I actually think this one makes sense.
First, Disney is a business...
Let me preface this with:
I took my daughters, about 10 years back, to CRT and it was one of the biggest letdowns every AND it was expensive!
If I'm dining in the castle I should feel like I'm actually eating inside a castle and not inside a cafeteria. The food was cafeteria food. The setting was like some high school took their cafeteria and hung banners around and said, "Now THAT'S a Royal Table!" when it's just a cafeteria with banners.
In retrospect, I wish I had never done it and always imagined what it was from the outside because from Fantasyland, looking up, it looks pretty cool. Inside, no.
All that being said, the windows looking out to Fantasyland are probably the best things going for CRT. I could imagine that the fireworks framed in that would be really cool.
At the same time, you're paying to get in no matter what. This isn't taking a dead area of Tomorrowland, realizing people figured out that it's a great fireworks viewing spot, and then charging for what used to be empty/unused restaurant seating and ice cream.
Also, as I remembered it, people would try to schedule around the fireworks and if they were early they'd linger and it'd screw it up for others. Charging for and guaranteeing a spot for this does make sense.
I'm sort of surprised that they haven't figured out how to charge for all of Main St and the hub for a "Special Fireworks Cupcake Magical Experience".
Just to be clear: I think this up-charge makes sense. I don't think CRT, just in general, is a good experience. I'd say it sucks. If you were to take the food and put it in a Piccadilly Cafeteria environment, at Piccadilly prices, you'd think, "That was OK. Filled me up on this road trip but nothing memorable." <- that's the level it's at. Toss in the high expense and the poor theming and you're at: "Oh, I feel stupid for paying that. It sucked."
