News Tron coaster coming to the Magic Kingdom

[UNCgolf]

Even the above analysis is ultimately flawed because it's impossible to know how many guests are actually interested in Tron and how many would actually be interested in the hypothetical theater show.

We know that some percentage of daily MK guests aren't going to be interested in riding Tron even if it was a walk-on, and some (kids under the height restriction for one, but there are other reasons as well) who simply cannot ride it even if they wanted to. A theater show doesn't have those restrictions, but there are also plenty of guests who wouldn't be interested in one regardless of what it is.

 

[Bocabear]

I am one that doesn't care for the shows...I feel like most of them are lame character parades on stage...So I usually pass on most entertainment...and I think ROTR, Slinky Dog, and 7 Dwarfs has shown us that people want action and thrills...and will go through the impossible boarding groups scenario to try and get on board... The amount of guests that will have no interest in TRON is likely to be extremely low...

 

[UNCgolf]

I am one that doesn't care for the shows...I feel like most of them are lame character parades on stage...So I usually pass on most entertainment...and I think ROTR, Slinky Dog, and 7 Dwarfs has shown us that people want action and thrills...and will go through the impossible boarding groups scenario to try and get on board... The amount of guests that will have no interest in TRON is likely to be extremely low...

It'll be higher than you think. I'd be willing to bet that as much as 15-20% of guests on any given day won't even attempt to ride Tron either because they're not interested or because they simply can't.

ROTR isn't comparable to a roller coaster at all, and SDD and 7 Dwarfs are family coasters. Tron isn't.

That's not a bad thing for Disney, though. I think it would be impossible for even 50% of guests to ride it in a single day, so having some percentage completely uninterested is helpful.

 

[Bocabear]

RNRR consistently had the longest lines in the park (Until SWL opened)...And it is still plenty long...as is TOT.
People want thrill rides...for sure.

 

[marni1971]

RNRR consistently had the longest lines in the park (Until SWL opened)...And it is still plenty long...as is TOT.
People want thrill rides...for sure.

Unless we know the metrics of vehicles being run etc. there isn’t much to accurately compare

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

Did you ever see Space Mountain (or ride the WEDWay) before it was added?

Yes, many times.

 

[marni1971]

Yes, many times.

Then you’ll know the view of and from both that was lost.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The amount of guests that will have no interest in TRON is likely to be extremely low...

It'll be higher than you think. I'd be willing to bet that as much as 15-20% of guests on any given day won't even attempt to ride Tron either because they're not interested or because they simply can't.

ROTR isn't comparable to a roller coaster at all, and SDD and 7 Dwarfs are family coasters. Tron isn't.

That's not a bad thing for Disney, though. I think it would be impossible for even 50% of guests to ride it in a single day, so having some percentage completely uninterested is helpful.

Somewhere buried in one of his threads, Eddie Sotto mentioned that only something like ¼ of guests ride Space Mountain at either Disneyland or Magic Kingdom. Capacity does not directly correlate to interest but it was an interesting point about how even the most popular attractions do not serve every guest on a given day.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Tron would actually pull more people away from other attractions/walkways more consistently than a large theater.
The Hyperion at DCA holds ~2,000 people. The show usually ran 3 shows a day. As MK is busier than DCA lets give it 5 shows a day for a total daily capacity of 10,000 people. Also remember that they will cut off the line at 2,000 people waiting in line.
So a theater has

• Daily capacity of 10,000 people
• Holds 2,000 people max

Compare that to Tron which has an hourly capacity of ~1,600 people per hour. Can run 7 trains at 14 people per train for 98 people on the ride. However, Tron will hold a TON of people in it's line... ~1,600 for an hour wait.
If Tron has a 1 hour and 15 minute line AND MK operates for 12 hours:

• Daily capacity of 19,200 people
• Holds 2,000 people (more if line is longer than 75 minutes)

Not positive, but you may be overstating Tron's capacity.

 

[UNCgolf]

Not positive, but you may be overstating Tron's capacity.

I think so too. Everything I can find lists the hourly capacity at 1,680 riders per hour, but I assume that's the theoretical hourly capacity and I don't think any ride ever reaches that number (or even gets that close to it).

