heathrow42
3 castles down.. 2 to go!
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2002
- Messages
- 1,006
I posted this on another thread after taking the Segway tour on 2/15 -- I liked it and think it was well worth it.
Had a little trouble getting through the lines and the rope drop- had to push my way through the crowd and not all the CM's knew about the tour because 2 other people had touble getting in as well. Once inside Guest relations you sign a waiver and are escorted over to the training room. A little video plays and there are table and chairs, I missed the video, so I am not sure what it was about. Everyone is given a helmet.
There were 2 instructors - Peg and Wil(?) - John Eric who is a Manager over at innoventions was with us as well. The class begins with an explanation of what a Segway is, how it works, and how to operate it. They go over the different modes of the segway - the first is power assist, the second is balance mode. They go over potential problems and the alerts the segway has.
Then you put on your helmets and go over to the Segways, drag them away from the wall, and turn them on and put them into balance mode. Then the instructors individually help everyone to get on, no easy task at first since, you want to lean into your step up, and doing so makes the Segway go forward, it just takes a little patience. You practice going forward and back, and then you learn to turn. Segways are able to pivot completely, you simply turn the left handle in the direction of your turn, and the segway turns on a dime. We practiced weaving in and out of cones. We practiced using pwoer assist to pull the Segway over something the back a ramp that you could not ride over. We practiced going up and down a ramp. There was a short break during which you could take pictures in the training room.
After the break, we got on the Segways, went up the ramp out of the training area and out into the World Showcase. Since WS doesn't open till 11 it was fairly empty. We started in Mexico and basically followed the instructors over different pavements, bridges, through a garden and weaved through columns. We stopped to take a break by American Adventure, and had the opportunity for more pictures. We also took a few moments for a group photo. Then it was back on the Segways to finish the World Showcase and back to the training room.
So that is the over view of the tour..
The Disney version is set to go a maximum of 5MPH- normally the max is 12MPH. The maximum rider weight is 250lbs. They weigh about 80lbs. and if you are not in power assist mode they are fairly difficult to maneuver. They move very smoothly when ridden and are fairly comfortable and easy to use. They require you to pay attention to your balance and posture which is interesting, it is sort of like bio feedback -- if you relax and slouch back, you will slow or stop. It was easy to get tired after a while, since you aren't walking and stretching, its a bit like standing in line for an hour (but more fun)
All that said, after taking the tour, I can understand why Disney would ban these in the parks -- They are fairly large, have the potential for great speed even at 5MPH, and I could easily see people trying to zip around and through crowds and how someone might get hurt. It was a good thing that World Showcase was closed, 13 people (10 + 3 instructors) spread out all across the WS pathway took up alot of room, I couldn't imagine having them all over. Not all places are wheelchair accessible, in these places you would have to get off your Segway, put it into power assist and help lift it over the obstacle, like a curb... at 80lbs, I don't want to have to do that too often. There is also the issue of storing them while on the rides, I don't know that I would want to leave my $5,000 Segway out in front of Small World or Winnie the Pooh, or anywhere else without a place to lean it against. While they do require an individual and encrypted key to turn on, a person interested in stealing it might not know that. I would also be worried about the teenager who thinks its cool and tries to get on it and falls. Even if I owned my own Segway, at 80lbs I would not want to have to get it in and out of the car/bus everywhere.
I know that some people firmly believe that the Segway is the answer to greater mobility, and this may be for a minority of guests at Disney who currently use wheelchairs. However, I personally can't see it being helpful to the majority, since it still requires you to be fairly strong and active, standing for long periods, and the right/left turn handle is tight enough that a person with arthritis would have a difficult time.
To anyone who disagrees, I would point to the fact that another device invented by Dean Kamen after the Segway, a wheelchair, that similar to Segway senses the user's center of gravity and can maneuver stairs called the Independence IBOT, was approved by the FDA in November of 2002, while the Segway still does not have FDA approval. In order for Segway to be marketed to individuals who have disabilities, they must first have FDA approval. I am not even sure that they are seeking FDA approval, as it has been out for many years and they would have to submit a request to the FDA for approval 90 days before marketing it as a medical device (so either they asked the FDA and were turned down, or they don't view it as a medical device) In either case, this is surely the reason Disney will not permit guests to use them in the parks, since without being an FDA approved medical device Disney has no way of regulating who may use them. I am sure that Disney would permit guests to use the IBOT wheelchair (though being an FDA approved medical device they probably don't have much choice)
My personal opinion, is that these would be incredible for the US Postal system and the like. Mailmen who still have walking routes would be able to load mail into the side satchels and deliver mail much faster. In the future it would be nice to be able to hop on one and go to the grocery store, taking in the fresh air and leaving the gas guzzling, polluting car home, but I would wait until they were a bit more common place before making such a large investment.
