Sleep in or RD - feedback please!

[SunnyKYLake]

We like to sleep in and do late nights it is more relaxing and magical at night. But sometimes we go early morning and then go take a nap and come back to do late night. Considering the extreme crowds at the time you are visiting I would use my other days to sleep in (unless you have really early FPs - but you may be able to change them?) and do the early/nap/late for the MK. I'm sure someone can correct me, but does the parks typically stay closed the rest of the day once they've closed to capacity?

Would AK have a chance of closing before, say, 10:00/11:00 on 12/25? If that's pretty safe, then I would definitely sleep in that day (but maybe your Christmas plans would conflict with that?)

So this is how I would plan it (but be ready to change on the fly - as you said)
12/24 RD - late Breakfast - stay until ready to rest - come back before 9:15, stay until closed
12/26 RD - 11:15 lunch - leave right after lunch - come back later

So, I guess that's your 2nd scenario except adding a break and coming back.

 

[lovndisney12]

We like to sleep in and do late nights it is more relaxing and magical at night. But sometimes we go early morning and then go take a nap and come back to do late night. Considering the extreme crowds at the time you are visiting I would use my other days to sleep in (unless you have really early FPs - but you may be able to change them?) and do the early/nap/late for the MK. I'm sure someone can correct me, but does the parks typically stay closed the rest of the day once they've closed to capacity?

Would AK have a chance of closing before, say, 10:00/11:00 on 12/25? If that's pretty safe, then I would definitely sleep in that day (but maybe your Christmas plans would conflict with that?)

So this is how I would plan it (but be ready to change on the fly - as you said)
12/24 RD - late Breakfast - stay until ready to rest - come back before 9:15, stay until closed
12/26 RD - 11:15 lunch - leave right after lunch - come back later

So, I guess that's your 2nd scenario except adding a break and coming back.

Thanks and understand what you are saying. We actually plan to RD MK on 12/24 and 12/27 so we'll be able to take advantage of early mornings at MK. It is our favorite park so that is why we are trying to hit it 3 times. We enjoy the parks more if we don't spend the entire day there - it just makes for a very very long day. Issue is getting in fireworks, etc. So usually we do end up with one long MK day. But my hope was to do two RD days where we didn't stay through fireworks and then have a sleep in day and hit the park late afternoon to enjoy the evening festivities. Our Epcot day is usually the exception but we have TS meal and candlelight processional to help provide a break. Just nervous about hitting the park at such a busy time in the afternoon.

 

[famy27]

While I agree this works really well in summer, OP is going over Christmas. The parks aren't open that late, so crowds don't die down quite as much, and it can be down right freezing the later it gets. It's still not a bad option, but that 7 am opening at MK is golden!

Very true about the weather as a wildcard in winter. We've had evenings in the 30s and in the high 60s. But the park hours from the 21st to the 27th are among the longest of the year. The weather being cold late at night would probably even keep the crowds down more

Totally a personal thing, but I probably would prefer the freezing cold to the really hot, because 1) I am from Chicago so the cold doesn't bother me as much; 2) I am super-pale and burn, so being out of the FL sun is a bit of torture, even pretty early in the morning.

I've never managed to drag myself out of bed for a 7:00 am EMH. We did get to DL before 8 once to see A&E, but that was about the earliest I could handle. Maybe I'll have to get up really early just once, so I can compare the 7:00 am to 8:00 am hour with 2:00 am to 3:00 am.