Disney World Shorts Some Passholders on TRON Access

It pays to be a Disney World Annual Passholder sometimes, but now it seems that Disney wants its Passholders to know that it really pays to get the upgraded versions.

As TRON: Lightcycle/Run prepares to open at Magic Kingdom Park, Disney is taking a moment to make it unapologetically clear that not all Annual Passes are created equal.

There are currently four Walt Disney World Annual Pass tiers. In descending order, they are the Disney Incredi Pass, the Disney Sorcerer Pass, the Disney Pirate Pass, and the Disney Pixie Dust Pass. On the surface level, the ONLY major difference between these options appears to be the number of black-out dates each receives, with the $1400 Disney Incredi Pass including no block-out dates and the $400 Disney Pixie Dust Pass blocked out every weekend as well as peak crowd periods. Well, the significance of those block-out dates has shown through with how Disney World has decided to handle the roll-out of its long-awaited Tomorrowland roller coaster.

Block-Out Dates Apply to TRON Passholder Previews

On Thursday, February 16, The Walt Disney World Resort opened registration for exclusive Annual Passholder previews for TRON: Lightcycle/Run. We at Disney Fanatic reported that the Passholder Preview dates would be Saturday, March 4 – Monday, March 6, and then Wednesday, March 8 – Sunday, March 12.

For those would-be Guests with the Disney Incredi Pass and Disney Sorcerer Pass, every possible preview date is open. But that is not the case for those with the Disney Pirate Pass and Disney Pixie Dust Pass. According to the Disney World website, Disney Pirate Pass Holders are blocked out of the Theme Parks Saturday, March 11, and Sunday, March 12, and Disney Pixie Dust Pass Holders are blocked out every weekend, shrinking an 8-day preview in half.

While Disney World frees all Annual Passholders from needing to make a Theme Park Reservation on the day of their preview, they remain steadfast to the block-out dates, warning everyone,

“Space is limited and applicable Pass block-out dates do apply. A preview registration for a date that is a block-out date will automatically be cancelled. Be sure to check the Pass Block-out Calendar before registering.”

Now, all Annual Pass levels are able to draw from their own special “bucket” of Theme Park Reservations. So, if they can’t find a preview date that can work, they can definitely secure a Magic Kingdom Park Pass Reservation for opening day, right? Wrong.

TRON Opening Inside Massive Passholder Block-Out Window

TRON: Lightcycle/Run opens to the public on April 4, 2023, with a virtual queue system and an option to purchase Individual Lightning Lane Access, similar to how Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind had their openings in EPCOT.

After seven years of waiting, it is one of the most anticipated attractions to debut at Walt Disney World Resort. Unfortunately, half of Disney World’s Annual Passholders will miss out on the opening day, as well as all of the opening week.

Disney World’s website makes it clear that Disney Pirate Pass Holders are completely blocked out from the Theme Parks from April 1 – April 15, while the Disney Pixie Dust Pass is blocked out from April 1 – April 16.

The multi-week block-out window is most likely due to the expected Spring Break/Easter Vacation crowds, with Easter Sunday falling on April 9, 2023. There is little doubt that Disney chose this launch time to capitalize on the demand for the TRON Lightning Lane purchases.

The latest addition to Tomorrowland has already come under fire by Cast Members who claim that Walt Disney Imagineers did not update the motorcycle-shaped ride vehicle to accommodate larger American riders, as well as being far too short of an experience.

Related: Server Error? Cast Members Complain TRON is Least Inclusive Ride at Disney World

Only time will tell if the years of waiting will result in the consensus of die-hard Disney fans saying, “it was worth the wait.” But one thing is clear: it does pay to be a premium Passholder.