Epcot for Boys 3y, 5y, and 8y?

[Jack Kerouac]

We have a ten day, nine night trip booked for August 2023. Our boys will be 3, 5, and 8 at time of travel. We are currently thinking of three days at MK, one day at the others, and some pool days. Having only been to Epcot once a very long time ago, and my wife and boys never having been there, is there a lot for our boys to do? Of the three non-MK parks, are there any we should consider doing more than once? My oldest and middle like thrill rides, my oldest likes hard sciences and history, my middle likes Star Wars, and my youngest loves all of the classic Disney characters along with cars, buses, Peoplemover, etc. We will be staying at Poly and we are new DVC members, so this is likely an every 12-18 month trip. Thanks!

 

[KrazeeK120]

I have one son, age 7. He has been to Disney 3x - 18 months, the week before his 3rd bday, and 6.5. He loves Epcot, especially now that he’s tall enough for Test Track, Soarin, and Mission Space (we did the green side). He also loves Spaceship Earth and enjoys frozen. It’s the only park where you can meet a character from his favorite movie (Joy) and he also got to meet Vanellope there.

You didn’t mention what time of year you’re going, but he likes to eat and we’ve been twice during the food and wine festival.

I think there’s a lot for all ages at Epcot. With a 9 day trip, I’d do a day there and at least see what you think. You mentioned that you’re a DVC member, so if you end up with 1 “wasted” day out of all of the trips you’ll be taking, I don’t think that’s too bad.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

That’s good to know. It sounds like a place my oldest would really like and possibly my middle so depending on the height requirements. We are going in August next year, so my main concerns are the heat, the amount of walking, and the ride availability for my youngest. My wife wants to do Food and Wine, so I think it’s worth taking a shot and worst case scenario it’s a wasted park day/early pool day.

 

[sponica]

the ride availability for my youngest.

I'll admit, I'm biased because we're team epcot (and we don't even spend a lot of time in future world). My kiddos are 6.5 and 2.5 and the older one hates all e-ticket type rides.
What we do- living with the land, living seas with nemo and friends, turtle talk with crush (I can't remember if this has reopened since COVID), FEA. EPCOT has TONS of characters and lots of nooks and crannies. We will spend forever at the trains in Germany.

Not going to lie, I really want to play the Ducktales game on the Disney Play app when we go in February.

 

[Haley R]

My 2.5 year old’s favorite park is Epcot. He loves riding figment, Nemo, frozen, spaceship earth. He LOVES the Jammitors and we sometimes watch them twice when we’re there. He also likes the little trains in Germany, the drummers in Japan, and riding the skyliner.

 

[KrazeeK120]

That’s good to know. It sounds like a place my oldest would really like and possibly my middle so depending on the height requirements. We are going in August next year, so my main concerns are the heat, the amount of walking, and the ride availability for my youngest. My wife wants to do Food and Wine, so I think it’s worth taking a shot and worst case scenario it’s a wasted park day/early pool day.

Our most recent trip, when my son was 6.5, was this past August. All of the rides at Epcot are indoor with the exception of a small section of Test Track, so that’s nice. There are a lot of shops and things in World Showcase to duck into for some a/c too.

Another poster mentioned Living with the Land and the Seas pavilion. I can’t believe I forgot to mention those…we love them!

We had such a fantastic trip this past August that we’re going back next August! The heat can be managed with lots of water and frequent breaks/indoor attractions. My 6.5 walked everywhere (no stroller) and did fine going at a slower pace.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

Thank you everyone! It sounds like a must for this coming August. Now I cannot wait to go to EPCOT!

 

[nancipants]

We are locals and my son just turned 3. He would stay and watch the trains in Germany all freaking day if we let him.

As for rides, he loves Nemo, Spaceship Earth (especially choosing his future), and Living with the Land (especially naming all the stuff in the greenhouse). We haven’t taken him on any other rides since he hit 40 inches, but I’m sure he’ll love them.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

I'm going to be the outlier here and say my 4 yo son enjoyed Epcot the least as far as I could tell. And it was disappointing to my wife and I bc we always loved Epcot's vibe the most. To be fair it was extra hot the two days we were there and we didn't go on many of the larger rides as his size didn't really permit it. But Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom were standout favorites as there were many characters and rides and things to see for him. When we go back I'm going to obviously prioritize MK of course but then second will be HS and AK and Epcot will probably only get one day until we see that he is enjoying it just as much as the other parks.

 

[glocon]

The Three Cabellero’s ride in the Mexico pavilion would be a fun ride for all.
And maybe Remy as well.

Have a great time!

 

[tinkerjo]

I have 4 kids who have grown up going to WDW every couple years since they were very small. (3boys and a girl all adults except DS15) I can easily say that Epcot is their least favorite park. The countries did not interest them at all and there were so few rides, especially for the smaller kids. There is so much to do for all ages at HS that we are going 2 days this next trip. I have Star Wars fans and DH hasn’t seen Star Wars land yet and there are enough new rides that I don’t think we can do it in one day. AK is hands down their favorite park but not a lot to do there right now to warrant 2 days. Each family is different though but for us, Epcot is 1/2 day.

 

[MamaMermaid]

My 5yo son's favorite park has been EPCOT as long as he could speak and tell us! He loves science, vehicles, machines, etc.

 

[Rory607]

Our family loves Epcot! I find it to be a nice break from the other parks. Our kids would be so disappointed if we skipped it. Test Track, Nemo and Turtle Talk, the Seas building, Spaceship Earth(which has a fun hands-on area when you get off the ride), Guardians. They also love the countries, especially Japan and Mexico.

In all of our trips, we’d never ridden Living with the Land, so we rode it this past trip. My 8 year old complained and said it would be boring. 5 seconds in he said he loved it and could we go again I think your kids will enjoy it and you and your wife can enjoy an adult beverage while you do World Showcase.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Awesome Planet is awesome … once you take the time to actually watch this !
unfortunately everybody walks past it cause they are heading to Soarin or Livin with the Land
and then forget about it as they exit.

Also think that Figment is fun after a lifetime of walking past .

 

[kc51570]

I have a teenager now but he has loved Epcot since around 3. We could have spent and hour or longer in the aquarium after the Nemo ride. He still asks to go back to the Coral Reef restaurant to eat. He also loved watching the trains in Germany-makes me sad that we just walk by them now. As others have mentioned there are a good amount of rides for younger kids-Spaceship Earth, Nemo, Figment, Living with the Land, 3 caballeros, Frozen, Remy, plus Test Track, Soarin, and possibly Guardians for the older kids. We also would have a hard time getting him out of the activity centers/play areas after the rides at Imagination, Spaceship Earth, and Test Track I don’t know if they still have the coloring and stamp stations at all the countries but that was always a hit too.

 

[SLThomas318]

Our boys are now 6 and 8 and Epcot is a favorite for them now. They LOVE test track, guardians, soarin, and remy. They also like doing spaceship earth, the land, and exploring the aquarium. They love riding the monorail over from Poly and get a kick out of riding the monorail over the park. It is a park that has slowly become one of our favorites. Def. check it out. Since you'll be staying DVC just walk over and grab the monorail from the TTC, it is super convenient!

 

[EilonwyWanderer]

I've got two girls, 6 and 8 and I really thought their favorite park would be MK, but we ended up park hopping EVERY DAY over to Epcot. They LOVED it!