Track, Mission: Space, etc.

World Showcase is wonderful - a peek into each of the countries that are represented. There are restaurants, drinks (alcoholic, and non-alcoholic), shops, snacks/bakeries, lovely entertainment! It's culturally rich and many of the employees there are on exchange from their home countries and have so much to teach the children about their culture and home life and how it differs from the child's own.

We spend maybe 3/4 of a day in Future world and at least one whole day in World Showcase. Epcot is probably my favorite park!!! Please give it a chance!

 

[whiporee]

As long as you don't pass on Discovery Cove, either is good. Your DC pass gets you into SW for free so that's a couple hundred bucks. But Epcot is more enjoyable than people think it's gonna be, especially with a Soarin FP, and it would be a shame to miss it because for a walk-around park (like SW, a museum or zoo) it's very great. If you want rides it's a letdown, but for hanging out it's great.


That said, Seaworld is neat and you could use the money you save to get a cabana at DC. Because those are awesome.

 

[ajwolfe]

My kids love Epcot - It typically is a 2 day park for us and even then we may pop back over for another dinner or so during our trips. There is so much to do there and it really does expose your kids to a lot of different cultures, etc.

We've looked at Sea World a couple of times and my kids always say they really don't have any interest in going, so I can't really comment on the differences.