Skipping Epcot?

[MarkF0wle]

EPCOT is my favourite park so I would usually argue for it not to be skipped but I also think it's the least appealing to kids & I think I would not go to EPCOT in your situation.

If you can get PHs for just you two then I would absolutely go, World Showcase is a wonderful experience.

 

[Stephaniesue]

EPCOT is my favourite park so I would usually argue for it not to be skipped but I also think it's the least appealing to kids & I think I would not go to EPCOT in your situation.

If you can get PHs for just you two then I would absolutely go, World Showcase is a wonderful experience.

I did enjoy what we got to see for our last visit. I think DH and I would have fun just spending time there. If I can swing PH for just the two of us I will.

Thanks for all the input guys!

 

[NuttyDisneyMom]

My DD11's favorite ride is Test Track in all of WDW. We spend ALOT of time in Epcot because our entire family loves it! If we had to skip a park, it would be AK. We are night owls and LOVE our fireworks. We are park hoppers and catch Wishes every night if we can. I think having 2 boys, they would LOVE the rides at Epcot. Good luck with whatever you decide

 

[POLY1985]

What about getting a room that sleeps 5 such as a suite at Art of Animation? That may cost less that 2 rooms and you could use the extra for the Hopper. Just a thought.

 

[Stephaniesue]

What about getting a room that sleeps 5 such as a suite at Art of Animation? That may cost less that 2 rooms and you could use the extra for the Hopper. Just a thought.

I actually looked into the rooms that sleep 5. But we are all 5 going to be stuck in a 2 bedroom condo for 5 days after Disney. I think 9 days with my MIL in the same room is a little much for me .

We get along fine, I just know I especially will want some space. You know how the MILs are .

I'm going to talk it over with DH and the kids tonight and share with them what you all have told me. If we decide to change our days I don't have long to figure out our ADRs. My window opens on Monday!

 

[Feberin]

My husband went to Disney when he was 13 so a little older then your kids and Epcot was his absolutely favorite park. And I would think Test Track and Soarin would be fun for 9 and 11 year olds.

 

[MichiganDVC]

Why not play it by ear? Go to MK first day and if you feel like you must go back another day, so be it. If not, you've just freed up a day for Epcot.

 

[maxiesmom]

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.

And Turtle Talk with Crush, The Seas with Nemo and friends, Journey into Imagination, the boat rides in both Norway and Mexico. There is a lot for kids to do in Epcot. No way would I skip it, I would (and have) dropped the Studios.

 

[NavyDad]

Epcot is our favorite park and as our kids get older we are starting to spend more time in Epcot and less time at MK.

However, if you kids are big on rides and you have to skip a park Epcot is your best choice.

My kids are similar in ages and when it comes to RIDES they enjoy MK, AK and HS the most.

Luckily for us they still love rides but now enjoy visiting the countries in WS so DW and I get spend a lot of time there Dinning, Shopping and maybe having a couple of adult beverages

I think your current plan will work for you this year. Maybe a future trip you could consider one of the Epcot resorts and have PH so you could spend a few evenings there....

Have fun!

 

[DisK]

I would skip AK over Epcot. Animal Kingdom is usually only a 1/2 day park anyway.

 

[Kat913]

I think you should do whatever feels right for your family. I love all the parks, but I do agree with some of the other posters & would skip AK. We have never taken a full day to go through AK & without park hoppers you don't have the option of something at night the day you do AK. We, as a family LOVE Epcot & I would hear a lot of complaining if we were to skip it. My 3 children are older now, but even when they were little they Loved this park! My ds's favorite ride was test track from the time he was 5 & none of us would ever skip Soarin-were there for soft opening of this ride & all fell in love.
You could also spend a good amount of time in Living with the Seas & even though it's long my kids love Ellen in the Universe of Energy (The dinosaurs are awesome in there!) I also think Epcot is so beautiful at night! If you check out the park guide there is also some great entertainment around World Showcase all day long-not to mention Maelstrom (also one of the kids' favorite though I am not that excited by it haha)
If your MIL agrees the kid's could skip Epcot & maybe you and DH could spend a night there (maybe on your AK day) It could be a great date night-I would love that DH & I have never been alone in Disney World
Good Luck Happy Planning!

