What Would You Do if you had all little boys? About This Page:

[familyis1st]

Planning a trip for late October, but can't do everything of course..................I'm thinking of skipping Epcot and HS and instead going to Universal and
Seaworld. I have all boys (husband extra!) and they are 9, 7, 5, and 2 (plus an infant). What would you veteran's recommend? Am I doing the wrong thing? Please explain if you answer. All answers are appreciated

[elisa1006]

I wouldn't say there is a wrong answer, it all depends on your family's needs and wants.

However, IMO since its your first trip to Disney, I'd skip Universal and Seaworld and focus on Disney. there are a lot of wonderful things to do at DHS and Epcot. I couldn't imagine skipping them.

[Griffin]

I actually think there is alot to do at Epcot, even for kids. All of Future World is pretty fun, DHS has some fun things as well depending on what everyone in your family likes. The first time we went we had no idea what to expect, I never realized just how big WDW is as a whole, and all the different unique things there are to do there! Good luck with your plans

[DisneyLuv]

We have three boys and all 3 (plus the BIG one !) always have a great time at Epcot and HS. Both parks have great rides (Test Track, Soarin, etc at Epcot and Rockin Roller Coaster, Indiana Jones and Lights Motor Action at HS to name a few). Plus, HS has Power Rangers who my boys absolutely love. As other passporters said above, Disney does have a lot to offer to all ages (and genders!). Check out their website for a list of rides/shows if that's what your crew is looking for.

[Happymommy]

Epcot is the favorite park of my boys (8 and 6)! They love working on their masks and getting passports stamped in every country (heaven forbid we don't make it completely around). They also LOVE Soarin, Test Track, Mission Space! Their 2nd favorite park is HS! Star Tours and Toy Story Mania are must dos for them.

[Colexis Mom]

My kids love Epcot. DHS they could probably miss, except for TSMM and RnRC!

[tylerdylansmom]

my boys are 8 and 9 and they LOVE DHS. My 8 year old is all about Indiana Jones. My 9 year old is all about the Star Tours ride. they both love the light motor action stunt show. They enjoy Epcot also. IMO there is no wrong answer but skipping Epcot and DHS would definitely disappoint my boys

[HollyH]

You don't say how long your trip is. If it were me, I would stick to WDW only for a first trip that was 7 days or less. It really is hard to imagine the scope of WDW if you have not been there before. Plus, you have a large group and it will take you longer to tour the parks. I wouldn't skip any park without having experienced it at least once. You will also save a pile of $$ by sticking to WDW. After the first 4 days, the cost of adding a day or two to your passes is minimal, much less than the admission prices to either Sea World or Universal.

[familyis1st]

ok, you guys have convinced me sounds like my guys would love ALL the above that was mentioned. Can anyone elaborate on the passports at Epcot? We are homeschoolers studying countries around the world so this sounds really cool. I'd love to know more
THANKS everyone!

[familyis1st]

I forgot to mention that we will be there 9 days.

[Happymommy]

When you first walk into world showcase, there's a big store--- straight ahead. Go in and buy passports ($10 a pop). As you enter each country, look for the kidcot station. At the kidcot station they will stamp your passport (and write a little note-- something interesting about their country). Also you can make a mask. So, at first country you get to--- ask to start a mask (this is free). Each country will attach a decoration to the mask, and stamp the handle. If you don't want to pay for passports (can be pricey for 4 children), your masks will be stamped, just like the passports were.

[Suzie-Q]

Another vote for Epcot and HS - my boys were 5 and 11 when we first went and they've always found something new to enjoy at Epcot. We do the masks (free) and on our last trip we found more time for innoventions and found all kinds of cool "hands-on" things to do like making velcro frogs. At one time they had little robots to make - just fun. There are splash pads and lit up sidewalks to explore - dancing waters to look at and this is all before you even make it to the World Showcase!
HS is and always has been a one day park for us, but with the little ones, you may want to check out the HISTK playground. There is also Handy Manny and some other program based shows that are aimed at the younger crowd if yours watches them on TV (mine are a bit too old for them, but I think that's the right name) The backlot tour was interesting and you could all go on it but I've never felt a need to repeat it. Otherwise, many of the really cool things about HS are going to be too old/big for your group - the thrill rides, of course, but also Lights Camera Action and the Indy Show - I'm not sure they would hold the youngests attention long enough for you to enjoy. You'll find lots to do at the other parks and for my money, the Boneyard playground at AK is the best (especially for boys), so you could even consider passing on HS if you are finding lots of other places to be happy (this would allow you to slow your pace down). Given that we can all ride the big rides, we always go for one day but that's enough and it's never a full day.
A fun cheap thing that my guys enjoyed a lot their first trip was the penny pressing - check it out before you go.

[Mileese]

My 8 y/o has loved Epcot since we were first there when he was 4!
BradK has a wonderful site that tells "all" about Kidcot stations and the passport.
i agree w/ the others about either reading a Passporter, or visiting the Disney site to get some background about the rides. The DVD touches on a little bit and can be good as well.
there really is a lot to see and do, and you do have little ones. pick your favorites and then just go at their pace. some of our fondest memories are of letting him run through the fountains

[jimmymac]

I'd give Universal Studios / Islands of Adventure and Seaworld both a day

[SARH7]

My dd (5 on our last trip) absolutely LOVED both sides of Innoventions in Epcot...we had to drag her out! She loved all the different scientific things!! And HS has so many things for boys!!

For a first trip, I think just WDW is a must. It's amazing how much there really is and even 10 days in WDW is not enough (we stayed 10 days last year) We also did a non Disney trip to Orlando last spring and did Seaworld and while it was nice...it to me was nothing more than a glorified zoo. There were only a handful of rides, and while the animal exhibits were really nice...I thought it was NO WHERE near worth the $200 it cost for me, dh and dd to get in...I'm not kidding...it is just as expensive as a Disney Park and not even a 10th of the quality, in my opinion. Someday we will do Universal...but it will be many years from now when both our kids are big enough to ride all the rides.