We went to Disneyland end of 2021 and it was unpleasant. The staff seemed stressed, there always seemed to be one or two people being assholes about their masking rules (they were outside off, inside on at that point), and the usual Disney level of attention to every detail was just not there. We chalked it up to pandemic stress, but also thought maybe new leadership was going in a bad - like some conveniences previously available on the app no longer available as they were about to transition to a version where those services would be paid for or made more expensive. Anyway, my following opinion is based on pre-pandemic Disney.

Disney for me is a little like Apple in that you're handing yourself over to the corporate overlords and are reliant on their benevolence. These companies take some freedom in exchange for a clean and consistent experience. I don't like the surveillance state either, but going to Disneyland with two families was easy because of the app. We pre-booked rides, pre-ordered meals and snacks, kept up with where groups went if there was a ride split. It was easy to give kids some spending money we knew was only going to get spent in either of the parks they had access to. If you go further and pay for the hotels nearby they're even more connected. And it wasn't creepy, because it's why we went. It was what I paid for. That experience you're trying to opt out of is a core part of their product. It's why their movies are on repeat in houses all over. It's why people will hand their kids and their grandparents alike and ipad. There's an expectation around what these companies provide and a certain level of assumed safety.

Now, in Disney's case, since we are paying for it, if we could just get some privacy guarantees when we surrender to their systems I'd love that. I'd even pay extra for it. I'm so ready for people to start selling me privacy tiers. I can pay to get rid of ads, lemme pay to not have my data sold or tracked. I'll vote and harass my reps accordingly, I'll use blockers and unique emails across services, I'll teach my family to do the same, and if I'm at a protest or driving someone to an abortion clinic sure let's talk burner phones and face paint - but I also just don't have it in me to miss out on experiences with friends or family because of my objections.