Hollywood Studios vs Epcot

Powderprincess · Mar 22, 2019

We will going to the parks 2 and a half days. The first day is Sunday from 4:30 to close at Magic Kingdom and the last day is from rope drop until the kids are done at Magic Kingdom. The middle day I'm having a hard time with. My four year old LOVES Elsa and Anna so I think Epcot would be great because of the Frozen ride and Elsa and Anna meet and greet (I also really like test track and Soarin

. BUT both my seven and four year old have seen so many commercials of Toy Story Land and want to experience that.

The rides that I think the kids would be most interested in at each park are
Epcot:
Frozen Ever After
Test Track
Soarin
Spaceship Earth
Figment
Meet Elsa and Anna

Hollywood Studios:
Slinky Dog
Toy Story Mania
Live Frozen Show

Would it be possible to rope drop Hollywood Studios and then head to Epcot to use fast passes later in day or should I just drop Hollywood Studios altogether?

NYCgrrl · Mar 22, 2019

The bane of children watching TV, LOL
If you are traveling with another adult why not split up your party on your middle day since it sounds like you have twin 4 year olders plus a 7 y/o?

la79al · Mar 22, 2019

I would skip Epcot (it's a lot of walking and not really a terrible amount of kid exciting rides. HS on the other hand has rides that will apparently appeal to both of your kids.

Tiggerlover91 · Mar 22, 2019

Despite what others may think, I know LOTS of kids of who LOVE EPCOT and have read here the same. Could you get park hoppers and do both parks that day and that way everyone is happy? EPCOT has the Perry Missions in the World Showcases! I had a post on it a couple months ago and several on there told me their kids LOVED that and some did some lands twice. Personally, I think there's more walking involved at AK. It's hard to "group" rides together there to make FP access easier. Still, I enjoy the park and make the most of it.

tinkerjo · Mar 22, 2019

Why don’t you dedicate your 1/2 day to Epcot or HS and spend a full day at whichever park the next day and finish with your whole last day at MK? That way you get in all 3 parks without having to get hoppers.

crazylady · Mar 22, 2019

FWIW, my 4 year old loved TOT and both kids rode and enjoyed RNR as soon they were tall enough. And don't forget about the stunt show and Beauty and the Beast shows. We also have always enjoyed the meet and greets at HS. My kids prefer to be doing something and don't find enough to do in the WS to find it anything but "boring" and alot of walking. So I would choose HS for us. I would not get the hopper for only a 1/2 day.

lcc2 · Mar 22, 2019

la79al said:
I would skip Epcot (it's a lot of walking and not really a terrible amount of kid exciting rides. HS on the other hand has rides that will apparently appeal to both of your kids.

I agree with this. My kids enjoyed HS more overall. To be fair, they did enjoy most of the Future World rides at EP but WS was a bust. I got a little confused from some of the other posts but I think OP has 2 kids and the parks in question are EP and HS.

tinkerjo said:
Why don’t you dedicate your 1/2 day to Epcot or HS and spend a full day at whichever park the next day and finish with your whole last day at MK? That way you get in all 3 parks without having to get hoppers.

Most likely they want to start and finish with MK.

crazylady said:
FWIW, my 4 year old loved TOT and both kids rode and enjoyed RNR as soon they were tall enough. And don't forget about the stunt show and Beauty and the Beast shows. We also have always enjoyed the meet and greets at HS. My kids prefer to be doing something and don't find enough to do in the WS to find it anything but "boring" and alot of walking. So I would choose HS for us. I would not get the hopper for only a 1/2 day.

Exactly this!! My kids were the same and also loved the Frozen Sing along. We had to do that twice!

Brett Wyman · Mar 22, 2019

Just remember you can't really experience TSL right now without a couple FPs or a lot of patience. Everything at Epcot, even Frozen comparably to TSL, is much easier to manage wait wise.

lcc2 · Mar 22, 2019

Powderprincess said:
Would it be possible to rope drop Hollywood Studios and then head to Epcot to use fast passes later in day or should I just drop Hollywood Studios altogether?

I think it’s possible to rope drop HS and then go to EP later. I’d probably reverse the order by going to EP first and then fast pass at HS. It is a shorter trip so nothing wrong with hopping. The cost could be worth it for you.

amberpi · Mar 22, 2019

The kids favorite is Epcot, so another vote in that direction. They have 0 interest in Toy Story we just skipped HS altogether our last trip and we were there for 5 park days and had hoppers. The kids LOVE being "pushed around the world" as they say, or maybe they just love all the snacks they get?

