What rides are skipable ?

[Planogirl]

We have an easy time seeing everything in Epcot if it comes down to just rides. If you look at the list of actual rides, it's not very long. Now if you include exploring World Showcase and spend time in a place like the Living Seas that's a different matter. A lot depends on your group's stamina too.

I would personally try to see everything but prioritize. You might find out that you really love something that others advise against. Ellen's Energy Adventure is perfect if you need some time to rest. We usually do it in the afternoon when it's really hot and everything is packed.

 

[3happydancers]

OP said she has a 6 year old daughter. I know everyone is different, but my 7 and 5 year old daughters have Epcot as easily their 2nd favorite park behind Magic Kingdom.

In addition to what you named, they absolutely love:
Mission Space (green)
Living with the Land
Journey into Imagination
Turtle Talk with Crush
Mexico boat ride
Both the Great Piggy Bank Adventure and Where's the Fire inside Innoventions
O Canada! (Circlevision film in Canada)
Watching the garden railroad in Germany
Listening to Off Kilter perform
etc., etc.

The OP will be there during Flower and Garden, which means Epcot will have additional playgrounds and a butterfly house which my kids love.

My youngest are 6 and 8 and they HATE Epcot. It's boring especially World Showcase. We never spend more than a half a day and it's usually more like a couple of hours before they are begging to leave.

How funny!!! My DD is now 15 but when she was 7 on up was when she decided she loved Epcot and still does. Always asks for a 2nd day there. She loves visiting the countries still along with Mexico and Norway's boat ride. When she was little, she also loved going from country to country to do Kids Kot!

In future land she loves everything except Cap'n EO. Like other posters have said, attraction choices are very personal. Do some research with your DD. Sit and discuss what each is about and see what she might like!

 

[BlackMagicWoman]

Theses are the rides that we tend to skip unless we are in the mood to see them. MK - Stitches Great Escape - Country Bear Jamboree - It's A Small World - Dumbo (unless the kids feel like riding, then DH and I will wait for them at the exit) - Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor (we usually do this every other trip or when it is raining) - The Liberty Bell...I tried to get my family on it, but no one wants to take a leisurely boat ride around TSI. - HoP, once in a while we will go in, but it is not often. Epcot - Universe of Energy (will probably go on it this coming trip because the girls want to) - The 3 Amigos ride (girls will ride that while DH and I shop around the Pavilion) - Living With the Land (we do this every other trip or if we aren't running to something else) - Captain EO....been there done that as a kid and once with our own kids and I am fine not doing it again. AK - It's Tough To Be A Bug - Primevil Whirl (or Primevil Hurl as my kids call it ) - Rafiki's Planet Watch - Flights of Wonder....we don't mean to miss out on it because it is a good show, but we just don't think about it until we are there. - Finding Nemo the Musical...we did it once and thought it was cute, but we really like FOTHLK much better. DHS - American Idol Experience unless it is raining or we just happen to walk by as they are letting people into the theater. - Lights Motor Action Stunt Show....we thought it was ok the first time we saw it and we just never really thought of trying it out again. - The Backlot Tour....it is nothing like it used to be before they took half of it away to build the LMAS show, I used to love seeing the old facades of the Golden Girl's Home and the other one that was right next to it (sorry I forgot what the show was called), and a lot of the props graveyard is gone too.

This is an excellent list. I totally agree with every choice.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Are they fans of Phineas and Ferb? If so, have you done the Agent P Adventures? This was a game-changer for our family. Now we have 2 Epcot days minimum.

DD, 10 loved the Agent P Adventures! In 2006 both my kids, DS 9/DD 6 had fun with the Kim Possible missions *same idea*
A month or so after our visit last Fall I asked her what was her favorite part of our holiday, her response "Epcot!"
We had a couple fun meals there too - Garden Grill and Coral Reef.
We spent two days there, also two days there in 2009.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

If I had that many days, I would probably add one park day and spend that at Epcot. Then, on one of your three MK days, relax all day and don't arrive at MK until after dinner, so you can enjoy the evening and make it through Wishes with more energy. We have never regretted doing that, with the small cost of adding an extra day.

