Guests Heartbroken After Being Turned Away From 'TRON' Ride Due to Disney's Poor Planning

Walt Disney World Resort Guests are enraged about the handling of the newest Magic Kingdom ride, TRON Lightcycle / Run. Based on TRON (1982), this indoor-outdoor rollercoaster is one of the most thrilling Disney Park attractions worldwide.

Months after its opening day, Guests still must sign up for a virtual queue or purchase an Individual Lightning Lane to ride TRON Lightcycle / Run. Though this system purports to guarantee a ride for Guests who show up within an hour of being called, many say they’ve been turned away at no fault of their own.

Reddit user u/AmphibianNo8598 reported getting called for their TRON Lightcycle / Run virtual queue around 10:10 p.m., 50 minutes before Magic Kingdom Park closed. They showed up around 10:20 p.m. and waited 35 minutes in a lengthy line before getting to scan their virtual queue with a Disney Cast Member. Though the Guest was able to ride, they alleged that Guests behind them in line were turned away because the Park was closed, despite showing up on time.

“I know for a fact that so many people didn’t get on, they either didn’t build enough queue space or they’re overselling the VQs,” the Guest wrote. “If you’re not scanned into the virtual queue then you are not ‘in line’. People were turned away after 10:59.”

“I was in that queue around 9:00pm 2 days ago and was thinking the same thing,” u/matirwin agreed. “It wrapped back and forth for a long time before you could even scan in.”

Disney Parks fans were infuriated.

“I’d be pretty livid and going to Guest Relations,” u/Illustrious_Chest136 said. “If I had a VQ return and showed up on time but there was a 40 minute wait just to scan in and then they didn’t let me in that’d be messed up. I know getting a boarding group ‘doesn’t guarantee riding’ but this is a bit different.”

But others reported that what the Guests claimed was inaccurate.

“This is not procedure. If you’re in line, you’re in line, regardless if you tapped in or not,” u/Grantsdale alleged. “I’ve never heard of anyone reporting what you’re reporting. The Guests would flip the f**k out if what you’re saying is accurate. It isn’t the Guests fault if there is a line past the tapstyle.”

Return as soon as possible to avoid any hiccups with your TRON Lightcycle / Run virtual queue.

More on the First TRON Ride in the United States

TRON Lightcycle / Run opened adjacent to Space Mountain in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom Park on April 4, 2023. The original iteration of the TRON ride opened at Shanghai Disneyland in 2016.

“Speed across a world with no horizons in a high-stakes race based on the Disney sci-fi film TRON: Legacy,” reads the official Disney description of the rollercoaster. “Lean forward into the ultimate race of survival! Leave the real world behind and join Team Blue in an epic quest across the Grid—the dark, computerized world with no horizons from TRON. Here, there’s no limit to the excitement.”

“Climb aboard your very own Lightcycle and take off on a high-speed adventure, racing against the Grid’s most menacing Programs. Surge past your fierce opponents as you attempt to cross through 8 Energy Gates and secure your team’s victory—so you can survive to race another day.”

Have you been turned away from Magic Kingdom’s TRON ride? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments. 

Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on personal Disney Parks Guest experiences. No two Guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.