I don't like it but they should be an upper level FP offered. Keep FP the way it is but if you are staying in a deluxe resort you should get an upper level FP that it unlimited.
Quite serious. I have been to US exactly one time since they eliminated the free express pass (been there many times before that). I was in town at a convention so I had no reason to stay at one of their resorts. I spent the majority of my day in line watching resort guests pass me over and over again in the express pass line. My only option would have been to shell out and additional $30-$40 for the pay express pass. If a theme park requires me to stay in one of their resorts or shell out almost as much as an extra 50% of the ticket price for a pass to be able actually enjoy the attractions then they will not see a dime of my money. I have not been back since and don't plan on going back any time soon.
These two posts do a good job of summing up the arguments here. The problem with implementing a system that favors a certain class of people inside the parks is you run the risk of alienating another class of people.
Disney obviously wants to appeal to those willing to spend for a premium experience, but they cannot do so at the expense of the regular visitor.
Why FP's are a bigger issue that other perks is they are a limited resource. They are essentially access to the attractions and unlike dinning, pools, or rooms, they cannot be increased for one group without victimizing another.
When Disney opens a new signature dinning venue they are offering a new choice to higher end guests, but they aren't depriving the regular guests of anything. That cannot be done with FP's it is a limited resource.
Even Extra Magic hours do not deprive non-resort guests of anything. They don't get less hours than they normally would, they just don't get the
extra hours.
And to those that say no one would skip a WDW vacation due to the loss of FP. They are wrong. There would be a small contingent that would quit attending as a protest, but in the long term, as people kept watching preferred guests continually passing them in line, they would lose attendance.
I maintain Disney has found a great compromise, the resort guests and non-resort guest system, and will continue using this system in the parks in the foreseeable future. It offers special perks to those willing to give Disney a greater portion of their vacation dollar, while setting up a top tier everyone can buy into and feel part of the magic, striking a balance between privilege and egalitarianism.
And some of the restaurants, especially at the Grand Floridian, are obviously set up and priced to feed tourists, not hotel guests. That's why the counter service restaurants have to keep being expanded for the people who are actually staying at the hotels (examples: Captain Cook's at the Poly and the Contempo Grill at the Contemporary).