I was planning on purchasing an annual pass since I only live a short 6 hours away, but with all the bad things I have been reading up on with the Fast Pass Plus, I have changed my mind. What is the point of taking at whim trips to the parks when you cannot ride all the rides.

You stated Mickey still wanders the park. I wish this was true. When I was a kid all the characters could be seen walking around. Now you need a fast pass to see them. I don't know if they can't do this any more because the maximum number of guests have been raised over the years and that the parks are just too crowded or if disney just thinks it easier to provide a more uniform experience for every guest the way they do it now. The best way to see characters today is go to a character meal. Maybe limiting guest exposure sells more character meals.

Most are not good. The huge price hikes (even in the last 10 years) do NOT match the plummeting economy. Disney parks are more and more becoming a place for the elite rich, and not your average middle class family. I know this would have disappointed Walt to say the least. It makes me sad too.

Things had change over the years. For instances, the new "Carsland" and walking down Radiator Springs is new. I like the newer rides like "Ariel's Under The Sea Adventure", "Radiator Racers", etc. Hope you're doing well.

As for 2 tiers of Disney guest, as a DVC member I paid about a $35,000 entry fee and pay about $2,00 a year dues. Any benefit I get from that is well paid for. Loyalty programs are everywhere from airlines to credit cards. We go to WDW at least twice a year, we spend thousands of dollars there. Any frequent Disney flyer miles we accumulate we pay for.