We’re still over a month away from the long-awaited Tron: Lightcycle Run roller coaster making its debut to the general public at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. However, the new attraction is up and running now, as Disney World Cast Members are able to preview the ride. Based on the first batch of reactions, two different narratives are emerging. First, the ride is fun as hell. Second, the ride has a significant accessibility issue.
Most of the social media posts coming from Cast Members after their ride preview are singing the praises of the upcoming Disney World attraction. It’s fast, the fastest roller coaster at Walt Disney World, and the Lightcycle ride vehicle adds a unique element to the experience. However, the ride vehicle also adds a potential problem, as the motorcycle-like experience seems to limit the size of the rider significantly.
The good news is that there is a solution for the riders that are too big to fit in the standard carriage. The issue, according to reports, like that from Theme Park Express, is that there is apparently only one car for those guests, and the number of people that have needed it has been substantial enough that it’s causing significant delays in loading the ride as they wait for the accessible vehicle to be available.
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/RZiQd0qtOEFebruary 3, 2023
Considering that Tron: Lightcycle Run is only seeing a fraction of the number of riders that it will see when it opens to the general public, anything that’s causing significant delays now is only going to be an exponentially bigger problem later. Of course, part of the reason that these previews are done is to act as a technical rehearsal, to find the sort of potential problems that can only be discovered by getting bodies in line and on the ride.
Ok I rode TRON! 7/10 ride, 4/10 for accessibility and accommodation though. The ride is short but a thrill mk needs, but there are some operational things that need to be fleshed out before opening to general and less forgiving publicFebruary 6, 2023
If Disney World is seeing this as a significant issue, there are a couple of ways it could be addressed. We could see new trains constructed that include more accessible cars, though that would likely take time and might not be a short-term solution. Since the ride is all but guaranteed to be opening without a standby line and will be accessible only by a virtual queue or the purchase of an Individual Lightning Lane, the park can use that to manage guest flow, which will likely help prevent significant slowdowns in loading.
Tron aesthetics: cool AF. Tron accessibility: not so cool. I did not fit due to my calfs. My calfs, which are thinner than they were when I religiously played sports, can't fit this ride. I can't imagine how the cheer Karen's are gonna behave ☠️ pic.twitter.com/2RLDb0KRTCFebruary 6, 2023
Accessibility to theme park attractions is always something of a battle. While many ride vehicles can accommodate nearly any and all body types, others are designed in such a way that particular people just don’t fit. It is nice that Tron: Lightcycle Run offers some sort of option to allow some of those guests to ride. From all reports the roller coaster, while short, is a hell of a lot of fun, and the more people that get to have that fun, the better. Tron: Lightcycle Run opens at Magic Kingdom on March 17.
