News Tron coaster coming to the Magic Kingdom

[Bocabear]

We thought it felt like the fastest launch coaster Disney has. And that includes Grizzly in Hong Kong. Maybe it's your positioning, or that you feel more "out in the open" (similar to how SM feels faster because you're in the dark), but it felt faster than RnRC.

DEFINITELY felt faster than Rock N Roller Coaster....

 

[ToTBellHop]

You’re both kind of right.

I’ll cue the broken record, because even though @marni1971 and I have said this many times, it’s helpful to remember why FP+ exists. Before Uni built Potter, Disney believed the theme park market had topped out. They decided they owned the market, focused on selling DVC, and comfortably settled into what they called a “Blue Ocean” strategy of cost-cutting and minimal maintenance (even though that’s not what a Blue Ocean business plan actually means).

Fastplus + and its overall NextGen system were concocted as ways to spread existing crowds to existing attractions, in hopes Disney wouldn’t have to build anything new. You don’t have to take my word for it: execs announced the strategy at shareholder meetings. Iger shilled MagicBands as a new source of income, saying the company expected merch sales to increase as guests mindlessly tapped their bracelets without paying attention to how much they were spending. Again, this is on record.

That’s why FP+ and MagicBands exist. There’s no bigger reason for magic, pixie dust, improved guest experience, or anything other claims the Mommy Bloggers ate up from Disney’s marketing spin rooms.

Unfortunately, Disney changed its operating procedures to exploit FP+ reservations, and often runs attractions at sub-optimal levels to artificially create long queues that the day’s attendance should not demand. This is why you can go to the MK on a slow day and still stand in 45-minute lines.

The experiment was also a failure, and the system was never expanded to the other worldwide resorts as originally planned.

Fortunately for us fans, the crowds did not disperse, attendance actually rose, and Uni built Potter! Now we have New FL and Pandora, with many more investments to come — including Tron.

...and we are stuck with the failed experiment. Yippee.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Everything in your post is 100% spot on except the bolded portion.

They don’t run attractions with the intent of creating artificial lines. They do operate some attractions at lower capacity on lower attendance days which sometimes leads to longer waits than could be experienced on busier days. But this has nothing to do with fastpass+ or regular fastpass for that matter. Attendance based operations have existed long before fastpass was thought of. In most cases I don’t agree it with it but it’s a separate and independent problem from those caused by fastpass or fastpass+.

Sort of. By increasing FP+ ratios, they have a better understanding of guest levels which allows them to “better” distribute cast. FP+ utilization has also increased dramatically, which is increasing waits throughout the day, but especially morning and evening and at non-headliners. Basically, yes you are right that they have long adjusted staffing levels based upon anticipated guest levels (and why wouldn’t they?) but FP and then MDE allowed for heightened control. Last year they made the operational choice to selectively restrict staffing which has further increased waits. It’s also shown up in guest reviews...

 

[MisterPenguin]

As with every FP debate, one needs to consider the dramatic increase in attendance in the parks and parks hitting their 'tipping point' in which they have more guests than all the rides together can accommodate. In that case, whether there is no FP, paper FP, or FP+, there will be huge lines. That's what happens when you go past capacity regardless of how you try to move people around.

 

[TTA94]

We thought it felt like the fastest launch coaster Disney has. And that includes Grizzly in Hong Kong. Maybe it's your positioning, or that you feel more "out in the open" (similar to how SM feels faster because you're in the dark), but it felt faster than RnRC.

DEFINITELY felt faster than Rock N Roller Coaster....

Definitely sounds fun except I wish they would have made MKs version longer. Looks shorter than SDMT and RnRC. :-/

 

[ToTBellHop]

As with every FP debate, one needs to consider the dramatic increase in attendance in the parks and parks hitting their 'tipping point' in which they have more guests than all the rides together can accommodate. In that case, whether there is no FP, paper FP, or FP+, there will be huge lines. That's what happens when you go past capacity regardless of how you try to move people around.

Thankfully the company is responding. Unfortunately they can’t even build a Mary Poppins carousel in less than three years. It’ll be better in 2022? As long as nothing is opening that will attract new guests of course.

 

[MrPromey]

As with every FP debate, one needs to consider the dramatic increase in attendance in the parks and parks hitting their 'tipping point' in which they have more guests than all the rides together can accommodate. In that case, whether there is no FP, paper FP, or FP+, there will be huge lines. That's what happens when you go past capacity regardless of how you try to move people around.

