Who else had to scroll up because they couldn't remember which thread they were in?
Not to get too involved in the discussion but could it be that there's a bit of jealousy at the root of this? I agree that it would be more fair to all if there was a level playing field and all APs were available to everyone. Imo that doesn't necessarily mean they should eliminate tiers, though. DLP used to have a low-tier AP exclusive to residents of Île-de-France but they stepped away from that model years ago and have not gone back. They still have that lowest tier AP with roughly the same limitations but it is now available to all.
Even living in Europe a Gold or even a Silver pass would suit me just fine. I've developed a habit where I'll just book short weekend trips across the pond on a whim if I can get a super cheap flight. I could see myself visiting WDW during those trips but the prohibitive cost of 1-day tickets stops me. A Silver or Gold pass would be ideal for this but they lock me out of those so I spend my money elsewhere.
As for the comments about UK/EU tickets and free dining: there are a couple of things I believe the Americans should take into account.
1. Currency exchange rates have had an enormous influence on the relative cost increase for Europeans over the past 10 years and expecially the past 5-6 years. To you a dollar is still a dollar, but to us that same dollar now costs 30% more and that is without Disney's price increases. I recently compared the cost of the same trip in 2009 to 2019: 8 nights in a standard room at CSR with 7-day hoppers and the DDP in the first week of July and this has roughly doubled in GBP/EUR, even with free dining in 2019 and no free dining in 2009. US inflation over that time was only ~19%. I can assure you that wages in Europe have not doubled over the past decade.
2. The average European has less disposable income than the American middle class. I understand that increasing the minimum wage for CMs to $15/hour is a big deal but for comparison's sake: I know plenty of people here with Master's degrees who barely make that much. And that is before the governments eat up 30-50+% on taxes and social security. That's middle class here.
Yet there are still middle class Europeans, myself included, who love to travel and will save up for a big trip to WDW. Without free dining as it is now we probably wouldn't/couldn't do it, at least not onsite. There are far cheaper ways to visit the area and I'm convinced that even with current UK/EU pricing the line between onsite and offsite is extremely thin. If they take away free dining or increase prices at the same rate of US prices then I believe many many Europeans, again myself included, will jump ship. They'd still visit FL but WDW would miss out on most of their spending. The vast majority of Europeans will not give up their 2- or 3-week vacations for 5 days in the bubble. So Disney can choose: give us an offer in line with what we can afford or lose our long-stay business.
So Disney can choose: give us an offer in line with what we can afford or lose our long-stay business
Which is why Disney gives UK visitors something US visitors can't purchase...14 day tickets. And free dining. Isn't the UK the 2nd largest source of foreign visitors to WDW after Brazil?