If you have one Epcot day, it is important to prioritize. It's useful to get lots of people's opinions and then decide what your family is most interested in. There's plenty that can be skipped, but only you know if your kids will really love the aquarium or innoventions, etc. and whether you want more time to explore the countries.

 

[MatoMany]

Its so dependant on the person that its hard to make recommendations for others! My kids LOVE Epcot, if you ask my 7yo she will tell you Epcot is her favorite park. My 5yo adores Animal Kingdom but Epcot is a close second. My 7yo wants at least one day to spend just in the World Showcase, she likes to find all the differences between the countries and she just started learning to use cameras so she wants time to practice.

For my family MGM (Hollywood Studios) is a park we could easily skip. It just isn't appealing to us. Only reason we go is because my husband has always been very into the process of making films and stunts so we go for him. If he isn't there we don't go to that park.

 

[kidd_freeper]

Sounds Dangerous (if it is even still operating at DHS)

 

[JimmyV]

Sounds Dangerous (if it is even still operating at DHS)

Wow. I guess you could add Body Wars, Horizons, If You Had Wings, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience and Flight To The Moon to the list too.

 

[ktlm]

EPCOT has always been DD's (8) favorite park after MK. It is a 2 day park for us. We spent 1 day there from open to close when she was 2, and quickly realized that was not enough for us at EPCOT. She loves the 3 amigos ride and Living with the Land. I wouldn't skip those with a 6 year old DD. She is nuts about the Agent P missions throughout world showcase. I want to say there are 7 of them. They can run about 30 minutes each. There are also a ton of Princesses and other characters to meet in World Showcase and that can really take some time too if you hit most of them. Some you may have already hit in MK or at character meals, but my DD would always want to see them again anyway.

We usually do 2 full days MK, 2 full days EPCOT, 1 day DHS, and 1 day (usually winds up being about a half day) at AK. We also usually get some extra time at MK on departure day and sometimes arrival day too. My DD has never agreed to any "rest" days- she wants to be the parks the minute they open!


What to skip is really subjective based on what your family likes. As far as the PP list, we would NEVER skip Small World, Dumbo or Monster's Inc. Laugh floor (well technically we did skip Dumbo when DD was 2, because she took one look and said "I don't want to ride him"- but that was the only trip). DD absolutely loves all of those. As far as the PP's DHS list, I absolutely agree with it-- except that we wouldn't set foot into American Idol even if we were walking by as people stepped in. We can watch AI on tv at home- we don't need to watch other guests sing at WDW- although I'm sure some of them are great.

I would say just do what appeals to your DD and your family and do as much as you can. I know that DD isn't interested in lights, motor, action because she doesn't particularly care for cars, or loud cars- so we skip that at DHS. For a kid that absolutely loves cars-they wouldn't want to miss it. Some people skip the movies in WS at EPCOT with kids. We didn't know if DD would like them, but we tried one to get inside in air conditioning and slow down for a bit, and she absolutely loved the movie and seeing the other country and its culture. Those are still "if we have time" for us- and DD still has never seen the Canada one because we always seem to run out of time before we make it to that end of WS. I would say just pick out the most important things to your DD and family in the parks and make a loose plan for not missing those- after that, just get everything in that you can, in the time that you have.

 

[kristinradico]

You can You Tube POV videos of the rides to help decide as well. There were a few I thought we'd try and am so glad I saw the videos so we aren't wasting time on those !!

 

[CookieGVB]

If your daugher loves Frozen like most little girls her age, the meet and greet will cut into your EPCOT day like a hot knife into butter. You may want to add an EPCOT day.

 

[Love Tink]

My family loves to do everything, even most of the "lame" things people mentioned here. (Okay, except Captain EO. Blech.)

I can't imagine sitting around the hotel for two days when there are these great parks just a few miles away. I suggest rather than skipping attractions you consider skipping some of your relaxation time.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

We never skip Its a Small World. We hit that first every time and our kids are getting older. One in college. Also we love Turtle Talk in Epcot. Epcot is our second favorite park - if not very close to first (to MK).

