We are going to be at Disney on December 28-January 1. We have been multiple times but never at Christmas. Would I like to go another week, absolutely. However, working young adult children and college schedules do not allow another choice. So, the planner in me is starting to fret. Staying at Reunion Resort. Seven adults don't exactly fit in Disney resorts on a budget. Planning on rope drop and fast passes. Thinking of four day tickets, staying until the park closes. Will we be able to do anything in the parks?
First off: breathe. It's gonna be okay.
We go every year, but we stay on-site, so our mindset may be a bit different than yours.
So, yes, you're gonna have to arrive early. At rope drop, to be safe. On Christmas Day and NYE it's gonna hit at least a Phase 2, maybe a Phase 3 closure at MK; it may also hit around December 26th or 27th.
Interestingly enough, the park gets crowded shortly after opening, but it doesn't get overwhelmingly crowded until 10-11am. From Rope drop to 10 or 11am is a golden opportunity to ride everything at a much lower wait time than you'll see at, say, 12pm or later.
We, like you, are an older family. I'm 27 and my sister is 32. That's gonna come in handy as you don't have to worry about young kids needing a nap or getting cranky and drained as the day goes on. Although... I'd be lying if I said we didn't take a nap each day.
Have you booked FP+ yet? If not, that should be the first thing you do. You're rapidly approaching your FP+ window, so get ready. Take a look at what you wanna do and when you wanna do it. A park hopper is gonna be your friend for this trip. Being able to leave MK and hop over to EPCOT is gonna be key.
You're gonna wanna be realistic and open to new things. You may not get in 7DMT this trip. If you can't get a FP+ you're gonna have to ask yourself "do I wanna wait 2.5 hours to go on, or can I use those 2.5 hours to go on Haunted Mansion, Pirates and one other lower-level ride?
The nice thing about NYE is that while it's INSANELY crowded, a lot of people go early and grab a spot for the fireworks. The lines for the rides will be long, but not as terrible as you think. It'll just be crazy crowded. I'd recommend doing MK on 12/30, then EPCOT on NYE. You'll get the best of both worlds (no pun intended), MK will be slightly less crowded on NYE and you're not gonna wanna miss EPCOT on NYE. EPCOT is a bit more wide open and spacious, which makes walking around easier. Also, not sure if you or your kids are drinkers but it's a lot of fun to grab a beer or drink and enjoy the entertainment. It's definitely geared toward older families. Plus, most fireworks are visible from anywhere around the World Showcase, even if you're 15 people deep.
If you don't have ADRs, I'd recommend the following spots:
MK:
Columbia Harbour House - closest thing to TS offerings you'll find
Peco's Bill's - insanely popular
EPCOT:
Pretty much anywhere in the world showcase. Most QS are very good
Sunshine Season's is a very good QS with TS-like offerings
Don't be afraid to look around the Orlando area or check out restaurants at Swan and Dolphin. Some would argue S&D restaurants are actually better than most Disney ones.
At the end of the day, you're in Disney. You know the saying a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work? A "bad" day at Disney is better than a good day at work or at home. Last year it was crazy hot; our first year it was crazy cold. 2013 and 2014 were just right. We're from NY, so we enjoyed the fact that this was our last dose of warm weather before the dead of winter. We also enjoy the fact that we're in the most magical place on earth on the most magical day—while our family members are at home cleaning pots and pans and cooking... my mom always says it's nice knowing that she doesn't have to worry about us getting an Uber home on NYE. It's little things like that which make long lines and crowds seem so miniscule.
I have written a free ebook about Christmas week at Disney. You can find and download it at survivedisxmas.com.
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