WDW Ride Build Rate

[danlb_2000]

A popular topic around here is how many rides WDW is building or not building as the case may be, so I thought I would take a look at the actual numbers. To do this I compiled a list of all the rides ever built at WDW, including ones that have closed or been replaced, and the date they opened. A few notes on my methodology...

1. I am just focusing on rides here since it was the easiest attraction category to do. "Ride" can be a little subjective, I don't consider Carousel of Progress a ride but I do consider Universe of Energy. I don't think this would skew the numbers to much.

2. I am not counting refurbs unless they significantly changed the ride. Again this is subjective, Test Track is clearly a new ride since it's totally different from WOM, but Test Track by Cheverlot is debatable, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt and included it.


3. I am including 2 Avatar rides in 2017 since this is the only new rides we can be reasonable confident in for this decade. Not saying there won't be more, this is just all we know about right now.

I have included the full list at the end of the post in case I missed something.

The most interesting thing to come from these statistics is how many rides WDW added in each decade:

1971-1979: Added 19
1980-1989: Added 14
1990-1999: Added 14
2000-2009: Added 7
2010-2017: Added 5 Estimated


Full list:

Name Park Open Date
Plaza Sawn Boats Magic Kingdom 5/20/1972
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Magic Kingdom 10/14/1971
World of Motion Epcot 10/1/1982
Mr Toad's Wild Ride Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Journey Into Imagination Epcot 3/5/1983
Horizons Epcot 10/1/1983
Discovery River Boats AK 4/22/1998
Skyway Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Mike Fink Keelboats Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
The Living Seas Epcot 1/15/1986
Journey into YOUR Imagination Epcot 10/1/1999
Body Wars Epcot 10/19/1989
El Rio del Tiempo Epcot 10/1/1982
Star Tours DHS 12/15/1989
Barnstormer Magic Kingdom 10/1/1996
Test Track Epcot 3/17/1999
Snow White's Scary Adventure Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Dumbo the Flying Elephant Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Hauntend Mansion Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
It's a Small World Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Jungle Cruise Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Mad Tea Party Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Peter Pan's Flight Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Price Charming Regal Carousel Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Tomorrowland Speedway Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Walt Disney World Railroad Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Libery Square Riverboat Magic Kingdom 10/2/1971
Pirate of the Caribbean Magic Kingdom 12/17/1973
Space Mountain Magic Kingdom 1/15/1975
Tomorrowland Transit Authority Magic Kingdom 7/1/1975
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Magic Kingdom 11/23/1980
Living with the Land Epcot 10/1/1982
Spaceship Earth Epcot 10/1/1982
Universe of Energy Epcot 10/1/1982
Maelstrom Epcot 7/5/1988
Great Movie Ride DHS 5/1/1989
Studio Backlot Tour DHS 5/1/1989
Splash Mountain Magic Kingdom 7/27/1992
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror DHS 7/22/1994
Astro Orbiter Magic Kingdom 2/25/1995
DINOSAUR AK 4/22/1998
Kilimanjaro Safari AK 4/22/1998
Space Ranger Spin Magic Kingdom 10/7/1998
Wildlife Express AK Ride 4/22/1998
Kali River Rapids AK 3/18/1999
Many Adventureof Winnie the Pooh Magic Kingdom 6/5/1999
Magic Carpets of Aladdin Magic Kingdom 5/23/2001
Tricera Top Spin AK 11/1/2001
Rock 'n' roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith DHS 7/29/1999
Primeval Whirl AK 3/31/2002
Misson: SPACE Epcot 8/15/2003
Soarin' Epcot 5/5/2005
Expedition Everest AK 4/7/2006
Toy Story Midway Mania DHS 5/31/2008
Under the Sea with the Little Mermaid Magic Kingdom 12/6/2012
Test Track Presented by Chervrolet Epcot 12/6/2012
Seven Dwarfs Mine ride ??/??/2014
Avatar Attraction AK ??/??/2017 EST
Avatar Attraction AK ??/??/2017 EST

 

[TubaGeek]

How depressing.

 

[MinnieM123]

A popular topic around here is how many rides WDW is building or not building as the case may be, so I thought I would take a look at the actual numbers. To do this I compiled a list of all the rides ever built at WDW, including ones that have closed or been replaced, and the date they opened. A few notes on my methodology...

