TRON Lightcycle Run will be opening on April 4th, 2023, and you need to get READY!

We’ve already gotten a peek inside the ride, shared up-close looks at its construction, and heard some of the music that could be used in the area. But are you fully prepared for the ride’s opening day? How can you make sure you get on the attraction when it opens? We’ve got our complete list of tips here.

For now, let’s start with a little background…

What Is TRON Lightcycle Run?

First, you’ll want to know exactly what kind of ride you’ll be getting into. The ride is based on the TRON films and follows Sam Flynn as he opens a gateway to the digital world in Tomorrowland. Guests board a train of two-wheeled lightcycles and launch into the Grid for a high-speed race through a computerized world. The ride is set to reach speeds of up to 59 miles per hour, so get ready to hold on tight!

You’ll go through 8 Energy Gates, race against the Grid’s most menacing programs, and pass through a number of uniquely lit areas. In other words, it’s a thrill ride so don’t go in expecting something like “it’s a small world!”

Click here to get a behind-the-scenes look at TRON!

Ticket

Alright, now that you know about the ride, let’s talk about guaranteeing a seat. First, you’ll need a valid park ticket for Magic Kingdom that’ll allow you to enter the park on April 4th, 2023 — the ride’s opening date. That ticket could be an Annual Pass, a 1-day park ticket, or a multi-day ticket. The key here is to make sure you’ve got a valid ticket for April 4th.

If you’re planning to use your Annual Pass to enter the park on this day, check those blockout dates carefully. Both Pirate Pass and Pixie Dust Pass holders are blocked out on April 4th (as well as several surrounding dates).

If you fall into that group, you won’t be able to use your Annual Pass to go into Magic Kingdom on the ride’s opening date and instead would have to buy a separate ticket if going on the opening date is a must-do.

Park Pass Reservation

Okay, so you’ve got your ticket and a blockout date won’t stop you from getting into Magic Kingdom on the 4th. Next, it’s time to make your Park Pass! Remember that a valid ticket is NOT enough to get you into the parks anymore. If you want to visit Magic Kingdom on April 4th, you’ll need a valid ticket AND a valid Park Pass.

Right now, Park Pass availability is varying for April 4th for those with theme park tickets and those staying at select resort hotels, meaning that we have seen Park Passes booked up, but then availability reappears from time to time. (Most Annual Passholder tiers, however, have reached booking capacity.) We’ve seen popular days fill up in the past, so heed this advice — get your Park Pass for TRON’s opening date NOW…as in TODAY (or VERY SOON).

This week in April will be particularly popular since Disney Enchantment ended on April 2nd and Happily Ever After returns on April 3rd — just days before TRON’s opening. Plus, Harmonious ended on April 2nd, and EPCOT Forever returns for a limited time on April 3rd. If folks decide to come into town for those nighttime spectacular changes, they could stick around for TRON’s opening too, making this a busy week. Don’t take a chance — get the Park Pass for Magic Kingdom ASAP.

Remember that 1-day, 1-park tickets now have park-specific pricing and automatically come with a Park Pass!

Click here for full details about the Park Pass system

My Disney Experience App

The next thing you want to do (if you haven’t already done so) is make sure you have downloaded the My Disney Experience app, updated the app to its latest version, logged into your My Disney Experience account, and input all of your information.

Hit the 3 horizontal lines all the way to the bottom right-hand side of the app and go to Tickets and Passes. Make sure all of your tickets (and those of the family members or friends traveling with you) are linked correctly to the appropriate accounts. Under “My Profile,” hit “Family & Friends List” and double-check that EVERYONE in your traveling party is there and linked appropriately. Now is the time to get all of this done, well ahead of the opening date.

Planning on using that new MagicBand+ you bought or an older band? Make sure that is linked to your account — hit “My Profile” and then “MagicBands & Cards.”

Become very familiar with the My Disney Experience app and where everything is. Take a few minutes (or longer) to explore it so when the time comes for you to check a wait time, enter a potential virtual queue, etc. you’re ready to go!

Click here to learn more about My Disney Experience

Virtual Queue — CONFIRMED!

Disney World will use a Virtual Queue/Boarding Pass system for the opening on TRON Lightcycle / Run. This means that a traditional Standby line will not be offered in its opening months. 

Guests will have 2 daily opportunities (plus 1 additional one on select nights!) to request to join the virtual queue — the first will be at 7AM, and the second will be at 1PM.

Guests trying to request to join the virtual queue at 7AM do not have to be inside Magic Kingdom, but they DO have to have a theme park reservation for Magic Kingdom in order to join.

If you’re trying to join the 1PM virtual queue, you have to be INSIDE Magic Kingdom. So, you will essentially need a theme park reservation for Magic Kingdom either way, as you can’t park hop from another park until 2PM.

