Before the Walt Disney Co. (DIS) opens a new ride for all of its guests to experience, it spends many months testing the attraction to ensure safety and to get any unexpected bugs out of the system before the public can get in line for the ride.
Often, guests at Disney's theme parks may catch a glimpse of a new ride in operation without any riders onboard as technicians test the ride.
When Disney World's Epcot was preparing for the opening of its new ride Guardians of the Galaxy, the ride had many test runs before Cast Members, or employees, were allowed early-access sneak peaks in April 2022, which were followed by friends and family previews in early May.
Disney Annual Passholders were granted early previews in May after Cast Members had their previews and before all other guests got to get on the ride on May 27 when Cosmic Rewind finally opened.
Disney World Ready to Open New Ride
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Magic Kingdom will open its much-anticipated Tron Lightcycle/Run thrill ride on April 4 in Tomorrowland, according to its website.
"Lean forward into the ultimate race of survival! Leave the real world behind and join Team Blue in an epic quest across the Grid — the dark, computerized world with no horizons from TRON. Here, there’s no limit to the excitement," Disney World's message on the website states.
"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 —so you can survive to race another day," the message continues.
"Scheduled to open April 4, 2023, TRON Lightcycle / Run will be one of the fastest coasters at any Disney theme park in the world," the message concludes.
But before all the guests at Magic Kingdom can get in line on April 4 to ride Tron, Disney Cast Members, also known as the company's employees, will get an early opportunity a month or two before the opening to whiz by on a Lightcycle.
First Preview Ride Dates Set
Cast Members can begin registering on Jan. 30 to ride Tron on preview days between Feb. 6 and March 3, Blog Mickey reported. Cast members may bring up to three friends or family members on their preview ride.
It's expected that Annual Passholders will get their chance to preview Tron sometime in March after Cast Members finish their early runs, but before all other guests can ride starting April 4.
Magic Kingdom's Tron Lightcycle/Run ride will be Disney's second such ride as it opened a similar Tron Lightcycle Power Run ride at Shanghai Disney in June 2016.
Tron Lightcycle/Run is based on Walt Disney Productions' 1982 film "Tron," starring Jeff Bridges, which made filmmaking history as the first production of its kind to mix live action with computer-generated visuals and backlit animation. The original "Tron" inspired video games, comic books, an animated series, as well as the 2010 sequel "Tron: Legacy."
