I have worked for a major airline in customer service. The amount of people who said after a complaint: "I am never flying with you again!"... the majority flew with us again within a reasonable period. Probably because direct flights, good service and being reliable was more important than whatever happened.
And those who didn't, there were dozens of others to replace them.
My guess is, this will be the same for those here who say "if I lose my status, I will never sail with Disney again," will probably sail with Disney again if they want to. By that time, you might still be upset, but think the Disney experience is more important, whether that is about service, characters, kids clubs, convenience over parks, than the losing of status.
There will be some who won't go back after finding out, but my guess: the majority of those who want to go back, will go back.
Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Disney does implement exceptions. At the airline, we had a yearly status renewal in our loyalty program, if you couldn't fly for a year because of pregnancy or disease, status was extended without much problem. Change of jobs, exceptions were possible.