Going to Disney in Dec and I’m confused (and a bit overwhelmed!)

[01Sweetpea]

It has been a while since I’ve been to Disney, 10+ years, and I’m putting together a last minute trip and could use some help. We (I’m mom, adult son, military son and his military fiancé) will be at Disney on 12/6 - 12/8 staying at SoG. We also have park hoppers thru the military (the kids will pick them up on their base before flying to FL). This is a special trip because the military kids are deploying soon, so I’d like to make the most of the trip without breaking the bank.

I’ve been reading a lot on the boards and understand that once the kids get the tickets (just making sure their leave dates don’t change) I need to make park reservations. My thought is:
12/6 - AK for the morning then hop to Epcot and use extra magic hours
12/7 - Hollywood Studios then hop to MK, not sure the budget allows for MVMCP.

My confusion is with the reservations for Remy. I would have to wait until 2pm when I’m IN Epcot to see IF we can get a reservation?

I’m looking for a somewhat relaxed trip (I know that’s hard to do in Disney) and just enjoy my time with the kids. I don’t think we are going to make ADRs, and just eat where we can (something that gives me anxiety as I usually have most of this planned out.)

Any tips or advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[EmilyGahr]

Park hopping to Epcot starts at 2 (for now, Disney updated the verbiage on their website which indicates that might be changing soon), but the 1 pm boarding groups for Remy have recently been available later in the day. If it's an absolute must do, you can also pay to ride using the new system.