A New Experience in Magic Kingdom Has Been DELAYED

UPDATE: When we visited on the morning of April 5th, the TRON Identity Program was up and working, and access to Tomorrowland Launch Depot was limited to guests with reservations for the experience. A Cast Member we spoke to indicated that Disney might allow people without TRON Identity Program reservations to enter the store later this afternoon or evening but we were advised to come back and check on the situation.

A thrilling roller coaster is NOW OPEN in Magic Kingdom — TRON Lightcycle / Run. With the coaster, a new experience was supposed to open up nearby, but that project seems to have run into a few problems.

TRON

Disney announced that the TRON Identity Program would open inside the Tomorrowland Launch Depot (previously called the Tomorrowland Light & Power Co.) at the same time as the TRON ride, on April 4th. The ride is now open, so why isn’t the Identity Program available? We did some investigating, and we found answers.

The Tomorrowland Light and Power Co. gift shop (which used to be the Space Mountain gift shop at the exit of that coaster) was recently renamed and repurposed to become the Tomorrowland Launch Depot. This store is home to lots of TRON merchandise along with the TRON Identity Program.

Tomorrowland Launch Depot

The shop and Identity Program were both originally supposed to open on April 4th (along with the coaster), but that plan was delayed. Guests reported that their April 4th reservations for the program were canceled, and Disney gave them a gift card for $90 (the cost of the experience) along with reservations for an exclusive shopping experience inside the Launch Depot. When we visited this store today, only those people whose reservations for the Identity Program had been canceled were permitted inside the store.

Limited access

Note that those people were not able to participate in the Identity Program, which is still unavailable. However, they were given exclusive access to some TRON merchandise inside the store.

A Cast Member outside the store told us that the program is still not working and they don’t know when it will be fixed. Reservations for April 5th are still available on the Disney World website, so it looks like Disney is at least hoping to get the program up and running by then.

Exclusive shopping experience

The Cast Member at the store told us that anyone with reservations that will have to be canceled due to the program’s delay should be contacted via a call from Disney and informed about the problem and offered the gift card.

In the meantime, you can shop for TRON merchandise at a pop-up shop right across from Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor or at the Star Traders gift shop.

Pop-up Shop

Want to know more about the TRON Identity Program? This program is similar to the activity you’ll find at the Windtraders gift shop in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where you can create your own custom Na’vi doll. At the TRON version, you’ll create a customized “Program” action figure that looks and sounds like you.

ACE Avatar Maker

Disney says that guests will “enter the Grid through a Grid Digitization Portal” located inside the store. The system uses Image Capture to scan your facial features, and then you’ll customize the action figure by choosing a helmet and body configuration. You can decide whether you want to be an Enforcer, Combatant, Scout, or Heavy Sentry, and then you choose a team color.

©Disney

As part of the experience, you’ll also create an identity chip that will interact with some other merchandise, like Identity Discs and Remote Control Lightcycles. Once you finish this process, you’ll head to Command Input to record 6 lines of dialogue. Disney notes that it will take about 20 minutes to make these selections and then another 60 minutes for your figure to be ready.

This activity requires advanced reservations (although walk-ins may be accepted depending on the day’s availability) and costs $89.99 per person. Annual Passholder and other discounts will not be accepted. You will need a valid ticket (or Annual Pass) and Park Pass Reservation for Magic Kingdom in order to participate since the store is located inside the theme park. The experience is limited to the participant and one guest.

Tomorrowland Launch Depot

You can make reservations by visiting the Disney World website. If you want to cancel your reservation, make sure you do it at least one day prior to your booking to avoid the $10 cancelation or “no show” fee.

We’ll continue to watch for more updates from Disney, so stay tuned to DFB for all the latest news!

Click here to learn all about TRON Lightcycle / Run.

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