No not every addition can be an E-Ticket. But it should be at least an addition, a really new attraction in the parks roster not the just the replacement or changing of an already existing one. But with the exception of Soarin' (Kim Possible isn't even a real attraction, as it is only an interactive quest for kids) every other change at EPCOT you mentioned was no addition but a mere refurb, plussing or exchange, even Innoventions is only the former Communicore, Mission Space was only the replacement for Horizons, Test Track for WoM. Since the opening of Norway there was ONE real addition to the attractions roster, Soarin' but WoL was closed so since 1989 we even have a negative count. I mean ONE real addition in the meaning of an expansion in 22 years, that's already really sad. But to have EVEN LESS attractions than there were in the early 90ies, that's annoying.
The same count btw. for the MK. No expansion of the roster since Splash Mountain. The FLE only gives us TLM for former 20kLutS and SDMTR for SWSA, Barnbuster only becomes Great Goofini and Dumbo is only doubled. Expansion of the number of attractions at MK even with the FLE since Splash is ZERO because the Flying Carpets (which I consider a complete desaster in imagineering IMHO) are countered by the loss of the Skyway.
Compared to the real additions and expansions in DL this makes up quite a picture.
If refurbishments are improvements to what preceeded it then I considered it an addition. Star Tours 2 is a replacement/addition, but it improved the quality of the attraction in that space. I would argue (and I'm sure I'll catch some flack for this) that The Little Mermaid is an improvement over 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
The parks aren't standing still - they're not improving at the pace we would all like, but they're certainly not standing still.
I wasn't going to mention the new restaurants in World Showcase, but that's also a plus (at least in Italy). I also neglected to mention Sum of all Thrills - a very quality B ticket.
Having said all this - most of the parks have large areas for actual expansion, but personally I would rather see dead areas of the parks addressed before the footprint is expanded. Sure, I don't think something like Sounds Dangerous should close if there's no replacement under construction (anything that takes 2 guests out of the Toy Story line is a positive), but I'd rather see Sounds Dangerous replaced before they expand into the backlot area.
Over at the Animal Kingdom, I really don't think Dino-Rama is going to be replaced before an expansion. That doesn't make a lot of sense. That area was added for capacity purposes, so to demolish it without an additional Expansion would decrease that function. The problem is, for as well as that park was planned out, its prospects for expansion have many major hurdles. Removing Festival of the Lion King would be a huge mistake, and it may take some significant finagling to re-locate it. Otherwise that area needs to maintain a theme that includes Festival of the Lion King. In theory, Camp Minnie Mickey could be a gateway to another land and that would solve the problem.
There's a bit of room near Everest/Finding Nemo as well but that would require some infrastructure changes in and around the Discovery River Boat storage area.
The biggest issue (and biggest area for expansion) is behind Kali River Rapids. There really isn't enough room for a walking path to an entire land unless either the Wildlife Express Train and/or Maharajah Jungle Trek are removed/modified. This is part of the reason why I feel that this area should be used for a nighttime show, just because a winding path can be used for a queue, just not for a walking path to a land.
Part of the problem with the Animal Kingdom is that with most of the attractions being outdoors, they all take up a huge amount of space. People complain that the attractions are too spread out, but the reality is, the boundaries of the attractions are right next to each other.
The other possibility for expansion is the removal of the Discovery Island trails behind the Tree of Life and replacing them with elements of Flik's Fun Fair. This is a very well done done kiddy land in DCA, and while I enjoy walking behind the Tree of Life along those trails, those are animals that can easily be relocated or even integrated alongside the kiddy attractions.
