The crazy thing to me is that if Disney is truly worried about the cost of a Disney vacation, what are they doing at this moment to correct that? Not 5 years from now when they open new expansions that "add" value to the cost of things (when we know the prices will be even more than they are right now). They've stripped so much away from the on-property experience between removing Extra Magic Hours for all on-site guests equitably, removal of Magical Express (which was a guaranteed way to keep people IN the bubble and made it convenient for families with small children to fly into Orlando), removal of airline check-in and baggage drop at the hotels, removal of so many resort activities/amenities that they're too numerous to name, dumbing down of menu's across the property (the bar menu's in particular are almost always the same 10 drinks recycled), making FP/FP+ a paid add-on, insane increases on the party tickets, insane increases on daytime tickets, charging for magic bands for on-site guests, and a litany of other items.
I remember thinking in 2016-2019 how EASY it was to go to Disney, especially if we flew. I used to rave about it to co-workers (and this was before we had kids so the ones that had kids I would tell them how easy it would be to take them and not to worry) because if you flew, you simply tagged your luggage, checked it at the airport and never had to see it again until you got to your room at your resort - then when you left you dropped it off at the airport check-in desk, and you didn't worry about it until you got home. Need a ride to the resort? Don't worry - Disney's got you covered. Your park admission and staying even at the cheapest bed on property covers all of these things, including x, y, and z. It's such a great value. Sure you need to do a bit of planning with your fast pass and dining reservations, but other than that it's pretty much just go and enjoy. Oh, and if you don't get the FP you want don't fret - they'll often become available during the day if you really want to ride something.
Now, I don't even try to discuss it anymore - while we go still and do love it, it's so complicated and has gotten so expensive for everything. My wife and I make close to $250K in a low cost of living area roughly 4.5 hours from the parks and have a 4 year old and a 2 year old. We love Disney, love the nostalgia and the way we feel when we walk our kids down MSUSA even for the 5th time. WE are the ideal repeat guest - but they've started to lose us to the point where I'm not sure when we will go back. We've considered the cruise but don't want to do that until our youngest is 3 and completely potty trained so she can enjoy the kids club (and my wife is somewhat eh on cruises as the only one she went on she got Norovirus and was sick for 3 of the five days).
They are eroding their brand loyalty and simply, they really don't care. They want the guest who comes one time and spends $10,000 - not the guest who comes multiple times a year and spends the equivalent of that. What they fail to see (or simply don't believe it will eventually hurt them) is that those of us that love/loved vacationing at Disney are no longer raving about it to friends and family, and people are more and more frequently coming back from Orlando asking "was that really worth the money?" - That is not a good thing.
