Whenever a new ride opens at a Disney theme park, the general public isn't always aware of all the effort that Disney's Imagineers, who design, build and install rides, have invested in getting the attraction ready for guests to experience it.
After many months of construction, a ride will go through many more months of inspections and testing, including riderless runs, before Imagineers will get on the ride for tests. Eventually Cast Members and Annual Passholders get a chance to ride before the general public.
Cast member and Annual Passholder previews are essential for Disney (DIS) to learn how the ride operates in real time and also to discover any design flaws or mechanical problems that might need to be repaired or addressed before the ride opens for the general public.
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Tron Lightcycle/Run Getting Ready for Opening
Magic Kingdom will open its much-anticipated Tron Lightcycle/Run thrill ride on April 4 in Tomorrowland, but Disney World Cast Members began previewing the ride on Feb. 6 and will continue trying out the ride through March 3. Annual Passholders will get a chance to preview the ride sometime in March after Cast Members finish their early runs and before the general public can ride starting April 4.
Not all Disney theme park rides are perfect for everyone. When Disneyland's Submarine Voyage ride closed in 1998, then reopened in 2007 as Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, the ride wasn't always the most comfortable one inside for some adults as the submarine's low porthole positions made peering through them a little difficult resulting in some sore necks.
The Avatar: Flight of Passage Ride at Disney World's Animal Kingdom also had some limitations for people of large proportions, making it difficult or impossible for them to ride the attraction.
Tron Lightcycle Riders Face Big Problems
Disney has already learned of some design issues that are preventing some people from riding Tron, Theme Park Tourist reported. During preview rides, some Cast Members learned that the unique design of the Lightcycles on Tron creates certain restrictions, which could be a problem to guests with larger body dimensions. A tweet from Theme Park Express this week revealed that Cast Members could not fit in the standard Lightcycle seat, and there was an additional 30-minute wait to ride in a "large guest" seat, which has limited availability.
Apparently, the main problem is with certain riders' leg dimensions that prevent them from riding the Lightcycle. This is a similar problem that guests have discovered on the Avatar: Flight of Passage Ride at Disney World's Animal Kingdom.
Accessible seating for those who need such accommodations on Tron are limited with only a handful of these seats available, which might require groups to be split up and those needing such seats having longer waits of more than 30 minutes to get on the ride. The wait times might speed up once the ride operators reportedly get up to speed on the loading process.
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."
