What will my 10 and 7 year olds like at Epcot?

[goofy's friends]

We promised our kids a snack from every country---this got them excited to see what different kinds of food they had in each one. They loved the belly dancing experience and got to dance too. (Marakesh in Morrocco). They liked the Mexican Pavilion the best--it seemed like you were really there, they said. The countries are our favorite part of Epcot (DH and mine), but the kids did enjoy getting the stamps and the music and especially the gymnasts in China.
That said, their favorite rides were in Future World and they believe rides are waht Disney is all about! Their favs were Soarin' (5 times)and Test Track (5 times). They did not like Honey, I shrunk the kids (my DD6 cried)--it is too scary.
You could definately fill a day or more in this park. One thing I wish we had done, was to take them there first so they weren't comparing it to Magic Kingdom the whole time. I think we would all have enjoyed it more this way.

 

[rabyoga]

My 9yr old daughter loved Epcot. She loved all of FutureWorld: MissionSpace, Test Track, Soarin',Universe of Energy, SpaceShip Earth, HISTA, Journey into Imagination and Turtle Talk with Crush(which totally awed my Hubby). She also had a Blast in the different Nations. (I recommend doing the KidsStops and buying a passport-which the different people in each nation sign). We would pretend we would be in each country-trying the food and the language. My daughter had a blast in England-"fish and chips". She loved Morroco(cause my hubby knows some Arabic-thanks to Air Force)-she got lots of extra attention there. Talk with the various people in each country. We had a great conversion with a CM with Norway-she showed us a very special hidden Mickey on name tags.
Have fun at Epcot! I think it's what you make of it. My daughter loves the World Showcase.. Her quote: " I can travel the world in one day. That's way cool.." I think she's right.
Robin

 

[Pea-n-Me]

The Jammitors perform in Future World. I think they are a lot of fun to watch. The Fife and Drum Corps at the American pavilion is nice. And as someone else said, don't miss Miyuki in Japan. She is just a darling to watch.

Don't forget the British Invasion (a Beatles-like group) performs in the back courtyard of England. Our kids who are 8 have learned to really like Epcot. There's so many interesting things to do we can easily spend two full days there. It's also fun to walk over to the Epcot Resorts area via the International Gateway.

 

[Hanover]

Our boys ages 4 and 8 loved the rides they went on in Future World.They also really enjoyed coloring the masks and collecting the different stamps/die cuts at the kidcot stations. We bought them their own "passports" in one of the gift shops and they enjoyed putting the appropriate country's stickers on the pages and seeing the CMs at each kidcot station write the boys names in the CM's native language. They also LOVED the Garden Grill restaurant. We can't wait to be back there in 4 days!!!

 

[DisnyMama]

My DS used to only like Future World. But-- now that he is in those teenage years he just loves going to France for some creme brulee and the pretty french young ladies.

 

[christophfam]

Wow! Thanks so much for all of the posts. I was really second guessing myself on which parks to visit for our short upcoming trip. Now I'm not! Sounds like we will have a great day at Epcot. I'll definitley buy the passbooks (I can see this as being a big hit with them) and I'll look for the mask making areas - I've never noticed them before. I love the idea of treats in the different countries too.


Thanks!

 

[Epcot Girl]

I admit, sometimes Epcot isn't as action packed for kids than the other parks. However, Test Track, Mission Space (if they meet the requirements) and the KidCot Funstops can still be enjoyable, as can Illuminations at the end of the day. If you are unsure about how they will be the ENTIRE day, than I would reccomend getting a hopper pass and going over to Magic Kingdom or MGM as well.

 

[JJsmama]

Last year, when had boys with us: 4,6,7,10. We usually did another park first and by the time we got to Epcot in the afternoons, they were ready for the slower pace. We couldn't believe how well they did!

We did the KidCot things in all the countries we visited and they really got into it. Sometimes one adult would take the kids to the Kidcot and hang out while the adult who reallly wanted to visit the country looked around.

I do recommend renting a stroller in Epcot though. It cut down on a lot of complaining for us.

Plus the kids' favorite dinner was at the "Biergarten" in Germany. We're doing it again this year.

Good luck

 

[Mickey Fliers]

My boys 8,6 and 3 absolutely love Epcot. All of the perfomers in the WS are so much fun to watch. My guy really like the British Invasion and Off Kilter. Innoventions can be so much fun. They like to play all the games (business game, Mickey Mouse tag, etc). Also, in Innoventions (I think west) is the plastic exhibit. This is not to miss. You have to listen to a little mini-lesson on plastics first (example: How does plastic help you everyday?). Then you go to a big room with individual computers and a giant screen in the middle. There you create and design your own virtual robot that you then race against the other participants by running and jumping on a computer pad. At the end, the kids get to make their own robot out of plastic parts to take home. We have a ton of these things around the house. Best part, it is a free souvenier. HTH

 

[crisi]

I admit, sometimes Epcot isn't as action packed for kids than the other parks. However, Test Track, Mission Space (if they meet the requirements) and the KidCot Funstops can still be enjoyable, as can Illuminations at the end of the day. If you are unsure about how they will be the ENTIRE day, than I would reccomend getting a hopper pass and going over to Magic Kingdom or MGM as well.

With Test Track, Mission:Space and Soarin, I think its as action packed as the other parks - although Soarin is an "action ride" that can delight people in their 60s who wouldn't ever ride a roller coaster. AK really only has Kali as an action ride (and soon EE). MKs thrills are rather tame - the Mountains. MGM is the park with a big coaster and Tower of Terror, but other than those two rides the next action ride is Star Tours.

My kids - at six and seven - aren't into the big coasters or Tower of Terror. MGM is quite boring for the whole family. But we all love Epcot. Mission:Space and Test Track were definate favorites this last year, and they were both quite proud of their masks and had a great time visiting all the countries to get all the add ons for the masks. I think the "snack from each country" is probably both a great idea to keep kids interested (but I don't know if I'd do it all in one day!) and could be turned into a good journaling exercise for parents looking to add a little educational value to vacation.

We always have hoppers and eat several dinners at Epcot restaurants. That makes it really easy to spend a few hours in World Showcase when the kids have been sort of overstimulated all day and are ready to just watch Chinese acrobats or Japanese drummers.

 

[christophfam]

I'm really getting excited about our day at Epcot. We've done, done, done the other parks and I'm ready for something new.

I've read that you need to pickup the passports at a gift shop. What about the masks? Where to I get them? Are the areas for the passports and masks easy to find? I'd love more details about these activities. It sounds like something that would really get them into it.

Thanks again!

 

[cvjw]

My boys are into the more thrilling rides and love going to Epcot. They want to ride Test Track, Mission Space and Soarin multiple times. We always eat at The Land restaurant, the one that spins and has characters. They still enjoy going to the countries and making the masks. We can easily spend a whole day happily at Epcot.

 

[JayCT]

My boys loved going to each Country to get their passports signed and stamped. I think we did this over the course of two days. They were very excited and actually learned a thing or two about each country as we went along. Jay

 

[slp87]

I've read that you need to pickup the passports at a gift shop. What about the masks? Where to I get them? Are the areas for the passports and masks easy to find? I'd love more details about these activities. It sounds like something that would really get them into it.

The passports will need to be bought at one of the gift shops. The masks can be picked up at any of the Kidcot stations in any of the countries. They are free. You should be able to spot the stations fairly easily, but if not, ask any castmember in that country and they can direct you there.

 

[goofy's friends]

If you want, you can use your autograph book for the passport--they will stamp and sign it too. We used the blue autograph book for this since we had extra room in the back. You don't have to buy a passport. Just FYI.