September 9, 2024 is the primary day that TRON Lightcycle Run has not used a digital queue throughout Magic Kingdom’s regular working hours because it gentle opened on March 20, 2023. Throughout these 539 days, the trip solely posted a wait time and used a standby line throughout onerous ticket, restricted capability events.
As such, at this time marks the primary time ever that we’ve seen simply how fashionable and in-demand Walt Disney World’s latest headliner attraction is throughout an everyday operational setting. Will it’s Magic Kingdom’s longest wait time, dethroning Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice? May it surpass Slinky Canine Sprint, Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, Avatar Flight of Passage, or different headliners? We’re about to seek out out.
Earlier than we get going, we need to reiterate that TRON Lightcycle Run switching to standby can have big ramifications on step-by-step itineraries for Magic Kingdom. It’d sound like hyperbole, however that is the largest change in over a decade for Magic Kingdom technique. Not even the swap from Additional Magic Hours to Early Entry/Prolonged Night Hours or free FastPass being changed by Lightning Lanes was as impactful. These have been considerably lateral shifts, whereas this introduces a brand new headliner with an everyday line.
With that mentioned, we additionally need to (once more) warning that TRON Lightcycle Run is dropping its digital queue within the coronary heart of Walt Disney World’s low season. Our newest wait occasions report coated the Lowest Crowd Degree Month & Week at Walt Disney World Since 2021! Though it ought to be evident from the title alone, the parks are actually gradual proper now.
Spoiler alert: that’s nonetheless true at this time. Nevertheless it’s additionally true that there are tons of locals, bloggers, vloggers, and influencers who need to be the primary to do TRON’s standby line, for no matter motive. After which there’s the fact that Magic Kingdom operations has little or no expertise with this trip having an everyday queue, which means that the posted wait occasions are going to be in every single place, usually divorced from their precise waits (in methods each good and dangerous).
What I’m saying is that day 1 of TRON Lightcycle Run’s standby line shall be nothing like day 8, which shall be nothing like week 8. In the event you’re visiting for the guts of the vacation season or in 2025 and need to understand how this queue will influence you, it’s too early to inform. The outcomes from September merely gained’t be dependable for Christmas or 2025. I’d suggest ready till mid-October or past for a have a look at extra consultant outcomes.
In the event you really need near-term recommendation and may’t wait, see: How TRON Lightcycle Run’s Standby Line is a Gamechanger for Magic Kingdom Touring Technique.
With that mentioned, listed here are the wait occasions to this point for TRON Lightcycle Run on September 9, 2024
- 9:00 am: 25 minutes
- 9:15 am: 105 minutes
- 9:30 am: 90 minutes
- 10:00 am: 60 minutes
- 10:30 am: 60 minutes
- 11:00 am: half-hour
- 11:30 am: 80 minutes
- 12:00 pm: 70 minutes
- 12:30 pm: 35 minutes
- 1:00 pm: 75 minutes
- 1:30 pm: 55 minutes
- 2:00 pm: 60 minutes
As a distinction, listed here are wait occasions for Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice on the identical factors:
- 9:00 am: 60 minutes
- 9:30 am: 40 minutes
- 10:00 am: 50 minutes
- 10:30 am: 50 minutes
- 11:00 am: 40 minutes
- 11:30 am: 40 minutes
- 12:00 pm: 60 minutes
- 12:30 pm: 40 minutes
- 1:00 pm: 70 minutes
- 1:30 pm: 50 minutes
- 2:00 pm: Quickly Closed
There are a few issues price noting. The primary is that Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice is open for Early Entry, which explains its larger wait time as of 9 am. It had already been working for half-hour at that time, which is why the road was longer than TRON Lightcycle Run.
Second, TRON Lightcycle Run peaked for the day (no less than to this point) from 9:13 to 9:21 am. This was undoubtedly the results of its park opening wait time being set too low (25 minutes?!), an enormous quantity of demand being induced in consequence, and Magic Kingdom ops “responding” with an astronomical wait time (relative to the remainder of the park) to discourage extra folks from overwhelming the queue.
The sort of ‘whiplash impact’ with wait occasions really occurs lots. A very low wait time will entice plenty of visitors all of sudden, and in response, the posted wait time skyrockets. We’ve identified beforehand that it’s higher to anticipate when wait occasions will drop fairly than reacting to it. In any other case, you’ll be a part of the flood of visitors all arriving across the identical time, fairly than using the wave, so to talk.
