Disney Virgin - Traveling with 3 and 6 yo- Epcot v. HS?

Deeva007

Earning My Ears
Joined
Nov 16, 2017
Hi!
I will traveling to Disney in January with my 6 and 3.5 year old daughters. We are doing 6 nights/5 days. 2 MK, 1 AK, 1 Pool Day/ Disney Springs, and that leaves 1 day for either Epcot or Hollywood Studios. Which would you choose?
 
no advice but following because i have a 6 and 2 yo with a similar schedule! Right now I am leaning towards doing one park day per park but fear we are going to shortchange MK.
 
Hi!
I will traveling to Disney in January with my 6 and 3.5 year old daughters. We are doing 6 nights/5 days. 2 MK, 1 AK, 1 Pool Day/ Disney Springs, and that leaves 1 day for either Epcot or Hollywood Studios. Which would you choose?

It depends...right now there's a not A LOT at DHS (except for shows) and if you don't have park hoppers I'm not sure there's a full day there. Epcot has Frozen Ever After (the redone viking ride) and Nemo and Friends. I've always found it easier to meet the characters at Epcot compared to MK (especially if you're not engaging in the international bar crawl).
 
First off what characters do your girls like? At HS there are Disney Jr stuff meals and M&G's etc. Epcot has Frozen Ever After and Nemo. You will probably like Epcot more and unlike some people I find it very easy to spend an entire day at HS but I love Star Wars.
 
Probably Epcot but the Disney junior stuff is probably appealing. Don’t count on swimming in January. Sometimes it can be chilly
 
We skipped HS (have a 3 yr old) and did a full day at Epcot. Nemo and the aquarium, Turtle Talk, Journey into Imagination, Mexico boat ride, Frozen Ever After, character visits, 2 character dining options and Illuminations can fill your day nicely.

Planning to do HS next trip in 12/18 for Toy Story Land, Disney Jr. show, and whatever else I can find to pass the day with a 4 year old.
 


This is a really tough one because you don't know until you experience them both. For younger kids who like Disney Jr then I'd suggest HS. They have the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast Live. Toy Story Mania is one of my favorite rides. The Frozen Sing-A-Long is one of my DDs favorite. EPCOT on the other hand has a lot of great food options and the Seas with Nemo is a lot of fun for kids. My DDs aren't big fans of the rides there outside of FEA.

If possible, I would suggest doing both and making HS a half day so you can still enjoy the resort and Disney Springs. As another person mentioned, it will most likely be too cold to enjoy the pool. Either way it will be a lot of fun! You'll have to come back and let us know which you chose and how you liked it!
 
What days in January. That might make a difference.
 
Why not give up your Disney Springs Day and do both. They is mostly shopping and not a lot for little ones to do. It does not cost much to add a park day to you ticket. Much less than you are likely to spend at DS.
 
We would give up Disney Springs before we would give up Hollywood Studios. My daughter enjoyed her experience at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique there, but the rest was boring for her.

My daughter likes Hollywood Studios and Epcot about the same. She is 5.
She enjoys a mixture of rides, shows and meeting characters, so there was plenty for us to do at HS. She is also a daredevil that will ride anything.
 
Why not give up your Disney Springs Day and do both. They is mostly shopping and not a lot for little ones to do. It does not cost much to add a park day to you ticket. Much less than you are likely to spend at DS.
I second this. We were just there in April for my daughter’s first trip (she was 5). Also had my 13 month old in tow. We didn’t do Disney Springs, not because I think we wouldn’t have had fun but because I didn’t want to skip a park to go there. We also had 5 full days and did 2 MK, 1 AK, 1 Epcot and 1 HS. We went back to the resort a little early on the HS day and 1 MK day to swim.
We’re going back in Feb. and will have 7 full park days and I’m still not planning on Disney Springs. I’m doing 3 MK days and 2 AK days and then one Epcot and HS.
If you really want to pick between the two I would do Epcot but it would be hard for me to skip Tower of Terror. For me personally, that’s a classic must do ride.
 
EPCOT if you only pick 1, or do a half day at DHS and DS instead of a full day at DS. I have 2yo and 6yo daughters. While they like the shows and Disney Jr., Epcot just has so much more. On all of our trips with at least 1 kid, we've really only spent 1/2 days if any at DHS. We will go to EP multiple days, though.

The movies and shows at EP, especially World Showcase, are fun for all ages. There's a lot more interactive stuff, more characters, and more rides without a height requirement. When we were last at DHS in August, our 2yo spent a lot of time in the stroller because we took our ODD on height restricted rides with rider swap - and for a relatively small park, there's a lot of walking to get places. E.g. our FP were for Tower of Terror, Star Tours, and TSMM. YDD could only go on TSMM and at almost 2, didn't really do anything on the ride.

My kids could easily spend multiple days in EP: rider switch w Soarin, Living with the Land and then a meal at the QS or Garden Grill is a couple of hours, alone. The Seas has Nemo, TUrtle Talk with Crush, and lots of space to see exhibits and lose your kids... Which reminds me, hopefully you won't need it, but EP is a much better park for bad weather, because there's lots to do and see in each pavilion.
 
When DS was younger, we did usually skip HS. We could spend a whole day there now! - But I think I'd go for Epcot in your position.

(And going a little against the grain here, I do actually think it's important to protect your "down day".)
 
We loved EPCOT with kids ages 3-8. Don't miss the kidcot experiences (coloring Duffy and speaking to people from all different countries). Our kids love spaceship earth, Nemo and friends, and even Living with the Land. I'm not sure what's left in the Innoventions- they liked the interactive stuff in those as well.
 
I'd take Epcot unless you need the Star Wars stuff. HS was half day for us and we still found ourselves with time to kill and nothing to do!
 
Hi!
I will traveling to Disney in January with my 6 and 3.5 year old daughters. We are doing 6 nights/5 days. 2 MK, 1 AK, 1 Pool Day/ Disney Springs, and that leaves 1 day for either Epcot or Hollywood Studios. Which would you choose?
Epcot. Hollywood Studios currently has little to offer kids that age. Keep your pool day a pool day.
 
I would do one day at Epcot and one at HS. No way would I skip a park for the pool, especially in January when it can be quite cool. Disney Springs is shopping. I usually spend a couple of hours there on a couple of weeks trip. I wouldn't be interested in staying longer than that. I certainly don't think small children would be. There is a lot to offer at each park. You don't know what is there until you experience it yourself. What appeals to one person may not appeal to another. We are all different, regardless of age.
 
I would skip HS over Epcot. As others have said, try to do both if you can. We will be there in January as well and are planning to do spend 4-5 hours at HS and the rest of that day will be hanging out at the resort.
 
Personally I would do them both. If HS doesn't take you all day, you could swing to Disney Springs in the late afternoon or go swimming in the afternoon. If I HAD to choose, I would choose Epcot, but that is just my personal preference on what I like to do. My kids have equally enjoyed both at those ages. I live in Houston, so there aren't that many stores at Disney Springs that I don't have at home. Plus, I really don't like to go shopping with my kids. Also, swimming in the hotel pool isn't a whole day activity for us.
 

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