Powderprincess · Mar 22, 2019

I’ve thought about doing Hollywood studios the first night, Epcot day 2 and magic kingdom on day 3 but I like the idea of seeing the castle, fireworks and having quick wait times with fast passes the first night since it’s the kids first time to Disney

tinkerjo · Mar 22, 2019

Powderprincess said:
I’ve thought about doing Hollywood studios the first night, Epcot day 2 and magic kingdom on day 3 but I like the idea of seeing the castle, fireworks and having quick wait times with fast passes the first night since it’s the kids first time to Disney

Their 1st time to Disney I would start and end with MK. Personally I would think there would be more at HS for the kids (mine do not like Epcot) but they will love it no matter what

GamGam · Mar 22, 2019

I would also plug for the Disney Jr. Dance Party at HS. It's along the route to Toy Story Land and a chance for the four year old to burn off some energy. In Jan. our 5 yr old and twin 2 yr olds loved the show. We took the boat back to Epcot/WS ( long enough for to rest a while). Then had time to ride Figment and Spaceship Earth which was lighted and delightful.

Disneyfan754321 · Mar 23, 2019

They put anna and elsa in epcot.. wow I didnt know that. My kids hated epcot they liked the test track and liked the coke fountain but really wanted to leave. They complained it was like being at school lol. They loved HS disney junior star wars toy story so much fun. The park didnt have as many people as mk they liked that.

HeiHei2018 · Mar 23, 2019

DD5 was a Frozen fan, so we opted for Epcot over HS. The Frozen ride and meet and greet were worth it. We were there RD to 6ish. Spent an hour at the Seas pavilion, rode Nemo and Figment twice. No TT, Mission Space, or Soarin (motion sickness). Walked around WS, but won't bother with that on future trips.

If you do opt for HS, I think it would be better to get FP there and RD Frozen. (Based entirely on other people's posts, no personal experiences.) Or consider something else you could spend that hopper $$$$ on (character meal or fireworks viewing?)

I am also debating hoppers for our next trip, but am currently thinking we will take a midday break on our middle day instead of hopping.

Nevada Jen · Mar 25, 2019

First trip with kids that age. Don't get hoppers. Spend that money on the after fireworks dessert party at MK (hopefully it works with your days). I would be tempted to split the kids on the Epcot/HS day. I really did not like HS this trip. So insanely crowded. TS Land might be cool but you certainly couldn't tell because there are so many more people walking around in that park than anywhere else. If you can't get fastpasses on SDD, I would say the decision is made for you. You will spend your whole day waiting in line at HS. I would also add in case you care one way or the other HS is very star wars heavy right now. At least it felt that way to me when we were not in TS Land.

PollyannaMom · Mar 25, 2019

Powderprincess said:
We will going to the parks 2 and a half days. The first day is Sunday from 4:30 to close at Magic Kingdom and the last day is from rope drop until the kids are done at Magic Kingdom. The middle day I'm having a hard time with. My four year old LOVES Elsa and Anna so I think Epcot would be great because of the Frozen ride and Elsa and Anna meet and greet (I also really like test track and Soarin . BUT both my seven and four year old have seen so many commercials of Toy Story Land and want to experience that.

If hoppers are in the budget, I'd say both (but make your FPs for HS, then try to get more at Epcot after you use the first three.)

If hopping is not part of the plan (because of money or stamina) I'd consider whether it's your only trip, or the first of many?

If it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing (or they'll be much older next time) I would do HS, since they're looking forward to it and are likely be disappointed if they don't see it. (As much as they would probably like Epcot too, it sounds like they won't know what they're missing there, plus they do have a Frozen Show at HS as well.)

If it's just "a" trip, and you'll be back soon, I'd do Epcot this time and HS next time, after the TSL crowds have died down a little (read: moved on to Star Wars) and the FPs become easier to get. Some people think Epcot isn't for little ones, but mine loved it! (The closest he went to your kids ages were at 5 and again at 10.)

P.S. - If you choose Epcot, don't forget Turtle Talk with Crush - it's adorable!!!

And if it's HS and they're Star Wars fan, look into the Jedi academy. - IIRC, you have to sign up in person when you get to the park, and they give you a time to come back.

stephnerninnie1984 · Mar 25, 2019

My kids LOVE Epcot. (4 yr old girl and 7 year old boy) plus right now with it being the Flower and Garden Festival, the topiaries are SO MUCH fun. Some of our favorite rides are Frozen, Meeting Anna and Elsa, the Theee Caballeros (in Mexico), Nemo ride/aquarium/Turtle Talk with Crush (we can be here for 1.5 hours). We also enjoy Soarin’, Test Track, and Spaceship Earth however, if you FP Frozen then you will have to do standby for Soarin and TT and they can get pretty long.

We also really enjoy doing the “scavenger hunt” maps around the world show case. Right now, for Flower and Garden, they have one where you search for a bee and figure out which flower he is at in each country. Once you find all the answers, you turn it in for a prize. Around Easter they have an egg one, and they do a Ratitoulle themed one in the fall for Food and Wine Festival.

HS is probably our least favorite park right now. So much construction everywhere. Huge crowds in TSL. Not too much the 4 year old can do or is even interested in. She does enjoy the Frozen song-a-long and Beauty and the Beast shows but isn’t really into much else there.

Hollywood Studios vs Epcot

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