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

I don't intend to be unhelpful, but asking veterans on this Board who have been to every park 20+ times which rides to skip on your FIRST visit is a really, really bad idea. Everyone who is advising you to skip something is doing so because they have already done it. And in most instances, many times. And for every "skip it" recommendation, you are going to get a "don't skip it. That's my favorite" response. You are going to be there for enough days to see pretty much everything, so don't set yourself up for lowered expectations by asking a bunch of know-it-alls what they have done, but that you shouldn't do. (And, frankly, I would recommend adding at least another half-day at Epcot, if not another full day. Take some time away from one of your "relax" days and spend that time in World Showcase. It serves as relaxation in and of itself, but in a different sort of way. What could be more relaxing than Impressions of France, or the American Pavilion show?) Do as much as you can. It is new to you and you have the luxury of time. Decide for yourself. It is far more fun to walk out of an attraction as a family giggling that that was "lame" and that you probably will skip it next time than it is to skip the attraction because a bunch of people whom you have never met told you to skip it. The former builds lasting memories. The latter does not. Trust me on this.

Having said all that............skip Captain EO.

This is exactly, 100% correct. Many of the posts are from those who have been multiple times. And everyone has different likes/dislikes. We don't like the shows at Disney but do like the thrill rides. Do some research. Allears.net and Easywdw.com are very good resources.

 

[williamscm3]

I don't intend to be unhelpful, but asking veterans on this Board who have been to every park 20+ times which rides to skip on your FIRST visit is a really, really bad idea. Everyone who is advising you to skip something is doing so because they have already done it. And in most instances, many times. And for every "skip it" recommendation, you are going to get a "don't skip it. That's my favorite" response. You are going to be there for enough days to see pretty much everything, so don't set yourself up for lowered expectations by asking a bunch of know-it-alls what they have done, but that you shouldn't do. (And, frankly, I would recommend adding at least another half-day at Epcot, if not another full day. Take some time away from one of your "relax" days and spend that time in World Showcase. It serves as relaxation in and of itself, but in a different sort of way. What could be more relaxing than Impressions of France, or the American Pavilion show?) Do as much as you can. It is new to you and you have the luxury of time. Decide for yourself. It is far more fun to walk out of an attraction as a family giggling that that was "lame" and that you probably will skip it next time than it is to skip the attraction because a bunch of people whom you have never met told you to skip it. The former builds lasting memories. The latter does not. Trust me on this. Having said all that............skip Captain EO.

This is so true! We decided to go into the tiki room on our first trip...it was lame lol but every time we hear the word "tiki" now (which we hear often due to my son wanting to play his new jake and the neverland pirates game 30 times a day) one of us breaks out with "in the tiki tiki tiki tiki tiki room!" It's still a great memory even though it's now on our skip list!

 

[prudence64]

For my family on our next trip, here are the attractions I really want to do and the ones we'll definitely skip. Everything else is "if it's convenient we will"

MK must do: Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Mickey's Philharmonic, Mine train, Enchanted Tales, electric parade (will be first time riding splash, mine train, enchanted)

MK skip: Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Country Bear Jamboree, Barnstormer, Mad tea party, Stitch


Epcot must do: soarin, test track, illuminations

Epcot skip: captain EO, universe of energy


HS must do: magic of disney animation (never tried), Toy Story, Star Tours, Muppet 3-D, Fantasmic (never seen)

HS skip: Disney Jr. live on stage, indiana jones (fun but don't need to see it more than once)

AK must do: It's tough to be a bug, safaris, festival of lion king, river rapids

AK skip: din-rama, primeval whirl, finding Nemo (again, fun but don't need to see again)

 

[prudence64]

For my family on our next trip, here are the attractions I really want to do and the ones we'll definitely skip. Everything else is "if it's convenient we will"

MK must do: Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Mickey's Philharmonic, Mine train, Enchanted Tales, electric parade (will be first time riding splash, mine train, enchanted)

MK skip: Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Country Bear Jamboree, Barnstormer, Mad tea party, Stitch


Epcot must do: soarin, test track, illuminations

Epcot skip: captain EO, universe of energy


HS must do: magic of disney animation (never tried), Toy Story, Star Tours, Muppet 3-D, Fantasmic (never seen)

HS skip: Disney Jr. live on stage, indiana jones (fun but don't need to see it more than once)

AK must do: It's tough to be a bug, safaris, festival of lion king, river rapids

AK skip: din-rama, primeval whirl, finding Nemo (again, fun but don't need to see again)

Also, my daughter is 7 and has lost interest in meeting any characters so we'll skip that except maybe a character breakfast for my sake.

