DHS v EPCOT

[fivi2]

okay, I have a while to plan, but Beth talking about EPCOT in Fairy's thread makes me want to ask...

We are going in May. The afternoons will be warm. I plan to leave most parks by 1:00 or 2:00 and not go back in evenings and we won't have park hoppers. The girls will be 4.5 and are afraid of a lot (not afraid of characters).

Right now, I have one morning planned at each park (2 at MK). But, realistically, I don't see us getting to the WS in Ep if we leave early afternoon. It is also during F&G which has a pixie hollow area and a butterfly garden (plus gardens in the countries). So... should we skip dhs and make the planned dhs day a lazy morning, go tour WS in the afternoon and see the performers and gardens (are they old enough for Kim Possible?) That would leave us with a FW morning and a WS afternoon, but no DHS.

I guess I am asking what is a must do at DHS? I see PHD and the playground as being good for my girls, muppets, tsmm, and batb a maybe and not much else... They haven't seen batb movie, no muppet movies, and no pixar movies. We won't do coasters; nothing loud - lma, indy, star wars; nothing scary - gmr & votlm.

I know some of you love dhs - please tell me why

TIA!

[egoldber]

OK, I'm actually not sure what some of your acronyms mean LOL but I think I can figure it out as I go along.... FWIW, Sarah is very intense and hates Curious Geroge (too scary) and often finds shows aimed at preschoolers too scary.

I guess I am asking what is a must do at DHS? I see PHD and the playground as being good for my girls, muppets, tsmm, and batb a maybe and not much else... (No coasters, no loud - lma, indy, star wars, no scary - gmr & votlm)

Unfortunately, a lot of WDW is loud.

PHD is fine. The Little Mermaid has some loud, scary parts, but most kids do OK.

Beauty and the Beast show is a MUST do. Very, very tame compared to even the movie. It's like the movie, without all the boring talking parts.

Sarah ADORES the Great Movie Ride. I have no idea why, but it is literally one of her favorite rides in all of WDW. I think it is sooooo beyond lame, but she loves it. There are two slightly intense parts. One is a scene from Alien that is lame and Sarah has never seen or heard of Alien, so she doesn't even get it. There is also one other very mildly intense scene having to do with the "show" of the ride.

Definitely skip Lights, Motor Action. Not scary at all but VERY loud. As you walk around you will hear it. Indiana Jones is not scary at all, but again a few loud scenes.

The Muppet 4D is fine, but infinitely skippable.

Toy Story Mania is really fun and not scary IMO. It is a little loud.

Epcot is just very different.

In FW, definitely skip Test Track. And don't make the mistake of getting on the Energy ride without realizing it's like a 30-40 minute ride! We've never done the Honey I Shrunk the Kids thing because Sarah isn't so into the 4D thing. We've also never done Mission Space.

If you have no fear of heights, Soarin is a must do. Very gentle. It has a 40" height requirement due to the harness restraints. The Living with the Land boat ride is fine. Turtle Talk with Crush is very fun. The Nemo ride is fun and gentle.

WS has a few rides. The boat ride in Mexico is super tame and my kids love it. The boat ride in Norway is dark and probably a little too scary/intense.

Other than that, the WS is about wandering through the countries and exploring. Which we like, but not everyone does.

[fivi2]

Sorry - I just assumed you were in my head I think I made up some of my acronyms

I know things are loud, I just mean things that are jump out at you loud... (The loud singing on small world is not a problem, but explosions or something at the stunt show would be).

Thanks for the break down of all the rides! Very helpful

I'm just trying to see if we should skip dhs for more time at epcot, but I think it is impossible to guess. We'll just have to see how the trip is going. Thank you soo much for telling me which ones are scary - it is good to hear from someone with a sensitive child. The disboards people seem to assume no child will be afraid of anything at disney

I can't believe I finally found someone else whose dc won't watch curious george! We had to turn it off because they were screaming and in a total panic!

Thanks!

[DietCokeLover]

We were just there in December. My kids are 2 and 3, but we were with a 4 yo and a 7 yo. Here were our hits:

Hollywood Studios:
*Toy Story ride was a HUGE success with all of us. So much fun! (But go get a fast pass first thing the morning you arrive)
*Playhouse Disney
*character breakfast at Hollywood and Vine with Playhouse Disney characters

Epcot:
* Turtle Talk with Crush
* Nemo ride (scary for 3 and 4 yos, but 7 yo loved it)
* Soarin (if tall enough)

Overall, these two parks were a little "too old" for my two little ones, but our friends that had the 4 and 7 yos really enjoyed both parks.

[fivi2]

We were just there in December. My kids are 2 and 3, but we were with a 4 yo and a 7 yo. Here were our hits:

Hollywood Studios:
*Toy Story ride was a HUGE success with all of us. So much fun! (But go get a fast pass first thing the morning you arrive)
*Playhouse Disney
*character breakfast at Hollywood and Vine with Playhouse Disney characters

Epcot:
* Turtle Talk with Crush
* Nemo ride (scary for 3 and 4 yos, but 7 yo loved it)
* Soarin (if tall enough)

Overall, these two parks were a little "too old" for my two little ones, but our friends that had the 4 and 7 yos really enjoyed both parks.

Thanks! I keep hoping they will grow a few inches between now and May. They aren't tall enough for Soarin' yet - but we have some time Dh and I will definitely find a way to do that one either way!

[egoldber]

The thing with DHS is the timing can be tricky. There are lots of shows and they only play a few times a day. Plan to see the first PHD show of the day (usually 10/10:30). Then try to see the first Beauty and the Beast show (usually 12). The Little Mermaid runs continuously, so it is pretty easy to see.

The one I forgot to mention was the BackLot Tour. It's loud and there is one very intense sequence that your girls would probably not like. It also takes a long time, so I would skip it.

[fivi2]

The thing with DHS is the timing can be tricky. There are lots of shows and they only play a few times a day. Plan to see the first PHD show of the day (usually 10/10:30). Then try to see the first Beauty and the Beast show (usually 12). The Little Mermaid runs continuously, so it is pretty easy to see.

The one I forgot to mention was the BackLot Tour. It's loud and there is one very intense sequence that your girls would probably not like. It also takes a long time, so I would skip it.

It is very possible I am confusing the Great Movie ride with the Backlot tour in my brain...

Thanks again!

[egoldber]

Also, Epcot is GREAT for characters. It's the hidden gen of character meet and greets IMO.

Character Landing in FW: See most of the "biggies" like Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofy, all in one convenient air conditioned location. Usually no wait.

Sometimes there is a random character on the Test Track side of FW.

In WS, we typically see....

England - Pooh and Tigger generally alternate with Mary Poppins and Alice in Wonderland. They hang out in the toy store or in the garden behind the store.

France - Aurora, Belle and the Beast

Morocco - Jasmine, Aladdin, Genie and Jafar

Germany - Snow White and sometimes Dopey

China - Mulan and Mushu

[kbud]

My girls loved the playgrounds and pixie hollow at the flower and garden show. They also loved the butterfly garden. The playgrounds are awesome.

[fivi2]

Thanks again everyone

I am excited about the pixie hollow garden - we have two huge tink fans here!