Like I said, some ideas work and others don't. I admire the AL team for stretching the game to keep things fresh and interesting. Sure people can sit out a season because they're annoyed. Or they can jump in and deal with the challenge. Dealing with the Death Curse has been a serious issue in Season 7 and I can understand why folks might hold out a favorite Tier 1 or 2 PC because perma-death can happen at any time. I just wound up making up a new PC, like I do every season, and only put one legacy PC to risk. That said, I doubt I'd play a surrogate if one of them died because I don't want to play a pre-gen, I want to play my character.
Barovia is most definitely a place no one who's been there wants to return to because it was a harsh experience for many and being trapped there was oppressive. It was something to be survived and escaped from. Barovia 'survivors' have that service ribbon on their chests from that point on and it forms a camaraderie between those that escaped.
A mechanic like The Mists is not something I'd want to have repeated in AL because it was restrictive and, well, claustrophobic in it's own way. But I don't want to cheapen the experience by giving a free pass to players who want to go now. If you want Barovia 'cred', you should have to pay for it.
That made some sense when season 4 was the active season. But that was two years ago. There is no 'Barovia' cred anymore. Now it is literally just a waste of time.