I have pictures, but it is waaay to late to put them up tonite-- if anyone is interested let me know, and I will try to put them up tomorrow.
Heather
Had a little trouble getting through the lines and the rope drop- had to push my way through the crowd and not all the CM's knew about the tour because 2 other people had touble getting in as well. Once inside Guest relations you sign a waiver and are escorted over to the training room. A little video plays and there are table and chairs, I missed the video, so I am not sure what it was about. Everyone is given a helmet.
There were 2 instructors - Peg and Wil(?) - John Eric who is a Manager over at innoventions was with us as well. The class begins with an explanation of what a Segway is, how it works, and how to operate it. They go over the different modes of the segway - the first is power assist, the second is balance mode. They go over potential problems and the alerts the segway has.
Then you put on your helmets and go over to the Segways, drag them away from the wall, and turn them on and put them into balance mode. Then the instructors individually help everyone to get on, no easy task at first since, you want to lean into your step up, and doing so makes the Segway go forward, it just takes a little patience. You practice going forward and back, and then you learn to turn. Segways are able to pivot completely, you simply turn the left handle in the direction of your turn, and the segway turns on a dime. We practiced weaving in and out of cones. We practiced using pwoer assist to pull the Segway over something the back a ramp that you could not ride over. We practiced going up and down a ramp. There was a short break during which you could take pictures in the training room.
After the break, we got on the Segways, went up the ramp out of the training area and out into the World Showcase. Since WS doesn't open till 11 it was fairly empty. We started in Mexico and basically followed the instructors over different pavements, bridges, through a garden and weaved through columns. We stopped to take a break by American Adventure, and had the opportunity for more pictures. We also took a few moments for a group photo. Then it was back on the Segways to finish the World Showcase and back to the training room.
So that is the over view of the tour..
The Disney version is set to go a maximum of 5MPH- normally the max is 12MPH. The maximum rider weight is 250lbs. They weigh about 80lbs. and if you are not in power assist mode they are fairly difficult to maneuver. They move very smoothly when ridden and are fairly comfortable and easy to use. They require you to pay attention to your balance and posture which is interesting, it is sort of like bio feedback -- if you relax and slouch back, you will slow or stop. It was easy to get tired after a while, since you aren't walking and stretching, its a bit like standing in line for an hour (but more fun)
All that said, after taking the tour, I can understand why Disney would ban these in the parks -- They are fairly large, have the potential for great speed even at 5MPH, and I could easily see people trying to zip around and through crowds and how someone might get hurt. It was a good thing that World Showcase was closed, 13 people (10 + 3 instructors) spread out all across the WS pathway took up alot of room, I couldn't imagine having them all over. Not all places are wheelchair accessible, in these places you would have to get off your Segway, put it into power assist and help lift it over the obstacle, like a curb... at 80lbs, I don't want to have to do that too often. There is also the issue of storing them while on the rides, I don't know that I would want to leave my $5,000 Segway out in front of Small World or Winnie the Pooh, or anywhere else without a place to lean it against. While they do require an individual and encrypted key to turn on, a person interested in stealing it might not know that. I would also be worried about the teenager who thinks its cool and tries to get on it and falls. Even if I owned my own Segway, at 80lbs I would not want to have to get it in and out of the car/bus everywhere.
I know that some people firmly believe that the Segway is the answer to greater mobility, and this may be for a minority of guests at Disney who currently use wheelchairs. However, I personally can't see it being helpful to the majority, since it still requires you to be fairly strong and active, standing for long periods, and the right/left turn handle is tight enough that a person with arthritis would have a difficult time.
To anyone who disagrees, I would point to the fact that another device invented by Dean Kamen after the Segway, a wheelchair, that similar to Segway senses the user's center of gravity and can maneuver stairs called the Independence IBOT, was approved by the FDA in November of 2002, while the Segway still does not have FDA approval. In order for Segway to be marketed to individuals who have disabilities, they must first have FDA approval. I am not even sure that they are seeking FDA approval, as it has been out for many years and they would have to submit a request to the FDA for approval 90 days before marketing it as a medical device (so either they asked the FDA and were turned down, or they don't view it as a medical device) In either case, this is surely the reason Disney will not permit guests to use them in the parks, since without being an FDA approved medical device Disney has no way of regulating who may use them. I am sure that Disney would permit guests to use the IBOT wheelchair (though being an FDA approved medical device they probably don't have much choice)
My personal opinion, is that these would be incredible for the US Postal system and the like. Mailmen who still have walking routes would be able to load mail into the side satchels and deliver mail much faster. In the future it would be nice to be able to hop on one and go to the grocery store, taking in the fresh air and leaving the gas guzzling, polluting car home, but I would wait until they were a bit more common place before making such a large investment.
I have pictures, but it is waaay to late to put them up tonite-- if anyone is interested let me know, and I will try to put them up tomorrow.
Heather
