Hi Steph,
Thank you for stopping over to my TR.
First, Christmas at Disney is more than you can ever imagine. It really doesn't matter it's crowd or not. You will be totally consume by the festive atmosphere, you won't even care if the parks are crowd or weather is too cold or too hot.
Here are my tips for going to Disney at Christmas. Plan the best you can but don't expect everything goes according to plan. Take your time and enjoy everything around you. It's okay to deviate from the plan once in a while and keep your mind open. Some time when you take a turn from your plan, you might get some unexpected magic.
If you try to cramp every single detail from your plan and expect everything goes smooth, it's not going to happen. Trust me. Follow your plan but go with the flow at the same time. You will enjoy a lot more so pace yourself.
I have ate at a lot of restaurants in Disney between our last 3 trips. I can tell you I have not come across one bad restaurant except one but it was bad enough that the food is uinedible. That's is Trail's End. You can read more about it in my "Disaster" TR. That link is in on my signature. I love the 50 PTC. Their chicken pot pie is awesome and the servers there were awesome. I love how they interact with the customer like they are part of the family. Some people don't like it but I thought it was hilarious. Tony's Townsquare is okay compare to the other restaurant. Tusker House breakfast is absolute fantastic. It one of my favorite for breakfast. There are only 2 breakfast that can top over Tasker House. That is O'hana character breakfast and Kona cafe. Both are inside Polynesian Resort. O'hana dinner is another must for me. If you time it right, you can watch "Wishes" firework from the dinning room. Jiko from Animal Kingdom resort is another great restaurant and so is Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge. So don't get so hang up on not getting into Le Cellier. Another hidden gem is Yak & Yeti in Animal Kingdom Park. So there are so many great choices you still can choose from. If you keep follow my TR, you will read a lot of my restaurant experience.
While I never stay at Port Orlean French Quarter but I did stop over to check them out. It looks like a fun place to stay. For only $100 upgrade, you got it made.
Other Christmas activities you might want to consider at Disney other than
MVMCP are Fantasmic, Candlelight Processional and Osborne Xmas light show. They are just fun fun fun and more fun.
Resort hopping is another great way to experience Christmas at Disney. Every resort has their way to decorate Xmas differently.
As for travel arrangement, after my "Disaster" trip, I avoid flying at the worse way. Driving isn't really that bad, although gas price is making it harder. In addition, like you...we drove from PA and because we have family at North Carolina, we can stay over night there before we continue to FL. I am guessing you are in the Philly area so you are 2 hours less drive than we are. One other benefit from driving to the world, you don't have to worry about how you bring back all the souvenir you that have to have on a plane.
Believe me, you won't realize how much you have accumulate as the trip goes. Lastly and you might have read it from the Disboards, if you purchase any souvenir in the park or other resort, there is no need to carry your purchase around all day. You can ask the cashier to sent your purchase to souvenir shop at the resort you're staying at. It usually takes only 1 day to get there and there is no charge for the service. Save you a lot of muscle to carry your purchase around the park. You just won't able to do that on your last day at the park. The deliver just won't make it before you depart.
Hope I gave you enough tips to digest and sorry for the novel. Now back to writing my TR.
And as for R&C I think I want fish and chips. yuuuummm.scared1: Betrayal!)
) Christmas + Disney... two of my all time favourite things!
And I am already excited to write my TR! 
And dont you love being let to plan as you please? Ahh, its just so nice! 