1. I am just focusing on rides here since it was the easiest attraction category to do. "Ride" can be a little subjective, I don't consider Carousel of Progress a ride but I do consider Universe of Energy. I don't think this would skew the numbers to much.

2. I am not counting refurbs unless they significantly changed the ride. Again this is subjective, Test Track is clearly a new ride since it's totally different from WOM, but Test Track by Cheverlot is debatable, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt and included it.


3. I am including 2 Avatar rides in 2017 since this is the only new rides we can be reasonable confident in for this decade. Not saying there won't be more, this is just all we know about right now.

I have included the full list at the end of the post in case I missed something.

The most interesting thing to come from these statistics is how many rides WDW added in each decade:

1971-1979: Added 19
1980-1989: Added 14
1990-1999: Added 13
2000-2009: Added 8
2010-2017: Added 5 Estimated


Full list:

Name Park Open Date
Plaza Sawn Boats Magic Kingdom 5/20/1972
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Magic Kingdom 10/14/1971
World of Motion Epcot 10/1/1982
Mr Toad's Wild Ride Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Journey Into Imagination Epcot 3/5/1983
Horizons Epcot 10/1/1983
Discovery River Boats AK 4/22/1998
Skyway Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Mike Fink Keelboats Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
The Living Seas Epcot 1/15/1986
Journey into YOUR Imagination Epcot 10/1/1999
Body Wars Epcot 10/19/1989
El Rio del Tiempo Epcot 10/1/1982
Star Tours DHS 12/15/1989
Barnstormer Magic Kingdom 10/1/1996
Test Track Epcot 3/17/1999
Snow White's Scary Adventure Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Dumbo the Flying Elephant Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Hauntend Mansion Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
It's a Small World Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Jungle Cruise Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Mad Tea Party Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Peter Pan's Flight Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Price Charming Regal Carousel Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Tomorrowland Speedway Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Walt Disney World Railroad Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Libery Square Riverboat Magic Kingdom 10/2/1971
Pirate of the Caribbean Magic Kingdom 12/17/1973
Space Mountain Magic Kingdom 1/15/1975
Tomorrowland Transit Authority Magic Kingdom 7/1/1975
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Magic Kingdom 11/23/1980
Living with the Land Epcot 10/1/1982
Spaceship Earth Epcot 10/1/1982
Universe of Energy Epcot 10/1/1982
Maelstrom Epcot 7/5/1988
Great Movie Ride DHS 5/1/1989
Studio Backlot Tour DHS 5/1/1989
Splash Mountain Magic Kingdom 7/27/1992
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror DHS 7/22/1994
Astro Orbiter Magic Kingdom 2/25/1995
DINOSAUR AK 4/22/1998
Kilimanjaro Safari AK 4/22/1998
Space Ranger Spin Magic Kingdom 10/7/1998
Kali River Rapids AK 3/18/1999
Many Adventureof Winnie the Pooh Magic Kingdom 6/5/1999
Magic Carpets of Aladdin Magic Kingdom 5/23/2001
Tricera Top Spin AK 11/1/2001
Rock 'n' roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith DHS 3/16/2002
Primeval Whirl AK 3/31/2002
Misson: SPACE Epcot 8/15/2003
Soarin' Epcot 5/5/2005
Expedition Everest AK 4/7/2006
Toy Story Midway Mania DHS 5/31/2008
Under the Sea with the Little Mermaid Magic Kingdom 12/6/2012
Test Track Presented by Chervrolet Epcot 12/6/2012
Avatar Attraction AK 1/1/2017 EST
Avatar Attraction AK 1/1/2017 EST

My goodness, that is quite a list you compiled, and thank you for sharing! Yet, I noticed that I kept drifting back to your statistical breakdown of new rides per decade; that information highlighted the most poignant part of your communication.

 

[danlb_2000]

My goodness, that is quite a list you compiled, and thank you for sharing! Yet, I noticed that I kept drifting back to your statistical breakdown of new rides per decade; that information highlighted the most poignant part of your communication.

Yeah, it shows the value of actually looking at the numbers. I wasn't even expecting that when I started working on the list.

