djsamuel

Yes. I did make a reservation there today for October, but I am showing availability further out. EDIT: I just went back in and checked and the latest I am now showing availability is November 10th.

That would be interesting. Maybe the elegant fine dining atmosphere of Whispering Canyon.

I’m showing availability to February 26th

They must have scrapped the breakfast plans and the associated need to upgrade the kitchen. I’ll have to ask some people I know to find out what happened. This was not the original plan.

Change of direction, dinner will now be a character meal. That stinks. https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2018/08/storybook-dining-at-artist-point-debuts-this-winter-at-disneys-wilderness-lodge/

I know. I was thinking the same thing.

Could be any one of the three. If I had to guess I would think it is a temporary closure due to construction and the inability to handle larger amounts of people. I also wonder if the settlement bus depot would be temporarily relocated as well to near the 100/200 and 400 loops to move it away from the construction and near the walkway.

Article http://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/is-hoop-dee-doo-musical-revue-at-fort-wilderness-closing/

Interesting tidbit on Carousel of Progress we heard when we took the Marceline to Main Street tour. In the final scene of Carousel of Progress, on the bulletin board next to where the mother is programming the oven; there is a note that says, "Marty called, wants changes". During his last visit to the Magic Kingdom, Marty Sklar was with others walking through the building discussing the state of the COP. He wrote the note and stuck it on the bulletin board as a reminder that it needs updating. Too bad he didn't live long enough to see it. I didn't have the ski boots, but I did know people

It is only for breakfast. Dinner stays as is. The refurb is required because the kitchen is suitable for the dining pace of dinner, but would be tough to keep up with the demands of a character breakfast. They do not want to mess with a signature dining restaurant for dinner. The reason this is happening is because they identified Artist Point as a space that is underutilized because it is closed except for dinner, and it is one of the few higher end resorts without a character meal.

My wife retired from Disney. We get discounts but they are difficult to get and only available during lower demand times which is getting more rare.

I don't understand their issue. If there is a designated time to return for a ride, then plan other activities during this "virtual wait" time. If they do this, there will be no waiting in the eyes of the child. Sounds like they just want to have a free run. It is more disappointing that the courts did not throw this out.

There wasn't a special menu for Christmas at Monsieur Paul's. In fact we specifically asked a manager there a few days prior to make sure since the existing menu was so good. We had the Prix Fixe menu which at the time included elk. It was amazing. The atmosphere and the service was about the best I've experienced at Disney. The restaurant is very elegant and the Christmas decorations in place really added to the atmosphere. I don't know if there is a different menu at Artist Point for Christmas. I've heard a new chef will be coming to Artist Point, so I'm wondering if the menu will

Last Christmas we ate at Monsieur Paul's in Epcot. It was amazing. Artist Point would be another option.

When you go to Arches be sure to go to Canyonlands NP, which is nearby. Another great park!

True. But the amount of plastic from bottles that end up in a landfill instead of recycling dwarfs the amount of plastic from straws. Not saying a different material for straws isn't warranted, but noticing how the profit factor also drives decisions; i.e. eliminate the cost of straws, versus losing the profit of selling bottled water.

What about the plastic bottles of water? I guess there is too much profit there. I read that plastic straws amount to .03% (yes .03% not 3%) of all plastic food related waste in the US. On top of that, 5 Asian countries dump more plastic in the ocean than all other countries combined. So I wonder what the impact of a straw ban will be.

I'm so old that when I grew up all we had were paper straws! I also had to walk 6 miles in the snow to school uphill both ways!

Got ours this afternoon.

We were able to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from Epcot after Illuminations finished. Had a surprisingly good view of them from Japan.

Voices of Liberty yesterday at Epcot:

Last night at Epcot, after nature's fireworks were finished. Illuminations was delayed until 9:45.

You'll have no problem. We always tow ours down Western Way to BVD and have no issue.

It seemed like there were fewer kids too. Maybe they were all in the parks or inside enjoying air conditioning. There were certainly a lot of transition on Saturday and Sunday.

The numbers may be down a bit but I don't see a noticeable difference. On Saturday, we had 11:30 reservations for Via Napoli. We were walking through the World Showcase and it was empty shortly after opening, which is normal. My daughter commented how empty the restaurant seemed after we were seated. About 45 minutes later the place was mobbed, and as we walked around World Showcase afterwards, we were surprised how crowded it seemed. Fort Wilderness seemed very quiet this trip, and Hoop De Doo did not seem very crowded. I guess it is possible that people who come every few years are