I totally agree. I know a lot of people on here like to gripe about MM+ and booking in advance, but when it comes down to it, it really does make everything so much easier. You have a better shot of guaranteeing access to certain attractions, you don't HAVE to spend all afternoon waiting in winding queues, standing, drenched in sweat. It has eliminated the need to run on gate opening to the big attractions to get fast passes. (Yes folks, before MM+, the FP's were all gone for big attractions minutes into the day starting....)
The charge that wait times have dramatically increased based on the increased capacity of FP usage does have some truth. However, crowd levels are also way up in the parks and many attractions are not drawing the crowd they used to.(Pirates, Tiki, Stitch, Philhar). Changing tastes has left certain rides with stupid wait times for no very good reason other than, every kid loves Peter Pan.(For the record I can remember Peter Pan having a an hour+ wait time in September in 2005. (When I was a college kid with an annual pass and weekdays free.)
For the discussion on revenue generation of MM+, I think a lot of people are missing the key change MM+ has had on park behavior. People don't spend all day in lines waiting for rides. Guests "wait" for rides in gift shops, restaurants, in the walkways, and see street entertainment. Guests don't fret buying an ice cream cone or popcorn and not being allowed to enter a queue. This also means increased opportunities for access to street vendors, which is why you'll see a few more carts around the parks. This is also why you will see a renewed push for more sit down dining options in the park. The psychology of not using a credit card shouldn't be minimized but not the main focus of the discussion. Ease of payment does make a difference. As a passholder my magicband doesn't usually have a credit card attached to it, but I always have my iPhone with Apple Pay. I'm very happy to not carry my wallet with me in the parks (To be fair my phone case is my wallet anyways) and I spend more in the parks because of it.
Disney has recognized the millennial generation is a tech generation. They are bringing their kids to the parks for the first time, and make up the bulk of visitors currently. They also are exceptionally finicky about experiences that are bureaucratic or have inefficiencies that could be solved through better use of technology. They often favor less popular or more expensive options if they are more accessible through the internet or smart phones. Without embracing their methods of consumption, Disney would see significantly lower demand in the next decade. So I think a lot of what we see in frustration with users of MM+ is the failure of some to be adopters. There are hiccups in the system, and it isn't perfect, but technology is always about iteration and progression. If every release could be tested in every situation for every use before release, we wouldn't ever release.
