In this post we give an overview of TRON Lightcycle / Run, the newest roller coaster at Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park in Walt Disney World. We cover the basics of the ride, how to ride it, and our thoughts on the experience before closing with an FAQ. Read on to learn more!
Related Posts
This post is a quick guide to TRON, but we have related content that dives deeper into topics. Our Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane post covers Lightning Lane strategy in depth. The Magic Kingdom Rides and Entertainment Guide gives brief introductions to all the park’s offerings. For putting together your day at the park, we have a One Day Plan for Magic Kingdom.
Tron Basics
TRON Lightcycle / Run is a ride at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. The ride:
offers rider switch
offers Lightning Lane Single Pass for separate purchase
does not have a single rider line
is NOT a part of Early Entry at Magic Kingdom
is about 3 minutes long
Disney warns that expectant mothers should not ride.
If you’re visiting Magic Kingdom with small children, TRON has a height requirement of 48 inches to be aware of. There are several rides in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland that don’t have height requirements in case some of your group wants to ride those while the rest wait in line for TRON.
Where is the TRON Roller Coaster?
The ride is inside Magic Kingdom, the most popular theme park at Walt Disney World and the world. TRON is located next to Space Mountain, behind Tomorrowland Speedway. If you’re looking at Space Mountain from the front, TRON is down a short path to the left.
The remote location means the ride doesn’t quite add to any sort of “skyline” in the park, but fantastic views abound. It’s wonderful to see as you walk up to it, and you’ll have great views from PeopleMover. You can even pass under the structure via the Walt Disney World Railroad.
How To Ride TRON
You’ve got two options for riding TRON—standby or Lightning Lane Single Pass. The Lightning Lane Single Pass costs between $19 and $22. Generally, we don’t think the ride is worth that cost. Multi Pass is a better value and will probably allow you time to fit TRON into your day. If you do buy a Single Pass, consider booking an evening time—the ride is a stunner at night.
As for standby, there are two things to know. First, TRON will have long waits all day. Second, TRON is not a part of Early Entry, but Early Entry guests can queue for it during Early Entry.
Whether it’s worth your Early Entry time to “pre-queue” for TRON is a complicated question I’ve covered elsewhere. If you don’t have Early Entry, you can expect a long wait as soon as you’re allowed to queue for TRON because of all the Early Entry guests ahead of you.
TRON: It’s The Cycle of Light
The most important thing to know about TRON is that it uses a “cycle” style ride vehicles. This seat is sort of like the Flight of Passage ride vehicle (but, you know, on a coaster instead of a screen ride). You can test a seat outside the ride entrance.
If you’re unable or unwilling to ride in the cycle position, you’re in luck! There’s actually a standard coaster-style car at the end of the train. This is a traditional, seated with a lap bar, option.
The ride has a fast start with a wonderful outdoor portion. The outdoor portion is overall better at night, but it’s also not a huge part of the ride (by time, at least). The majority of the ride is indoors, in the dark with some classical TRON lighting, as you “race” against Team Orange, capturing “energy gates.”
While Disney says the ride is 4 minutes long, most people would consider it to be closer to 60-90 seconds, as Disney seems to include some of the loading and even wait time in that count. While I’d put TRON up there as far as intensity goes—alongside Everest, DINOSAUR, and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, I wouldn’t say it clearly surpasses any of those rides.
Other TRON FAQ
Does TRON go upside down?
TRON does not go upside down, leaving Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster as the only ride at Walt Disney World that goes upside down.
What if I haven’t seen TRON or TRON: Legacy?
There’s some story here, but really not much. I haven’t seen TRON or TRON: Legacy and I don’t think it negatively impacted my experience.
When Did the TRON roller coaster at Magic Kingdom open?
TRON Lightcycle / Run officially opened April 4, 2023!
Where does TRON rank among Disney World’s roller coasters?
We have a post ranking Disney World’s roller coasters, where we’ve ranked it 5th among Disney World’s nine coasters.
That might seem a bit surprising, but keep in mind this coaster has existed for over 5 years, just not in the United States. Number 1 on our list is Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, an actually brand new coaster at Epcot. Number 2 is Expedition Everest, which is still a fantastic thrill ride despite its age. Disney doesn’t do many coasters, but they still do them pretty well.
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Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
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