It seems a little surprising at first glance it's not higher since the ride is less than a minute long, but I suppose it makes sense when considering there are only two riders per row.

 

[Purduevian]

I think so too. Everything I can find lists the hourly capacity at 1,680 riders per hour, but I assume that's the theoretical hourly capacity and I don't think any ride ever reaches that number (or even gets that close to it).

It seems a little surprising at first glance it's not higher since the ride is less than a minute long, but I suppose it makes sense when considering there are only two riders per row.

Yeah I used a quick google source to find the 1,680, then rounded to 1,600 for easier numbers. Tron Trains hold 14 people per train, so that estimate puts a launch every ~30 seconds (14*120=1,680)

Found a video that shows 1 station dispatching at 8:17 and a second train leaving at 9:23. So a dispatch of 66 seconds per side. 2x sides 33 seconds per train. Hourly capacity of 1,527. So is 1,600 a little high? Maybe 1,600 is a little high, but it also might be a little low, but what we do know is that it isn't widely off.

 

[Bocabear]

I think it takes longer than a 66 seconds to load the trains... more like 4-5 minutes per train with the complex harnessing system... It is fast, but not that fast and takes a bit of time to get everyone in ... So with Dual stations loading it would be about 2.5 minutes per launch theoretically...

 

[trainplane3]

While it's a slightly old video, this shows the rough dispatch times for the coaster:

 

[Purduevian]

I think it takes longer than a 66 seconds to load the trains... more like 4-5 minutes per train with the complex harnessing system... It is fast, but not that fast and takes a bit of time to get everyone in ... So with Dual stations loading it would be about 2.5 minutes per launch theoretically...

I literally linked a video that shows a 66 second dispatch between trains at a single station... Where did you get 4-5 minutes??

 

[HauntedPirate]

Not sure if a pic has been posted, but there’s a pink wrap on the outside portion of the track and some of the supports.

 

[HauntedPirate]

 

[CastAStone]

View attachment 540190

Neat. Every time I see this think I immediately see Cincinnati in my mind.

 

[UNCgolf]

Neat. Every time I see this think I immediately see Cincinnati in my mind. View attachment 540213

That's the dream, isn't it?

I'm pretty sure Cincinnati is exactly what Disney wants you to think of when you're visiting WDW.

 

[SplashJacket]

I think it takes longer than a 66 seconds to load the trains... more like 4-5 minutes per train with the complex harnessing system... It is fast, but not that fast and takes a bit of time to get everyone in ... So with Dual stations loading it would be about 2.5 minutes per launch theoretically...

That is completely false.

 

[SilentWindODoom]

1. They don't want to pay for the cost of construction for the quarters they're barely breaking even.

2. MK is already overcrowded and will be more so for the 50th.

3. The opening of TRON can be used to beef up attendance in the post-holiday lull.

Why... does the question... of why they're delaying keep coming up? They're finishing stuff that's farther along and saving on the costs until later so it doesn't affect current earnings. The addition is not going to add anything but prestige. The parks are going to fill up when things get better no matter what because many haven't gone for a year and a half. If they finish now, it will just make their earning reports look worse and won't mean more people coming. It's already going to be saturated.

Aw, that arcade wasn’t THAT bad was it?

I’m terribly biased. During my CP, one night after the ridiculous rush of working 14 hour days during spring break, they threw an after hours pizza party for my restaurant at that arcade. Anyone who worked with us at Pecos was able to come, and we had 2 hours of unlimited gaming and pizza at like 2 in the morning. It was such a wonderful memory that my friends and I still talk about to this day. If they did trash the arcade, I hope they still have in park after hours events to celebrate Cast Member’s hard work during busy seasons.

I think it's a shame how it's being used now, but I think it's an interesting building and that it makes Space Mountain look even bigger by hiding the base and giving you a large, close building to make the background look that much farther away and therefore larger.

Neat. Every time I see this think I immediately see Cincinnati in my mind. View attachment 540213

Whoa. I've seen the skyline from a distance but never realized that was the Great American building or that the top was open white steel. That explains the look of Great American Ball Park.