segway tour?

[firemonkeyrn]

This is going to sound silly but...

I'm a big time photographer (and by that, I mean I take tons of pictures, not that they are any good...) ;)

I'm assuming you can't take pictures while riding. Is there plenty of opportunity to stop and take them?

Thanks, Megan

[arlodog]

To answer a couple of questions--

 

They do stop so you can take pictures and they will even use your camera to take a group picture if you want. Very accomodating!

 

The last scheduled tour is 6pm, but we booked one after that because we didn't get into port until 5pm and there was even a tour after us. These were just 45 minute tours, but we still had the opportunity! This has been a couple of years ago when they were first starting their business and i got the impression that if there is a ship in port they will do everything to accomodate everyone. Just e-mail them and they will let you know if they can do anything for you. OSJ at night was beautiful!

[CanWeGoYet?]

Made reservations for my son and I, really looking forward to this!

[sitter]

We dock at 5pm also....I'd love to do this at night....will they do the tour after their 6pm closing time? And I didn't read anywhere the fee? Does someone know how much this tour costs?

[RSWBADGER]

We dock at 5pm also....I'd love to do this at night....will they do the tour after their 6pm closing time? And I didn't read anywhere the fee? Does someone know how much this tour costs?

 

Sightseeing Segway Guided Tour

 

Duration: 45 minutes

Cost: $42.00 per guest + tax

Tour runs: Daily from 9:00am to 6:00pm

 

Fortifications Segway Guided Tour

 

Duration: 2 hours.

Cost: $84.00 per guest + tax

Tour runs: 4 times daily, 9:00am, 12:00pm, 3:00pm, 5:00 pm

 

http://www.segwaytourspr.com/guidedtours.html

[cruisefamily1]

Do you have to pay for this tour in advance, or do you pay when you get there? I know you have to make reservations but didn't know if you had to pay too.

[RSWBADGER]

Do you have to pay for this tour in advance, or do you pay when you get there? I know you have to make reservations but didn't know if you had to pay too.

 

You pay when you arrive, no advance deposit.

[MJL]

The segway tour at night provides a completely different perspective of Old San Juan and the water-front area. We enjoyed it greatly. Jose does a fantastic job.

 

Mike L

[MrsPete]

I think my family'd enjoy this. We have four tweens/teens who don't really enjoy history, and the Segways might "trick them" into liking it a little better. DH and I are history buffs, so I know we'll love it.

 

Please share any thoughts you might have on these ideas:

 

We have four girls who'll be 16, 16, 13 and 12 this summer. The website says you have to be 90 pounds -- I'd better weigh the 13 year old before I make reservations, but I think we're good -- but it doesn't mention age. Can I assume that a 12-year old who is as tall as I am will be able to manage a Segway? She can skate and ride a bike, and she will follow directions and stick right with us. I have no experience on Segways myself, so I'm putting myself into your capable hands!

 

I think we'd do the shorter tour (because it's cheaper) at 9:00 . . . and then go to at least one of the forts (hopefully two). We have an America the Beautiful pass, and I'm not inclined to pay entrance into the forts when I already have a pass that'll let me in for free.

 

I'm thinking through the time, but I've never been to San Juan -- am I realistic?

 

We're in port 7:00 - 2:30 (horrible schedule, no?)

45 minute tour at 9:00 -- say we're not done 'til 10:00 to be comfortable.

30 minutes to walk to El Moro -- is one hour enough to tour? That'd make it 11:30.

If the girls're still going strong, 30 minutes to walk to Cristobel. Again, how's an hour to view? That'd mean we'd be ready to head back to the ship at 1:00 -- a comfortable amount of time. 30 minutes back to the ship puts us back one hour before sailing. I don't like to push myself time-wise when it comes to port visits.

 

Or is it more realistic to figure that we'll see just El Moro (I have the impression that's the better of the two fortresses?) and not be hurried?

 

Advice from the experienced will be appreciated.

 

We'll bring packaged peanuts or crackers from home for snacks, and we'll wait 'til we're back on board for a meal -- with such a limited amount of time, we want to spend it doing instead of eating. Also, we're not shoppers.

[HarperSays]

Not sure if there is an age limit for the segway, but I'm sure you could call/email them and find out ahead of time. I would think a 12 or 13 year old would be fine on the segway. My guess is they would do better than I did! If you really want to see both forts, I think one hour each would be fine. There is a free trolley that runs by the Carnival port and near the segway office and by both forts so that might save you some walking time. We really enjoyed the segway tour and the forts. Old San Juan is such a neat place. We were fortunate to stay an extra night after our cruise so we had plenty of time to explore. Even though your time in OSJ is limited, I would take every opportunity to see as much as you could - it's a beautiful place. Have a great time!

