Tips for Having Fun in Epcot with Your Kids

Some people feel there isn't enough to do or experience for young kids at Epcot, but our family could not disagree more! We always wish we had just a few more hours.  Use these tips and tricks to help your kids enjoy what we feel is the most fun theme park for adults, and you'll end up with a great day for the whole family!

Here are a few things to do with the family when you head to Epcot:

5 Iconic Things to Do at Epcot:

• Watch the Fountain show - especially around sunset.
• Take a picture in front of Spaceship Earth (the ball)
• Eat in the Coral Reef Restaurant
• Ride Soarin’ – Have you done it before? Don't miss it: Soarin’ just got a new international update--Soarin' Over the World--in June 2016!
• Watch Illuminations from the Showcase Plaza or Italy

As you probably know, Epcot is divided into Future World and World Showcase! With several great rides with height restrictions, what can kids do in Future World?

Epcot's Future World:

• Soarin’ (40”) – This is a fabulous ride.  If you have a fear of heights, I suggest you ride in the back row (row 3) which is lowest to the ground.  If you don’t want to ride with feet dangling above you, ask to ride in the top (front) row.
• Living with the Land - It's always good to know about how to take care of the earth and grow foods with different methods. Plus, it's a boat ride!
• Circle of Life – Lion King Environmental Movie
• Character Spot – a great place to meet Mickey and Friends!
• Test Track (40”) – Design a car and then test drive it--outside the ride at 60 mph!
• Spaceship Earth – Take the ride inside of the Epcot ball! It’s very relaxing and cool on a hot day.
• Innoventions East & West – Fun play areas to hang out in if it rains and great activities for kids ages 5-8
• Ellen’s Energy Adventure – Not our favorite ride, but it’s funny and entertaining.  I’d rate it for kids ages  9 and up. At 45 minutes, it's long, too, but a great place to relax.
• Mission Space (44”) – A great thrill ride.  Mission Space allows you to play astronaut for a day.  Green is for those who don’t want as intense of a ride and orange is for bigger thrill-seekers.  The view of the ride is exactly the same, but you will feel more force on orange. 
• Mission Space Advanced Training Lab – My kids could spend hours in here exploring and playing.  When you exit the ride, you are dumped into this large area with interactive activities and play areas.  You can access it through the gift shop, as well, if you have smaller kids who aren’t tall enough to ride Mission Space yet.
• Mission Space splash area – If you don’t want to wait for your family members who are riding Mission Space in the Advanced Training Lab, there’s a fountain play area right out in front of the attraction.  If you have a change of clothes, a towel, or a really hot day, you can let your kids play in the fountain and cool off.
• Seas with Nemo and Friends – A very cute ride for even the littlest tyke, but fun for the whole family.  The line for this attraction is usually very short and moves quickly.
• Turtle Talk with Crush – This is a great show for kids ages 2+.  Crush and Dory come to visit with a small group to interactively answer and ask questions. Kids get to sit right up front!
• Sea Base – When you exit the Nemo ride, there is a huge aquatic exploration area.  Again, if I let them, my kids could stay here and view all of the live creatures and enjoy with the interactive activities for well over an hour. Manatees, dolphins, fish, games--so much to see!
• Journey Into Imagination with Figment – This is a ride for kids, but it’s very cute!  And yes, the song WILL get stuck in your head. 
• ImageWorks the What If Lab – This is another interactive play area.  When you exit the Imagination ride, you’ll come out to a huge area filled with interactive activities for children (and we play there, too) of all ages.
• Pixar Short Film Festival - It's an 18 minute 4D experience with three short films. Not only is it a very unique experience, but a great place to sit down and relax and cool off!

Now that you've explore Future World, it's time to see what's going on in World Showcase!

Epcot’s World Showcase:

• Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros – A boat ride featuring Donald Duck and friends Panchito and Jose Carioca in the Mexican Pavilion
• American Adventure – A 30-minute show about American history.  Don’t let the word ‘history’ scare you away – it’s very entertaining. Don't miss Voices of Liberty--the amazing a capella group that performs throughout the day.
• Frozen Ever After - The long-awaited Frozen ride is now open in Norway! It's a fun boat-ride through Arendel with all your favorite friends from Frozen!
• Activities in Each Country:
• Jeweled Dragon Acrobats in China
• Mariachi band in Mexico
• Meet Anna & Elsa in Norway
• Drummers in Japan
• Juggler and mime, Sergio, in Italy
• O Canada movie in Canada
• Serveur Amusant (acrobats) in France
• Plus live music in many of the countries as well as character meets!
• Kidcot Fun Stops – When you enter the World Showcase, you will find a coloring station in each country.  Your child can color and decorate the current character.  Then you take it with you and have it stamped in each country.  It’s a great way to keep kids interested as you travel through each country’s pavilion.
• Passports – You can buy them for $10 in any of the countries' gift shops or even in the Future World.  Then you have them signed and stamped in each country.  It’s a fun way to see your name written in 8 languages!
• Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure – Great for kids ages 6 & up, this involves Agent Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb.  You borrow a free device (special cell phone) that keeps kids involved through interactive activities as you visit each country.

And of course, you won't want to miss Illuminations at the end of the night!

Preparing kids for Epcot, there are some great movies to watch (books to read) before visiting Epcot:

• The Three Caballeros (Mexico Pavilion)
• Mulan (China Pavilion)
• Ratatouille (France Pavilion)
• Beauty and the Beast (France Pavilion)
• Winnie the Pooh (United Kingdom Pavilion)
• Mary Poppins (United Kingdom Pavilion)
• Peter Pan (United Kingdom Pavilion)
• Aladdin (Morocco Pavilion)
• Snow White (Germany Pavilion)
• Frozen (Norway Pavilion)
• Lady and the Tramp (Italy Pavilion)
• Finding Nemo (The Seas Pavilion)

Emily Lamb has been to Disney over 65 times, usually for multiple days on each trip. The tips she sharing are from first-hand experience as a kid and now as a mother of her own beautiful children. Contact Emily to help plan your next Disney trip!