weight limit for segway tour

[wvdislover]

DH and I will be taking an adults-only trip to WDW this February for our anniversary. I would love to surprise him with the Segway tour. Only problem is that he weighs around 270 lbs. and is 6'2. Will this be a problem? I'd hate to sign us up for this and then have them turn us away. He's already lost a lot of weight over the past year and I would hate to embarrass him intead of surprising him. Has anyone else his size done this tour? Thanks in advance!

 

[carlyle688]

250 pound weight limit.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/tourDetail?id=AroundtheWorldEpcotTourPage

 

[Dopey Sharon]

They both have a 250 pound weight limit.

http://allearsnet.com/btp/tours.htm

I doubt very much if they are going to weigh anyone to check, but I'm not sure if the Segways would know if the weight is over. There must be a reason why they put a limit on it.

If he's still on the diet, he may lose the extra 20 pounds before you go. If you think that's a possibility, I would book the tour.

Good luck!

 

[kabbie]

I took the tour and at no time did they whip out a scale and weigh someone. If your DH is so close to the weight limit, I wouldn't worry about it. As much as I hate to admit it, I was over the weight limit and no one said anything.

 

[bradk]

i did some extensive research on this a while back. the weight limits are disney's. the segways can handle a bit more. what may happen is that the segway will slow down if it gets to a certain weight.

also, for what it's worth, without getting into too much detail, i had a cast member point someone out to me who uses the segways quite often at innoventions west who clearly is over the limit.

 

[Vemnox]

I took the tour and at no time did they whip out a scale and weigh someone. If your DH is so close to the weight limit, I wouldn't worry about it. As much as I hate to admit it, I was over the weight limit and no one said anything.

This only means that no one in your group looked like they might not make it and that the tour guides simply didn't check. Innoventions does indeed have a scale and. It's just not very safe to ride over the weight limit.

The weight limit is not "Disney's" rule - the Segway corporation set these guidelines and that is specifically said in the intro to the tour. While 5lbs over is probably no point of concern, I think you're putting yourself at risk going 10+ lbs over. Sure, it will operate, but not like it should. I've personally seen it go into "Safety Shutdown" once the weight limit has been exceeded.

Just be safe!

 

[bradk]

as i said, i researched it. unless you can point it out to me, nowhere does segway say 250 lbs. they do have guidelines (which are closer to the 300 lb mark depending on the machine in question), but their response to me was simply that their concern is that the user is able to negotiate stepping on and off the device safely.

i also read up on owners and users of the segway outside disney and a great number of them are over the 250 mark. as i also said, the unit still works when weight is added (obviously there is a physical limitation, but it's not 250), but performance may degrade.

all this and here you have people saying they've taken the tour over the imposed limit and i had a CM literally point out to me someone that in theory shouldn't be able to use it but they allow to frequently.

 

[Twende]

We asked the same thing about weight two tours ago. DS is a big guy (6'5" and in the 260 range) and we would love to schedule a family tour one time.

They told us that 260 would not really be questioned. So my advise is to have DH loose 10 pounds before the trip! Shoot guys can do that in a few days or even a single pee!

Then just take the tour and relax!

 

[Vemnox]

as i said, i researched it. unless you can point it out to me, nowhere does segway say 250 lbs. they do have guidelines (which are closer to the 300 lb mark depending on the machine in question), but their response to me was simply that their concern is that the user is able to negotiate stepping on and off the device safely.

i also read up on owners and users of the segway outside disney and a great number of them are over the 250 mark. as i also said, the unit still works when weight is added (obviously there is a physical limitation, but it's not 250), but performance may degrade.

all this and here you have people saying they've taken the tour over the imposed limit and i had a CM literally point out to me someone that in theory shouldn't be able to use it but they allow to frequently.

Did the CM get a scale, have the Innoventions CM step on it, and prove to you the weight? And "I know he was over 250lbs just by looking at him" doesn't work.

