Epcot

scoutkate

So, we're planning a trip to Disney in December and of course we left it too late to get reservations to Cinderella's Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom. I've heard great things about the princess meals at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Epcot, but I don't want to buy park tickets just to eat a meal, obviously. Are there enough fun/cool things to do at Epcot to make the ticket price worth while? I've always kind of considered it the bastard child of Disney, for some reason.

verticgm

EPCOT is my favorite park! We spent a ton of time there when we took DS to Disney in May (At 15 mos. old) and we plan on spending time there when we go in Dec. We took DS on every ride there, with the exception of the rides that had height requirements. He loved it!  Let me know if you want more Disney planning tips!

iheartsippycups

A 3 year old will be board at epcot, imo. (I am a yearly pass holder with a 3 year old)

MintBerryCrunch

We love Epcot! It's decorated beautifully for the holidays. We can do Living with the Land, Nemo, Turtle Talk, Jouney Into Imagination, Spaceship Earth, Ellen's Energy Adventure, The Maelstrom and the boat in Mexico with the girls. Soarin, Test Track and Mission Space have height requirements DD1 hasn't met yet.

They do the Candlelight Processional there in December, and we sometimes watch that despite us being agnostic/atheist. It can take a chunk out of your evening due to waiting in line though.

Illuminations fireworks are great and start at 9.

We're passholders, so we never do an open to close type of day, so that might be overwhelming for a toddler. You could always get park hoppers and start at AK or MK in the morning, then go to Epcot in the afternoon for dinner and to check out the kid friendly stuff.

scoutkate

verticgm said:

EPCOT is my favorite park! We spent a ton of time there when we took DS to Disney in May (At 15 mos. old) and we plan on spending time there when we go in Dec. We took DS on every ride there, with the exception of the rides that had height requirements. He loved it!  Let me know if you want more Disney planning tips!

Oh, yay!  What are some of your (and DS's) favorites things to do at Epcot? 

klondikebar

Margaritas.

theseaword

Epcot is my favorite! I wish I lived there. You'd think it would be dull for kids, but it's not. They do a great job engaging the kiddies. Great shows and learning events at the pavilions. There are characters and some neat rides that the other posters mentioned. Of course, I mainly love the food and drink in the world showcase.

scoutkate

Oh, this is all awesome to know.  And I didn't even realize we could park-hop.  I'm so Disney-ignorant, I haven't been since I was 4. 

verticgm

@MintBerryCrunch really touched on some of my favorite highlights!

The Maelstrom is my FAVORITE in all of Disney. We also enjoy the Canada movie, the shows at the all countries, drinking around the world for DH and me, the Illuminations fireworks show is fantastic, the American presidents show at the USA pavillion, and riding the boat across the lagoon. There areadventure craft activities where little kids can make crafts and get their passports stamped. If you are looking for a fun souvenir, the Disney pins that can be collected and traded are a fun.

We are going at the end of Dec., over NYE and I can't freaking wait! Watching DS take in all the sites was such an emotional experience for me as I love Disney World.

Where are you staying? We have a timeshare and stay at a condo off-property but having a kitchen and separate living areas really works for us and helps DH and I feel like we are having a vacation after DS was in bed and we could relax.

verticgm

@Scoutkate Your daughter could not be cuter if she tried!

JPinkman

I have not gone with the DDs yet - we had a trip planned for November 2012 then I found out I was pregnant with DD#2 and cancelled cause I didn't want to be 6 months pregnant at Disney.

However, I did go to the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall when I went to Disney on my honeymoon in 2005.  It was awesome and the children that were there were really excited about it.  I am sure it is even better now.  Back then they had Belle, Alice in Wonderland, Jasmine and Aurora come to the tables.  It was great.  I loved the food, DH wasn't a big fan.

I also went to Cinderella's Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom - which was 2005 - so might be dated - but I never saw any characters in the dining hall when we were there.  I think they just went into the bottom part of the castle so you would have to move the entire family to go see them.  The food was fantastic at the Royal Table. 

scoutkate

Thank you so much, everyone!  We're in the process of choosing and booking a resort (I think we're going to go with Animal Kingdom Lodge) and I've been told that once we're booked we may be able to get reservations to Cinderella's Royal Table after all.  But I'm so glad to know that Epcot has so much to offer if we end up there instead!

scoutkate

verticgm said:

@Scoutkate Your daughter could not be cuter if she tried!

 

Aww, thank you so much!! 

Spin313

They've made a lot of improvement to Epcot over the years to make it less boring for kids. They've added rides in some of the countries, plus there are lots of characters "hiding" all over Epcot. It's been a while since DH and I went, on our honeymoon, but Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Mary Poppins, and another character were all camped out inside the Toy Shop. We took tons of pictures and didn't have to wait! Epcot is the best for character photo ops, IMO...just not Mickey/Minnie. We also found Chip and Dale, Gepetto, Aladdin and Genie, and a couple others that day.

Disneygeek77

Yes epcot is awesome especially in december.

Another alternative would be the grand floridian 1900 park fare. They do a character buffet with cinderella prince charming her two stepsisters and her evil stepmother. Since the buffet is at the hotel and not a parkyou dont need park tickets.

fancynewbeesly

It has been a lot time since I went--but I remember when my brother was 2-3; I was about 9 or 10---we spent the majority of the time at Epcot. He could care less about Magic Kingdom---he LOVED Epcot and everything about it.