Have you done- "Around The World at Epcot" Segway?

[miss missy]

I was wondering if anyone has done this and what they think of it. Was it worth 80.00 and do you drive your own segway? What ages? Ect....

 

[PKK/MJK]

We did this in July and had a LOT of fun!!! Frankly, I was scared silly to try--but ended up having no problems whatsoever. You spend approximately the first hour in an indoor classroom where you learn how to ride and maneuver your Segway. Then, riding your Segway, you practice the techniques you learned by going out into the EPCOT World Showcase area. You visit many of the countries and have a mini-tour. You are definitely driving your own Segway the entire time. When I first heard the price, I thought it was pretty high, but having done the tour I'd say it was definitely worth the money. We had two instructors with us for the full two hours--and in addition to being taught to ride the Segway, we had the mini-tour--and got a special pin too! We weren't disappointed! Have fun!

 

[lonegungirl]

We just came back from doing it 9/25 and had a blast! My DM was extremely nervous about it, but ended up considering it the most fun thing of the whole trip! (She is 70+)

Plus she loves the pin.

 

[Leota]

It's ages 16 and up. There are numerous discounts (AP, AA, I think DVC) WE did it in April & it was worth every penny, even if we had paid full price. It's something we all want to do again & wish they had an Intermediate Segway Tour with just a refresher course & then all WS touring.

I was worried that DH or I would have trouble learning to drive the Segways, both of us can be Klutzy. But both of us picked it up pretty quickly. 16 yo DS hopped on that thing & just went like he had been born riding one. They are really simple to operate, they almost read your mind.

I really highly recommend this tour. It's a Blast!

 

[BluOrchid2]

I thought this thread could use a picture! Were YOU at Epcot doing the Segway tour on Saturday Sept 24th? You might be in this photo!

 

[senecabeach]

FYI...

You can do it in DL for "FREE" !!!

I did it in the... Carousel of Progress!! (I thing that was the name of the building). You ride the segway inside the building.

 

[WDWFOREVER]

I organised this for my husband as a 50th birthday present from our son. He had a brilliant time - and so did my son and I! We were allowed to watch the first hour, where people are taught how to ride. I don't think I laughed so much the whole holiday!! There was one lady who made it her business to tell everyone that she had done this before. Guess who was the first to fall off .......?!

DH said it was the highlight of his trip.

Jackie

 

[hiwaygal]

We did this tour on 9/22...it was FABULOUS!!! Definitely worth every penny!

The tour around the World Showcase is just too fun, and those Segways are WAY COOL!!!

You will not regret doing this tour!! Highly recommended!!

 

[Ducky4Disney]

Very fun and worth the money! I wish they would set up some kind of Segway certification so if you want to do it again you could skip or shorten the one hour training session and extend the free time.

Not only was learning to use the Segway a great time, but there was tour that was informative and fun.

D4D

 

[antmaril]

We did this in February - LOVED IT. I paid $68 per person with our AAA discount - worth EVERY PENNY!

 

[baby1038]

OMG BluOrchid2 that is me in the front of the picture with the pink/orange striped shirt. that is so funny.

 

[Servants of Evan]

Other than just riding a Segway, is there anything else special about this? I ask because I have a Segway available at work and riding it is in the "no big deal" category now... Additionally, do you know if you get the "Adult" or "Child" key (7mph max versus 11mph)?

Servants of Evan

 

[Kimberly815]

We are doing this on October 18th, and I can't wait!

 

[hiwaygal]

I guess you get the "child" key. I think they told us it only goes something like 5mph.

I guess if you already have a Segway, the tour might not be as exciting for you.

As previously mentioned, the first part of the tour (about 45 minutes or so) is spent teaching you how to ride the thing. Moving forward and back, turning, going up and down hills, going over curbs, etc. After that, the tour proceeds through the World Showcase. If you do the early tour (starts at 8:30am), the World Showcase will be closed to the public while you go through it. For the 9:30 tour, you have some time in World Showcase before it opens.

Once you are on the tour, you are really only allowed to stop once (they take a break usually near Italy) other than that, you are on the Segway for the entire second hour.

I guess getting the interpretations of the different countries in the World Showcase from the Segway tour CM's may or may not be enough to interest you in the tour...

 

[Servants of Evan]

Thanks for such a quick response! For those of you who haven't ridden a Segway, it's still pretty fun and after a very short while it becomes really simple. It's not tough, if you remember just a few things --

1. Remember to turn on the stabilization system before you mount up. (Green Mac-type smiley face). Do not attempt to just hop on without this or you'll wind up taking a spill like the President did. Note, his Dad listened to the directions and didn't have a problem ...

2. You're going to try to overcorrect for any movement the first few minutes until you really learn to trust the Segway. It's only natural and it's normal. After a little bit you'll realize that the machines are well built and you can put some faith in the gyros.

Really, going forward and back (at least to me) is as much about gently shifting your weight from the center of your foot to either the balls of your feet or your heals. Smoothness is a matter of subtlety (again, see tip #2)

3. If you think you're getting in over your head, squat. It slows down and stabilizes VERY quickly.

4. When you go to park the unit, don't forget to turn it off! After a while of riding the thing it just becomes so instinctive, you almost start to believe it can read your thoughts. Unfortunately, "Sit here and wait for me" isn't one of them!

5. If your Segway has the retractable kickstand, don't forget to retract it before stepping on the unit. You'll snap that plastic in a heartbeat and it's around $100. No, it wasn't me but a coworker who found that out the hard way...

I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from riding a Segaway at least once in their life. It is fun and a marvelous piece of technology -- and where better than Epcot?

Servants of Evan


We use ours in our convention center and it really cuts down the pounding your knees take over a day...

 

[londonpenguin]

BF and I did it on 9/16; got the AAA discount. I was a teensy bit nervous because I am NOT known for my sense of balance, but we had an absolute blast! It takes about 5 or 10 minutes to get the hang of it, but once you do, it's absolutely amazing. I wanted to take the tour again during our stay, but BF didn't want to pay the $$ again. (Poohead!) The only tricks I found for riding it were to (a) stand up straight and (b) trust the Segway.

It was so much fun that if I lived somewhere flat (NOT Seattle!), I would consider buying one for myself.

 

[BluOrchid2]

OMG BluOrchid2 that is me in the front of the picture with the pink/orange striped shirt. that is so funny.

I just knew someone from DIS would be in those photos! What did you think of the crazy woman taking pictures of all the Segwayers riding past? (nice to meet ya, btw!)

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Baby 1038 - were you in the first or second group that day? We did the second tour (met at 915am at Guest Relations) on Saturday the 24th!! Our guides were Jeff and a French girl whose name I can't remember. We had SO much fun!

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I'm doing this in December with my 20-year-old son! We are both really looking forward to it, although I think his main goal is to be able to laugh at me when I make mistakes. He's convinced I'm going to end up in the lagoon somehow.

Teresa

 

[baby1038]

ClarabelleCowFan -- we were on the first session. we had a blast too.