AttractionsWalt Disney World (FL)

TRON Lightcycle / Run – the Spoiler Review

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It was the middle of July, 2017. Despacito was the #1 song in the country. Garbiñe Muguruza had just defeated Venus Williams at Wimbledon. In the U.S., gasoline was $2.25 a gallon. Filming of Avatar 2: The Way of Water was about to start in California. And Bob Chapek, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, announced that TRON Lightcycle/Run was coming to the Magic Kingdom.

Five years and seven months have passed. Thankfully, Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Justin Bieber, and Garbiñe Muguruza are all still playing. Avatar 2 is doing well. Gas is 50% more expensive, though, and someone should really check on that Chapek guy. But TRON Lightcycle/Run is just a couple more months away from its official opening.

Yesterday I got to ride TRON. Here’s what it’s like.

standing on a wide pathway, the swoops and curves of TRON's canopy and track are visible ahead.
The approach to TRON

The walk up to the TRON ride building is through the central part of Tomorrowland, as if you’re headed for Space Mountain. Just before you reach the Space Mountain line, you’ll turn left and follow a pathway past the Tomorrowland Light & Power gift shop that serves as Space Mountain’s exit, across the Walt Disney World Railroad, and on to TRON.

What’s TRON’s Queue Like?

guests walk between metal queue railings as the translucent white TRON canopy arches overhead and extends down to the ground on either side.
Part of the TRON queue

TRON’s outdoor architecture is some of Imagineering’s best work. It’s futuristic, sure, but it’s in Tomorrowland where futuristic is the name of the game. The undulating curves of the white canopy, coupled with the glimmers of sunlight they let through, make the overall effect cool, instead of industrial or sterile. Disney smartly put part of the ride track above the extended outdoor queue, also covered by the canopy, so that guests in line see what they’re waiting for.

Before going inside, guests can try sitting in a TRON test vehicle to see if they fit. Similar to Flight of Passage, the rider needs to hold a specific position on the bike. We expect that current concerns about fitting on the bikes will die down some as tweaks are made and Cast Members learn to help riders get into the correct position. In the images below, you can see the body position and the leg restraint that has to close at the back of the knee.

Cast Members have told us that so far the biggest issues have been taller people and those with larger calves. If you don’t fit on the bike – and don’t assume you won’t until you try – there are regular-style coaster cars for accessibility.

Once inside, the interior standby queue is a long series of lines through mostly black rooms, punctuated with a couple of colorful queue elements. It’s not as elaborate as Guardians of the Galaxy’s queue, more like the second half of Space Mountain’s.

TRON’s Lockers

A nice touch inside is how the Imagineers have designed the TRON locker system. Lockers are big enough for a school backpack and maybe a bit more – perhaps a touch over one cubic foot of space. Each locker is numbered, and the numbers are illuminated on empty lockers. Once you choose a locker, you’ll tap your Magic Band or admission media to open the locker. Stuff your stuff inside and you’ll be on your way.

Len stands next to a row of lockers with glowing numbers where the lock should be. He is pressing his wrist (with MagicBand) to the front of the locker where it is lit up.
Lit lockers are empty; dark ones are in use.

The lockers are double-sided, so you can place your stuff in on one side as you enter the ride and remove it from the other as you exit. (If you forget your locker number, touch your Magic Band to the terminals at either end of the lockers, and it’ll tell you what locker number you have.)

Loading for TRON

The loading platform for TRON looks a lot like that of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. And like Cosmic Rewind, a Cast member at the top of the platform directs parties with even numbers of riders to one side, and odd numbers to the other. This helps ensure the maximum number of seats are filled on each train, because two odd numbers added together are always even, and two even numbers added together are always even. That means TRON shouldn’t need (or have) a single-rider line.

A train of TRON bikes waits for riders on an empty platform. Markings on the ground show where riders should enter and exit.
A TRON train waiting for loading

What’s it Like Riding TRON?

Riders board TRON’s ride vehicles similar to how they board Avatar Flight of Passage – a bit like getting on a bike or motorcycle. You end up sitting forward, with your head and hands out in front of the rest of your body. It’s supposed to give a heightened sensation of speed once you’re moving. And it does.

one of TRON's trains moves towards you on the track. People are smiling and laughing, with long hair blowing out behind them from the speed.

TRON is a launch coaster, so you go from standing still to very fast in just a few seconds. That launch takes you from inside the show building to outside, where you roar (briefly) over the crowds waiting to ride. The ride is supposed to follow a plot of some kind … a contest, I think? That part wasn’t explained in the preshow, it definitely didn’t come through on the ride. I don’t think it matters.

Will I Feel Sick Riding TRON?

The ride experience is fun, fast, and short – I timed it at just under 60 seconds start to finish. It didn’t make me dizzy or nauseous in the way that Guardians and Everest sometimes do (Star Tours is a hard no for me). So that aspect of it should allow more guests to ride TRON. I definitely got a bit of the “look, mom, I’m flying” feeling, too.

What’s TRON Like Overall?

I’m pretty sure Disney’s first goal with TRON was to add another ride to the Magic Kingdom. They did that. In terms of how it rates as an attraction … it’s just okay.

I use five criteria to judge an attraction:

  1. Scope and Scale: Big rides are harder to do than small rides. And a ride has to be long enough to make it worth the wait.
  2. Attention to Detail
  3. Appeal to Everyone: A great ride – even a thrill ride – has something for everyone who can ride
  4. Catchy Songs
  5. Do I Want to Ride Again?

Using these criteria, Big Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean are great rides. So’s Rise of the Resistance (even with the ride breakdowns), Kilimanjaro Safaris, Spaceship Earth, and several other Disney rides. Over at Universal, Hagrid’s and VelociCoaster get top marks, and there are others.

TRON is a good ride, but not great. It’s over too soon. There’s no real detail to see (and no story I could discern). The soundtrack fits well into Tomorrowland, but it’s not something I’m going to leave humming. Will I ride it every time I’m in the park, like Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway? No.

But that’s okay. TRON’s a much-needed new ride in the Magic Kingdom. It’ll help pull crowds away from Fantasyland and Frontierland. And it looks gorgeous at night. Four stars out of five.

 

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Len Testa

Len Testa is the co-author of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, and has contributed to the Disneyland and Las Vegas Unofficial Guides. Most of his time is spent trying to keep up with the team. Len's email address is len@touringplans.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @lentesta.

3 thoughts on “TRON Lightcycle / Run – the Spoiler Review

  • Does the ride go upside down or corkscrew?

    Reply
  • Thanks for great, thorough review. I’m sure it will have a very very long line and I’m sure I’ll pay the $$$ to skip the line! And from your description, I’m guessing Guardians will remain my favorite ride. Hopefully 7 dwarves moves to a lightening lane.

    Reply
  • Thanks for the review! I’m excited to try this and will aim for doing it at night to get the full effect of the canopy. I am surprised at how short the ride is. That’s a long wait for just one minute of fun.

    Reply

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