djsamuel

I've got 5 trips planned for 2016 (Thursday - Sunday). I had to make all of them when the reservations first opened.

They're still there. I was at Epcot yesterday and people were still passing through.

My wife and daughter had dinner at Monsieur Paul. It was my wife's first time and she absolutely loved it. They had a table by the window and a great view of Illuminations. You can't go wrong at Sanaa or The Wave. Captains Grille is good as well and quiet. Also can't go wrong at Yachstman's Steakhouse. We had dinner at Artist Point on my birthday in December and had the Buffalo. It was very good, but the turnips were a bit strange, and bitter. The thing to watch out for is the coffee. They only sell French Press coffee, and it costs over $8. If you want more than a cup an

A couple of months ago, I replaced the tires on my camper with the Carlisle Radial RH tires as well. VERY nice tires so far. Speed limit of 87 MPH instead of the normal 65 (not that I want to tow that fast), a seemingly more rugged design than the previous junk tires I had, and they tow great. Hopefully, my experience will be good over the long run. The cheap tires that came with my trailer served me well. I got over 7,000 miles on them, from Florida to Arizona and Utah, and in September a trip to Tennessee. However, after the trip to Tennessee, I noticed a slit in the tire tread about

You no longer need the printed parking pass? We use my wife's ID when entering the parking lots, so I never needed to use either. Never knew the magic band was accepted for parking.

Wow, that thread is appalling. Nobody on it thinks of the ethics behind this. They get their Magic Bands, and use them to get past parking? I never knew you could use the Magic Bands for parking, other than access into resorts. I'm assuming most never check in and keep their fast passes and reservations.

I received the chip card prior to checking in online. However, both incidents have occurred since I received the chip card. Maybe that's a factor.

I always check in online a few weeks out. Lately it hasn't made any difference since they lost everything, including my credit card info in November and December.

Agree. It works well for Florida State parks as well as others using Reserve America. People will find the gaps.

I agree. Doesn't seem to make much sense, but who knows?

Maybe that would be the new TTC. (not that the rumor is true, but just throwing that out to stir the pot). Of course they'd have a heck of a time with the ferry boat and the monorail!

There's also a large retention pond there now. The change is supposed to be for traffic improvements. I wonder if some of the work so far is in preparation for the flyover planned to bypass the toll booths.

Good point.

In some cases it is really obvious. Also, most people want the magic bands, which you get if you are on the reservation. That would keep many honest, but you are right, anybody could easily get around it and never have a problem.

Exactly. My job is developing flight simulators. One of the biggest issues is making sure the motion platform and the video are as accurately synchronized as possible. People get nauseous when their eyes see movement that is different from what the inner ear senses. The greater the difference, the more people get sick. I've worked on ship simulation systems that have huge screens and the full ship bridge but no motion. If you set a high sea state and get the ship rocking visually, people will get sick. Land sickness when you get off of a ship occurs because the inner ear is still tellin

Comparing the painting to photos, it could certainly be feasible.

Good point. Would be nice, but as you said, probably no practical way to implement it. The Reserve America system isn't bad though.

I know that my wife's ID does not work at the gate, nor any other gate or door for which she is not authorized. That is all controlled by access control. Some cast members may have access to that gate because that gate is on the access list associated with their position. When my wife would pick up overtime at any of the resorts, her idea would not get her through the gates, she needed to show the guard. Yes, I have observed people at the gate and in the overflow lot. When I see them getting in they show a driver's license and they let them in. When I want to stop there for some reason,

Wow! I think you hit just about everything! Great post. The only thing I would add (more of an "I'd like to see") is for Disney to change their reservation system to be more like Reserve America where you can reserve a specific site.

That's another thing from this past trip (I feel like a complainer ). In the past I would get a "love letter" from the Fort Ranger telling me I had a tire on some portion of the grass. This trip, there were trucks and cars parked EVERYWHERE, most of them with all 4 tires on the grass. I didn't see one note from a ranger.

I have no doubt some of them are. However, there are many who do not work for Disney. When the other resorts were not fenced in, and did not have the guard shacks at their entrances, a lot of people, most of them not cast members would come use the pools. No matter who is using the pool, people need to write and complain. I was so disgusted with the Fort this trip that I went to the concierge window at the Settlement to ask where I could send a complaint. The cast member at the window, a nice young guy, asked me what the issue was. I thought, "Here comes the canned response." However,

You're right; it really is a shame. We were talking to a woman who has been coming to the Fort every year since the train used to run. She said this year really got her fed up. She was saying everything seemed out of control and filled with people who really could not have cared less about other people. Hopefully that will change.

We were staying in the 200 loop, so we didn't need to. Other people got on a bus that pulled up, but I can't remember what color it was. We were at the beach on New Year's Eve itself, but after the fireworks walked back to our camper via the 100 loop near the trading Post. So I didn't see what was going on at the Settlement Depot that night.

We rode a bus from the Magic Kingdom to the Settlement depot on December 30th after the NYE fireworks that night (they shot them off the 30th and 31st). The boats were suspended from operating until 1230 AM to make sure all was safe on the water, so the load was taken up by the busses. We got on at magic Kingdom, rode to Wilderness Lodge, and then straight to the Settlement depot to save time. Then the bus went back the same route for another load.

I don't think the weekend people at the pool are mostly cast members. Cast members not statused at the Fort will not be able to gain access via the employee gate. The ID's restrict access to only those areas where they are required. The pool at the Fort is not a "perk" for employees. That's not to say some don't come and use it anyway, but that would be the same as any other person using it that is not supposed to. Hopefully, they will eventually stop the craziness, along with all of the other crap I experienced at the Fort between Christmas and New Year's, not caused by locals (out of co