Another Question About Segway Tour

[JikoMarie]

No doubt this has all been asked (and answered before) but with the advent of the crappy search feature, I need to ask. We would be interested in doing the Segway Tour at Epcot. We have three questions:

1. Is this is a hard tour to book? We plan to call 180 days before we want it but are our chances half decent of getting it reserved.

2. How much of the two hours is actually spent touring WS and how much is spent learning how to use the segway?

3. Are the shops open during the time that WS is open only to the segwayers?

 

[BigTiggerGuy]

I just did the tour in early February. I suggest booking it as early as possible because it does tend to fill up.
We spent about 30 minutes practicing on the Segways before heading into World Showcase. As far as the shops being open, it depends on what time you book the tour. We were on the 8:30am tour and World Showcase didn't officially open until 11am so none of the shops were open. Keep in mind that even if the shops are open, you have to stay with the group and your instructor as you move through World Showcase.....you won't be able to just stop and shop whenever you feel like it. Besides, you will be having so much fun on the Segway you won't want to get off!

 

[JikoMarie]

That is very helpful, BigTiggerGuy. Now you mentioned going at 8:30. The info that I read on Allearsnet seemed to indicate that there was only one time and it's at 9am. So, you can book different times? The tour lasts 2 hours right.

 

[DVCLiz]

When I last booked it, there was an 8:30am and a 9:30am group. We spent almost the full first hour practicing - you'll be in a room in one of the Innoventions buildings. The second hour we rode outside - over to WS, then they set up an area in front of The American Adventure pavillion, and we free rode for about 30 minutes. They also took us through some of the WS countries, like the back of Morocco, etc so we could practice riding through the sidewalks, etc.

It was so much fun - can't wait until DD13 is old enough for us to do this as a family!!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

Here's information from the DIS site about the Segway tours.
There are actually 2 Segway tours. One is a one hour tour that takes place totally indoors in a training area. The other is a 2 hour tour that includes a tour of WS. The last time we went, there were 2 start times. We were on the 8:30 tour and when we got done with our indoor practice, the 2nd group came into the room.
The first few minutes are spent watching a short video and getting some safety instructions. Then, you get a practice time indoors where they set up situations for you to practice (turning both directions, going up and down ramps, steering around obstacles, crouching down to avoid things like low hanging branches).
After that, you go into WS for the outdoor tour part. It is a tour, not free riding. While going in the areas that are open, you are in a single file line with a CM Tour Guide in front of you and another CM behind making sure no one has any problems. Once you get into the closed part of WS, you no longer need to be in single file, but do need to stay with the group. The CM leading the group leads you thru each country - usually a way that is a bit challenging (like in and our around pillars at Italy), but you can also take a more direct, less challenging path. At each country, the Tour CM will give a little talk (only about 2 minutes or so) about each area and you drive thru the area.

 

[Dan Murphy]

More helpful information............

http://allearsnet.com/reviewpost/showproduct.php?product=232

 

[calgarygary]

Sue has given a vey accurate description of the process. Meeting, movie and getting safety equipment - not quite 1/2 hour. Indoor training 1/2 hour. Tour of World Showcase 1 hr.

 

[cinderkelli]

So those of you who have done it, was it worth it? $85 for two hours, PLUS the price of a park ticket seems high, but my husband really wants to do it and he doesn't even usually want to go to Disney world. So should we do it? What do they do on the tour? Do you just ride around or do you get like a 'behind the scenes' type look at things? Thanks!!

 

[dis-happy]

The tour is really great! You can get a 20% discount off the price of tour admission: AAA, DVC, AP, Disney Visa--hopefully one of these will apply for you.

Thing to note: if it's rainy outside they will cancel the second half of the tour (the WS part) and refund half the money. Cancellation is 48 hrs. in advance.

The tour guides do give you some interesting behind the scenes information during the tour. And it's neat to see the WS from the perspective of the Segway (and when no one else is there). I took a group of non-Disney people as a family gathering and everyone LOVED the Segway Tour. I'm sure you dh would get a lot out of it.

