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Credit: DisneyOne of Disney’s newest roller coasters is being patched up with duct tape.
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Over the years, Walt Disney World has opened some of the most famous theme park attractions of all time. While other amusement parks like Universal, SeaWorld, Six Flags, Dollywood, and Knott’s Berry Farm all feature incredible experiences of their own, it’s hard to compete with a company like Disney.
Some of the newer experiences at the Disney parks have really solidified Disney as a major player in the immersive theme park experience. New rides and expansions like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, as well as the entirety of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, are incredible and truly show off the talent behind Walt Disney Imagineering.
TRON Lightcycle/Run is the newest ride at Magic Kingdom and the newest attraction at The Walt Disney World Resort, that is, until Journey of Water Inspired by Moana opens at EPCOT. This new walkthrough attraction based on Disney’s Moana franchise is set to open in October of 2023 and looks to be a unique addition to the iconic EPCOT Disney park. As we said, TRON Lightcycle/Run is the newest actual ride at Disney World, first opening in early 2023 at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.
This high-tech roller coaster can be found right next to Space Mountain in Tomorrowland and has already become a fan favorite among coaster enthusiasts at Walt Disney World. This isn’t a completely new side, however, as it’s actually a copy of the ride found at Shanghai Disneyland. The Walt Disney Company first announced that it would be building a second version of TRON Lightccyle/Run nearly six years ago, with construction taking a considerable amount of time.
During the ride’s construction and creation, Disney faced quite a few challenges, a lot of which could be attributed to the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.
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Disney officially announced its TRON roller coaster all the way back in 2017, and watching the progress has been interesting, to say the least. The construction of this new ride meant the closure of the iconic Walt Disney World Railroad, a closure that lasted multiple years. Thankfully, it returned at the end of last year to the joy of many Guests and Disney fans alike.
The roller coaster was originally expected to open sometime during Walt Disney World Resort’s 50th-anniversary celebration, which began October 1, 2021, but this date came and went with no TRON. Construction of TRON Lightcycle/Run was controversial, to say the least, with many fans and guests poking fun at Walt Disney Imagineering’s seemingly slow approach to the attraction. One of the worst parts about TRON being built was the complete shutdown of the iconic Walt Disney World Railroad.
Due to TRON Lightcycle/Run’s footprint, the construction of the new coaster meant that Disney would have to close Magic Kingdom’s railroad indefinitely. This closure lasted almost five years, meaning guests were unable to use Magic Kingdom’s beloved railroad for basically half a decade. Eventually, the railroad opened back up, as did TRON Lightcycle/Run, and the rest is history.
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Despite TRON Lightcycle/Run being the newest attraction at Walt Disney World, it’s already showing its age. One user recently posted on X (Twitter) and revealed that part of the ride’s queue is being held together by actual duct tape. We’ve already covered the ride’s outdoor queue foundation cracking, with guests snapping photos of cracks in the concrete.
We recently experienced TRON Lightcycle/Run ourselves and noticed the queue looked quite dirty and run down. With the ride being so new, we doubt it will be closed for refurbishment any time soon, no matter how badly it needs one.
We’re incredibly disappointed to see a ride with this much time, energy, and money behind it get left in such a shocking state, and we hope that these cosmetic issues will be fixed soon.
At Walt Disney World, guests have a lot more to do than just visiting the Magic Kingdom. Guests will find three more parks, those being EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, all of which feature their own incredible rides, attractions, food, shows, and shopping adventures. Guests can also cool off at two fantastic water parks or do some serious shopping at Disney Springs.
Have you experienced TRON Lightcycle/Run? What’s your favorite ride at Walt Disney World?