Scott Fais, Florida On A Tankful
Ride 'em cowboy! An adventure on two wheels awaits you across Bay Lake from the Magic Kingdom.
The easy-going Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground at Walt Disney World is home to a new-age Segway tour through the woods.
"We go out twice a day," said Ron Motley, the Segway instructor.
"When you were first getting on it, it was a really weird feeling," said Lindsigh Mahan, a Segway rider.
"It's something different. A new experience for us," said John Brien, a rider. "We kinda compared it to snow skiing before. The first time you get up, you're a little wobbly, you know, and once you get the hang of it, it's kind of easy."
"There are five gyroscopes that keep it up right, that keeps it level," said Frank Zatorski, a Segway instructor.
You can hear the gyroscopes and 10 microprocessors under your feet that keep the unit -- and you -- balanced.
"Maintaining your balance on a Segway is actually pretty easy, thanks to the gyroscopes under my feet," Fais said. "What's not so easy is trying to maintain the speed limit, because when you start going fast, you fall back just a little bit."
"The handlebar will move you backwards and push against your midriff and push you back to keep you at a certain level, so you will not keep forcing it to go faster." Zatorski said.
The two-hour tour does go by fast and leaves visitors like Mahan with far-out memories.
"I felt like I was inside some alternate universe or something," Mahan said.
"How did I do?" Fais asked Motley.
"Oh, you did fine. You managed to stay on your Segway," Motley said.
A second, less aggressive Segway tour takes place seven mornings a week at Epcot. The "Around the World Tour" allows vistors to visit the World Showcase before opening.
You can find Fort Wilderness, located at Walt Disney World, in Orange County, just east of the Magic Kingdom.
For more travel adventures with Scott Fais, go to Central Florida On Demand, Digital Cable Channel 300. Select Entertainment/Travel and then scroll over to Florida on a Tankful.
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What:
Two different tours at the Walt Disney World Resort allow riders saddle up on the Segway Personal Transporter. One goes behind the scenes at Epcot, while the other goes off road on a back trail at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort.
Where:
Walt Disney World
Lake Buena Vista
Orange County
Hours:
Each tour lasts 2 hours.
Fort Wilderness Tours run Tuesday - Saturday at 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Epcot Tours run four times daily: 7:45 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 9 a.m., and 9:30 a.m.
Cost:
Fort Wilderness Tour: $85 (includes tax)
Epcot Tour: $95 (includes tax)
Restrictions:
Riders are asked to be 16 years old or older and weigh less than 250 pounds
Info Line:
(407) WDW-TOUR (939-8687)
Address:
Fort Wilderness Resort, 3520 North Fort Wilderness Trail. Lake Buena Vista, Florida, 32830
Epcot: 1675 N Buena Vista Dr. Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Longitude & Latitude:
Fort Wilderness: Latitude: 28.403632, Longitude: -81.557865
Epcot: Latitude: 28.375417 Longitude: -81.549283
Parking:
Free at Fort Wilderness. Be ready because guests at Fort Wilderness will be asked to park in a visitor lot and then use a free Disney Transport bus to the tour office patio.
Free at Epcot
Web Sites:
Fort Wilderness Segway x2 Tour
Epcot Around the World Tour
Directions From Orlando Area:
Expect about a 25-minute drive when using downtown Orlando as a reference point.
From most parts of Central Florida, jump onto Interstate 4 and head for Walt Disney World.
Take Exit 67 toward Epcot/Downtown Disney. Travel for 1.2 miles
From there, follow the signs to Fort Wilderness and Epcot. Epcot will be easy to find, Fort Wilderness will prove a little more difficult.
Here are step-by-step directions:
Merge onto Epcot Center Dr. Travel for 1 mile.
Take the exit toward Downtown Disney Resort Area.
Merge onto Disney Vacation Club Way.
Turn left at Bonnet Creek Pkwy. Travel for just 1 mile.
Turn left at Vista Blvd. Motor for 0.9 miles.
Turn right at Fort Wilderness Trail. At this point, you’ll need to speak with a security guard at the gatehouse. Each driver will need to present proper identification. From here, divers will need to park their cars and then take a Disney Transport Bus to the tour office.