 

[Voxel]

Yeah, it shows the value of actually looking at the numbers. I wasn't even expecting that when I started working on the list.

Could this have some relation to the number of Disney parks in the world. It seems that the more Disney Parks being build the less new rides coming to the WDW.

 

[jdmdisney99]

Could this have some relation to the number of Disney parks in the world. It seems that the more Disney Parks being build the less new rides coming to the WDW.

I'll do one for other resorts for comparison. :shrug:

 

[Voxel]

I'll do one for other resorts for comparison. :shrug:

Overall I think will see the rate of ride create on the rise but it is spread out.

 

[danlb_2000]

I'll do one for other resorts for comparison. :shrug:

It would be interesting to see a comparison with Disneyland.

 

[TubaGeek]

Overall I think will see the rate of ride create on the rise...

It had better! It only makes sense that there should be more growth with more parks. It's up to 11, going on 12!

 

[GoofGoof]

Interesting list. I don't see Mine Train there for this decade but since you listed the estimate at 5 I'm assuming you counted it.

I think what is pretty interesting is that even the 2000s decade that included some pretty bad economic times still had some major adds. Only 8 new rides, but 5 were E-tickets or at least major draws (RNRC, TSMM, EE, Mission Space and Soarin). The 90s which is often considered part of the heyday of WDW had an equal number of E Ticket or major draws (Splash, TOT, Dinosaur, Safari and Kali River Rapids). I think the original Test Track is missing too, but still not as big a drop off as I would have expected.

 

[marni1971]

RnRC was 1999. Looks like that data is the WDSP version.

 

[luv]

It's an interesting list!

I wouldn't count rides that don't exist...but I wasn't doing the work! The person who does the work gets to choose he rules.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Marc Gil]

So MK's last E Ticket was Splash Mountain in 1992. Disneyland Park's last E Ticket was Indiana Jones Adventure which opened in 1995. Now that I think about it, Disneyland Park has hardly changed physically since the mid to late nineties, excluding Fantasy Faire.

Thanks for the post @danlb_2000 , very interesting...

 

[Weather_Lady]

Very interesting -- thanks for doing all that work. I don't suppose you have stats on how many attractions ("rides") were removed during those periods as well?

 

[kondjott]

I was curious what the breakdown would be for rides that were added to existing parks. If you consider just rides that were opened more than a month after their park's official opening, it looks like this:

70s: 4
80s: 7
90s: 9
00s: 8
10s: 5 (so far)

 

[danlb_2000]

Interesting list. I don't see Mine Train there for this decade but since you listed the estimate at 5 I'm assuming you counted it.

I think what is pretty interesting is that even the 2000s decade that included some pretty bad economic times still had some major adds. Only 8 new rides, but 5 were E-tickets or at least major draws (RNRC, TSMM, EE, Mission Space and Soarin). The 90s which is often considered part of the heyday of WDW had an equal number of E Ticket or major draws (Splash, TOT, Dinosaur, Safari and Kali River Rapids). I think the original Test Track is missing too, but still not as big a drop off as I would have expected.

You are right, Mine Ride was missing from the list but it was in the number. I have put in on the list now. The original Test Track in is there.

RnRC was 1999. Looks like that data is the WDSP version.

Fixed in the list and the numbers.

It's an interesting list!

I wouldn't count rides that don't exist...but I wasn't doing the work! The person who does the work gets to choose he rules.

Thanks for the info.

I counted them because I was looking at build rate. I might take the numbers and create a summary of home many rides each park had each year this would show the impact of closings.

 

[Monorail Mike]

A popular topic around here is how many rides WDW is building or not building as the case may be, so I thought I would take a look at the actual numbers. To do this I compiled a list of all the rides ever built at WDW, including ones that have closed or been replaced, and the date they opened. A few notes on my methodology...

1. I am just focusing on rides here since it was the easiest attraction category to do. "Ride" can be a little subjective, I don't consider Carousel of Progress a ride but I do consider Universe of Energy. I don't think this would skew the numbers to much.

2. I am not counting refurbs unless they significantly changed the ride. Again this is subjective, Test Track is clearly a new ride since it's totally different from WOM, but Test Track by Cheverlot is debatable, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt and included it.


