Walt Disney World With Kids (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [67]
Next, visit The Seas with Nemo & Friends and after you disembark, head for Turtle Talk with Crush.
Attractions at Epcot That Offer Fastpass
Mission: SPACE
Soarin’
Test Track
Epcot Touring Tips
Take Epcot in small doses if you’re traveling with young kids; four hours at a time is enough.
In the off-season, Epcot hours are often staggered. Future World is generally open from 9 AM to 7 PM (although Soarin’, Test Track, and Mission: SPACE generally remain operative until Epcot closes) and the World Showcase is open from 11 AM to 9 PM.
Tour Future World in the morning and then drift toward the World Showcase in the afternoon. You can escape to the films and indoor exhibits during the hottest and busiest times of the day.
On entering a World Showcase pavilion that has a show or film—France, Canada, America, or China—ask the attendant how long until the show begins. If your wait is 10 minutes or less, go on inside. If the wait is longer, browse the shops or take a bathroom break and return 10 minutes before showtime. Epcot theaters are so large that even people in the back of the line can get in.
Innoventions provides a nice break from the enforced passivity of the rides. But ride first and save the exhibits for the afternoon.
Check out your entertainment schedule and save time for some of the shows that take place in the pavilions of the World Showcase. Shows like Off-Kilter or the Chinese acrobats have major kid-appeal.
If you miss Soarin’, Mission: SPACE, or Test Track in the morning, return in the evening. Although they’re packed throughout the afternoon, it’s often easier to slip onto these popular rides while everyone else is eating dinner in the World Showcase or watching IllumiNations.
If you’re touring off-season and plan to spend mornings in the other parks and evenings at Epcot, make your dinner reservation times early, like around 5 PM. That leaves you several hours to tour after dinner.
Another alternative: If the kids have had a good afternoon nap and can keep going until 11 PM, arrange your reservations for 8:30. The restaurants keep serving as the park closes down, so eating late buys you maximum hours in the park—assuming your kids can handle the schedule, that is, and assuming that you’ll be seeing IllumiNations on another night.
If you’re not staying for IllumiNations, begin moving toward the exit gates while the show is in progress.
Time-Saving Tip
A morning at Epcot is best spent moving among continuous-loading attractions such as Mission: SPACE, Test Track, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, and especially Soarin’. Save theater-style attractions for the afternoon.
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Future World
Future World comprises nine large pavilions, each containing at least one major attraction, and is very much like a permanent World’s Fair, mixing educational opportunities with pure entertainment. Most visitors are drawn first to the rides with their spectacular special effects, but don’t miss Innoventions and the chance to play with the smaller interactive exhibits. These hands-on exhibits encourage young visitors to learn while doing and help kids avoid what one mother termed “Audio-Animatronics overload.”
The Epcot Don’t-Miss List
IllumiNations
Innoventions
Mission: SPACE (if the kids are old enough and pass the 44-inch height requirement)
Soarin’ (if the kids pass the 40-inch height requirement)
Spaceship Earth
Test Track (if the kids pass the 40-inch height requirement)
Turtle Talk With Crush
World Showcase entertainment
Future World Attractions
Spaceship Earth
Whatever their age, few travelers can remain blasé at the sight of Spaceship Earth, the most photographed and readily recognizable symbol of Epcot. Even preschoolers rate it highly, probably because of the excitement of actually entering