There often is. For instance, in the case of SWL, they plussed it - and cut an entire third part of the MGM plans and reduced the already embarrassingly underwhelming TSL plans. It's all in how you frame it.
From my understanding, there's two elements at play (correct me if I'm wrong, insiders):
1) Disney is absolutely awful at getting value for money - they spend far too much on almost every project
2) They try (and this is a generalization, but it seems to hold true) to do the least that they feel they need to do in any given situation - witness the 15 years of neglect at WDW
I would still contend that, taken in context, Pandora and MGM are not necessarily signs that the underlying problems at WDW have been resolved. While both Pandora and SWL will be (are) great, they need to be considered as part of the larger whole.
I also wonder - with inside info, we constantly talk about cuts and infighting. Without it, without the behind the scenes knowledge, all we would have seen over the last couple decades are ride closures and stagnation, without even being teased with the possibility of new attractions. Would opinions of the park really be higher?
