Why is Tron so darn short?
Has anyone else walked away from Tron feeling shortchanged?
Loved the concept, and the ride, but it was so short in length that it left a negative impression on me as we left the attraction.
I never thought there could be an attraction shorter than Seven Dwarves Mine Ride…until Tron.
Had they given us just another 30 seconds, it would be on my Top 5 list…now it’s more of a one & done…not worth a repeat.
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I haven’t been on it yet, but I do agree it is short.
As to why?
Well, two reasons. One is cost. Building a longer ride costs more…and Disney is currently operating in penny pinching mode. This is overwhelmingly the biggest reason. It is also why this ride was basically a clone of an already existing ride…cost savings!
Second reason has to do with crowd management. Disney NEEDS people to stand in line. So they will give a ride just enough demand to ensure people are willing to wait for it. The people in line, the less crowded the open areas are…and also, it helps drive down waits on rides with less demand. Also…with Splash Mountain down for the count, having this ride makes up for the loss of capacity there.
To be fair on this point…Top Thrill Dragster at CP had a ride time of about 17 seconds. 
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Since it’s a clone from Shanghai, I assume the decision was made there. And that isn’t totally on Disney since the funding is different there.
Yep.
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Is the general consensus that it’s worth a wait?
Yes and no. It was an awesome experience. One I paid for. And while I do not see the value in repeatingly paying for it or waiting over 30 minutes, I’m glad to have experienced it. It was very, very short though. I wish they could have incorporated more of a pre-show like Rise or GotG. But all rides can’t be the same experience.
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120 MPH, 420 ft tall. Yes.
But I will admit it is no longer worth a long wait to me. I will wait 45 minutes if with someone who has never been on it, otherwise 20 minutes otherwise skippable. It is all about the rush of the launch. The height is a non event because it goes by so fast.
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I loved Tron (I rode it 4 times over the course of a week) and while it wasn’t long, I didn’t feel like it was any shorter than other similar roller coasters. The faster a roller coaster goes, the longer the track needs to be to have a decently long ride. I think the trade-off between speed and duration was reasonable in this case – the speed makes it fun. I’d certainly rather wait an hour for Tron than for 7DMT.
Tron is going to be a must-ride for me every time I go to MK for the foreseeable future.
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I love it! And have from my first ride. I will pay ILL so I can ride it twice. It totally changes MK from a skippable park to a must-do park for me. I do think it helps if you’ve seen at least one of the Tron movies.
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The actual ride time is just under 60 seconds. That is definitely short, even for coasters that go much faster than Tron. RnRC is 82 seconds.
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I just recall being on the ride, REALLY enjoying it…and then all of a sudden slowing down & realizing that it was over.
Feels more like an appetizer than a main meal. Two more twists or turns away from being satisfied…
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Tron is horrible. I regret waiting in line for it.
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It’s not quite that big of a difference if you look at the “fast parts” of each ride:
Tron: 1:55 full ride, 00:58 faster speed
7DMT: 2:06 full ride, about 1:00 seconds of faster speed
SDD: 1:40 full ride, 1:00-1:10 of faster speed
GotG: 3:30 full ride, 1:30 fast part
RnRC: 1:50 full ride, 1:05 fast part
GotG is definitely the longest of these. The rest are basically a minute each.
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I’ll add that VC and Hagrid’s are both blessedly long, which is one reason why they beat most Disney rides purely from a thrill perspective, and they directly compete with the very best Disney rides for theming.
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Most Disney coasters in general are pathetically short. Having been on well over 100 coasters across countless amusement parks, Disney just doesn’t compare. It is the theming that sets them apart.
But Tron is still among the shortest.
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Agreed, but it counts for a lot.
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I would feel the same way if the first time I experienced it was in the back car. It’s one thing to expect it and a whole nother to have it sprung on you. I think the trill for me was being on the bike coupled with the launch. I’m not sure the launch alone would do it for me. Mainly because it’s so short, there isn’t much else to it.
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Yes, MK is already skippable for us too. But I can’t see devoting a few extra hours, dealing with transportation, probably needing to buy ILLS, just to experience a 1 minute attraction.
Since we’ve already done a day at MK when the kids were smaller, it truly is skippable for us. I’d just hate to go through all the hassle just for Tron (and maybe ride Space) and it be a disappointment to the family. And getting the most out of our FL days (not wasting time) is important because it doesn’t happen often.
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