What does all of that mean? It means that if you don’t get a virtual queue spot at 7AM, you’ll need to have scanned into the park before 1PM to try for the second sign-up. Since Park Hopping doesn’t start until 2PM, that means you should NOT count on Park Hopping to Magic Kingdom to sign up for the afternoon virtual queue time. Instead, secure that Park Pass for Magic Kingdom as your main park for the day and plan to have scanned into the park well before 1PM if the 7AM virtual queue sign-up doesn’t work out.

Get a good night’s rest the night before April 4th so you can wake up bright and early before 7AM to join the virtual queue. Have your app open and ready well before any potential Virtual Queue sign-up time, triple-check that all of your passes/friends are linked appropriately, and refresh that virtual queue sign-up page as the sign-up time gets closer so you can RUSH right in.

You may also want to check your phone’s speed on wifi vs. not wifi in the place where you’ll be signing up for the virtual queue (to see what will work better), and you may want to have a second person on your team trying to get a virtual queue at the same time (in case your phone has any issues).

And there’s a SPECIAL additional sign-up time for select guests on certain days. An additional chance to join the virtual queue will be offered at 6PM on select dates when Extended Evening Hours are offered at Magic Kingdom. (The Extended Evening Hours perk is only available for those staying at a Deluxe Disney Resort, Disney Deluxe Villa, and select other resorts. These are only offered on select days in Magic Kingdom for those guests who qualify.)

Click HERE to learn how to enter a Virtual Queue in Disney World!

Individual Lightning Lane — CONFIRMED!

TRON Lightcycle / Run will also be available to book as an Individual Lightning Lane Selection through the Disney Genie service, which means that you’ll have to PAY separately to skip the virtual queue (in other words — Individual Lightning Lane rides are NOT included in the standard Disney Genie+ service). Be sure to set aside some room in your budget for this.

Typically, Individual Lightning Lanes can be purchased at 7AM for guests staying at Disney-owned and operated hotels, The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, the Swan Reserve Hotel, and Shades of Green at Walt Disney World Resort, and at park open for all other guests. Those times are critical. If you want to make sure you get an Individual Lightning Lane for TRON, you will likely want to stay at a qualifying hotel so that you get that earlier sign-up time.

Many of the same tips from above will apply here — make sure your My Disney Experience app is fully updated, make sure your tickets/friends are linked properly, and start to refresh just before that 7AM time so you can catch it as soon as it becomes available.

You’ll also want to make sure you have your payment information ready to go so you can pay FAST. If you’ll be trying for the virtual queue AND Lightning Lane at the same time, ask a friend to try for one while you focus on the other.

Click here to learn all about Genie+

Early Morning and Late Night

Though TRON will not offer a Standby line during its initial opening, you may want to arrive early or stay in the parks a little later into the night. That could help you avoid some of the bigger crowds.

The park will be VERY busy on that date. If you arrive early and/or stay late, you may be able to improve your chances of getting a good parking spot (in the morning), getting a peek at the TRON coaster set-up, and getting on other rides in the park with slightly fewer crowds.

Be Flexible

As we noted above, anything is possible on TRON’s opening day. The ride could experience technical issues and have to shut down for a little bit, or other circumstances may arise that complicate your visit. The key here is to be FLEXIBLE!

You don’t know when that Virtual Queue, Individual Lightning Lane, or ride might take place, so don’t plan to eat at 3 table service meals that day with fixed reservation times. Instead, plan for a more flexible meal schedule (perhaps focusing on snacks and quick service restaurants).

If anything impacts the ride, be sure to check with Cast Members for updates and watch the My Disney Experience app for updates as well.

Can You Get a Preview?

While this isn’t necessarily a tip for riding on TRON’s opening date, it is something we wanted to mention. Thus far, Disney has confirmed that there will be previews of the TRON ride for Cast Members, Annual Passholders, and Disney Vacation Club Members, along with a ticketed preview event for D23 Gold members. If you fall into any of those groups, you may be able to qualify for a preview of the ride that could get you on it before anyone else.

UPDATE: At this time, Cast Member previews have concluded, and the Disney Vacation Club and Annual Passholder previews have reached capacity, the D23 Event has also sold out. 

We were able to ride TRON Lightcycle / Run early thanks to Cast Member previews which are currently in progress (we were invited as guests by a Disney World Cast Member), and you can read all about our experience HERE!

WE RODE TRON in Disney World — Here’s Everything You Need to Know! And you can CLICK HERE to see our full ride-through VIDEO!

And those are our top TRON tips! What other questions do you have about the ride? Tell us in the comments! And stay tuned for more updates.

Are you planning to ride TRON on its opening day? Tell us in the comments!