They also noted that Disney is aware of it because in anticipation of GE they had raised AP prices, but when they saw the attendance falling they started offering more for Passholders. They actually let people on blackout the opportunity to get in the parks if they made reservations.
No, this is not accurate at all. They raised the price of the Deluxe pass by $200 and then added approximately 50 additional Disneyland park blackout dates to that pass. Those passholders were suddenly not able to come to DL park ALL SUMMER (June 20-Aug 20, approx).
This obviously backfired spectacularly, so Disney relented and offered all blacked out passholders (So Cal Select, So Cal, and Deluxe) the opportunity to come to the park BUT ONLY if they brought a friend AND both the AP holder AND the "friend" had to purchase a $99 ticket for admission to DL park. It was called the AP Bring A Friend promotion. So, effectively, they were asking AP holders who already paid $200 more for their pass only to be blocked out, to pay ANOTHER $99 and convince someone else to join them and also drop $99 for admission, for one day. I suspect there weren't many Deluxe passholders who jumped at this offer, although there may have been a fair number of So Cal APs who did, since their pass is several hundred dollars less than the Deluxe pass, and they have always been blocked out during summer, so this would have maybe been a good deal for those who really wanted to come to the parks.
Simultaneously, Disney introduced a NEW AP called the Flex AP, which cost $599 and only has a handful of "good to go" days that aren't blocked out. All other dates require an advanced reservation, and they are restricted to only being able to hold 2 reservations within a 30 day window. So, certainly, this pass is a good deal for people who can be REALLY good about knowing when they want to come and making reservations. They are not good for people taking multi day trips or people who cannot stick to the reservation (there are strict "no show" penalties).
I don't know how much of an impact these two things had on crowds, but from visiting at least once a week, all summer, I didn't see any noticeable increases. There were days here and there that were a bit more crowded, BUT Disney also cut hours and reduced ride capacities, so it may have just been the illusion of being "busier."
We expect a significant crowd boost starting next Monday, when AP blackouts are lifted completely. It will be interesting to see the turnout.
Or bought any souvenirs or snacks. For 3 people for 8 days, I'd add another 700-1000, depending on your eating style.
