Actually, if anything, raising rates on APs have caused people to do this more often. People might have spent one or two weeks in the parks, now they'll break those trips up into shorter segments, maybe even stay off-site since parking is covered on the AP. If they're staying DVC, then they've paid that amount to another division or third party. So at best, Disney can capture some dining (low margin) or merchandise (high margin) dollars from that family or traveler. Not to mention locals/quasi locals who will come and go as they want buying next to nothing.
Bottom line: Tickets are expensive because they can charge it. I understand trying to shift the crowds to other times of year. I think they tried it and it's worked to some extent. But they want every dollar they can get from consumers. Other theme parks do the peak pricing stuff so they can't just let that opportunity go by. They probably figured people who show up day of to buy tickets wouldn't know any better so might as well extract as much cash from them as possible. I think we are seeing the line, as with these 4 park tickets, each with one time use. I think that's a much better way of getting families out to disney parks than fleecing them at the front gate of MK on July 4th.
