Segway's Coming to Seaworld!

[Ioanne6]

Hey everyone, Just thought I would share some information reguarding the Seaworld Rail Way and it getting transformed into a Segway guided tour. After taking a Segway lesson at a Resort, the operator of Experinces Guided X2 Segway Tours was briefly informing us about his future site's where Segway's will be operating in the 2010. One of those site's will be Seaworld along the old Rail Way which has been closed for the past 18 months. The Segway tour will cost around $100 per person and will include behind the scenes Segway tours around the Seaworld gounds. I know I cant wait till this begins operation as Segway's where the most enjoyable type of tour i've ever been on!

Edited January 3, 2010 by Ioanne6

[themeparkgc]

Seems to be a lot like what they have on offer at Disney's California Adventure and Epcot. I wonder whether they will / could extend it a bit further than just the train line and take it around the park before it opens (like DCA). I'd probably have a go if it weren't for the price.

[T-bone]

And people complain about Dreamworld and their current up-charge attractions, What the hell Sea World? Remove a classic and original, reduce your ride count yet again, to put in another up charge. Whilst it is a cool up charge, I am not happy about this one, not happy at all.

[Gazza]

Why would it run along the train tracks anyway? Sleepers and ballast and rails would be unnecessarily difficult to drive across, and I can't imagine it being worthwhile to turn the whole track into a concrete path suitable to drive segways on. The idea of actual tours doesn't sound too far fetched, but they'd probably just be on existing paths and roadways.

[Ioanne6]

Yes the price is a little steep. At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to hand over $70 for a one hour tour but I couldn't believe how fun the Segway is. Also the technology and safety features in this little machine are tremendous. Gazza im not sure what exactly there doing with the train tracks but that's where he stated his going to be going along. The sleepers within the tracks may be taken out and replaced with gravel, though some may be left due to the off road nature of this tour. Due to the nature of the park and due to the amount of people on the main pathways of Seaworld it would be unsafe to use this route, thus they need to use the area the train operated within. Edit: Woops sorry Gazza

Edited January 4, 2010 by Ioanne6

[themeparkgc]

Gazze

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

It is unusual that we haven't heard any rumors from internal sources as yet. Usually the parks would engage a confidentiality of some sort until they are ready to announce the project - so this guy might just have let the cat out of the bag, and that might damage his contractual agreement. I have to say loanne, i'm not trying to knock your authenticity, but some of your comments sound like a sales pitch on a bad infomercial... you sure you don't have a vested interest?

At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to hand over $70 for a one hour tour but I couldn't believe how fun the Segway is. Also the technology and safety features in this little machine are tremendous.

You also seem to know a lot of the intricate details of the tour, for someone who was discussing the subject in passing....

was briefly informing us about his future site's where Segway's will be operating in the 2010

The sleepers within the tracks may be taken out and replaced with gravel, though some may be left due to the off road nature of this tour

And to Paul: With the exception of the animal encounters (which are a necessary additional extra, not just to fund their research activities, but also to prevent 15,000 people per day climbing in the water with a dolphin), This would be the second upcharge attraction at SeaWorld. I think if you compare the list, you will see why people compain about Dreamworld's current upcharges. Sea World

1. Animal Encounters (I consider this as one)
2. Helicopters
3. Possible introduction of SegWay

Total: 2 current, 1 possible Wet N Wild

1. Cabana Hire (which are a premium extra to enhance an existing experience)
2. Tube Hire (although I don't know if they do this anymore - it wasn't open when we went before christmas - also a premium extra to enhance an existing experience)
3. 1 x Skill Game (high striker)

Total: 2 current, 1 possible Movie World

1. Multiple Skill Games
2. Green Screen Music Videos

Total: 2 current Dreamworld

1. V8 Redline
2. FlowRider
3. Dreamworld Helicopters
4. Multiple skill games
5. Rock climbing wall
6. Q4U (enhances existing experience)
7. Animal Encounters (all considered as one also)

Total: 7 current (I haven't included coin-op style games or attractions such as remota boats or intencity, as all parks have these type of attractions.) I'm pretty sure I got all of them, but if I have missed any please post it so we can update the tally. I seem to remember one or more of the parks (DW \ MW) did an old-time photos thing, but can't remember which, and this isn't really an experience as such as taking something tangible home (same with tattoos or hair decorations)

[Gazza]

^Don't forget the water park and the paddle boats. SW also has skill games now in the area where the food outlets and shops are grouped (Near the train station)

[cerberus584]

Tube Hire (although I don't know if they do this anymore - it wasn't open when we went before christmas - also a premium extra to enhance an existing experience)

Just to clarify Wet'n'Wild still do Tube Hire for $3 after 5:30 from the Calypso Bar.

[rappa]

Not a rumour, it will be coming. I've known about this for a while and for some reason I seem to have just plain forgotten about it of late. I believe Gazza they are in fact concreting over the path to allow the Segways to travel. I don't know if $100 is a fair price though. It was $100 to do it at Epcot and it was definitely a much better tour than anything they could do at Seaworld. Should be noted that this will be run by an outside contractor.

[T-bone]

Yes Alex, but I can't think of any upcharge at Dreamworld that hasn't directly caused the closure of an Attraction, or meant that something that was once free now costs extra, with the exception of WhiteWater World, which is a fair upgrade in it's own right. The Coin Ops are a given at Any park, Wonderland had them, Dreamworld's had them for Yonks, as do many of the parks overseas, they are a given. With the Segways, wouldn't they just need to remove the track from the Corkscrew Roundhouse (despite it not being round) to the station since most of the railroad track from the tunnel to there has an adjoining road with it?

