I've never been to a Disney Dining Experience I didn't like, but I have to say these left a bad taste in my mouth. One of the biggest reasons I go to WDW is the nighttime shows. Every trip ends with either Illuminations or the MK Fireworks. When I noticed how all the "good" real-estate was sold off at a higher price, I was quite annoyed. It would be one thing if the shows had plenty of good seating, but we almost always watch them packed in like sardines. Seems to me that if they want to sell off a "better" experience for those with deep enough pockets, they could pick a place that was already off limits to the general public. Put them on a roof-top, or some other out of the way place.
I agree. As if 84 bucks per person, per day is not enough to have a good viewing spot for Illuminations. I know there are other good spots for viewing. I believe, however, there is beginning to be too much emphasis on specialty this and that. I would hate to see the parks get to where you are paying admission in order to go in and spend alot more.
I know there have always been specialty tours and experiences, such as Keys to the Kingdom Tours, and Walk around the World, and those are awesome. The thing about those is they do not interfere with the general guest experience. These newer options can tend to interfere, in some ways, with general guest experience, and , in my humble opinion, is where these things can cross the line. I mean, Keys to the Kingdom still requires that you stand in the actual line (I am sure they use fastpass now) but that is still not interfering with the overall guest experience. I just do not know if I am all that keen on experiences where some experiences can interfere with some general guest experiences. It's not like admission to the parks is cheap, as it is.
For example, the Tomorrowland Noodle Station (or whatever they are calling it this week) has, on occasion, the Wishes! Dessert Party. I think that is great. It's out of the way and not in an area that would normally be used by guests for watching Wishes!. My disagreement comes in where areas previously open to all guests begin to be cornered off for guests who pay a bunch more. Now, do I think it is wrong for guests willing to pay for these experiences to take advantage of them? Absolutely not. If you want to experience this, it's your right and freedom to do this. My concern is with the WDW company and their preference for increased profits over their equal commitment to every guest. (This is what I wanted to say and, darn, it took me a while to get to the point.)
