Seeking Epcot or Studio advice...

[mom2rose&john]

We will be traveling with a 4 and 3 year old. I have non hopper 4 day pass.
I plan on going to MK twice, and AK once. What is you opinion on Epcot or Studios? Which has more to offer for the children. They are active and do not like to sit for long, but will love the shows.

Thanks,
Ann Marie

 

[Elmo888]

I would go with Epcot. I am not a huge fan of Studios, though.

We went last January with DD6 and DD2. At Studios, we did Playhouse Disney show, the Little Mermaid, and the Muppets. DD2 liked Playhouse Disney and DD6 seemed to like the Muppets. We didn't get to Beauty and the Beast (can be difficult with timing and the nap and lunch, etc. to do a bunch of shows), but, other than that, I just don't see a lot for the younger set. Neither of my DDs were really into the shows. FWIW, DD6 DID NOT like the Great Movie Ride.

At Epcot, both DDs loved The Seas with Nemo. There is a lot to see and do there. And Journey to Imagination. There are also the boat rides in Norway and Mexico (we didn't get to these). We did Soarin', too, with DD7 and without DD2 (baby swap), but there is a height requirement. We also spent a lot of time in the World Showcase. There are street entertainers and characters (the toystore in GB and in the back of Morocco).

I was going to skip Studios this trip (DDs are now 7 and 3), but DH told me that we HAD to go see the High School Musical show for DD7 (we missed it last time). And we are going to the Playhouse Disney character meal for DD3 as well - that might sway you to Studios.

Have a great trip!

 

[pigltlvr]

I would go with Studios if I were you. We liked Epcot but not nearly as much as MGM. My son loved seeing McQueen and Mater drive up and he also liked Lights, Motor, Action. We also went to Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, High School Musical 2, Pizza Planet, and Play House Disney. I liked this for the 4 year old better than Epcot! Hope this helps!!

 

[PrincessPoohsMom]

My gut reaction for children that age would be Epcot. There's more walking to be done, but there are some great attractions for little ones (Nemo, Journey into Imagination, Soarin' for the 4 yo if he/she is tall enough, Spaceship Earth) and quite a bit to see & experience just walking around the World Showcase. The Studios won't have as many rides they can experience, and while the shows are neat, as PP mentioned timing can be an issue, and some are quite long (30 minutes +). I will say that the Studios can easily be done in one day, whereas you might feel that one day isn't enough to see everything in Epcot.

 

[dunbarfamily]

Its a tough call. The first time we went, the our DS was 3 3/4 years old and our dd was 9 months. We did Studios, MK and Epcot, not AK. Second time they were two months shy of turning 5 and 2,and we did MK, AK, Epcot and not studios. Last time, just in Sept, the children were 5 months, 2 1/2 and 5 1/2. We did all four parks. So, since we hit Epcot every trip, I'd say do Epcot. Studios is a lot of shows, which our children like to a certain extent, but we've never spent a full day there. Since you don't have hoppers, I'd go to Epcot anyway so you could have a full day. There's tons of stuff to do there with the kids, from the rides to the world showcase.

Have a good trip! Happy deciding!

 

[irene_dsc]

In case this sways your opinion, be aware that they are re-vamping the Playhouse Disney show at MGM (and it will be closed in January, when we are there!). It sounds like they will be updating it to include more of the current show characters. Also, you can meet the Little Einstein characters.

Btw, I'm not planning on a full day at MGM - that is planned as one of our sleep-in days.

 

[tinkandpan]

I would say Epcot. My kids absolutely love it there and you can work in a great meal that's fun for them as well. Lots of attractions, things to experience and great character interaction with very small lines. DIS is a lot of shows which my kids got fidgety of sitting through

 

[MonkersMama]

We took DS (who turned 4 while there) last month. Of the two parks, he enjoyed the Studios FAR more. For all the reasons listed above, but it wasn't as much walking for him and HE said he liked it more. We did the Playhouse Disney breakfast, the live show, Muppets, saw Mater and McQueen, Little Mermaid, Pizza Planet. It kept us busy all day.

He did LIKE (not love) the Nemo and Friends and Soarin' but otherwise nothing kept his attention at Epcot.

 

[GoinToDisney]

The only things we really like and can't miss at Epcot are Nemo and Turtle Talk with Crush. We don't like to shop and eat around World Showcase very much. We have only caught a few street performers. I guess we just don't "get" Epcot. My dd loves shows and parades. At Studios, we did the playhouse disney lunch at Hollywood and Vine, the playhouse disney show (I'm glad to hear they are revamping it), Muppets, Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, the parade, Also, DD was 2 1/2 at the time and loved Muppets and the Honey I Shrunk Movie set. There was some down time, and we did not need a full day. AM up to parade was fun. Fantasmic was too much for my dd. She is afraid of the villains, and they spend a lot of time with the villains in Fantasmic.

