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In under two months, Guests visiting Magic Kingdom Park will finally get to experience a brand-new attraction with the debut of TRON Lightcyle / Run at Walt Disney World Resort.
However, anticipation for the latest Disney Park ride may have been marred by recent previews as multiple users are reporting that the TRON Lightcycles are not completely accessible for all body types and those of a certain size who are able to ride reportedly have to wait extra time in order to use the adapted attraction vehicles.
Related: Guest Calls Out Theme Parks, “Rides Aren’t Built For Fat People”
After being announced almost six years ago at the D23 Expo 2017, TRON Lightcycle / Run powered by Enterprise will officially open at Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom on April 4, 2023. The TRON-themed coaster is a new e-ticket attraction coming to the Central Florida Parks, joining other headlining attractions like Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT.
It seems like a lifetime since Walt Disney Imagineering began on the attraction, and for years Guests could catch a glimpse of the ride from the Tomorrowland Speedway or the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, but soon TRON Lightcycle / Run will officially join those attractions and others like Space Mountain in the beloved Magic Kingdom land.
Disney Cast Members report issues with TRON Lightcycle / Run
Years in the making, the ride’s canopy — the Upload Conduit — was officially powered on last month, and as time inches closer to that April opening, all eyes are on the finishing touches, and ears on reviews from those lucky enough to have experienced it already.
Unfortunately, Disney Parks is facing backlash after the recent Cast Member previews for TRON Lightcycle / RUN. A tweet shared by Theme Park Express (@ThemeParkExpres) showed multiple comments from those having rode the attraction and how it may have ruined their Disney experience. It reads:
I’m getting multiple reports from Cast Members at the Tron preview today saying that they do NOT fit in the standard Lightcycle seat and there is an additional 30+ minute wait for the “large guest” seat in the back. They’re saying it’s worse than Flight of Passage
I’m getting multiple reports from Cast Members at the Tron preview today saying that they do NOT fit in the standard Lightcycle seat and there is an additional 30+ minute wait for the “large guest” seat in the back. They’re saying it’s worse than Flight of Passage pic.twitter.com/3X1jWMqoSQ
— Theme Park Express (@ThemeParkExpres) February 3, 2023
Some of the comments reveal concerns over TRON’s lack of accessibility for certain body sizes as well as an increased wait time to use the adapted Lightcycle. Five of the comments from different people read:
Tron is going to be a nightmare based on the average body type of Disney guesties
I’ve been told my entire life that I’m not as fat as i think i am and that my body dysmorphia is wrong but Tron just ruined all my progress
[I]f you’re above a size 14 in pants you probably won’t fit on tron
[D]idn’t think i was gonna leave the Tron cast preview crying and wanting to cut off my thighs and calves
It’s terribly restrictive. It’s a shame they did not add more accommodations vehicles, and it sounds like that are struggling to operate/load efficiently with the few have.
Related: ‘Fat Tested Travel’ Influencer Campaigns Disney to Test TRON Seats Ahead of Opening
Another tweet with more Cast Member reports was shared:
Here are a few more screenshots I was sent regarding the previews for Tron today. This is really heartbreaking to hear but I knew this was going to happen. Hopefully the load process will be improved upon for larger guests and less families will be split up
Here are a few more screenshots I was sent regarding the previews for Tron today. This is really heartbreaking to hear but I knew this was going to happen. Hopefully the load process will be improved upon for larger guests and less families will be split up pic.twitter.com/RZiQd0qtOE
— Theme Park Express (@ThemeParkExpres) February 3, 2023
Reports are saying that the Lightcycles are “[way] smaller than [Flight of Passage]”. Guests can see in this image from Bioreconstruct on Twitter how the traditional roller coaster vehicle looks compared to the Lightcycles themselves.
When TRON / Lightcycle does open on April 4, 2023, it will open as a Virtual Queue only with no traditional standby option, at least in the first instance. The Virtual Queue, as with the other attraction at Walt Disney World Resort that uses it (Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind) can be accessed at 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day. There will also be the chance to purchase an a la carte Individual Lightning Lane Selection for the roller coaster.
What is TRON Lightcycle / Run?
Based on the 1982 movie, and its 2010 sequel TRON: Legacy, TRON Lightcycle / Run presented by Enterprise sees Guests boarding Lightcycles and joining “Team Blue in an epic quest across the Grid” in an attempt to move eight energy gates and secure victory. Disney Parks, of course, already has a TRON coaster at their Shanghai Disneyland location in Shanghai Disney Resort called TRON Lightcycle Power Run.
Only time will tell how much the Lightcycles inhibit certain Guests’ experience when riding TRON Lightcycle / Run at Walt Disney World Resort, and whether Disney Parks will acknowledge the outcry.
What are your thoughts on these reports about TRON Lightcycle / Run at Walt Disney World Resort? Let us know in the comments down below!