 

[JikoMarie]

It is the two hour session that we are interested in doing. Thank you all so much for the information. It was really helpful. We have decided to go ahead and book it when we reach 180 days. Fingers cross that we are able to get it.

 

[Bill From PA]

We're doing the tour on March 5th, and while we booked it early on, it was originally booked for the 7th. We were able to switch to the 5th just a few weeks ago which means that there were at least 2 openings available very recently. Still, book early and enjoy.

Bill From PA

 

[PinballFamily]

You can book NOW for any tour (including Segway) for the 2007 calendar year. We booked on Jan 2 for our August and November '07 tours - including the Aqua Tour, KTTK, and repeating the Segway tour we did in '06. It is a lot of fun and we're looking forward to doing it again.

Don't wait for 180 days out. 180 applies to dining, the Grand Floridian kids tours/events, BibbidyBobbidyBoutique, etc. But not most of the Disney tours.

Also, there are at least three different Segway tour times each morning. Apparently, this is a very popular offering!

 

[BriarRosie]

The tour is really great! You can get a 20% discount off the price of tour admission: AAA, DVC, AP, Disney Visa--hopefully one of these will apply for you.

Thing to note: if it's rainy outside they will cancel the second half of the tour (the WS part) and refund half the money. Cancellation is 48 hrs. in advance.

The tour guides do give you some interesting behind the scenes information during the tour. And it's neat to see the WS from the perspective of the Segway (and when no one else is there). I took a group of non-Disney people as a family gathering and everyone LOVED the Segway Tour. I'm sure you dh would get a lot out of it.

When I did the tour, I was able to get the 20% discount from the Disney Visa
booking. But when I saw the most recent newsletter from Disney Visa,
it appeared that the tour discount now is only 15%.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

I did this tour in September.

It was worth every cent.

It was so much fun, but keep in mind they do take practice to master. It's a lot easier than it looks. But once you get the hang of it indoors - no worries!

We did the 8:30 tour, so people we just arriving to enter the WS as we were returning.

 

[JikoMarie]

You can book NOW for any tour (including Segway) for the 2007 calendar year.

{snip}

Don't wait for 180 days out. 180 applies to dining, the Grand Floridian kids tours/events, BibbidyBobbidyBoutique, etc. But not most of the Disney tours.

This is wonderful information!! I can't believe I didn't know that. It would seem as though the PS Calculator and the info both here and Allearsnet indicates a booking time of 180 days out. I'm glad that I didn't go by this. PinballFamily, I'm forever indebted to you!

I just called and booked a Segway tour for 9:30am Monday, August 27th! I'm so excited to actually have this booked. It is the first ADR we have made for our trip!! If anyone else happens to have booked one for then as well, be sure to let me know.

Also, FYI, she offered me four possible touring times to choose from. 9:30 is the latest and I believe 7:45 was the earliest.

 

[PinballFamily]

Good for you! We're happy to help! That's why this board is great - we all enjoy assisting each other...

We didn't know about the advance tour booking timeframes, either, but a very helpful CM "Thor" helped us last month (January '07) - I kept repeating "Are you sure we can book tours for ALL of 2007 now?" - and he just kept chuckling and saying "Yes, and now what other tour can I book for you?" As I noted, we booked quite a few - and are contemplating several more.

You'll love the Segway tour - (and the cool commemorative pin!) - it is a blast!

 

[JikoMarie]

Thanks again, PinballFamily. That is important information to know and I'm sure you'll help other people get the tours they want as well. I can hardly wait to hop on a segway.

 

[calgarygary]

Thanks again, PinballFamily. That is important information to know and I'm sure you'll help other people get the tours they want as well. I can hardly wait to hop on a segway.

Hopping on a segway will lead to a spill - you'll see!

 

[JikoMarie]

Hopping on a segway will lead to a spill - you'll see!

As you can tell, I'm a newbie!

PS - They really need a segway smilie.

 

[calgarygary]

They may not have a segway smilie but everyone that does the Segway tour does get a Segway smile.