I think it's important to remember what disney is and what it isn't. It's a for-profit company that has to report earnings every quarter. Discounts always have been, and always will be, about trying to maximize revenue. They have never, and will never, be about rewarding loyalty or encouraging repeat customers, except to the extent that they think the repeat customers will stop coming or will come less (which they might, but actually probably won't, at least not in large numbers.) If they think they can fill the resorts with rack paying customers, they will do it, even if means saying goodbye to thousands of prior customers.
Is this short sighted? It sort of seems maybe it is, but I actually doubt it. I think disney is just growing more sophisticated about how to maximize revenues. I also think they rightly understand that their most hardcore fans are not going to just stop coming. I also think they get the fact that, by and large, Annual Passes are not a great deal for them. While they would love to sell Annual Passes to people who come to the parks for fewer than 14 days, they actually turn out to be a losing proposition for people that would come for more. Room discounts added on make it worse. They also are a bit inconsistent with the trend toward magic your way.
I get that people are disappointed about the potential of there not being codes. (I think there will be ultimately some kind of discount, but I think disney is working very hard to ween us off the idea that there will always be a code, only offering them to sell rooms that would truly go unsold.) But I guess I'd like to talk people out of seeing it as a betrayal. It's not a betrayal. Do you know the story of the frog and the scorpion -- where the scorpion convinces the frog to carry him across the water, and the frog says, "but you'll sting me." The scorpion says, "no I won't -- not after you do a nice thing for me." When they get across, the scorpion stings the frog, and the frog asks him why. "It's in my nature," says the scorpion.
I don't know what Walt really wanted or didn't want. But I do know that Disney/ESPN/Capcities in its current form, simply, does not give a crap about you, me or anyone, other than what's in our wallets. But it's a two way street -- I don't really care about their shareholders either and I will take advantage of every discount and trick I can.