OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH .................... completely agree with you.
I think Disney's target group is the guest "not in the know" and likely to make this a once in a lifetime or decade trip likely to blow the bank on Mickey ears, churros and $28 cronuts.
And their other target group is DVC buyers. Easy money for Disney.
The offsite resorts have a wide range of guest demographics, but I think a growing one is us Disney resort folks that are just done with the prices compared to what we get. The perks are becoming quite too small to really count anymore.
You are correct that the parks are more crowded than I've ever seen .... and I've been going since day one. I think there are lots of reasons for it, but certainly not because it's a bargain.