It’s been a very long four years, but at last an opening date has been announced for TRON Lightcycle/RUN!
Walt Disney World has finally announced that TRON Lightcycle/Run will open on April 4, 2023. Based on an attraction originally premiered at Shanghai Disneyland, TRON Lightcycle/Run broke ground at WDW’s Magic Kingdom in 2018. The project faced a few delays and setbacks, most notably when all the parks shut down during 2020 due to the pandemic.
Even after the parks reopened, many construction projects, including this one, were slow to restart. Once construction DID restart, things moved at a much slower pace than originally planned. Budgets were trimmed due to the financial losses incurred during the pandemic closures. The reduced crowd capacities in the months following those closures also had an impact.
Throughout the life of the project, we published several posts about TRON Lightcycle/Run. You can find those posts here, here, or here.
Opening Date Announced for TRON Lightcycle/Run : April 4, 2023
Ok. So now we have a date. What should we be expecting? We still don’t have a TON of information, but we do have some. A while back, Walt Disney World installed some ride vehicles in Tomorrowland near Space Mountain. This allowed guests to see the vehicles and try them out.
We’ve also had the chance to see the TRON Lightcycle/Run project throughout its construction from the People Mover. Every visit offered a progression and new sights to see. Checking on the progress of this project has been a fun highlight of each Magic Kingdom visit over the last few years.
More recent visitors have been able to see ride vehicles moving on the tracks during the vehicle testing phases.
Storyline
Disney’s official release didn’t just include the announcement that TRON Lightcycle/Run was finally opening April 4, 2023. The release also included basic storyline of the attraction. Here is the statement from the release:
“The story of TRON Lightcycle / Run picks up after “TRON: Legacy” where Kevin’s son, Sam Flynn, has opened a second gateway into a digital world called the Grid. The first portal was built at Shanghai Disneyland with the original TRON Lightcycle Power Run.
When guests enter the queue at Magic Kingdom, they’ll feel as if they’ve been digitized and transported to the Grid for a special Lightcycle race. It’s your Team Blue against the Grid’s menacing Programs, Team Orange. Your goal is to be the first to race through eight Energy Gates and secure victory. The attraction will be one of the fastest coasters at any Disney theme park in the world.”
TRON Lightcycle/Run Video
Warning: the video below contains portions of a ride through on the original attraction at Shanghai Disneyland. If you don’t want to know any details about what this attraction will be like, I recommend you do NOT watch the two minute video below.
Spring Breakers Will Be Sure to Enjoy TRON
TRON Lightcycle/Run is opening just in time for April Spring Break crowds. Previews and “soft” openings will likely begin near the end of March so some late March Spring Break crowds will likely also be likely to get a chance to take a ride on TRON Lightcycle/Run.
I suspect this new attraction will be wildly popular. Lines are likely to be very long, right from the opening minute. I’m sure this will also be a Genie+ Individual Lightning Lane attraction. Disney has not yet announced that, however. If TRON Lightcycle/Run DOES turn out to be a Genie+ Individual Lightning Lane attraction, the big question will be how much will it cost?
Since Lightning Lane pricing does seem to be driven both by crowd levels and demand, I suspect this one will fall in line with the higher price attractions. I don’t think it will higher than attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, but I suspect it will be in that neighborhood. Again, higher during busier periods of the year, lower during lower crowd volumes. Since spring break is one of the busiest times of the year at Walt Disney World, we can expect peak pricing in the Genie+ app for Lightning Lane attractions as well.
Standby vs. Virtual Queue
Another big question: when TRON Lightcycle/Run opens, will it be a standby line or will it use a virtual queue? Personally, my money is on a virtual queue. All the recent new attractions at Walt Disney World have used a virtual queue when they opened, at least at first. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind all opened using virtual queues initially. Currently, the only attraction still using a virtual queue is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
A virtual queue helps Disney to control crowds around the attraction extremely well, keep the lines somewhat contained and adapt should the new attraction face any technical issues. Which, lets face it, all new attractions have at least SOME technical issues. No matter how much they test it, there are BOUND to be some technical issues. At least a few, right?
I could be wrong here, but I’m betting on a virtual queue for at least the first few months. Probably through the end of 2023. I will of course update you as soon as Disney makes any kind of official announcement on this.
Are You Ready to Enter the Grid?
Now that an opening date has finally been announced for TRON Lightcycle/Run, are you excited to ride it? Is this an attraction you’ve been waiting for? Or are you more likely to take a wait and see approach?
I’m very curious about this one. I don’t know if I will like it, but I think I will have to at least TRY and ride it at least once so I can report back to you all! It looks fun, but as I get older, I don’t do as well with the fast thrill rides as I did when I was younger.
We’ll see how manageable the lines are when Mom and I go for our annual trip in May. I can guarantee this is NOT one Mom will want to ride, so her mission will be to explore and take pictures from the ground if I am able to ride. I’m hearing that lockers are mandatory for all riders to lock up their stuff so that nothing can be accidentally dropped from the ride vehicles. Yikes!
We will definitely keep you posted!
If you’re ready to book your next trip to Walt Disney World now that you know TRON Lightcycle/Run will be open, be sure to send me an email. I’d be happy to give you a no obligation quote and to help you plan a terrific trip!
Happy Dreaming!!
Brooke