 

[Manders77]

Being your first trip, I would make a plan and research what your family likes. On our next trip, I am doing a Universal/Disney Split so I am planning 3 park days (2 MK, 1 DHS) maybe add a half day at Epcot for Frozen Characters. This is my families list

MK must do : Both parades, Wishes, Buzz, People Mover, ETWB, Little Mermaid, Dumbo, PP, Carousel, POTC, Mine Train when it opens

Now we will probably add Splash and Thunder to this list now that DD6 is finally over 40 inches. DS3 is another story. But we skipped the height requirement rides while we had the kids.

AT DHS our Must Do's our Disney's H & V Breakfast, DIsney Jr Live on Stage, Little Mermaid, TSMM, Muppets, and the Dance Party during EMH. We also do the Beauty and the Beast show.

When we visited AK we did safari and saw the animals, Triceratops spin was a repeat ride. We would see the Nemo show too and the characters. We skipped Tough to be a Bug (DS did not like it) and FOTLK (DH hates Lion King) and the Kali Rapids (hated to get soaked).

At Epcot we like Nemo, Living with the Land, Figment, Mexico Boat Ride.

Like I said, our last visit anything with height requirements was out, but next time DD6 will tall enough for more rides since she is finally over 40 inches and DS3, hopefully he will be 38 inches next summer for the mine train at least. We are planning on going 1 month before he turns 5.

I also lived in Orlando for 8 years so DH and I were APHolders and rode all the rides before we had kids. Now that we moved away we tour as a family.

 

[Missymouse18]

As several PP have stated, this is all a matter of personal preferences. But since you asked...
DHS - skip: Lights, Motors, Action
Don't skip Fantasmic

AK - skip: Expedition Everest if you don't like thrill rides
Don't skip: Finding Nemo (I only recommend this bc of your children's ages and bc it's a good one to see at least once).

Epcot - skip: Captain Eo
Don't skip: Ellen's Universe ( I say this only if you or children are in need of a nap... this is a nap ride for us, so we never skip it).
I am an Epcot fanatic so I personally try not to skip anything there, but that's just me

MK - skip: Astro Orbiter and Country Bears Jamboree are the only things I ever skip.
Don't skip: THE CLASSICS!!!!! Everyone needs to be able to say they have ridden Small World, Pirates, HM, Peter Pan, Splash Mtn, BTMRR, Jungle Cruise...
Also, first timers that I have talked to often skip Mickey's Philharmagic bc they didn't know what it was. Don't skip it, it's great!

And last but not least, SKIP the turkey leg and have a waffle, fruit and nutella sandwich instead (located at Sleepy Hallow in MK)

I hope ya'll have a magical time!

 

[rteetz]

I don't try to skip much purposely when I'm in disney but there are some that aren't that great.

MK: only thing I would personally skip is stitch's great escape to me there really is no purpose for this ride.

Epcot: depends, I guess I would say skip captain EO but I think you can fit most things in in Epcot.

DHS: the legend of jack sparrow is kind of dumb

AK: I would do as much as you can here but dinoland is just some carnival rides so maybe triceratops spin.

Now for some musts!

MK: its a small world, big thunder mountain, splash mountain, buzz lightyear, country bears, dumbo, enchanted tales with belle, haunted mansion, jungle cruise, mickeys philharmagic, monsters inc laugh floor, Peter Pan, pirates of the carribean, space mountain, Winnie the Pooh, little mermaid

Epcot: journey into imagination, maelstrom, mission space(I would do the lighter version with the daughter), soarin, spaceship earth, test track, the seas with Nemo, turtle talk

DHS: muppet vision, rock n roller coaster, star tours, magic of disney animation(learn how to draw disney characters), toy story midway mania,

AK: dinosaur, expedition Everest, its tough to be a bug, kali river rapids, Kilimanjaro safaris, maharajah jungle trek