Great. I have no idea how crowded it will be in Oct but we have friends going at the same time and I think they were only able to get the Bryce Canyon Resort, where we stayed. Bryce isn't generally as crowded as Zion, I don't think. The shuttles are great and I prefer them but driving is allowed in Bryce as the shuttles don't go the whole way. I recently posted a trip report you might be interested in.

Congrats on getting reservations at Ruby's. We've tried and failed on several other vacations in the area, all the way back to 1992, finally lucking out on our upcoming trip this year at the beginning of this October.