SusanM - you and your family will have a great time. We'll be there this summer also and are planning on spending more time than ever before at Epcot. My daughters are about the same age as your sons. Are you taking advantage of the new Disney Dining Plan. If you are going in late August its free, if you are going before that its still very reasonable. Disboards.com has lots of info on it.

Bennnie,

We're renting a house rather than staying onsite, so no dining plan. We'll be there mid-August (13-21). I'm dreading the heat, but I've read up on all the coping tips and techniques, and the house has a pool, so we'll hope for the best!

"I don't believe I said anything to indicate that my boys weren't excited "

Um, in the OP you said, "'I'm having a hard time describing it to them in a way that generates any excitement."

Maybe part of their skepticism stems from their experience at the event last year in Milwaukee. I hope you all have a great time, as most EPCOT visitors do.

They will love 1. Mission Space, 2. Test Track, and 3. Soarin. Use a touring plan so you can hit those three without waiting in line all day. They'll also enjoy Crush at the Living Seas. The Ellen Degeneres energy show is good and LONG...47 minutes in the AC.

Use the World Showcase for fun snacks...crepes, French pastries, chawarmas, fish and chips, etc. etc. The live entertainment can be fun for kids, too - don't miss the Chinese acrobats (they are kids).

Renting a house sounds like a great idea. It will be nice to have a pool all to yourselves and to be able to not rely on crowded restaurants to feed the kids. And Missypie is so right about the Energy attraction - long and very comfortable AC. Saved my life one very hot June day.

Yes, Epcot may be "fake travel" But this does not mean that it is bad. They can learn all to appreciate why we travel to different cultures and what makes them so special.

They can get passports and have them stamped to each place that they travel. This generates excitement and interest and perhaps furthers their interest in cultural diversity and travel???

To me it is a better way to teach your kids about travel and culture than a text book and a class room.

Sure, maybe the family will take them or already takes them many other trips to places, but I think that Epcot is very educational. Both from a cultural/travel aspect and a science and technology aspect.

In 3rd grade I had a teacher named Mr. Import. I don't remember much from that age but I do remember that he had us do a passport project. We learned about a country and we made stamps from potatoes and we stamped our passports. So much fun! This is even better. The 360 degree films of each country and the taste of their foods, the music and architecture, all in one place.

Susan, you can also buy or go to the library and get Fodors book on WDW as well as Birnbaum's books. They are great resources of info. Fodors is great, but Birnbaums has great color pictures. I like using them together. I have found them to be indespensable.

Have fun!

I recommend highly the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World.