Young Children at Epcot?

[rlaeromech]

Hello,

I am new to WDWMagic, but I am hooked already. Does it eventually wear off? That is a topic for another forum. I am going in October with 3 families and all our kids range from age 8 months to 16. My question is this. How much time should I plan for Epcot? We have a 4 day park hopper pass from Tuesday to Friday. 5 of the kids have never been to WDW period. I have been 3 times in the last 2 years and the last time I went with my family alone we skipped Epcot as we only had 3 days at the parks. Personally I enjoy Epcot and love the atmosphere. I was there in August and saw all the "kid stations" that I think my 2 almost 3 year old would like. The problem I am having is when I talk plans to the other families, they always want to drop Epcot first and maybe spend the extra day MK. Your thoughts?

Thanks,

Rick

 

[DisneyBride94]

My kids are 2, 4 and 6....and I'd drop Animal Kingdom LONG LONG LONG before I'd drop EPCOT... Besides...you can do AK in a half day easily... so why limit yourself?

My kids love EPCOT... especially FIGMENT. My 4 year old would cry if we dind't see him. My 6 year old loves Space Ship Earth... and EVERYONE loves El Rio Del Tiempo...

No way we'd miss EPCOT... no way on Earth!!!

 

[dixiegirl]

Definatly do epcot!!!.. No you really don't need to spend the day there, but there are some pretty cool things there for the kiddies...the kid stations throughout epcot countries, in the land they have a show I guess you would call it that the kids can help bake cookies(one of those nestle sponsered things) ..journey into imagination(figment ride) spaceship earth...there really is quite a bit to do there...also the not to be missed illuminations nite time show....Both my girls enjoy epcot , or as my 2 year old calls it EEEEPCOT.....but you really don't need the whole day there....have a great trip!!! oh and when you come back and your totally in that "disney withdrawls" we'll be here to help you!!!!!! Yeah WDWMAGIC...is quite addicting as you can see, and for the most part everyone here is extreamly helpful....we all share the same sickness for WALT DISNEY WORLD that the "others" do'nt really and never will understand!! So feel free any questions ask away!! Oh and welcome to WDWMAGIC..........HAVE A MAGICAL DAY!!!!!!!!!!:wave: \


Yahooo i'm leaving in 5 more days..........22 hrs..........32 mins.....here we come POR!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dixiegirl]

OHH I almost forgot about turtle talk with crush!!!!

 

[Gorjus]

I see your problem. You've got a real wide variety of ages going. The teens will get bored at what the little ones want and the kids will want to hang with the teens and bug them, etc. I definitely see spliting up in your future.

One tip:
Go to EPCOT on the first day. Let it be the first park you go to. That way, kids are thrilled just to be in a park rather than let down that they aren't going to back to MK again. It helps for a better first memory of EPCOT. And if every age group gets to pick an hour or 2 where they dictate the program, the adults can enjoy some time at Food and Wine. I've found that letting each person get a chance to choose the next attraction keeps the whining down. "ok, we did Turtle talk for the 3's and we did Mission Space for the teens, and test track for the tweens, and had wine and prawns in Australia for the grown ups."

 

[Nemo14]

I've found that letting each person get a chance to choose the next attraction keeps the whining down. "ok, we did Turtle talk for the 3's and we did Mission Space for the teens, and test track for the tweens, and had wine and prawns in Australia for the grown ups."

The only problem with that is you tend to do a lot of extra walking and backtracking if Susie wants to do Soarin, then Johnny wants Maelstrom, then JJ wants TT. The idea is good, but what we generally do (when we travel with a group of 10) is have everyone give us a list of at must-do's, even those who say they don't care. Then we put it all together and plan our days accordingly. It keeps things organized that way, but the kids and adults still feel they're part of the planning. My DH always seems to throw something in that no one else would think to do, but we always have fun doing it anyway, and if we really hate it, we blame him!!!