 

[crazykids]

We took our 3 young children a few months ago, their ages were 20 months, 3, and 4 1/2. My kids preferred Epcot over MGM. Their main complaint about MGM was that there was no rides for them. My 4 year old went on TOT about 4 times in a row, but the others weren't old / tall enough to ride. They did enjoy some of the shows, but they grew very tired of sitting around all the time. One strong point for MGM is that there are tons of characters, especially the ones from the Pixar movies - this was a big draw for us. There is tons of stuff for the kids in Epcot, my 4 yr old was able to go on every ride in Future World. The only ones my younger two had to sit out on was Mission Space, Test Track, & Soarin, but there was tons to occupy them with while they waited. Walking around the countries were a little boring for them, but on the whole, they definitely would pick Epcot over MGM!

 

[Sophie_2003]

Depends on their height and if they like rides. I avoided Epcot our first trip, but we went last week and DD (who is 41 inches tall and a daredevil) loved it. We rode Nemo, spent a bunch of time looking at fish in the Seas, she loved Living with the Land, Soarin, and test track. We walked around world showcase to see characters (if they are into that...we saw Mushu, Snow whote, Jasmine/Aladdin, Beauty & Beast). We wanted to do more rides but got tired, so we skipped Figment, Innoventions which some kids love, and Turtle talk with Crush)

I find Studios lacks any good rides for little ones. ToT and RnR are 44 inches and too extreme...

my 2 cents...

 

[barneynshorty]

My vote is to let your feet and legs decide. Epcot involves a lot more walking and standing, where MGM is a smaller park where there are lots of shows where you can sit and relax.

Both are great, and you can't go wrong.

 

[dallasdisneymommy]

I have 3 young kids, and Epcot is their favorite park, even more than Magic Kingdom (which I just don't get, but whatever!). They love the Figment ride (we ride it at least 3 times every trip), Nemo, Turtle Talk with Crush, looking at the fish, Soarin', Test Track, and even the big silver ball (why can't I remember its name?).

MGM is very character driven, we have enjoyed our time there, but it's a half day excursion for us, and we never visit more than once, even when we're there for an extended period.

Epcot rules!

 

[bigbabyblues]

My boys are 7 and 4, were 6 and just 4 on our last trip, and they LOVE Epcot. There are only a couple things they are interested in at MGM, the rest is too big for them. We usually can be through their part of MGM in 2-3 hours. If I didn't have hoppers, I'd definitely pick Epcot.

That said, Epcot is our favorite park! They like Figment, love Soarin' (well, the one that was tall enough to ride), Test Track, 7-yo rode the calm version of Mission Space, Nemo, the Land ride, Turtle Talk is hilarious, the boat ride in Mexico, the one in Norway, playing in the fountains....

And then there is the food! We love lunch at the Cantina de San Angel, the Kaki-Gori (shaved ice) in Japan, and dinner someplace fun. We usually spend at least 2 full days at Epcot, sometimes more.

 

[Elmo888]

I have 3 young kids, and Epcot is their favorite park, even more than Magic Kingdom (which I just don't get, but whatever!).

LOL!

 

[mom2rose&john]

Thanks so much for the advice. I have decided to do Epcot. The deciding factor was Nemo. Both children love Nemo and then we are going to do the Princess Storybook Breakfast. Again, thanks and this website ROCKS!!

Ann Marie

 

[solfan68]

Hard to say, as on this past trip DS5 seemed to enjoy both. At Epcot, favorites included Test Track and The Seas. MGM highlights included Muppetvision and MULTIPLE character meets(Buzz, Power Rangers, and Kim Possible). Either way, its almost hard to go wrong. After all... its Disney.

 

[SGMCO]

We have been several times to Epcot and MGM
since my DS was very small and it was not until last year when he was 10yrs old that he actually started to be interested in Epcot.
Epcot now has more to offer for younger kids
than when he was small, and it is extremly large.
We always were so exausted after Epcot
that we did recall the visit with fondness.

MGM on the other hand, because of it's smaller size and the large varity of things to do for young kids, turned out to be more enjoyable without making us overly tired at the end of the day.
Also we just can't miss FANTASMIC,
it is a show but will keep even the smallest kids so fasinated by all of the excitement--it's so worth it!!!
Then there's "Little Mermaid, Playhouse Disney,
Honey I shrunk the Kids Playground, Pizza Planet. The Parade and now this Year "Toy Story Mania" I can't wait!!!

 

[Colinsmom]

We just got back with a 5yo and 21mo, and the 5yo begged to go back to Epcot on our last day.

How about the build your own robot in Innoventions? Kidcot stops? My younger DS loved the Mexico boat ride - begged to go on it over and over again (then had to be dragged away crying "more, more" - but we were starving!!).

 

[goalierich]

I would opt for Studios. I took my DD 2yo in July, and she loved Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Muppet 3D, Playhouse Disney Show, Playhouse Disney Character luncheon, and she was able to see several Disney/ Pixar Characters throughout the park. She also danced with the High School Musical performers.

Whatever park you choose, I hope that you have a great time. Rich d.