Opening day prices for an 11C for 2A 2C was $5514 for July 2012 Fantasy sailings. IGT prices released this week for 2A 2C are $4766. (Compare also to opening day prices for July 2013, which were around $6k for inside.) So I'm not sure where the notion that these are worse than opening day prices is coming from. There is not much data preserved on disboards for opening day pricing on verandah, but it looks like high $7k for cat 4, and VGT is about $6700.
But I agree with other posters who note that whatever opening day prices, the question is what are prices now. Most of the bookings are made after opening day. The thing that's significant about releasing these rates now, outside the final payment window, is that people who have booked at higher rates can cancel without penalty and rebook at these cheaper rates. When they do, disney doesn't even sell a new cabin. We were booked for two inside cabins. For $300 less, we booked a verandah and an inside. Opening day pricing is irrelevant to me, because my pricing was set. By releasing these outside the final payment date, disney gave me a massive upgrade and saved me $300. The cost to me is less flexibility on cancelation.