3. I am including 2 Avatar rides in 2017 since this is the only new rides we can be reasonable confident in for this decade. Not saying there won't be more, this is just all we know about right now.

I have included the full list at the end of the post in case I missed something.

The most interesting thing to come from these statistics is how many rides WDW added in each decade:

1971-1979: Added 19
1980-1989: Added 14
1990-1999: Added 14
2000-2009: Added 7
2010-2017: Added 5 Estimated


Full list:

Name Park Open Date
Plaza Sawn Boats Magic Kingdom 5/20/1972
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Magic Kingdom 10/14/1971
World of Motion Epcot 10/1/1982
Mr Toad's Wild Ride Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Journey Into Imagination Epcot 3/5/1983
Horizons Epcot 10/1/1983
Discovery River Boats AK 4/22/1998
Skyway Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Mike Fink Keelboats Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
The Living Seas Epcot 1/15/1986
Journey into YOUR Imagination Epcot 10/1/1999
Body Wars Epcot 10/19/1989
El Rio del Tiempo Epcot 10/1/1982
Star Tours DHS 12/15/1989
Barnstormer Magic Kingdom 10/1/1996
Test Track Epcot 3/17/1999
Snow White's Scary Adventure Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Dumbo the Flying Elephant Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Hauntend Mansion Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
It's a Small World Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Jungle Cruise Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Mad Tea Party Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Peter Pan's Flight Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Price Charming Regal Carousel Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Tomorrowland Speedway Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Walt Disney World Railroad Magic Kingdom 10/1/1971
Libery Square Riverboat Magic Kingdom 10/2/1971
Pirate of the Caribbean Magic Kingdom 12/17/1973
Space Mountain Magic Kingdom 1/15/1975
Tomorrowland Transit Authority Magic Kingdom 7/1/1975
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Magic Kingdom 11/23/1980
Living with the Land Epcot 10/1/1982
Spaceship Earth Epcot 10/1/1982
Universe of Energy Epcot 10/1/1982
Maelstrom Epcot 7/5/1988
Great Movie Ride DHS 5/1/1989
Studio Backlot Tour DHS 5/1/1989
Splash Mountain Magic Kingdom 7/27/1992
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror DHS 7/22/1994
Astro Orbiter Magic Kingdom 2/25/1995
DINOSAUR AK 4/22/1998
Kilimanjaro Safari AK 4/22/1998
Space Ranger Spin Magic Kingdom 10/7/1998
Kali River Rapids AK 3/18/1999
Many Adventureof Winnie the Pooh Magic Kingdom 6/5/1999
Magic Carpets of Aladdin Magic Kingdom 5/23/2001
Tricera Top Spin AK 11/1/2001
Rock 'n' roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith DHS 7/29/1999
Primeval Whirl AK 3/31/2002
Misson: SPACE Epcot 8/15/2003
Soarin' Epcot 5/5/2005
Expedition Everest AK 4/7/2006
Toy Story Midway Mania DHS 5/31/2008
Under the Sea with the Little Mermaid Magic Kingdom 12/6/2012
Test Track Presented by Chervrolet Epcot 12/6/2012
Seven Dwarfs Mine ride ??/??/2014
Avatar Attraction AK ??/??/2017 EST
Avatar Attraction AK ??/??/2017 EST

Wow, that's an awesome list! It would be fun to see where the openings of the resorts, launches of ships, major movies releases and DVC projects fit in. That would really give a clear picture of how the company has been allocating its resources. Anyone up for the challenge?

 

[danlb_2000]

Wow, that's an awesome list! It would be fun to see where the openings of the resorts, launches of ships, major movies releases and DVC projects fit in. That would really give a clear picture of how the company has been allocating its resources. Anyone up for the challenge?

The problem with doing that is that there are so few ride openings that it's hard to draw a statistical correlation.

 

[bethymouse]

I just wish still that they had waited to open the entire New Fantasyland with a huge grand opening! But, that's not the Disney way!

 

[Pacha]

How does the WDW build rate compare to Universal? There are a LOT of posts on this board (and others) about how Universal is getting ahead of Disney and I'm curious to know if that's real or perceived.