When is Tron Lightcyle / Run Opening at Walt Disney World?

TRON Lightcycle/Run is finally here

After much waiting and some pandemic delays, TRON Lightcycle / Run is finally coming to Walt Disney World on April 4th, 2023. 

We got the opportunity to preview the new top-tier attraction at The Magic Kingdom, TRON Lightcycle / Run. This ride was first announced at the D23 Expo on July 15, 2017, and that’s a long time to wait to ride one of the most eagerly anticipated new Magic Kingdom rides in years.

So, what’s it like?

Guests enter the ride area through a new spiralling ramp while Lightcycles whizz overhead at breakneck speeds of up to 60 MPH!  As you get closer, you are immersed in the TRON theming through electric blue lighting effects, and the TRON-inspired music and all of this is complimented with screams of exhilaration from the riding guests that have just launched into “the GRID ” from inside.   These effects are most impressive at night when the lighting is most vibrant. As you enter the queue, you’re immersed in the digital world of TRON. We couldn’t take enough pictures or video to truly capture the experience of being digitized to be uploaded into the grid!

Because TRON Lightcycle/Run launches guests straight into an intense sequence of high-speed twists and turns, pocket items such as loose change, umbrellas, Mickey ears and backpacks must be placed into a futuristic blue-lit locker. These lockers are complementary and can be accessed using your park ticket or MagicBand.  We recommend taking a quick photo of your locker number to easily find it again after the ride.  There is, however, a cell phone-sized compartment on the light cycle so you can keep those with you.  These lockers are two-sided so you’ll recover your items after the ride from the other side. 

The excitement continues to build in the ride debrief with a video explaining what is in store.   There’s an amazing effect here when the screen suddenly reveals the Lightcycles below with guests preparing to ride. This part is beyond cool and feels like Disney has truly transported you into TRON.

From here, guests wait to board their Lightcycles.  These are not the easiest to get on and off of. The Lightcycles are essentially motorbikes with a built-in back restraint. You’re required to pull the handlebars towards yourself so the back restraint comes into place. Guests may need to help their children with this as it’s not an easy thing to do.  Cast members are also available to assist as everyone is secured to ride.   Disney has included an end car called the Light Runner Car for those with mobility or challenges with the fit of the Lightcycle vehicles.

Once lined up, the anticipation builds and builds, and then you’re off!  This is probably the fastest accelerating-coaster I’ve ever been on!  Think about the start of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith but faster!! They seem to have perfected the acceleration timing too. It reaches its peak once you hit the outside, and then you’re hanging on as it takes the first corner with the Florida air blowing across your face and adding to the G-force feel. You experience a lap of the outside, over the people lining up before you enter the second phase and quickly find yourself speeding around the light cycle arena for the second part of the experience. That arena has some neat stuff, but I can’t spoil it here. 

The coaster part is very fast, and then it’s over fast, making it one of the shortest rides at the parks. However, the full experience starts well before you board the light cycle, and I would ride this over and over if they’d let me. 

Get a quote for your very own Walt Disney World experience.