Skipping Epcot?

[Stephaniesue]

We will be in Disney for 4 days in October. It will be myself, DH DD11, DS9, and my MIL.

We are planning 2 days in MK, 1 in AK, and 1 in HS. We will not have park hoppers on this trip. It's just too much of a cost with 5 of us going, since we have had to get 2 rooms and airfare.

Will we be missing a bunch of fun stuff? On our last trip all we did in Epcot was eat and watch Illuminations. The more I read about Epcot, the more I think the kids will enjoy it.

Would you drop Epcot or HS if you were going on a short trip?

 

[mill4023]

Based on the ages of your kids, if I was going to skip a park, it would be Epcot.
Don't get me wrong, I love Epcot and so do my teenagers. I just think there is more for kids to do in the other parks.

 

[MrsDuck]

We will be in Disney for 4 days in October. It will be myself, DH DD11, DS9, and my MIL.

We are planning 2 days in MK, 1 in AK, and 1 in HS. We will not have park hoppers on this trip. It's just too much of a cost with 5 of us going, since we have had to get 2 rooms and airfare.

Will we be missing a bunch of fun stuff? On our last trip all we did in Epcot was eat and watch Illuminations. The more I read about Epcot, the more I think the kids will enjoy it.

Would you drop Epcot or HS if you were going on a short trip?

If your kids prefer rides, I'd do DHS.

EPCOT is an amazing park that shouldn't be skipped but if you know your family won't be into it/prefer to spend time at DHS, do that.

 

[Itinkso]

Have you asked your children? If you've been to MK before, maybe they won't mind going to EPCOT rather than the second day in MK.

 

[Stephaniesue]

If your kids prefer rides, I'd do DHS.

EPCOT is an amazing park that shouldn't be skipped but if you know your family won't be into it/prefer to spend time at DHS, do that.

This is what I was looking for. They are all about the rides. I was wondering what we would be missing if we bypassed Epcot. Sounds like I have planned things right then .

I wish we could do hoppers (who knows maybe I'll find some extra money) I would love to go to Epcot one night with DH, leave the kids with MIL hehe.

 

[Stephaniesue]

Have you asked your children? If you've been to MK before, maybe they won't mind going to EPCOT rather than the second day in MK.

If it were up to the kids we would never leave MK ! The only thing we experienced at Epcot last time was Illuminations. They did enjoy that.

 

[kbonner]

We will be in Disney for 4 days in October. It will be myself, DH DD11, DS9, and my MIL.

We are planning 2 days in MK, 1 in AK, and 1 in HS. We will not have park hoppers on this trip. It's just too much of a cost with 5 of us going, since we have had to get 2 rooms and airfare.

Will we be missing a bunch of fun stuff? On our last trip all we did in Epcot was eat and watch Illuminations. The more I read about Epcot, the more I think the kids will enjoy it.

Would you drop Epcot or HS if you were going on a short trip?

Personally I would drop HS over EPCOT, but I am biased towards EPCOT. I feel that there is a lot more to see and do at EPCOT for kids of all ages. Look at attractions, height requirements, dining options and see what looks like the better way for everyone to spend their time. Also, F&W festival could be taking place while you are there.

 

[puffkin]

This is what I was looking for. They are all about the rides. I was wondering what we would be missing if we bypassed Epcot. Sounds like I have planned things right then .

I wish we could do hoppers (who knows maybe I'll find some extra money) I would love to go to Epcot one night with DH, leave the kids with MIL hehe.

Outside of MK, Disney World really does have that many "rides". If they are all about rides, maybe Universal or more traditional theme parks would be more up their alley.

My kids love all the parks, but we are more about experiencing "attractions" and not "rides". Its surprising how they pick up on that distinction. My DS8 even commented last year at Hershey Park (our local amusement park) about the difference between a Disney Park and Hershey.

 

[BJSforVols]

We will be in Disney for 4 days in October. It will be myself, DH DD11, DS9, and my MIL.

We are planning 2 days in MK, 1 in AK, and 1 in HS. We will not have park hoppers on this trip. It's just too much of a cost with 5 of us going, since we have had to get 2 rooms and airfare.

Will we be missing a bunch of fun stuff? On our last trip all we did in Epcot was eat and watch Illuminations. The more I read about Epcot, the more I think the kids will enjoy it.

Would you drop Epcot or HS if you were going on a short trip?

Our family would drop Epcot.

 

[bigjrfan88]

We did the same thing last year. 2 MK days, 1 HS, and 1 AK day. We didnt feel like we missed out on EPCOT at all. Illuminations is m favorite outside of Wishes, so I felt weird not seeing it on our trip, but it wasnt trip ruining. I really didnt care anyways. I just like being away from work and in my happy place.

