Disney World has no shortage of people who blog about, post about, and make videos about visiting its parks. I feel like Magic Kingdom gets a lot of hype, and so does Hollywood Studios (sorry, but it’ll always be MGM to me…). Animal Kingdom probably gets the least amount of love, but Epcot has been historically relegated to the realm of adult paradise. That may be true, but Epcot offers a lot for kids as well.

Epcot has stepped up her game in terms of rides and entertainment offerings for little ones and adults alike.
While Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind has been a hit with the older kid-adult set, Moana: Journey of Water has hit it out of the park with little ones (tip: bring a change of clothes for this one if you have little ones). Disney has invested a lot of capital into getting families into Epcot for a full-day experience. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Frozen Ever After easily get the longest lines at this park. Experiences like the boat ride in Mexico, Figment, and Spaceship Earth are amazing, but dated – meaning that young kids may not take to these experiences and may not experience the same whimsy and joy they feel when they see Elsa, Anna, or Mickey. Disney has taken that feedback in the last ten-fifteen years and crafted newer rides based on Disney’s newer, fresher IPs like Remy and Olaf.
If you have young kids, my best tip to you for a stress-free Epcot day would be to rope-drop (getting to the park way before it even opens, usually 1-1.5 hours before for resort guests) Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure…but ONLY if you are a Skyliner resort guest. Here’s why: the Disney Skyliner will drop off guests at the International Gateway (back door) of Epcot as opposed to the front gate where the buses and monorail drop off their guests. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is much closer to the International Gateway than the front entrance of Epcot, so you can get on and off that ride close to rope drop without using a Genie+ Lightning Lane selection.
At 7:00 am, if you are a Disney resort hotel guest, (and if you are using my tip above), you can select your first Genie+ Lighting Lane if you have purchased Genie+ access. I would NOT advise selecting Remy’s – that is a do-able rope-drop ride. I would instead advise you to select Frozen Ever After for the earliest return time you can get, and then purchase an ILL (Individual paid Lightning Lane) for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Here’s my rationale: You’ll rope drop Remy’s and avoid waiting in a sometimes 1-2 hour line, then return sometime in the morning for Frozen Ever After without waiting in a usually-2 hour long line. I would grab a pastry from France and a coffee to kick off your morning stroll through the World Showcase. I would do the 3 Caballeros boat ride in the Mexico pavilion, along with The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Spaceship Earth, Mission: Space, and Living with the Land around lunchtime, as those lines will more than likely be walk-ons. After riding Guardians and walking around Epcot’s exhibits (check out all the sodas and drinks at Club Cool!), you can settle into dinner at either Space 220 or Le Cellier – but both will require advance dining reservations and can be pricey. Space 220 does not accept the Disney Dining Plan and Le Cellier will take up two of your table service credits per person. Enjoying the nighttime Horizons show and snacking on some caramel popcorn from the Germany pavilion is a great way to end your day at Epcot.
Depending on your ILL selection time, you’ll ride Guardians, also without waiting in line or wondering if you’ll get into the Virtual Queue (and sometimes still have to wait 45-60 minutes when your boarding group is called).
If you have small children, utilize Child Swap for Guardians. Here’s how it works with ILL: Parent #1 scans into the ride and notifies the attendant that they’d like to do rider swap while Parent #2 waits with kid(s). Parent #1 rides. Parent #1 watches the kid(s), and Parent #2 scans in and rides. If you have a child that is tall enough and mature enough to ride Guardians (or Tron, Space Mountain, etc.), the child can go twice (one with each parent) so that the parent isn’t riding alone.
Pro Tip: If you also are interested in riding TestTrack, use the Single Rider line, as it’ll be quicker than making a Genie+ selection and you can get on and your buddy or spouse can hop in the Single Rider line as soon as you get off.
There are a lot of play areas for kids throughout Epcot – it truly is a very child-friendly park. The new Moana: Journey of Water experience isn’t a ride, won’t have a line, and is very little-kid oriented. Just, like I said, bring a change of clothes/shoes for when they get soaked inevitably.
Overall, Epcot is an underrated park. Kids may feel underwhelmed going to Epcot after a Magic Kingdom day, so I suggest doing Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios, and going back to any park that has things you missed or absolutely loved during the second part of your Animal Kingdom day if you have Park Hopper access.
-TTPM.
