At what age do children start to understand/have fun at the theme parks in Orlando? Any experiences would be appreciated.

IMO, 6 and up. We took our 4 year old to WDW and after she saw Mickey she looked at us and said, "I want to go back to the hotel pool now." So much for spending $50 for tickets. Too many parents drag their kids through the park when they are young and the kids are tired and crying and the parents are yelling at them. Some people go back to their hotels for nap time when their kids are small. My kids were so wired that it was hard for them to take a nap. Take them when they are older, they will enjoy it more and it will save your sanity.

The un-official rule is : if this is a big event requiring that you spend $$ to fly in, and have to do naps and strollers - don't go. Wait.

I have a different opinion, we took our 2 1/2 yr old to WDW for 5 days in June, and we had a fantastic time. He has been going to Disneyland since he was 10 months old. Some young children are afraid of the big characters, my son wasn't. He really likes all the rides (Peter Pan, Pirates Carribean, Jungle Cruise, TeaCups etc), and the shows and he loves the parades. We had breakfast in Cinderella's castle and the princesses come to your table to talk to you and have pictures taken. Our son loved Cinderella.

I will say, it was hot 90+ & humid while we were there. We were in the parks by 9am and out by 1pm. We rested and went swimming before getting ready for dinner about 5:30. My son didn't nap until we were walking to dinner. And the 2 nights he didn't fall asleep before dinner, made for short dinners, he did get too crabby. We also went to MK in the evening after dinner for a few more rides and to see the fireworks. We didn't have any "dragging" and "screaming" kid problems.

If you think it will be a once in a lifetime trip, then I would wait until 6 or 7 when they can go on all the rides. But, if you want to go now, and plan to later, then go for it. Do not go when it will be hot, go at a slower pace and enjoy. We really had a wonderful time. I'm actually going back in January after Christmas for 3 days, before he turns 3.

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Happy planning!

I don't understand taking children that young to the park.

At least 8 would be my benchmark.

Pay no attention to Emily she is one of those fanatics that is trying to relive her childhood by dragging her kid to WDW. A kid under 6 is too young to enjoy WDW, cannot walk around the park, get tired easily and have frequent melt downs. The parents that tell you that didn't happen to them are blocking out the unplesantness just like they blocked out the pain of childbirth.....

A ten month old at Disney is ridiculous.

When we took our son he had just turned five, wish we had waited a couple of years. He enjoyed it but barely remembers it.

We took our daughter to WDW at age 7 and had a super time. Hit the parks first thing in the morning, chilled in the hotel room in the afternoon, and returned to the parks for the evening.

The advantage to taking kids six and older are their stamina, enthusiasm, and memory. Our kid wasn't ready for the big thrill rides so I did the flying Dumbos while my husband tackled the more adventurous stuff.

Kids differ and I'm sure lots of the littliest ones do fine at WDW but I agree with the earlier poster's advice to wait till the kids are older if it's a big blowout family vacation.