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

My DD8 would never drop HS. ToT, RnR, Star Tours are a must must DO over and over again. However, she does really like Epcot too. There are just sooo many little things here and there spread throughout EPCOT, i.e. pick a pearl in Japan (her favorite to do), etc, walking through each country and notices something "new" for the first time. Also: Test Track, Soarin, the aquarium, etc. That's a tough call, if I left it to her..and if she absolutely had to drop a park, I think she would settle for one day at each park before skipping one..hmmm that's a tough one.

 

[Stephaniesue]

There is no way I am planning a trip to universal in the mix of all of this.

I did toy with the idea of going to Universal over Disney though. The kids almost had a heart attack.

The kids did enjoy all the shows and meeting Characters too. I think MK is so big, it deserves at least 2 days. We aren't commando touring type people. We like to stop and smell the roses.

 

[Stephaniesue]

We did the same thing last year. 2 MK days, 1 HS, and 1 AK day. We didnt feel like we missed out on EPCOT at all. Illuminations is m favorite outside of Wishes, so I felt weird not seeing it on our trip, but it wasnt trip ruining. I really didnt care anyways. I just like being away from work and in my happy place.

I think this is how we will feel about it. We did enjoy the fireworks show last time. We had planned to walk around more but our service was so slow at Chefs we barely made it to the show! That was even with getting our desserts to go.

Maybe I just have a bad taste in my mouth about Epcot because of our experience.

Next time we go the kids will be much older, so they will probably enjoy Epcot at that time.

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

We're dropping Epcot next time we go but then again my kids are younger-3 1/2 and 5 1/2. I would have loved to have PH's but couldn't justify the extra cost. The World Showcase was a bore to them except for Japan. They might appreciate it more when they get older.

At my kids age they enjoyed AK the best closely followed by MK. But your kids are older so it's hard for me to say. Maybe you can buy PH's for you and DH and enjoy a half a day just by yourselves?

 

[Stephaniesue]

We're dropping Epcot next time we go but then again my kids are younger-3 1/2 and 5 1/2. I would have loved to have PH's but couldn't justify the extra cost. The World Showcase was a bore to them except for Japan. They might appreciate it more when they get older.

At my kids age they enjoyed AK the best closely followed by MK. But your kids are older so it's hard for me to say. Maybe you can buy PH's for you and DH and enjoy a half a day just by yourselves?

Now we're talking! Maybe I could surprise DH with that. Gotta get approval from the MIL first . She should go along with it. We are paying for 100% of her trip.

 

[Itinkso]

If it were up to the kids we would never leave MK ! The only thing we experienced at Epcot last time was Illuminations. They did enjoy that.

There's Test Track, Soaring over CA, Mission Space, and Spaceship Earth. The kids may want to experience these. I would still ask them especially because the whole family won't be able to hop.

 

[ArwenMarie]

We always skip a park now, other than MK. I'm all for it, especially on shorter trips. Sometimes it's better to leave a little breathing room instead of trying to see all four parks every time. It will be there next time. We find when we get back to whatever park the next trip, it's also really fun again...gives us some time to miss it.

 

[mikaza]

With kids those ages I'd skip AK.

Sure, there are a few good rides there, but AK is usually only a half day park for a lot of people--so if your kids aren't into the zoo side of it, it would be a pretty quick visit. Plus there is no night time entertainment.

EPCOT is usually a 2 day park for us--and I have small kids. We spend one day in the Countries (neat performers, lots of fun food to try, a few rides) and one day in the land/sea (a few more rides, some neat experiences).

I think you get more bang for your buck at EPCOT--a full day, as many thrill rides as AK, more entertainment, better food, and evening fireworks!

 

[SillySallySews]

The only thing I really like about Epcot are the characters and the shopping. There are so many characters, and the wait times are relatively short in my experience. My husband and our kids hate Epcot. After our first family trip my husband said he would not take us back to Disney if I made him to go Epcot again lol. We go with the four day military tickets and spend all four days in the MK, and maybe one afternoon or night in DHS so we can ride ToT. Our kids are 2, 3, 7, and 12.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

Personally I would drop HS over EPCOT, but I am biased towards EPCOT. I feel that there is a lot more to see and do at EPCOT for kids of all ages. Look at attractions, height requirements, dining options and see what looks like the better way for everyone to spend their time. Also, F&W festival could be taking place while you are there.

That's what I would do too, but I think the only ride my kirds really like at DHS is TSMM. They both love Epcot and Spaceship Earth is one of my son's favorite rides.