Anyway, it’s comprehensible that this is able to occur on day considered one of a model new attraction. For all intents and functions, that’s what TRON is on the subject of the standby line. So it’s additionally not massively shocking that the posted wait would plummet to half-hour by 11 am. That isn’t simply because very visitors queued up between 9:15 am and 10:30 am (though fewer arrivals is a part of it). It’s additionally as a result of the 105 minute wait time by no means was correct within the first place.
As we identified beforehand, there shall be a lull sooner or later for TRON Lightcycle Run throughout the center of the day. There at all times is for these headliners. The “when” of that is really essentially the most troublesome–really, unattainable–prediction to make of something on this listing. It varies for different high tier sights, and we’d anticipate the identical right here.
It happens as a little bit of an accordion impact, as folks begin seeing the posted wait time imbalance and avoiding the attraction in query. After which out of the blue, it drops dramatically. (For instance, Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice can have a 90 minute wait at 9:30 am whereas nearly each different attraction is at half-hour or much less. The logical visitor thus avoids SDMT and does one thing else. That occurs en masse, producing the aforementioned dynamic.)
Right here’s what I predicted final week: “My guess is that candy spot with TRON Lightcycle Run will happen between 10:30 am and 11 am most days. However that is only a guess, and I’m far much less assured on this than anything. One factor I’m sure about is that the daytime parade gained’t have a lot, if any, bearing on TRON Lightcycle Run wait occasions. Once more, the demographics are totally different.”
That turned out to be an correct prediction, however it’s additionally admittedly a little bit of dumb luck that TRON Lightcycle Run’s wait time was below an hour from 10:52 am to 11:22 am. Once I wrote that, I really didn’t anticipate any consistency for the primary couple of weeks. It actually was not supposed as a gap day wait time prediction.
Actually, I’d’ve guessed larger wait time to begin the day–I can’t consider somebody thought it was a good suggestion to publish 25 minutes. I’d’ve additionally guess that it will’ve stayed in triple digits territory, whatever the precise wait time, by lunch. In spite of everything, this is unprecedented within the final decade. Not solely that, however it’s a Monday (busiest day of the week) and a non-party day at Magic Kingdom. Even when it’s the low season, the wait occasions for TRON Lightcycle Run all through the day to this point haven’t been dangerous in any respect!
There are a number of attainable explanations for TRON Lightcycle Run’s comparatively gradual standby begin (relative to expectations) except for crowds. One is that it skews considerably older than Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice. Teenagers and adults love the curler coaster, and is likely to be inclined to sleep in or present up after work to expertise it.
There’s additionally the fact that TRON Lightcycle Run is widely known as being higher at night time. Even the common visitor is aware of this. The result’s {that a} good variety of folks gained’t even try and trip TRON earlier within the day, and as a substitute will wait till night. It’ll be attention-grabbing to see what occurs as soon as the solar units at 7:37 pm tonight.
Personally, if I have been in Magic Kingdom and needed to trip TRON Lightcycle Run at night time however didn’t need to wait till park closing (the best choice), I’d in all probability get in line round 7:15 pm. My guess is that crowds shall be reactionary, getting in line as soon as it’s really darkish, thus inflicting one other spike round 8 pm. The higher choice, once more, might be anticipating that taking place fairly than reacting to it. Or ready till the very finish of the fireworks and beating that rush.
In the end, it’ll be attention-grabbing to see whether or not 105 minutes stays the height wait time for TRON Lightcycle Run at this time. On the one hand, it’s a a lot better trip at night time and lots of Walt Disney World followers–and even informal visitors–acknowledge this. So demand ought to be larger at night time than within the morning.
However, Magic Kingdom ops actually jacked up the wait time this morning shortly after opening…and it’s low season. So surpassing that triple-digit posted wait time is likely to be robust, even when the precise wait time at 8:30 pm is larger than it was at 9:30 am.
One factor I’m assured in predicting is that we’ve got but to see the height wait time for TRON Lightcycle Run this month. On the very least, Magic Kingdom goes to be considerably busier within the final week of the month, and TRON ought to fairly simply have the ability to hit two hours. I feel 120+ minute peak posted wait occasions all through October and November are fairly secure bets. The higher query is whether or not TRON Lightcycle Run can surpass Avatar Flight of Passage because the longest line between Christmas and New Yr’s Eve. Simply what number of hours will the wait be: 3, 4 or 5?!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you are expecting the height posted wait time shall be for TRON Lightcycle Run at this time? This month? This 12 months? What’s your optimum method and time of day to trip TRON Lightcycle Run? What would you suggest to Walt Disney World first-timers? Will you follow standby at one of many splendid occasions or purchase a Lightning Lane Single Go for TRON? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we might help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
