I understand that, but WHY?
You have a very good question. I'm sure there is a financial law somewhere they can't get around maybe for collections or something like that for non-payments. But the payment plan along with discounts for purchases in the park for AP's goes against the idea that they want to reduce passholders. If I were a business and didn't want as many customers buying a certain item, why would I offer them discounts and a special payment plan that others do not get?
So with that thought, maybe they will discontinue the AP discounts at the end of the year for some if not all pass types.
Going a little against their quote in the O.C. Register, it could be said that only making So Cal passes available for renewal to existing passholders may retain even more than before because they may be afraid of not getting one next time if they don't renew.
Disney has recently changed their passholder special event days to just those with passes soon to expire which also goes against what they are talking about reducing the numbers as well. Why give a perk if you want those people to "not" renew? I think it's the reverse. More will run to get the passes, including Deluxe at just over $10/month difference. This is what I think is really behind the So Cal pass being unavailable. They want to sell more Deluxe passes. Think about it. Also why advertise all over the ticket booths and freeway signs that you can get an AP for as little as $15.xx/month?
It's already a type of addiction we have about needing to go there to escape (I was asked about it once in a survey at the park). So making the So Cal pass unavailable may spur even more sales of the So Cal Select or Deluxe.
Only time will tell if I'm right. But one other item was on my mind... when I was a kid in the 80's, the lines at the park were about the same as now. I recall waiting 2 hours for Space Mountain then. I don't remember walk-on rides except for People Mover or the Skyway. I don't however remember all the strollers. When I look at old photos of
Disneyland I don't see the mass stroller parking areas, which makes me wonder, where were they then? Or are more kids using them that are older that should be? Strollers in this quantity do make the park seem very crowded as you cannot walk around areas they are parked many times easily.
I probably had too much to say there... thanks for listening