A couple thoughts:
- Selfishly I like the move. This is the current pass I have and was worried that if I stopped renewing I would never get it back or worst yet they would stop allowing renewals. Based on my schedule and how often I use it, this is the best pass for me. I don't use it enough to justify spending $1,000 +, but still want to go a few times a year.
- I never believed the thought they would abandon the local passes. They will continually tweak them, but having passes with that only allow you to visit on "slower" days spreads out the crowds. If they got rid of these passes I could see things revert to the parks packed on weekends and holidays and very slow during the week during the school year. You saw this partly in affect as people not able to buy the So Cal pass upgrade and then come on Saturday's making it by far the busiest day of the week when it didn't used to be.
- They have likely been watching USH's adventures in handling of their local AP's the last year and realized (not that they didn't already) how valuable they are. Pushing out the locals is not a good business plan and in these years between the 60th and SWL, they want to keep them coming back. I think the surveys going to some AP's gauging interest about blocking AP's out of new attractions right after they open was not a coincidence with this action. I could see the local AP's blocked out of SWL when it first opens.
