My ire is directed to the locals who use the parks/hotels/etc like a hang out. The ones who nurse one drink at the Poly and then don't tip. The ones who would order a single soda on mobile order so they could park at the Contemporary. The ones who abuse the systems and make it harder for people who actually want to get a drink at Tambu Lounge.
I know there are plenty of locals who actually go and spend their money.
But, wither we like it or not, locals aren't the source of Disney's revenue.
The good news? I'd predict by 2023-2024 you'll see a TON of Florida Resident promotions. Disney is pricing out a lot of people and, at some point, people will stop going. Both locally and from out of state.
Since the reopening I have spent more time at Uni than WDW. Something I would have NEVER guessed, but Uni seems to realize, especially with international travel still not really happening, the importance of local APs. I also feel like Uni APs have a whole different attitude than WDW APs.
Well, it's hard to police who's local / non-local sitting at a bar or restaurant just by looking at them. And I don't know anyone who orders a single soda on mobile to park at the Contemporary either? These days, it's been my experience that you have to have a reservation to park at the resorts. I didn't know you could just order a drink.
And trust me, there's been tons of times where we've wanted to ride a ride or have dinner somewhere - whether that day, a day before, or a day into the future - and we couldn't because all times were booked up. Based on ability to pre-plan, mostly by people sitting at their kitchen table making FP or dining reservations for their upcoming vacation who weren't even on property yet ready to spend money, like us. So, it's not like we're sucking allll the stuff away from people while getting all these "freebies." (nor do all of us act like the vloggers - which are a whole different animal)
However, clearly Disney doesn't care about APs or Fla residents - they only did when they needed us to come to the parks when they first opened up again. Universal and SeaWorld and Busch Gardens actually care more about their APs / locals and we're rewarded as such. I also agree w/ you that Universal and the other parks' fans - in general - have a much less entitled viewpoint on everything. Dating back to when I worked there myself, know-it-all Disney stans are the worst of them all.
If I were a politically inclined person I might think that Disney's changes are not all directly "recover from covid" related. Disney is intentionally stiffing locals in part to give the finger to the Governor and maybe trying to spur some voter blowback. Disney got one of the cruise to countries to impose a vaccine requirement for cruises to Castaway Cay so that Disney could require cruising vax over the Governor's questionable decision that Disney couldn't run its business the way it wants. Governor messed with the Mouse, the Mouse is being strategically responsive. The only locals I really have problems with at the parks are the vloggers who are there every day, who are discourteous to everyone else, and who risk spreading the plague. So that's pretty much just Michael -- and I think Michael used to have a brother? Him too if I'm remembering correctly.
Disney's treatment of locals pre-dates COVID.
However, I don't know why Disney would be doing that to spite locals because of DeSantis' policies?
I don't know much about about cruising specifically but if we're talking just the parks still, if anything, they were able to open WDW waaaay before DL due to DeSantis' policies vs. Newsom's.
