Exploring Epcot with a Toddler

I know several of you who have been to Disney World with littles tend to avoid Epcot.  Traditionally, it is a more adult centered park; however, we wanted the full Disney World, four park experience, so we ventured ahead.  Also, the Food and Wine Festival was going on.  If you ever have a chance to go to Epcot during a festival, I’d highly recommend it! 

I fully expected to spend most of the day walking through the park and trying to “make fun” for Poppy.  Surprisingly, Epcot had a lot more to do with a toddler than I’d expected, having several rides with no height requirement. 

Here are our favorite toddler friendly Epcot rides, in no particular order:

1. Journey Into Imagination with Figment

This ride is located in World Celebration and, with no height requirement, takes you through the Imagination Institute with Figment, arguably Epcot’s stand out star.  The bright colors, sounds, and wacky theming kept Poppy’s attention throughout the ride.  Each set we encountered brought more fun, and her continuous pointing and giggling made this Mama’s heart happy.  I’m a big fan of Figment, and I’m happy to say that Poppy is as well.

2. Spaceship Earth

Sometimes you get on a ride knowing it won’t be exciting for your toddler, all the while hoping for a break from the heat and perhaps a quick snooze for her.  That’s exactly why I added Spaceship Earth to our agenda, along with the fact that it is the second no-height-requirement ride in World Celebration.  I also happen to be nerdy enough to never get tired of the historical aspect of the ride and to always get excited when they give you a personalized story at the end based on your selections (a future trip to outer space while my dog takes care of herself at home).  With that in mind, I got exactly what I wanted out of this ride, and Poppy got some much needed down-time.  Win-win!

3. Living with the Land

Okay, so those of you who have been on this ride in World Nature know that it isn’t super exciting and is much more educational than what a toddler can comprehend.  I knew it might be a bust; however, with no height requirement, I was willing to give it a try.  That being said, we loved the serene boat ride through the greenhouses.  I loved it, because it’s so educational.  Poppy loved it, because she loves plants and all things nature.  She even tried to get out of the boat a few times so she could touch all. the. things.  There is a behind-the-scenes tour offered for this attraction that I have on my list to try when she’s older.

4. The Seas with Nemo & Friends Attraction

This non-height requirement ride in World Nature offers a trip through various “Finding Nemo” scenes, all of which are very cute.  However, the ride itself wasn’t a big thrill for Poppy.  I enjoyed the technicalities of the ride and how the characters from the movie were digitally added to the forefront of a real aquarium.  Disney Imagineers were very smart when they integrated the two together.  Poppy’s favorite part of the ride was the exiting location (look for SeaBase in the next section).

5. Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros

A ride in the Mexican Pavilion of the World Showcase takes you on a tour through the sites of Mexico while you’re trying to track down Donald Duck.  Another ride that we tried because it had no height requirement and was pretty cute.  Honestly, I didn’t find the ride super exciting; however, Poppy loved seeing Donald Duck up to his usual antics.  Does anyone else’s little one think Donald’s voice is hilarious? 

6. Frozen Ever After

Poppy and I absolutely adore this ride for every reason possible!  It was a nice Viking ship ride through the world of “Frozen.”  No height requirement means everyone can enjoy the sound of strangers (or possibly just mamas, like me, who are a bit extra) singing along to various songs from the “Frozen” soundtrack.  Don’t walk through the Norway portion of the World Showcase without stopping.  You’ll regret it.

7. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

This 3D ride through “Ratatouille” was so much fun that we did it twice!  Each time was a little different, which added a bit of fun and anticipation to the special effects.  While there technically isn’t a height requirement, I’m not sure I’d bring a baby on this ride, due to the twists and turns that could be rather jarring.  While the 3D glasses didn’t fit Poppy (come on Disney, toddlers want to experience things, too), she didn’t seem to mind, and she had an amazing time being twirled through Remy’s culinary experience.  This is one of the newest rides in Epcot and can be found in France in the World Showcase.

Other Toddler Favorites at Epcot:

1. SeaBase

Guys, this aquarium is where you exit when getting off The Seas with Nemo & Friends Attraction and is the real MVP!  You get to see all types of fish, sharks, manatees (a personal favorite of mine), sea turtles, and other sea life.  It was all I could do to stop Poppy from putting her face on every window that we passed.  Honestly, you could spend so much time in here.  While we didn’t try napping at this location, I have heard that this is a great nap area for little ones, since it’s so cool and calming.  If you’ve tried this out, please let us know how it worked for you!

2. Coral Reef Restaurant

If you have a water loving baby, like I do, then this is a must-eat restaurant for you.  One entire wall of the restaurant is an aquarium!  You can see all the fish from SeaBase while you eat.  Don’t worry, we didn’t eat any seafood, so none of the fish were harmed in the making of our meal.  Want to experience this for yourself? Check out this link.

Due to poor weather, we left the park just as the Harmonious show was starting.  This will definitely be on our list the next time we go. 

What else can I do at Epcot with a toddler?

The number one thing I’d wish we’d done is Harmonious.  I’ve seen videos on YouTube and caught a glimpse as we were leaving the park; however, it just left me wanting more.  This show includes music, fireworks, lasers, and is performed on World Showcase Lagoon.

There are also some shows, including Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival, Turtle Talk with Crush, and Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, which are age appropriate.  Although there are a few other shows, they could be extremely boring to a toddler.

There are also several meet and greets you can do while in various parts of the park.  We saw Vanellope and Donald Duck; however, there are several Disney princesses available here.  For more specifics on park meet and greets, check out that blog post here.

Would I Do This Park Again?

Absolutely!  There were so many rides and experiences that Poppy could do that she stayed entertained during our entire time in the park.  I also immensely enjoyed the Food and Wine Festival, especially the offerings from Hawaii.  I seriously wanted to park hop just to get some more pulled pork!

Thoughts About Genie+ and ILL

If you’ve never heard of Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lane, you should head on over and check out this post.

As for the rides mentioned in this post, Frozen Ever After, Journey Into Imagination With Figment, Living with the Land, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, and Spaceship Earth are all Genie+ rides.  Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros only offers a standby line, but I never saw the wait get above 5 minutes. 

If you don’t want to spend the extra money on Genie+, then I’d suggest rope dropping either Frozen Ever After or Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, depending on where you enter the park.

Is there anything toddler friendly that you like to do at Epcot?  Make sure to let us know in the comments.

Want to see how Poppy liked exploring Magic Kingdom? Check this post out!