Predict when WDW's TRON coaster will open.

[jcruise86]

So Disney is short on cash and will not or cannot prioritize completing an attraction, even though it will attract millions of guests & bring in a lot of cash the moment it opens.

This is not the thread to debate if Disney cheaped out by not improving the one flaw of this ride that disappoints some riders in Shanghai. (It's only 2 minutes long.)
Nor is this the place to debate if the original film (58 Metacritic score) and its sequel (49 on Metacritic) are over-rated.

No, this is where you guesstimate when it'll open. Maybe check out updated construction photos if you think Disney will open this in January of 2021. They still appear to have a lot of work to do.

[jcruise86]

I'm changing this post because it became outdated.

WOW, Darth Scottie's post below (2 posts down) is depressing! Like Darth, I hope 2022 is incorrect. If it's true, I wish Universal or the Oriental Land Co. would buy Walt Disney World. They seem to know more about Walt Disney the risk taker obsessed with creating things that are outstanding & original. If Tron opens in or before early June of 2021, I'll apologize for this post if I remember.

Imagine any of Disney's leaders of the last 25 years mortgaging their home or vacation home & altering their personal insurance to help make an animated film (like Show White) or a park (Disneyland) a reality.

[biggsworth]

on the 50th anniversary!!!!

[Darth Scottie]

I heard on the news 2022. Hopefully that's fake news lol.

[jcruise86]

Disney, if you build it (& open it!) they will come!

[jcruise86]

Maybe our Ameri-Tron coaster will get more enthusiastic attention once the Ratatouille attraction opens at EPCOT.

Here's a new vlog--with a Tron update starting at 7:23. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPrfJcw9TsM

[N2dru]

I think closer to Oct 2021. What's left is the canopy and the walkways and landscaping for the most part.

[jcruise86]

There are multiple reports today on the always reliable internet (HA!) that the Tron Coaster will not be completed by the start of the 50th celebration in Oct. of 2021.

UPDATING THIS ON OCT. 28: so the "word on the street" news from last week might mean that Darth Scottie was right.
Note to self: pay attention to Darth Scottie's future predictions.

[jcruise86]

There are multiple reports today on the always reliable internet (HA!) that the Tron Coaster will not be completed by the start of the 50th celebration in Oct. of 2021.

Yes, quoting myself, because the Magic Kingdom Tron coaster delay has inspired me to put off our WDW trip till 2022.
A little sad cancelling the 2021 Universal & WDW reservations, but the 50th will be in full swing in 2022 when things should be safer.

[jcruise86]

This was article linked below was pretty typical of the delayed Tron Coaster news that came out last month ago (October).

https:///2020/10/tron-light...h-anniversary/

I think this is one of the new attractions people are most looking forward to, and that Bob is making a mistake in not finishing this as quickly as can safely be done. Even if the parks' capacity is still limited by Covid19 in the summer of 2021, increased demand of potential park goers could increase the spending of guests that do come to ride it.

Hopefully most Americans will be vaccinated before July, so Walt Disney World might still be able to go big -- or at least bigger -- late in the summer of 2021.

[Mary Pesik]

Hey, at least 12 year old me was right when I said I wanted a Tron ride for the Magic Kingdom. Thank God they didn't go with my stupid idea (a Snow White's Adventures 1971 style ride with Sark trying to kill you... really?! Tron's cultural impact was way different than Snow White's.) I have way better ideas now.

[jcruise86]

I think of Disney's CEO as "Slow Bob" Chapek because he's playing it safe & taking too long to finish & open attractions.
He makes me appreciate Universal. Delaying Ratatouille till October is is particularly weak because if could've opened already.

While I'm ranting, it was also stupid of Slow Bob to promise things for Galaxy's Edge (at D23) that were later cut out.
Overdeliver & SURPASS the expectations you've created. Don't overpromise & then disappoint Disney's most enthusiastic fans.

[Spongeocto4]

I could see this Christmas to Spring 2022. I think Fall is out, as the Ratatouille Ride is not even opening until October.

[jcruise86]

(This is similar to a post I shared in the Universal section, but hell hath no fury like a "grown up" Disney freak informed that a ride will be delayed, thus I feel a need to address the nation here as well. Thank you for putting up with me! Micechat is where I let my freak flag fly.)

Tron is taking forever at WDW, despite that it's a cloned attraction.

And Ratatouille, another cloned attraction, could've opened in EPCOT months ago, but it won't open till October.

Is it just me, or does Universal open its attractions more quickly & intelligently than Disney does?

(I'm just referring to Disney's American resorts, though Disneyland Paris took way too long to refurb Phantom Manor
a few years ago.)

When Disney opened Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland, it lacked features that "Slow Bob" had boasted about that fans then expected. Fans were later disappointed when they weren't delivered.

Universal, in contrast, seemed to almost deny that the potentially cool raptor coaster at Universal Orlando was even being built (wink wink nudge nudge) despite that there were big freakin' coaster hills guests could see.

If I hear reports that WDW is phoning it in, cutting more perks, and not addressing
miserable over-crowding, inconvenience, & overpricing,**
for examples:

-- restaurant reservations SIX months in advance?! (PLEASE, DO NOT BRING THAT BACK!) That makes planning a trip to Disney World much more onerous in my opinion that visiting Europe.

-- Ride reservations three months in advance?!

-- Resort parking fees,

--$10 per person restaurant cancellation fees,

--slow & insufficient busses making more stops than a bus crossing downtown Detroit,

--no more Magical Express, etc.

then I'll put off my next Florida visit till 2024 through 2028
and it will be mainly to visit Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, and maybe spend 3 nights at WDW.


** Footnote! Correct, if guests are willing to pay any shocking price that Disney charges, one could argue that it is by definition not overpriced IN THE SHORT RUN. But charging as much as possible for many things could hurt the brand in the long run.

[jcruise86]

I thought this video was pretty awesome! They must have been thrilled when it stopped right in front of Tron & were told to be seated by that great voice from the 1970s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29xvy-fv1cM

[jcruise86]

Yes, quoting myself, because the Magic Kingdom Tron coaster delay has inspired me to put off our WDW trip till 2022.
A little sad cancelling the 2021 Universal & WDW reservations, but the 50th will be in full swing in 2022 when things should be safer.

And over a year later I cancelled our August 2022 reservation at the AKL.
MAYBE we'll go to WDW in the summer of 2023, and -- if not -- I might make one last or second last trip to WDW as part of a trip to Universal Orlando's excellent Horror Nights & maybe Epic Universe if the (classic?) monster attraction rivals Disney's great Haunted Mansions.

(I went to WDW about 20 times in its first 25 years, and was impressed by many things in Eisner's first decade, but with some wonderful exceptions, Disney had been getting more over-priced & less impressive in recent years.)