 

[jcemom]

My DD 11 says she would drop AK. She didn't even need to think about it. She ranks the parks MK, then Epcot second, then DHS (but only because of RnRC and TSM), and AK last. The only thing at AK she loves is Everest.

 

[Planogirl]

If they want rides, then dropping Epcot seems like a good idea. There just isn't that much there.

If you go to AK, you could visit Downtown Disney or play mini-golf or plan a fun character meal at one of the resorts and so on in the evening.

 

[Kellykins1218]

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?

Definitely Epcot. You'll miss maybe 3 good things...TT, Soarin, and SE. For us, the rest of the park is unbelievably boring and WS is a total waste of time. My kids HATE Epcot.

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

You will keep getting different answers to this. Everyone is different. Between my 2 daughter's and myself we each have a different ranking order for each of the parks. My daughter's are 15 and 21 now. They have had the same rankings since they were little. MK is the only thing we agree on and it is number 1. I agree You should definitely spend 2 days here. You know your family best and ultimately you are the only one who can make this decision. Read up on the rides and attractions in each park and decide which park had the least things you are interested in.

 

[Stephaniesue]

After reading what Epcot has to offer, and talking to DH and the kids we are doing an Epcot day. 4 days, 4 parks it sounds right.

We (me lol) are now rearranging our days to include everything. We are making AK our last day as we will be leaving around 4 to head for the beach.

I have to get dinners planned with back ups for each park. Our ressie window opens Monday! The kids are super excited to see Epcot now! Thanks everyone!

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Skip Epcot. For kids the age of yours there is much more to do at Epcot or HS. At HS your son will probably love Star Wars and both kids enjoy Toy Story and perhaps Tower of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster and some of the shows. At AK the Safari ride, Everest, and the trails are all great, as is Flights of Wonder and a number of other shows/rides. Epcot has 2 arguably "great" rides in Test Track and Soarin' and neither of those is particularly great. There is nothing at Epcot that matches the top rides at AK/HS. For kids the rest of Epcot is likely to be fairly boring. Epcot is great for adults and has some decent restaurants but that isn't why kids around 10 years olds want to be at Disney.

 

[j&jsmama]

My kids are similar ages (10 and 7) and they LOVED Epcot! Test Trac and Mission Space were two of their favorite rides of the whole trip. They also loved the Phineas and Ferb agency scavenger hunt. They liked the other rides as they were fun and relaxing. They also liked seeking out the kids activities in each land and trying a new food. If we were doing it with four days, we would go to each park. Magic Kingdom is wonderful, but one full day is enough for us--- for each trip

 

[Lyncha]

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.

Are either of your kids shorter than 5'2"? If so you may want to look into POR. An AB room will sleep 5. If you cut out the extra room maybe that could allow you to buy PHs or even lengthen your trip.

 

[Stephaniesue]

My kids are similar ages (10 and 7) and they LOVED Epcot! Test Trac and Mission Space were two of their favorite rides of the whole trip. They also loved the Phineas and Ferb agency scavenger hunt. They liked the other rides as they were fun and relaxing. They also liked seeking out the kids activities in each land and trying a new food. If we were doing it with four days, we would go to each park. Magic Kingdom is wonderful, but one full day is enough for us--- for each trip

I think they will love the scavenger hunt! They are excited about the aquarium area as well. And we will get to watch Illuminations again! Thanks for the positive report on the kids outlook on Epcot!

Are either of your kids shorter than 5'2"? If so you may want to look into POR. An AB room will sleep 5. If you cut out the extra room maybe that could allow you to buy PHs or even lengthen your trip.

Hehe I'm only 5 ft 3 inches tall! The kids are catching me quickly, but not quite yet. I did look at these rooms before we booked. The problem is MIL is traveling with us and I think that will be too much time for us all that close together. After the Disney portion of our trip we are going to Siesta Keys for 5 days staying in a 2 bedroom condo. I don't want to push our luck.

DH and I will also be planning some "alone time" .