We are doing the twilight check-in too - I must admit I didn't fancy rushing the next morning with the kids or sleeping in! We got a fairly decent deal with Gatwick Hilton which included a family room, free meal the evening before and then 2 weeks parking.
We used the VRoom last year and I really did like it - lots of things to keep the kids entertained and good choice of food and drinks too. It was a freebie last year - unfortunately have had to pay for this October and next September but managed to get it reduced to £40 for the 4 of us so that helped too!
I'm going to have to look into this ticker lark - jealous of watching all your countdowns and not having one of my own!!