Originally, I really did not think what I was seeing was worth posting about as plaster cracks/bubbles/repairs/etc are fairly common in any gunite pool that most folks can expect to do some form of plaster repair over the life of their pool surface. Nothing I posted is at all unique. However, where I think the thread turned interesting was when bdavis466 (Brian) posted the pictures of the pools he's worked on and confirmed that my plaster coloration/fading was in line with what he has seen in his work. I think the picture I posted showing how faded the "Caribbean Blue" colored plaster, as well as the differences in the patch color and the original plaster color, is very dramatic.
Which leads me to my conclusion and personal opinion that I think people should prioritize plaster upgrades to the bottom of their lists when building a pool. We see in so many construction threads how people agonize over plaster color and plaster upgrade option (pebble vs mini-pebbles, glass beads, Abalone shells, etc, etc) and I really don't believe it is worth it! New pool owners will spend extra thousands of dollars on plaster upgrades which I think would be better spent on material upgrades (stone coping versus poured, upgraded tile, etc) or equipment upgrades. Plaster surfaces are going to fade over time no matter what you do, so why waste the money on all the extras? As well, color choice is really important and, at the very least, people should be fully aware that whatever color they choose, it's not going to last more than a few seasons. Better to stick with standard colors and minimal "optional" upgrades in my opinion and then put that money to better use elsewhere.