But, but... good point

 

[MrPromey]

Thankfully the company is responding. Unfortunately they can’t even build a Mary Poppins carousel in less than three years. It’ll be better in 2022? As long as nothing is opening that will attract new guests of course.

This blows my mind completely, what with the merchandising opportunities they're missing out on... All the balloons and bird feed they could be selling back there.

Then again, "Feed the MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE" doesn't have quite the same ring to it, now does it?

 

[Bocabear]

Definitely sounds fun except I wish they would have made MKs version longer. Looks shorter than SDMT and RnRC. :-/

I agree 1000% The ride building and queue are beautifully designed but it seems like way too much of the overall track is spent going from the break run back to the loading area, and going from the Loading area to the launch area... The launch is great, the outdoor section is interesting but the ride feels like it really gets to the point when you hit the indoor section... Which is very short with WAY too many trim break stops. I would prefer they skip the outside section completely to get to the real point of the ride... the game...
But we know this will be a direct lift, so it will be identical.
Expect another 7 Dwarfs Mine Ride type coaster that is over way too quickly.

 

[rle4lunch]

This morning from barnstormer.

 

[N2dru]

I agree 1000% The ride building and queue are beautifully designed but it seems like way too much of the overall track is spent going from the break run back to the loading area, and going from the Loading area to the launch area... The launch is great, the outdoor section is interesting but the ride feels like it really gets to the point when you hit the indoor section... Which is very short with WAY too many trim break stops. I would prefer they skip the outside section completely to get to the real point of the ride... the game...
But we know this will be a direct lift, so it will be identical.
Expect another 7 Dwarfs Mine Ride type coaster that is over way too quickly.

This! So true

 

[TTA94]

I agree 1000% The ride building and queue are beautifully designed but it seems like way too much of the overall track is spent going from the break run back to the loading area, and going from the Loading area to the launch area... The launch is great, the outdoor section is interesting but the ride feels like it really gets to the point when you hit the indoor section... Which is very short with WAY too many trim break stops. I would prefer they skip the outside section completely to get to the real point of the ride... the game...
But we know this will be a direct lift, so it will be identical.
Expect another 7 Dwarfs Mine Ride type coaster that is over way too quickly.

I suppose given the amount of guests that MK gets, and the other parks, the rides have to be short. Sad.

 

[jaxonp]

I agree 1000% The ride building and queue are beautifully designed but it seems like way too much of the overall track is spent going from the break run back to the loading area, and going from the Loading area to the launch area... The launch is great, the outdoor section is interesting but the ride feels like it really gets to the point when you hit the indoor section... Which is very short with WAY too many trim break stops. I would prefer they skip the outside section completely to get to the real point of the ride... the game...
But we know this will be a direct lift, so it will be identical.
Expect another 7 Dwarfs Mine Ride type coaster that is over way too quickly.

Except it’s actually a blast compared to SDMT.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Definitely sounds fun except I wish they would have made MKs version longer. Looks shorter than SDMT and RnRC. :-/

Oh, it's short. Ridiculously short. Embarassingly short. The WDW and Disneyland versions ABSOLUTELY should have been made longer.

People will not be pleased.

Or rather... They SHOULDN'T be pleased.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Oh, it's short. Ridiculously short. Embarassingly short. The WDW and Disneyland versions ABSOLUTELY should have been made longer.

People will not be pleased.

Or rather... They SHOULDN'T be pleased.

Disneyland version?

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Disneyland version?

Rumored to go into the area where the subs and autopia are. Major Tomorrowland rebuild. Remove the peoplemover tracks, etc.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Rumored to go into the area where the subs and autopia are. Major Tomorrowland rebuild. Remove the peoplemover tracks, etc.

Ahh, I saw other rumours suggesting that would be absorbed into Fantasyland.

 

[Bocabear]

Rumored to go into the area where the subs and autopia are. Major Tomorrowland rebuild. Remove the peoplemover tracks, etc.

I am not sure why they would not just put it in DCA where it could have it's own sort of Miniland... Remove the Monsters Inc ride and build it there rather than shoehorn it into the smaller scale Disneyland Tomorrowland. The canopy structure and show building are really huge.

 

[BrianLo]

If it comes to Disneyland it will not a be a 1:1 clone.

 

[TTA94]

Oh, it's short. Ridiculously short. Embarassingly short. The WDW and Disneyland versions ABSOLUTELY should have been made longer.

People will not be pleased.

Or rather... They SHOULDN'T be pleased.

Fans will not be happy but like other things the average guest will be pleased and that’s all WDW cares about.

Unfortunately Tron is going to be the same situation as Slinky Dog in that it’s a very popular “nighttime attraction”.