ehagerty
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2001
- Messages
- 2,099
Who: DH47, ME49, DS16 (just)
What: Seqway Tour at Epcot
When: Saturday, June 19, 9-11 am
I had read about this tour on this site and allearsnet.com and thought it would be fun. We don't have much of an residential use for a Segway, given the weather (Great Lakes) and suburban sprawl where we live, so I didn't feel like I was throwing money away that could be invested in owning a Seqway.
We arrived a little early, which was a good thing, since DS16 had left it proof-of-age indentification (passport) with the paperwork he assembled for an unsuccessful (insufficient ID) attempt to get his driver's permit 2 days before we left. (Turns out, you now need a social security card in NY state to apply for a driver's permit. Here, I always thought a US passport was the gold standard for ID, and they want a social security card - which looks easy to replicate / counterfeit. Learn something new all the time.)
Fortunately, the Seqway guide accepted this explanation, along with an informal assessment of the fact that DS16 over over 6' tall and let us go on.
The tour is described in detail in other trip reports, but briefly, they spend about 1 hour training, 1/2 hour guided tour (ducks in a row) and 1/2 hour less formal tour (still accompanied by guide, and you have to stay together, but you don't have to stay in a row) around World Showcase.
***** Segway Tour Photo Op *****
I found it easy and fun. Balance and calf strength, both issues raised in other reports, didn't bother me, and I had no "incidents" or discomfort.
DS16 thought it would go faster. The machines CAN go 12.5 mph, but the machines used for the tour have been set / limited to 5 mph.
The tour is so popular (sold out, mostly - and it wasn't even an official tour, with any advertising, yet) that they are in the process of adding a second tour per day.
They gave us pins, which they noted are selling for $40 on E-bay, because of the limited distribution (at this tour only, so only 20 per day). They asked people not to sell them, but of course, that is a guideline, not an enforcable rule......
Would I recommend it? Would I do it again? Was it worth it?
Worth it?
Tour cost $80 (retail), but you can get discounts (DVC = 15%; pay for tour with Disa Visa = 20% discount). So we paid $64/pp. You could think about defraying the cost by selling you pin ($40), but who would want to do that?
Recommend?
Definitely. It is a unique experience, since I have no plan to own a Seqway.
Do it again?
I would LIKE to ride the Segway again, but I don't think it makes sense to do THIS tour twice. Once you have "graduated" from training, it doesn't make sense to paid for a 2 hour tour where one hour would be teaching you something you already know.
Suggestion to Disney: Add another tour, where the first 15" is a refresher, or opporunity for the rider to demonstrate skill, and then a full 1.5 - 2.0 hours touring some other Disney Site. Obviously, World Showcase is pretty and has the benefit of not opening until 11:00, but we'll think of something - like the Marketplace in the morning, POFQ/POR walkway, golf trails, etc.
Questions?
What: Seqway Tour at Epcot
When: Saturday, June 19, 9-11 am
I had read about this tour on this site and allearsnet.com and thought it would be fun. We don't have much of an residential use for a Segway, given the weather (Great Lakes) and suburban sprawl where we live, so I didn't feel like I was throwing money away that could be invested in owning a Seqway.
We arrived a little early, which was a good thing, since DS16 had left it proof-of-age indentification (passport) with the paperwork he assembled for an unsuccessful (insufficient ID) attempt to get his driver's permit 2 days before we left. (Turns out, you now need a social security card in NY state to apply for a driver's permit. Here, I always thought a US passport was the gold standard for ID, and they want a social security card - which looks easy to replicate / counterfeit. Learn something new all the time.)
Fortunately, the Seqway guide accepted this explanation, along with an informal assessment of the fact that DS16 over over 6' tall and let us go on.
The tour is described in detail in other trip reports, but briefly, they spend about 1 hour training, 1/2 hour guided tour (ducks in a row) and 1/2 hour less formal tour (still accompanied by guide, and you have to stay together, but you don't have to stay in a row) around World Showcase.
***** Segway Tour Photo Op *****
I found it easy and fun. Balance and calf strength, both issues raised in other reports, didn't bother me, and I had no "incidents" or discomfort.
DS16 thought it would go faster. The machines CAN go 12.5 mph, but the machines used for the tour have been set / limited to 5 mph.
The tour is so popular (sold out, mostly - and it wasn't even an official tour, with any advertising, yet) that they are in the process of adding a second tour per day.
They gave us pins, which they noted are selling for $40 on E-bay, because of the limited distribution (at this tour only, so only 20 per day). They asked people not to sell them, but of course, that is a guideline, not an enforcable rule......
Would I recommend it? Would I do it again? Was it worth it?
Worth it?
Tour cost $80 (retail), but you can get discounts (DVC = 15%; pay for tour with Disa Visa = 20% discount). So we paid $64/pp. You could think about defraying the cost by selling you pin ($40), but who would want to do that?
Recommend?
Definitely. It is a unique experience, since I have no plan to own a Seqway.
Do it again?
I would LIKE to ride the Segway again, but I don't think it makes sense to do THIS tour twice. Once you have "graduated" from training, it doesn't make sense to paid for a 2 hour tour where one hour would be teaching you something you already know.
Suggestion to Disney: Add another tour, where the first 15" is a refresher, or opporunity for the rider to demonstrate skill, and then a full 1.5 - 2.0 hours touring some other Disney Site. Obviously, World Showcase is pretty and has the benefit of not opening until 11:00, but we'll think of something - like the Marketplace in the morning, POFQ/POR walkway, golf trails, etc.
Questions?
