Which park beside MK should we take 7 y.o. son to?

[Nelleigh]

Hi there -

We're going to be able to go to two Disney parks while in Florida in May and have a 7 year old son who's really into learning things. We know that we want to do the MK for one day - but should we do Epcot the other day or MGM? Which is more age appropriate for a 7 y.o. boy?

Thanks in advance!

Nell

 

[barbeml]

What about Animal Kingdom?

There are some good shows and Rafiki's Planet Watch which are entertaining and educational. A couple of good rides, like Dinosaur.

We love walking the trail and seeing the magnificent gorillas.

Is he more into science and technology than nature?

My personal favorite is Epcot (DH and I have no kids), but not all young kids go for it. Mission Space and Test Track are fantastic attractions in Future World. All the countries in World Showcase are fascinating, and there is great dining there, too.

Barbe

And welcome to the DIS!

 

[Nelleigh]

Barbe -

Thanks for your reply.

He's into science related stuff, as well as legos (he loves to be creative and build things), art, cars and vehicles, but not so much animals or sports related things. I think if we're going to do animals we'll do it at Busch Gardens while visiting DH's dad in Tampa that week. I thought about AK, but I've been to Epcot and miss seeing Figment and think that for the science stuff it would interest DS. However, I've heard that MGM is cool too.

We're also going to do one day at Universal and one at Islands of Adventure so wondering if MGM is a lot like Universal Studios?

Nell

 

[2x_dis_dad]

How many days will you be there. My favorite park is Epcot. I would go to all of them. There is something to see and learn at all the different parks.

 

[ptrbryant]

My DS, just turned 8, sounds a lot like your's...loves Legos (can we say Bionicle?lol!) and science. By far, his favorite park, even surpassing MK (except for Philharmagic) is MGM. The Indiana Jones Stunt show is a big favorite as is the Star Tours ride...I think he's gone on that 25 times...loves the theming before you enter the ride of the droid factory, etc. Fantasmic! is a must. We were surprised by how much he enjoyed it...on our last trip, we discovered the Sci-Fi Dine-In--another big hit. We'd recommend it for lunch over dinner, though.
Karla B.

 

[barbeml]

There really are so many things for every taste at all of the parks. MGM is loads of fun--I just never thought of it as a "learning" place and that seemed to be the gist of your question.

I'm glad I have never had to choose just two, but mine would be Epcot and MK.

Whatever you decide, have a magical time!

Barbe

 

[Nelleigh]

We're going to be in Florida for about 6 1/2 days - 2 of which will be at Universal, probably 2 with DH's dad in Tampa, and that's where the other full 2 days at WDW comes in.

I figured that Epcot would be more educational than MGM, but that's not my only concern since DS loves to have fun and be silly.

I guess the only reason I want to go back to Epcot is to see Figment again, but as I understand it, it's not like it was 23 years ago when I was there last.

That means a lot knowing that anothe kid out there similar to my own really likes MGM. He likes Star Wars and the likes so maybe that is the better way to go. Oh what's a girl to do?!

Nell

 

[motaei]

If he is into learning things, then I would recommend Epcot. They have all the countries where the CMs actually speak the language, not to mention all the fun foods to try. And they also have some great "hands-on" stuff that I had to pull my kids from.

 

[DisneyMin]

I also recommend MGM. If you're going to Busch Gardens,,i'd totally skip AK. I have a 7yo,,we just went to MK,MGM,AKand Epcot. I'd pick MGM over epcot. If he's into star wars,,he'll love the star wars ride. They have a neat animation thing,,where you can go to a "class" and sit at a desk and the person up front teaches everyone how to draw a particular cartoon character. We got to do Winnie the Pooh,and it was alot of fun. Its free,and they have them every 20 minutes or so,,a different cartoon character each time. My son also really liked the Indiana Jones thing,,but if your child is bothered by loud noises/fire,i'd sit closer to the back than the front. The Muppets 3d thing is alot of fun,,and the Movie ride is fun,too. The park isn't huge,,so you won't walk your legs off. We went to Epcot in December,and he enjoyed it,,but i think he liked MGM more. They also havea playhouse disney show,they have stanley i think,,if he likes stanley.

 

[buzz'smom2]

Just to add to the confusion, another vote for EPCOT. My boys are 7 1/2 and 9. They love EPCOT. (They also like MGM, but it is TOT and RNR that they really like there. They also enjoy the stunt show and Fantasmic. B and B show did nothing for them. After one ride, they thought SW was a bit lame. They looked at me like I was nuts when I suggested Little Mermaid. For them, there a few wow rides, and the rest is fun--but not terribly stimulating.)

They love legos, bioncles, erector sets, playing sports and reading. (Yes, they like to read.) Here is why I would suggest EPCOT:

1. Test track and MS are cooler than Star Wars IMHO.
2. HISTA is better than Muppetvision IMHO.
3. My boys love to do the masks, and on our last trip, they really enjoyed doing the passports.
4. The boys love watching the various shows in the countries.
5. While the boys do their art activities in the countries, mom and dad drink. (I realize that might sound pathetic, but we love getting several glasses of wine around the world.)
6. The other EPCOT rides, with the big exception of the Spaceship Earth, are pretty cool to boys.
7. My boys enjoyed the show about America. I think it made them feel very grown up because they had learned about a lot of things discussed in school.
8. There are several places for the kids to just play--boat outside of Norway, maze in UK, fountains, etc.
9. For our family, EPCOT offers a change of pace with lots of opportunity to talk, wander and generally be silly. We spend a lot of time relaxing, learning, and laughing in EPCOT.

Here's the good news: You will have a great time no matter where you go.

 

[RamseyTrio]

I completely agree with everything that buzz'smom2 said...

EPCOT would be my choice over MGM.

Our DS was almost 6 last year when we went and he loved EPCOT. Future World has all the cool "science-y" things for him to do and World Showcase offers so many great learning experiences. Their KIDcot stations are fun for kids to do. There's a lot of variety and great food!

MGM is a fun park but it's more like Magic Kingdom - rides and shows. EPCOT is something different.

You sure will enjoy whatever park you choose!

 

[capnho]

I'd go for Epcot as well. My son was 6 in December when we went to Epcot and he loved it. He was almost as much into the various exhibits as he was into the rides. Of course, he loved MGM when we went the previous year, as well (we're currently plotting a trip for Star Wars Weekend in 2005).

You can't really go wrong either way, but I'd give Epcot a slight edge.