Visiting Epcot with children

1. Prioritize Soarin
My very favourite Walt Disney World attraction was Soarin in Epcot, and Big Girl, who was five at the time, also had this on her top 3 list. It felt like going in a big chair lift and ‘soaring’ around the world, taking in different smells and wonders along the way. If you’re travelling with children who meet the height requirement for Soarin I would recommend going, as I liked we could sit side by side on this ride and it was such a positive experience.

2. Enjoy the slow rides
Epcot has several themed slow rides that are ideal for young children. Despite being in Epcot when crowd levels were high, we hardly had to queue at all to go on the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros, which is a slow boat ride in the Mexico pavilion. We also enjoyed the Finding Nemo and Frozen Ever After rides where we used FastPass+.

3. Have a laugh at Turtle Talk with Crush
Next to the Nemo ride, we also went to the 15-minute Turtle Talk with Crush show, which is an impressive attraction as characters on screen can interact with the audience. We were all laughing a lot as Crush and friends were answering questions, and the charming turtle was a favourite with two-year-old Big Boy. I also really liked that there was no need to use a FastPass+ for this attraction when we visited, as those who arrived at the time we did could attend the next performance despite the crowd levels being very high in the park at the time.(Photo by: David Roark)

4. Take time to meet characters
Epcot has numerous character spots, and it is the only place in Walt Disney World to meet some of them. In Future World, it is possible to use FastPass+ for the Mickey and Minnie character greeting, but there are also lots of other characters to meet around the park, such as Donald in Mexico, Belle in France and Mulan in China (check schedule for times before visiting). Anna and Elsa meet guests at Royal Sommerhus.

5. Take a break at a Kidcot Funstop
In World Showcase, there are pavilions representing different countries, and walking around the area feels a bit like visiting an open air museum. The pavilions have their own Kidcot Funstops, where children can do colouring, creating their own Epcot souvenir. With an intense Disney schedule, I hadn’t allocated much time for Kidcot Funstops, but we ended up stopping at several of these stations to do colour-in and get the drawings ‘signed’ by the local cast members who added tiny drawings of a Viking ship or similar, depending on the country we visited. Next time, I will consider getting a passport from one of the World Showcase pavilions instead to collect these little drawings in a passport that could make a lovely memory.

Tags: Disney, Epcot, Family travel, Florida, Orlando, Walt Disney World, World Showcase