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Credit: DisneyTake a trip through Walt Disney World as we attempt to uncover the resort’s fastest roller coaster.
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It’s no secret that the Walt Disney World Resort is home to dozens of rides and attractions, some of which have been operating for decades. Magic Kingdom features the largest selection of classic Disney experiences, such as Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Peter Pan’s Flight, but the theme park has certainly received high-tech improvements over the years.
The best example of this is TRON Lightcycle / Run, which officially opened in early 2023. This new roller coaster was exciting for many reasons, as it not only added to Magic Kingdom’s selection of rides but seemed to usher in a new age for the resort as a whole.
The coaster is sleek, fast, and loud, with all its elements working together to convince guests that they really stepped into “The Grid.” Since 2023, TRON Lightcycle / Run has remained one of Magic Kingdom’s most popular attractions, and with the coaster recently being removed from Disney’s Virtual Queue system, more guests than ever have been able to try it out.
Ready. Set. Launch into the exhilarating world of the Grid at TRON Lightcycle / Run.
Leave the real world behind and join Team Blue in a 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.
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TRON’s speed is the ride’s most exciting feature, starting guests off with an incredibly intense launch similar to the one found on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. TRON’s unique seating arrangement makes the launch even more intense, placing guests in a similar position to that of a motorcycle.
TRON is one of the fastest rides at Magic Kingdom and one of Walt Disney World’s quickest attractions overall, with Disney itself advertising TRON Lightcycle / Run as “one of the fastest coasters at any Disney theme park in the world.”
One might think Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is actually faster, but the ride only reaches up to 57 mph. In comparison, TRON reaches top speeds of 60 mph, though given how short the ride actually is, this speed is not felt for long. With this information, it’s easy to deduce that TRON is Disney World’s fastest roller coaster.
However, there’s one problem: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
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A Competiton of Cosmic Proportions
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is one of Disney’s most impressive and ambitious undertakings yet, featuring a brand-new ride system and jaw-dropping special effects. Guests are tilted, spun, and twirled around a fast-paced track, coming face to face with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and Eson the Searcher, the attraction’s main villain.
While ride POVs on sites like YouTube make the coaster look fun enough, videos simply do not do this attraction justice. Guests lucky enough to take Cosmic Rewind for a spin often consider it Disney’s best roller coaster of all time.
Cosmic Rewind also reaches top speeds of 60 mph, and with all of its twists and turns, the coaster actually tends to feel even more intense than TRON.
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At the end of the day, two different attractions must take home the gold, with both Cosmic Rewind and TRON hitting the same top speeds. However, with each option offering an incredibly different and unique on-ride experience, it’s up to guests to determine which is more thrilling.
Overall, Walt Disney World’s fastest attraction is Test Track which is also located at EPCOT, but top speeds are always more fun to measure on roller coasters. As for what’s truly the most thrilling ride or attraction at Walt Disney World, that’s for guests to decide, with personal preference playing the biggest part in the overall enjoyment of a certain ride.
While definitely not the fastest ride, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is arguably one of Disney’s most intense and thrilling offerings to date, with the ride’s theming and drop sequences blending together to form one truly terrifying experience.
Do you enjoy thrill rides? What’s your favorite ride at Walt Disney World?