Originally Posted by Turbo_Bimmer

FWIW, when we went some years ago, it was on dec 30 - jan 1, and yes it was crowded, but, we were there at the opening, and had no problem having tickets. The clerk told us that they close the gates when they reach the maximum allowed on the site, and it can be as early as 10am - noon.

People that live in the Disney hotels can go on rides 30 minutes before the public.
One tip I can tell you, learn how the "Fast Pass" work, and when you enter the site, go directly to the FP distributor for the ride you want, and get the FP for this ride. If you do that many times during the day, you will save hours of waiting in line for popular rides.

We were there on the new year eve, and there was a big parade at night and it was real nice.