For the first time in more than a decade, the rope drop race will be for an attraction other than the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Yes, there was the dash to Splash, or the race to Space, but the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has been a popular first stop for guests visiting Magic Kingdom since it opened more than a decade ago. That changes next week when TRON Lightcycle Run moves away from Virtual Queue and opens up a traditional standby line. TRON is a popular ride that will undoubtedly be more popular at night, but it will also demand quite a crowd at park opening, perhaps tipping the rope drop scales back to Tomorrowland and away from Fantasyland for the first time in more than 10 years. We’ll be on the ground to see what the actual crowd flow looks like on September 9th, but let’s do a little bit of predicting before being proven right or wrong in just a few days.

Before we jump into the specifics of rope drop at Magic Kingdom, let’s discuss how rope drop has changed since Early Entry was introduced. Briefly, Early Entry is a post-COVID perk that allows any guest staying at any Walt Disney World Resort hotel the ability to get a 30-minute head start on their day. This means that hundreds of guests are already in the theme parks, riding rides and jumping in line before the general public can enter. For the most popular attractions, that means that there will be a 30-60+ minute wait by the time the park officially opens to the general public. The takeaway here is that Early Entry puts the general public at a disadvantage, but it can be helpful for hotel guests who choose to take advantage of the perk.

Ok, turning our attention back to the specifics of Magic Kingdom. Starting September 9th, TRON Lightcycle Run will operate a standby queue for the first time since it opened in April 2023. We’ve already covered the fact that Early Entry will not initially be offered for TRON Lightcycle Run next week, but how might that change the crowd flow dynamics?

We imagine that a lot of the rope drop (post-Early Entry) interest will be in TRON Lightcycle Run not only on September 9th for the novelty of it, but also moving forward. The biggest factor that will keep Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in the mix at rope drop beyond how enjoyable of an attraction it is will be the height restriction for each ride. Mine Train has a 38″ height requirement, whereas TRON Lightcycle Run has the tallest height requirement for a Walt Disney World theme park attraction at 48″. Based on average height for children, that could be a 6-year gap. That means that some families may continue to prioritize Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at rope drop so that the whole family can enjoy the ride.

In theory, the average resort guest will still prioritize Seven Dwarfs Mine Train during Early Entry while TRON Lightcycle Run remains closed. As Early Entry time starts to run out, we imagine guests will move over to TRON Lightcycle Run as their second or third ride of the morning. Of course, not everyone optimizes their Early Entry time, so it’s possible that some guests may choose to just line up for TRON Lightcycle Run right when they arrive at Early Entry.

For the general public not participating in Early Entry, TRON Lightcycle Run will likely be a top priority given the general bell curve of wait times that applies to almost every attraction and the advantage of riding early or late in the day. That’s not to say that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train won’t remain a popular first choice, but we expect that TRON Lightcycle Run will take over the top spot moving forward.

Additionally, we could also see wait times at Peter Pan’s Flight benefitting from TRON Lightcycle Run opening up standby. Peter Pan’s Flight is the clear #2 choice during Early Entry and throughout the day at Magic Kingdom. If TRON Lightcycle Run ends up sucking up some of the oxygen, the wait times at Peter Pan’s Flight may actually be tolerable.

In terms of how this may impact your plans, we hesitate to put anything on paper just yet. We’ll want to see at least a week or two worth of data and crowds to put any sort of plan into action. In theory, we would probably prioritize Peter Pan’s Flight first during an Early Entry scenario, followed by Seven Dwarfs Mine Train around park opening. The thought there is that Peter Pan’s Flight will remain the #2 attraction during Early Entry, and all of the Early Entry guests who want to form a pre-park opening line at TRON Lightcycle Run will likely head over some 15 minutes or so before park opening – leaving Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in a more accessible state than at the start of Early Entry. To be clear, we don’t expect Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to be a ghost town at rope drop – just slightly more manageable.

Overall, opening the TRON Lightcycle Run standby queue will likely prove to be a positive thing, not only at rope drop but throughout the day. We’d love to see Walt Disney World finally open up a standby queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind as well. A similar effect could be expected at EPCOT, with Guardians soaking up some of the rope drop/Early Entry crowds and easing the strain on Frozen Ever After, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Test Track (when it reopens).

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!