I think there were a lot of good and bad with how this was handled. Universal definately learned over the course of the weekend.
As a premiere package member, I do not feel ripped off. There were better ways to handle a lot of things, but I got my moneys worth:
1. 6 AM Park admission. I got to see more and do more in those 2 hours than I could do in a full day. I got to really look at the merchandise in Filch's as well as read things on the walls , etc. I was able to walk into Olivander's and not be crushed or have to wait for over an hour. I got to take pictures that you can't get with the crowds as well as to really windowshop. The detail in the windows is astonishing. I rode HPFJ more times in 1 hour than I was able to ride in a whole moth of visiting the park on and off.
2. Guaranteed seating at a Q&A. No stress, no worries as well as sitting in the front part of the theater. The fact that they opened the other sessions up to outsiders benefitted me as I got the bonus of seeing 5 additional Q&As. Including Warwick Davis conduct a Charms Class.
3. The autograph session was great other than the idiot handlers. I was guaranteed a spot in a session. Why should I begrudge someone who was given one for free? I am glad that I went KNOWING that I was in instead of hoping to be one of the few lucky ones.
4. The Gala was great. The stars were amazing and it was an experience none of my group will forget. My daughter is still swooning over her hug from Oliver Phelps and she got 95% of the autographs that were out there. The food was great, and I took home almost $300 worth of Chocolate Frogs, Peppermint Toads and Honeyduke's Chocolate Bars as well as 22 of the Butterbeer cups which are a pretty decent quality and as far as I can tell are not available anywhere other than at the Gala. (Can anyone confirm or refute that?) I got to see Warwick Davis conduct the Frog Choir!
5. Memories. Memories, Memories. These things do not happen often, at least not to people like me. My daughter has memories that she will be telling her grandkids. The look on her face when she found out we had most of the Weasley family at our Q&A, or after getting a high-5 from George Phelps, or a hug from Oliver Phelps, or after I showed her my joker card from the Hogwarts deck signed by the 2 of them. The look as we got off the plane when we arrived, her showing off her Deathly Hallows book with over 15 signatures in it on the red carpet after the gala. The look when David Bradley (Filch) initiated a conversation with them at the Airport and asked if they would like a picture, or when we saw Alfie Enoch (Dean Thomas) walk by us at the airport and he consented to a picture... I have never felt more of a hero to my daughter than I did after this weekend. (though now we go to Boston to see Starkid and she just found out Darren Criss will be there so now I am even more of a hero!)
Yes, it could have been handled MUCH better. There are many things they SHOULD have and COULD have done for us at little or no cost to them. But I wouldn't go back and get a refund, drop to the lower package if I had a time turner. Hell, I would double what I paid to get those things.
With that all being said, I am going to fill out my survey and they will hear about all of the negative things, because quite frankly, they deserve almost 0 credit for all of the great things mentioned above. It is all on the wonderful cast of Harry Potter, their generosity and kindness!