The last year WDW did not open a new Imagineering-designed attraction was 1985. But that year they debuted a new Fire Works Show at the Magic Kingdom and a new night time show at EPCOT Center "Laser Phonic Fantasy," which was the forerunner to Illuminations, and they opened a new Restaurant, Nine Dragons.
The last year WDW did not open anything new at all was 1979 (not counting rehabs).
Thanks for posting this information. It goes right to the heart of the discussion. Disney has made regular updates and additions to the parks, and to now go some three years between major additions is virtually unprecedented.
Nobody is saying you have to add something new every
calendar year. Sum of All Thrills is indeed a 2009 addition, but were it a major attraction (which it isn't) opening late in the year then yes, it would have been that something 'new' to most 2010 visitors. A major addition late this year would have tided WDW over, perhaps, until Star Tours II arrives. Also, back when you had only one park, you didn't have to add nearly so much to keep things fresh (hence, no major 1979 addition). In 1985 Epcot Center was just three years old and therefore didn't need nearly the attention it begs for today.
Now, however, we have four parks, and none of them are exactly new anymore. That one big 'E' ticket they've been adding basically every year is marginal, at best, to keep four parks fresh (an average of just one major addition every four years), hence the argument that the parks are growing increasingly stale. That's never going to be true for every park guest, of coure, as the occasional visitor may find Soarin' or even Everest new to them. But most WDWMagic members are not typical Disney guests. We're better informed and we know what's new, what's coming, or indeed - what has grown old and stale. It is also true that many of us will still visit WDW even if nothing new ever opened. We would happliy enjoy Kitchin Kabaret and the World of Motion - but again, we're not typical. Disney needs new and exciting experiences to keep guests interested, coming back again and again, and spending their vacation time and money with the mouse. At a time when the economy is already in recession, Disney needs to give people even more compelling reasons to visit now in 2009 or 2010. The very last thing Disney needs right now is for people to have an excuse to put off a Disney vacation until 2012 or so.
So, the question remains (beyond giving away free food and ever steeper discounts) what exactly is Disney doing to make people want to visit next year? Again, I'll be there anyway.
