I understand that this is the logic behind the current pricing and reservations model and accept it to some extent. The main problem is that Disney seems to be wanting to have its cake and eat it too by raising prices and barriers to entry while chipping away at the experience as much as possible. So, costs and all the hoops you have to go through to visit the parks all increase but things like DME disappear, the park crawls to bring back basic services like parking lot trams, the attractions are left to run with clear maintenance issues and they do things like the Splash refurbishment where they re-paint about a third of the mountain and the leaves in the briar patch, then just shrug and open it with the exterior looking like a bit of a mess and the figures inside still not working properly.
To me it's the conflicting signals that Disney is sending that are the real problem. If people keep showing up, then I can't really blame them for trying to figure out what the market will bear and using that to control attendance while maintaining high standards. Combing the price rises with nickel and dimeing those who show up and cutting costs on things like upkeep risks trashing the brand in the longer term and I think explains the growing ill-will the parks in particular are generating that is spilling into media coverage.
It's interesting to compare management at Disneyland Paris, where prices are also fairly steep and they have introduced their own version of paid Fastpass recently. However, management there has spent a lot of time and energy in raising the level of the experience through attraction and other refurbishments (including the castle) as well as new attractions. Despite being closed for longer, the pandemic also didn't seem to slow them down or derail their plans as much as was the case in Florida. What they seem to understand in Paris is that Disney needs to provide the premium experience that justifies the premium prices. In Florida they seem too obvious in just trying to hold guests upside down and shake them until their pockets are empty.
