Around the World at Epcot

Around the World at Epcot

Years before the Disneyland Resort launched its Cruzin’ Disney’s California Adventure Park tour (link), participants were already zipping on the two-wheeled Segway PT in the Around the World at Epcot tour. This Walt Disney World tour allows participants to ride the self-balancing electric transportation devices through Epcot’s World Showcase in the morning before the park opens to the public. The popular tour draw thousands of participants each year, including most recently, MousePlanet’s own Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix. In today’s article, Adrienne takes you on a tour… of the tour.

The Around the World at Epcot tour gives participants the opportunity to ride a Segway personal transporter. Logo © Disney.

Our tour met in Epcot’s Guest Relations lobby. After meeting our tour guides, we headed over to Innoventions for orientation. After a short video, our tour guides issued helmets and then helped us pick out and adjust a Segway. These Segway devices are outfitted with storage bags that allow participants to take small purses or camera bags with them (large items are left inside Innoventions).

Our guides split our group into two sections for the training, and we spent several minutes learning how to step onto and off of the device, roll forward and backward, turn, and stop. Once we could demonstrate we had mastered the basics, we moved onto advanced maneuvers. The Innoventions Segway exhibit includes a small ramp, and we practiced riding up and down the incline. The tour guides set up an slalom course of cones, and we practiced navigating around and between them. Finally, our guides taught us to duck under low obstacles, and how to “walk” the Segway over obstacles that the device can not safely cross.

A Guest Relations host shares some trivia with the Segway tour group. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Once we were all comfortable on the Segway and the tour guides felt confident in our ability to safely operate the devices, we followed our leader out into World Showcase. After a quick restroom break, the group headed into World Showcase. The tour usually includes a Segway specialist from Innoventions and a Guest Relations host. Our Guest Relations host led the way and will stopped periodically to point out architectural details of the pavilion or share some Disney trivia, while the Segway specialist brought up the rear and made sure that the participants were safe and comfortable on the device.

The international pavilions of Epcot provide a variety of interesting road services to navigate, everything from wooden bridges to cobblestone paths. Our guide was proficient in leading us to these routes, while offering an alternative for those who were not as adventuresome. The steep path leading to the Yakitori House seating area in the Japan pavilion was especially interesting.

Participants get to play during the free ride period. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Our group stopped just outside the Italy pavilion for a brief “free skate” period. Some opted to take a break from the Segway for a few minutes, while others decided to see just what the device could do. “Moving fast” was not one of these options, since Disney locks the tour models into a low-speed beginner mode for safety. Although the Segway is capable of going 12 miles per hour, this “Turtle” mode slows the devices down to less than half that speed.

During this break, we saw a few Epcot managers riding on their own company-issued Segways. Not only does Walt Disney World offer visitors the opportunity to ride a Segway, the resort maintains a large fleet of devices, used everywhere from parking lots to warehouses.

Our hosts offered to take our photos if we wished, and then it was time to tour the rest of the World Showcase. Our hosts issued a warning as we neared the International Gateway, and the visitors who were trickling in through that entrance, and we quickly found ourselves adding “pedestrians” to the list of obstacles to avoid. All too soon we were back in Future World, navigating through the crowds flocking towards The Land and Soarin’ Over California. Once back inside Innoventions, we reluctantly turned in our Segway and received our commemorative tour pins. Another tour group was just finishing up their Segway training, and we watched with envy as they left for their tour around World Showcase.

Tour participants encounter the most dangerous obstacles of the route—pedestrians. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

This tour is an hour shorter than the version in Disney’s Calfornia Adventure park, but actual riding time is about the same since the DCA tour includes a continental breakfast. Don’t pass up this tour just because you have already tried the DCA version or have already experienced the Segway, as the unique setting more then makes up for the redundant training period. That said, many people leave this tour asking if there is an “advanced” tour available. Disney has yet to meet this demand, but visitors who want more time on the Segway can inquire about the Wilderness Back Trail Adventures Tour, another Segway tour that is offered seasonally at Fort Wilderness (and not listed at the Walt Disney World Web site).

Tour Details

• Price – $95 per person

• Discounts – 15% discount offered to AAA members, Disney Vacation Club members, Walt Disney World Annual Passholders and Disney Visa cardholders. Cast Member discount available.

• Rain Policy – In the event of inclement weather, the tour ends after operator training, and participants receive a 50% refund.

• Schedule – Offered daily in the mornings at 7:45, 8:30, 9:00, and 9:30.

• Tour length – 2 hours

• Walking required – Minimal

• Age restrictions – Participants must be at least 16 years old, and a parent or legal guardian must sign a waiver to allow minors to participate.

• Access issues – This tour has a significant number of physical requirements: Participants must wear closed-toe shoes, and Disney highly recommends that participants wear athletic shoes; participants weigh at least 100 pounds and no more than 250 pounds, and be able to step onto and off of the Segway, and to maintain lateral balance while riding.

• Basic timeline – 45 to 60 minutes in training, including a short video, introduction to the Segway, and riding practice. 45 to 60 minutes touring Epcot on the Segway, including a brief “free ride” period midway through the tour.

• Target audience – Anyone who wants to ride the Segway; Epcot fans who want a new perspective on the park.

• Photos – Generally allowed, though cast members request that you step off the Segway before you snap a photo. To “preserve the magic,” photography may be restricted in some areas before the park opens.

• Transportation – Disney suggests that you arrive in the parking lot 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of your tour. If you are relying on Disney transportation from a resort hotel, check with the front desk to find out if bus service is available. You can also take the Monorail to Epcot-Monorail service usually begins at 7:00 a.m.

  Driving may be the best option for those taking the 7:45 and 8:30 tours. On most mornings the Epcot parking lot opens at 8:30, so getting into the parking lot may take a few extra minutes. If there are no parking lot cast members on duty at the toll booths, proceed through any open lane (usually indicated by a green light). This won’t be a problem for the 7:45 tour, but for the 8:30 tour you may have to make your way around the cars waiting for the parking lot to open. There should be one lane open for those taking tours or entering the park for a character breakfast – tell the cast member that you are there for the tour, and they should allow you to proceed.

  If you are staying in the Epcot Resort area hotels (Beach Club Resort & Villas, BoardWalk Inn & Villas, Yacht Club Resort, Swan or Dolphin) and plan to walk to Epcot for your tour, be aware that the International Gateway does not open until 8:00 a.m. Those taking the 7:45 tour will need to find transportation to Epcot’s front entrance. Those taking the later tours should have no problem walking from the International Gateway to Guest Relations in time for your tour.

• Admission – While Epcot admission is not included in the price of the tour, it is required. The ticket booths are not open before the 7:45 a.m. tour, so purchase your admission in advance.

  To enter the park, locate the turnstile with the “character breakfast” sign. Tell the cast member that you are there for the Segway tour—you may need to provide your tour confirmation number, or the cast member may check your name against a list. The tour meets in the Guest Relations office at Epcot at the designated starting time. If your tour begins before park hours, make sure you grab a snack or your morning coffee before you arrive, as none of the food service locations will be open.

• After the tour – The tour ends at Innoventions, placing you in an ideal spot to grab a Fastpass for Soarin’ as soon as The Land opens. The cast member who helps you book your tour will likely offer to make a lunch Priority Seating reservation for after your tour.