 

[rlaeromech]

my dates are actually Tuesday through Friday at the parks. I was looking at the wrong month. The great thing about this group is the 2 older teenagers are sister-in-laws and they will love watching my daughter enjoy whatever and they are very go with the flow. Actually when I look at the whole group they are all like that. The 12, 7 and 8 year old have never been and I think they will be overwhelmed no matter where we are.

Degunter, I like the idea of hiring a professional, I am assuming you are offering. I doubt I could afford your rates and the Polynesian, what???? Am I made of money. The picture is good, my best side!!!!!

For everyone else I am related to Degunter and he took the picture in August on our last trip there!!!

 

[Gorjus]

Nemo,
I agree. I simply articulated wrong. When it is just the youngins and myself (1 niece, 2 nephews) for the morning, each person chooses 2 must see rides for the AM. Then we plan accordingly. OK, #1 wants Haunted Mansion & Splash. No, sorry, we can't do HM, your brother is a woosy boy...I mean a little fearful of it. So you substitute Space Mountain instead of HM. #2 likes Buzz and the Blue Line. # 3 likes the Carousel & seeing Princesses. So, we go to Buzz, Space Mtn., TTA/BlueLine/WEDway, Princesses, Carousel, and Splash. Then each person chooses 1 more if there is time and depending on where we are determines the order. For example, we are at Splash, so we go on Big Thunder, then Philharmagic, then ... no, we can't do Snow White, your brother doesn't like the witch ... Pooh instead.

Well, you get the picture.

The BIG thing is, and I mean BIG; everyone had some power, some say, some control over what we did that day. We were able to be selfish and sharing all in the same day.

And we have found that this is a fabulous way to enjoy the F & W festival :slurp: with children who are cognitive. "From 9 AM to 10:45 AM kids, the park is all about what you want to do. From 10:45 AM till 4 PM it is all about grown up time. Feel free to find ways to enjoy yourselves in World Showcase with us or not...be miserable. But we will be walking around WS during this time. After 4, when the lines at the booths are getting ridiculously long on a weekend, we will abandon WS and the rest of the day and evening is all about the kids again.

 

[DisneyMarg]

Another vote for Epcot. Our kids loved it at all ages. Even if they didn't, I think it's healthy for them to learn that part of the vacation is for Mom and Dad to enjoy what they like as well.

Just another word of caution about travelling with the other families. Have you been with them before? We have been to WDW with other families twice and were quite surprised both times. Both were extended family - some we knew well and others that we didn't spend much time with. It is amazing how different families are - even if you thought you were just alike. There are so many opportunities for differences in opinion - from the overall schedule to whether or not the kids get souveneirs at every ride to bedtimes. One family wanted to sleep late - we hit the parks early. One family geared everything to their children ("Megan is ready for lunch now") and others wanted to stick to the plan ("We'll have lunch after the show"). One family packed healthy snacks for the park, others were breaking for Mickey Bars. It was never a real problem, but just be aware.

 

[rlaeromech]

I have considered the differences in 3 families. We are going to have a dinner/meeting in 2 weeks and agree on some issues before we get there. I think we all will agree that we won't have to stay together all the time. I plan to have a basic schedule, i.e., what parks on what days and then a general idea of where to go when we get at each park with flexibility built in. Degunter has always been a great help in that area. He successfully planned my first trip back to Disney in over 12 years. My brother and I went to all 4 parks in one day and rode everything we wanted to ride. Of course we all had to be wheelchaired out for fatigue but it was a great day! All 3 familes are very close and we have gone on overnight trips together before and it has gone well. But I will keep that in mind - Thanks!

 

[davewasbaloo]

We are going with our 3.5 yearold and 18 month old in November/December. We are planning on at least 4 if not 5 visits to Epcot, and only 2 for the MK. I am sure they will love it (they really love travelling and museums, not to mention live entertainment). If the MK were the main draw for us, we would skip it in favour of DL or DLP since both MK parks are superior. It's Epcotand DAK that are really special to us and we highly recommend both for all ages. Have a blast!