Segway tours at Disney's Fort Wilderness campground

January 3, 11:51 AM
by Barbara Nefer, Orlando Getaways Examiner

The Fort Wilderness campground offers a tranquil escape from the hectic Disney theme parks. Now you can enjoy a Segway tour of the quiet side of Disney World on the Wilderness Back Trail adventure, one of several Segway experiences offered at Walt Disney World.

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Disney promises a "nature tour like no other," with participants whizzing along through the back trails of Fort Wilderness. The two-hour adventure starts off with a training session to make sure you can operate your Segaway safely. Then the group heads off, along with two guides, for a journey past swampland and along the lake, where you'll pause for a photo opportunity. You'll do a drive-by of the Wilderness Lodge and stop at the Tri-Circle-D ranch to meet the ponies and horses. Water is provided, as is a potty break. If you're lucky, you may even see deer or wildlife. Take the earliest tour for the luck with critter spotting.

You don't have to be staying at Fort Wilderness in order to take the tour. If you're driving, you can park in the main Fort Wilderness lot and take a bus to the back of the campground (the tour meets near Pioneer Hall, where the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review takes place). If you're staying on property, you can take a boat from the Magic Kingdom. Some hotels may have direct boat or bus service, so ask at the concierge desk.

If you're wondering how a Segway can navigate through the wilderness, this tour uses the X2 model, which has thick tires and is built to handle rugged terrain:

Although most of the paths aren't too challenging, there are a few spots on the trails where participants can choose to do a bit of "off-roading."

The guides have great personalities, and their trivia and tall tales will keep you entertained throughout the tour. At the end, you receive a pin commemorating your adventure.

This tour is limited to guests age 16 and over, and participants cannot weigh over 250 pounds. The cost is $85 per person, and discounts may be available for annual pass holders so be sure to ask if you have an AP. You'll need to be able to stand for the length of the tour, and be warned that your legs might get tired from the shifts and jounces of riding a Segway!

To book the tour, call 407-WDW-TOUR. Each tour accommodates a limited number of people, so it's best to book this one as early as possible.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-2200-Orlando-Getaways-Examiner~y2009m1d3-Segway-tours-at-Disneys-Fort-Wilderness-campground

OMG that would be so cool! I would love to do a tour of the campground!

I'd love to do it during the Christmas holidays to see all the camper decorations. They really do a great job.

That would be very cool!!!

I have tried to hold off on doing the Segways ( DD wants to go 1st time with me) but I just don't know if I can any longer. I think I'm going to try this one on my June trip and save the Epcot one for when she turns 16 next year.

I would love to do this one, we did the Epcot Segway last year and much to my suprise I manged to stay on, it was great once I got used to it.

We did the FW Segway tour in early December. Unfortunately, after several days of fantastic weather on our vacation week, weather predictions for the morning of our tour were not good with heavy rain predicted so I called the day before to reschedule. I knew there was a 48-hour cancellation policy but it turns out they can't reschedule, they can only cancel and rebook so I couldn't reschedule without paying twice. I was told that they would still conduct the training portion and refund half of our money, which I knew when I booked. I pointed out that I would rather reschedule and pay the full amount and get a full tour (better for us, more money for Disney) but was told it could not be done. Oh well.

It was pouring rain with tornado warnings on the morning of our tour! The training portion was held inside the BBQ pavillion so at least we had a roof over our heads. After 30 minutes of training the rain had eased up a little bit so they decided to give us a taste of off road Segway riding. They issued ponchos and took us out on a short ride outdoors. Just then the rain intensified again but we were a hardy group and carried on through the puddles and over the rain soaked ground. The off road Segways performed brilliantly! We were only out for 10 minutes or so but it was great.

We returned to the pavilion, were given our special tour pins and were told we would be getting a refund. I looked at my watch and saw that we had used up only 45 minutes of the 2-hour tour so I was a little surprised we would be paying half price for less than half the time but we had so much fun I really didn't care. We returned to VWL, soaked through to the skin from the knees down.

I just got the credit on my credit card this week and was surprised to see they gave us all of our money back! Wow! I can't wait to do this tour again. We've done the Epcot tour a few times and really enjoy cruising around the countries in the WS. But from the short taste we had of our off-road Segway adventure, it's just as much fun and I can't wait to go back and do the full tour.

And by the way, I have inner ear problems that affect my balance at times and I have no problems at all riding a Segway. Just thought I would mention that in case anyone has any doubts about whether or not this is something they could master.

This sounds SO cool!!! DH and I did the Epcot tour last year, and the only thing we hated about the tour was that it had to end! We are headed to DL next month, and may do the CA Segway tour there. We would love to do this one, too.