Put me in the group -- obviously in the minority -- that believes we'll see room only codes come back.
The reality is that even $20 or $30 for a room is enough to pay for the extra overhead that having extra guests mean. It also means more park revenue and stuff.
Disney is not sold out all the time. Room only codes would sell more rooms, and lead to more revenue, and they know it. The trick for disney is managing expectations. Think of it this way -- airlines that fly with empty seats would be delighted to sell those empty seats for $20 at the gate. Why don't they? Because if they did, many people would stop booking at regular price to try to get the gate discounts.
I think that disney is deliberatley artificially stifling room only codes to manage expectations. To draw out more rack and AAA rate revenue, and reduce dependence on room only codes. MYW tickets and packages are also a very major overhaul, introduced only a year ago, and so I think disney has been trying to stimulate this new product.
But none of this means that room only codes won't come back. It's all cyclical in travel, and disney is the master at managing expectations. Eventually, even if rooms are selling at a high rate, disney will always want to build and sell more.
In short, this very thread is evidence of exactly what I'm saying. You'll start to see room only codes come back right around the exact time that most of you stop depending on them. See?