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

^Don't forget the water park and the paddle boats. SW also has skill games now in the area where the food outlets and shops are grouped (Near the train station)

Well I hadn't included the water park simply because if you consider it as "after your admission to the park, you can enter our water park, for just a little more...." kind of works with DW and WWW as well, doesn't it? What paddle boats? I wasn't aware SW had Skill games, but that just puts it on par with everyone else, and drops it off the list.

Yes Alex, but I can't think of any upcharge at Dreamworld that hasn't directly caused the closure of an Attraction, or meant that something that was once free now costs extra, with the exception of WhiteWater World, which is a fair upgrade in it's own right. The Coin Ops are a given at Any park, Wonderland had them, Dreamworld's had them for Yonks, as do many of the parks overseas, they are a given.

Directly caused the closure of an attraction? Are you saying that the Segway is the reason the SeaWorld train will no longer operate? Wake up and smell the coalfire paul - the SW train was dead long before this Segway guy even dreamt up the idea. As to the SW waterpark (your "once free, now costs extra" idea) - you didn't seem to have an issue when the subject was raised - you didn't comment that you weren't happy in that thread? So, hang on - White Water world is a fair upgrade in its own right? I don't consider WWW an upcharge - it is an entirely different park offering numerous attractions, that is also accessible independently of DW - eg: you don't have to enter DW to utilise it. On second thoughts - that concept ALSO works with the SW water park, now, doesn't it? You don't need to enter SW to use the waterpark, so long as you are a guest at SW Resort. And as to the coin ops Paul, I know they are a given - that is why I said "i haven't included them, because all parks have them"

[pin142]

What paddle boats?

They are down a path, north of the photo shop. Looks like you paddle them around the ski lake. There is a small pier/pontoon they are attached to.

[T-bone]

Directly caused the closure of an attraction? Are you saying that the Segway is the reason the SeaWorld train will no longer operate?

You can't honestly tell me that the ride wasn't in an inoperable state, it sat there after Jet Rescue construction started and wasn't touched (to my belief) between then and now. If the main loco was dead and couldn't be bought back to life at all, and the 2 other loco's were also in an inoperable state, unable to be bought back to life, it wouldn't have been that hard or expensive to replace the old loco with a new one if it came to that. So in my opinion, yes the segways are replacing the train, we have lost one attraction for an upcharge, it doesn't matter if the train has been silent since Jet Rescues construction, just because it sat there for a while doing nothing, doesn't mean squat. The Segways might not be the exact reason for the closure of the train, but if what is being said above is true, then the trains buriel will be caused by the segways, with no chance of a return, losing another attraction for an upcharge. Another example would be if Dreamworld replaced Eureka with say upcharge Robocoasters, they would still be taking away an attraction and putting in an upcharge, leaving guests more short changed than if they had built a new non upcharge attraction in it's place, or simply have returned it to it's former glory. On the waterpark, even if I didn't originally comment on it doesn't mean squat. I don't care if resort guests can still go in for free, not everyone wants to stay in an overpriced motel room. So what about those average Joe guests who visit the park, still paying the same price (if not more) than when the waterpark was included, then being told they have to pay extra to go on the slides.? The reason I mentioned WhiteWater World is because we are talking about taking things away that were once included, but now cost extra, since Blue Lagoon was closed due to WhiteWater World, however the upgrade from BL to WWW was substantial, a new, bigger park with new attractions, so it is in a slightly different category to the Sea World Waterpark, but still it is really in the same category, and in my opinion considered an upcharge or an upsell with the $10 upgrade.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

No, it wasn't necessarily in an inoperable state, although we don't really know now, do we? The cost of purchasing a new loco - in the scheme of things, wouldn't be that great, however the cost of running the railway is the prohibitive factor. With the park's design, the operation of the train impedes guest flow, causing bottle necks near ray reef. It doesn't offer the views of the park and the esplanade that the monorail does, isn't air-conditioned, and actually tours through some relatively ugly parts of the park. Coupled with the fact that it doesn't actually cover the entire park (whereas the monorail does), it was outdated, and unsuited to the job. Not that i'm agreeing it is being "replaced" as such, but I would much prefer that SeaWorld "replaced" the train with another attraction, even if it is an upcharge, than simply boarding up the stations and placing tables in front of it and pretending like it doesn't exist. If an attraction is SBNO for more than 12 (since Jet Rescue opened) months after it is closed before "groundbreaking" begins on the new attraction, you can hardly consider that a replacement. The train was gone 18 months ago - you can't protest the logging of a forest when the field is already bare. As to there being no chance of a return, all we have at present is some sketchy information repeated to a third party about the proposed route of the tour. There is minimal modification required, and as you pointed out, most of the track has a pathway beside it so it may not need the track to be torn out. For the sections that do need to be altered, who said the alterations needed to be permanent? If all the hardware is still there and operable, it is hardly a burial. If the segway idea flops, the sub-contractor disappears, and the train can re-open? I'm not quite sure if you're for or against the discussion as far as BL - WWW, I don't quite understand what you are saying. IMO It is an example of replacing a free attraction with an upcharge, even though it is a standalone in it's own right, and so (sort of) is the SW Water Park. Thinking logically, the plans to privatise the waterpark happened long before we heard of it. The work on the slide tower, the construction of the mammoth, it had sat there for years with no work done to it - why do you think they began improving it all of a sudden? Shortly after all the improvements are complete - the waterpark goes private - coincidence? So they didn't close it, improve on the original, and then re-open as an upcharge (like BL-WWW) but it still had the same events - just in a different sequence.