I've long advocated for a dramatic restructuring of the Frequent Fear Pass with a shift to "weekend passes" and a "September Pass" (something Hollywood tried this year), but clearly Universal's internal data supports keeping the program more or less as-is with incremental price increases each year. Fair enough.
To deal with the dramatically swelling crowds, I'd guess a few things need to happen.
1) New killer show. Academy of Villains is good, but it doesn't have the pull Bill & Ted did - which has a severe impact on event circulation. Academy of Villains should ideally stay in some form, though shifting back to the Mel's temp stage trades one crowding problem for another. One wonders if a modified Animal Actors stage would suffice without affecting daytime ops. Either way, we need something buzzier in the FFL venue (so long as it survives) - there were whispers of a Beetlejuice-headlined show this year, which might move the needle in the right direction.
2) Increase prices. Alluded to this earlier, but we need higher prices across the board. Yes, some people will be priced out, but that's capitalism.
3) Rethought street program/walking distances. Scare zones just can't operate the way they used to, and Universal has been too slow to react. This year has a good start: the "stages" help create meaningful, Instagram-ready "moments" that direct traffic instead of disappearing into crowds. More "stages" and mini-shows should likely be the future of the streets in high-traffic areas, and some areas (i.e. Plaza of the Stars) should be abandoned altogether. Smatterings of scare-heavy actors should be tossed in here and there (i.e. chainsaws in San Francisco, Springfield), but I do wonder if there's any room for one-way scare zone gauntlets that have become more popular/well-received in Hollywood. The walks to the tents/parade buildings are pretty unbearable, so why not develop a portable zone that leads to a "hub" of sorts where entrances are actually located? Think the Metro Sets in Hollywood for a model here. Portable rest rooms and food trucks can augment the space/provide infrastructure. It isn't exactly glamorous, but it adds more park real estate and makes experiencing mazes far more efficient.
4) Possibly an additional maze. I have no idea where they're gonna stick ten mazes next year if some of these rumors come to fruition, but clearly ten isn't quite enough - the trouble is an eleventh maze will come with a commiserate increase in attendance cap, potentially rendering the additional capacity moot. It also needs to be something desirable... no one's helped by Blumhouse of Horrors having 30 minute waits when Stranger Things and Poltergeist are 2+ hours. The "throwaway" mazes nobody cares about actively hurt circulation, especially if they're located off the beaten path.
5) Open more rides. Simpsons needs to be open, but Fallon probably does, too. Not a whole lot else they can operate that'll serve HHN's clientele (Minions is kind of pointless), but the park needs more crowd absorbers. Keeping Hogsmeade open late at night (after a typical Islands close/park sweep), accessible only via Hogwarts Express (say, from 8pm to midnight) could potentially help, but that's an unwieldy proposition that may not attract all that many people (and it may prove taxing on Forbidden Journey's demanding maintenance schedule). It could also intrude on Stay & Scream tickets, which will be especially valuable with the opening of the new Potter coaster.