In the training room when you are watching the PowerPoint they specifically say "The Segway corporation has established a rider weight limit of 250 pounds." Verbatim that's exactly how it says it. Simply Google "Segway weight limit" and you'll see tons of discussions of this figure.

It's of no concern to me whether or not people choose to ride it over the weight limit but, like the OP said, they are trying to avoid any circumstance that could result.

 

[bradk]

i agree there's always a potential to be denied and if one wants to be certain, one should not be over the limit.

and i went back and reviewed my research (the google search reveals it's a recommended limit, not a physical limitation/mandatory limit). that actually freshens my mind a bit. disney is 'enforcing' the recommendation, but it's by no means a physical limitation of the device.

anyway, here's the response segway gave me on the question at the time (back in 2005):

Thank you for contacting Segway LLC. The Segway HT is extensively tested
and analyzed according to severe durability standards. For rider safety,
the maximum recommended payload (rider plus all cargo) 210 pounds (96 kg)
for the p Series model and 260 pounds (118 kg) for the Segway HT i180,
Segway Golf Transporter (GT) and the Segway Cross-Terrain Transporter (XT).


Exceeding the maximum payload may result in increased risk of a fall or
injury, and can decrease the life of your Segway product, particularly if
the unit is used in severe conditions.

Minimum rider weight is 100 pounds.

Please review the Reference Manual for more information about weight limits.
A copy of the Reference Manual can be found on our web site at
http://www.segway.com/support/docs/

Thank you,
The Segway Team

so i apologize for any confusion i may have caused, least of all to myself.

And "I know he was over 250lbs just by looking at him" doesn't work.

bearing in mind that muscle mass is more dense than fat, yes, in some cases, you can tell. i'm not talking 251 lbs or 260 either.

 

[wvdislover]

So my advise is to have DH loose 10 pounds before the trip! Shoot guys can do that in a few days or even a single pee!

Isn't that the truth?!? Why can't girls lose weight that easily? It's SO not fair! Thanks for the advice! Anyone else?

 

[SueM in MN]

In the training room when you are watching the PowerPoint they specifically say "The Segway corporation has established a rider weight limit of 250 pounds." Verbatim that's exactly how it says it.

I have been on the tour 3 times and in all the presentations, the CM says at the end of the presentation that if anyone wants to 'opt out' of going on the tour, they can, no questions asked. The CM also pointed out that there was a scale where people could check their weight discreetly if they were concerned that they may be at/close to the weight limit. On one tour, several people did go over and check. One had been sort of 'iffy' about going after seeing the presentation and decided not to go on the tour. I don't know what her weight was, just that she decided not to go.

 

[MrsToad]

I think I've read that the Segway's recommended limit is a rider at a maximum of 250 pounds plus 10 pounds of cargo. I would think is would be fair to combine those figures - especially if you aren't carrying a backpack or other items.

 

[wvdislover]

OK, so I went ahead and booked the tour. I didn't want it to fill up if it worked out. I told DH about the tour and the weight limit and that it might not work out. I would like to call and speak to someone who actually works with the Segway tour, rather than just calling the 800 number and talking to a CM who can only read the information on a paper in front of him/her. Anyone know who/where to call? Thanks. BTW, DH is still trying to lose as much as he can before we go!

 

[BigTiggerGuy]

Don't worry about it. I did the tour and at the time I weighed between 240-245lbs. I'm tall, about 6'2" but I didn't have any problems. One gentlemen in our group told me he was concerned since he weighed 260lbs. but he didn't have any problems either. I did notice that going up the hills, my Segway seemed to go a bit slower than others.....and faster coming down! But all in all it was fine. I absolutely loved the tour and can't wait to do it again! Especially since I now weigh 220lbs!

 

[wvdislover]

Thanks for the input! Anybody else?

 

[bradk]

the tour is run by guest relations, they'd be the final word. they also don't take calls from guests.