Lightning Lane Yes Or No — Tron Edition
On April 4th, 2023, Tron Lightcycle / Run officially debuted as Magic Kingdom’s newest roller coaster.
In the process, Disney once again uprooted the Lightning Lane service by altering its behavior yet again.
Since the inception of Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane, Disney has seemingly haphazardly adjusted the programs based on demand.
So, a new ride, some new data, and an unexpected twist force us to reevaluate once again.
Lightning Lane
Yes or no? Should you buy the Lightning Lane options at Disney theme parks?
Avatar Flight of Passage
Credit: Disney
When Disney introduced Lightning Lane, guests wondered about the necessity of the service.
Should park visitors pay extra to experience Disney’s newest and most popular rides?
Photo: World of Walt
In a weird way, Avatar Flight of Passage has proved the necessity of Lightning Lane more than any of the new attractions.
The Avatar attraction has operated longer than most of the rides on this list. Despite that fact, it sells out quite regularly.
Flight of Passage
In fact, as I type this, Avatar Flight of Passage Lightning Lanes have sold out more than 80 percent of the time this month!!!
That number will likely drop, as the combination of Spring Break and Easter Week caused a traffic surge.
Still, Avatar Flight of Passage Lightning Lanes have proven wildly popular.
The price range for them is $11-$16 thus far, and guests willingly pay it.
Tourists calculate the value of this particular Lightning Lane based partially on fear.
Credit: Disney
During some holidays, Avatar Flight of Passage wait times have crossed three hours.
Even on slow days, the Pandora ride rarely dips beneath 80 minutes and never under 50 minutes.
So, yes, you should buy this Lightning Lane.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (Disneyland Park)
Photo: Disney
Remarkably, this ride opened less than three months ago, yet it isn’t Disney’s newest attraction.
That’s only half the conversation, too. Park officials have adopted a strange tactic with Runaway Railway. It’s available for Lightning Lane at Disneyland but not Walt Disney World.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Both attractions offer an advantage over typical amusement park rides in that they offer massive throughput.
So, you may question the necessity of buying a Lightning Lane. I can tell you that Runaway Railway DOES sell out its allotment regularly.
(Matt Stroshane/Disney Parks)
Yes, that’s primarily due to the newness of the attraction, but that’s how the system is intended to work.
Disney has charged $15-$20 for a Runaway Railway Lightning Lane. While the data suggests it’s quite popular, I don’t think you should pay for it.
Radiator Springs Racers
Conversely, the oldest attraction on this list is Radiator Springs Racers, whose sustained popularity is absolutely stunning.
Imagineers built an exceptional ride, a variant on the Test Tech archetype, and Disneyland Resort guests have treasured it ever since.
Last month, guests waited for an average of 96 minutes to ride Radiator Springs Racers.
Not coincidentally, fans frequently pay for the Lightning Lane here, which sells out regularly…at least by Disneyland standards.
Since the Happiest Place on Earth caters more to locals, the demand for Lightning Lane isn’t as substantial as at Walt Disney World.
While Lightning Lane technically ranges from $7 to $20 for Radiator Springs Racers, we haven’t tracked $7 in a while.
Image: Disney
In fact, the lowest Disney has priced the service lately is $12, and that’s been eight months. Now, the floor seems to be $15.
Should you pay that? I’d argue no unless you’re only in town for a day or two.
Otherwise, you can target the ride when lines aren’t as bad at the start or end of the day.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Image Credit: Disney
Here’s the evaluation that cracks me up. It doesn’t make any sense unless you understand the significance of peer pressure in psychology and belief.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, an exceptional attraction, turns ten next year. Its wait times haven’t budged in like eight years.
Photo: Where We Going Next
People stand in line 80-100 minutes for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train pretty much every day.
To Disney’s credit, it has priced Lightning Lanes for this attraction quite affordably. The range is $10-12 and has never exceeded that.
Photo: Disney
So, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train offers the most inexpensive Lightning Lane for an attraction whose wait time rarely drops.
As such, I recommend that you buy a Lightning Lane unless you’ve had your fill of the ride over the years.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Disneyland Park)
2023 Rise of the Resistance
A curiosity of mine centers on Rise of the Resistance. The Hollywood Studios version of the attraction requires a longer average rate.
I would have expected exactly the opposite before the two versions opened and said as much.
Disneyland traffic patterns are somehow more predictable yet less sensical, at least for me.
Last month, Rise of the Resistance averaged a 75-minute wait. Walt Disney World fans would happily take that any day.
Photo: Christy Weinberg
Despite this fact, Disneyland guests purchased the Lightning Lane allotment several days…but not THAT often relative to Walt Disney World.
Disneyland fans generally aren’t willing to pay $20-$25 for a single attraction, even one as amazing as Rise of the Resistance.
Image Credit: Disney
You shouldn’t do that either, at least at Disneyland.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
Photo: Disney
At Walt Disney World, I feel differently, and I vote with my wallet here.
Whenever I visit Hollywood Studios, I plan a Rise of the Resistance Lightning Lane as part of my budget.
Photo: Disney
The wait time here fluctuates wildly. In fact, it dropped 37 minutes from Easter Week to the following week.
Even after the drop, guests waited for an average of more than two hours for Rise of the Resistance.
Photo: Disney
I will pay the current price of $20-$25 to avoid that. You’re wasting your vacation if you’re standing in line that long, in my opinion.
Tron Lightcycle / Run
TRON Lightcycle / Run
I’ll skip to the end of the page here.
If you want a guaranteed ride on Tron Lightcycle / Run, you purchase a Lightning Lane.
After two weeks, the virtual queue hasn’t lasted ten minutes yet. A shiny, new Magic Kingdom roller coaster won’t lose its appeal anytime soon, either.
Simply look at what I just said about Seven Dwarfs Mine Train if you doubt me.
Here’s the stunning part about Tron thus far. The Lightning Lane is often selling out in a matter of minutes!
Ordinarily, I’d suggest that you try for the Boarding Group. If that fails, you should buy the Lightning Lane afterward.
Riding TRON!
However, this ride’s popularity has proven so extreme that even that strategy comes with some risk.
Disney sells Tron Lightning Lanes for $20. Seriously, that’s been the price every day thus far.
Since your options prove limited here, you don’t have much choice.
Test ride vehicles
You should buy the Tron Lightning Lane if the Boarding Group attempt fails…and you may not want to risk that delay!
Tron’s gonna be wild for a while.
Photo: MickeyBlog
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Feature Photo: Disney