[MrsPete]

Not sure if there is an age limit for the segway, but I'm sure you could call/email them and find out ahead of time. I would think a 12 or 13 year old would be fine on the segway. My guess is they would do better than I did! If you really want to see both forts, I think one hour each would be fine. There is a free trolley that runs by the Carnival port and near the segway office and by both forts so that might save you some walking time. We really enjoyed the segway tour and the forts. Old San Juan is such a neat place. We were fortunate to stay an extra night after our cruise so we had plenty of time to explore. Even though your time in OSJ is limited, I would take every opportunity to see as much as you could - it's a beautiful place. Have a great time!

Thanks! I'm thinking we'll head to El Moro first, and then IF time looks okay, we'll go to the other fort.

 

Another question: Do you have any space on a Segway to carry a camera or purse?

[StaceyCT]

Another question: Do you have any space on a Segway to carry a camera or purse?

 

Yes, there's a zippered compartment on the front of the Segway that my purse fit into nicely.

[UR Cruisin]

I'm looking to book the 2 hour segway tour this summer (mid-june) for my family of 5 and m parents (in their 70s). The Solstice doesn't get to San Juan till 2 so the 230 tour might be pushing it. What do you do in place of going in the fort on the later tours? Is it more segway riding to get to those places? Also, do you still go to the fort eventhough you don't go inside? And lastly, which time would be good for less heat and less likely to hit a summer thundershower?

Thanks

[vavasmom]

I think my family'd enjoy this. We have four tweens/teens who don't really enjoy history, and the Segways might "trick them" into liking it a little better. DH and I are history buffs, so I know we'll love it.

 

Please share any thoughts you might have on these ideas:

 

We have four girls who'll be 16, 16, 13 and 12 this summer. The website says you have to be 90 pounds -- I'd better weigh the 13 year old before I make reservations, but I think we're good -- but it doesn't mention age. Can I assume that a 12-year old who is as tall as I am will be able to manage a Segway? She can skate and ride a bike, and she will follow directions and stick right with us. I have no experience on Segways myself, so I'm putting myself into your capable hands!

 

We did the tour last August - myself, a family friend and my 13 YO DD.

 

We had a blast. I have no sense of balance but did just fine. There was a family with 2 sons who were probably 9 and 11? The 90 lbs is so the gyroscope in the unit can sense your movement.

[welldone60]

Just back...Did the 2 hour with Natalya, she turned it into a 3 hour and we had a blast. She loves Old San Juan even tho she was not born there. She is fun, a great teacher, and a super guide. Don't worry about "if" you can ride these things. They are alot easier then they look.

[cruisegirl515]

Just back...Did the 2 hour with Natalya, she turned it into a 3 hour and we had a blast. She loves Old San Juan even tho she was not born there. She is fun, a great teacher, and a super guide. Don't worry about "if" you can ride these things. They are alot easier then they look.

 

Thanks for the review, we are taking the 2 hour segway in 2 weeks! I can't wait!

[travelling mom]

Just wondering, are you required to wear a helmet during the segway tour?

[CanWeGoYet?]

Yes, you are required to wear the helmet. You will be going on several streets & while the auto traffic I saw was not heavy - it is a factor.

 

The worst thing I had to contend with was idiot pedestrians jumping out & cutting right in front of me, when it was clear I was just learning how to navigate on the segway with Nataliya teaching me. You learn in the walkway of an area that is frequented by tourists - but I guess it was good training in how to slow down quickly!

 

I really enjoyed the tour we took, I went with my young adult son and it was a great way to travel through old san juan. We covered far more ground than we could of on a walking tour. But I was aware of needing to be careful, I'm a nurse at a trauma center & we've seen some broken bones from mishaps on these devices. You do want to take the safety training seriously. Nataliya was a great teacher, she took the other half of the group, but the fellow we went with good as well & very concerned with everyone's safety. When we had to navigate down a steep cobblestone hill, he dismounted his segway and individually walked with each one of us to make sure we were safe.

 

I've read that Carnival used to offer this experience as an excursion, but on the cruise I just took it was not offered through the cruise line. I was very glad I took this excursion, it was a bargain I thought with the quality of the experience and length of the excursion. Plus it was a lot of fun! The only unpleasant thing was my feet were pins & needles much of the time - I was told this was because I was gripping my feet but I don't think so. I was aware of stretching my feet, not clenching anything & it kept coming back anyhow - nothing lasting though. 5 minutes after the tour was over it stopped.

[vavasmom]

We did the tour on a Sunday - the auto traffic was heavy - we went through a bumper to bumper cars in one spot. Jose said Sunday is one of the worst days for traffic on the summer because so many families come into OSJ (I assume after church). The weather was a perfect 10 the day we were there. Both Jose and Nataliya too safety very seriously (as they should).

A woman with a baby stroller cut off my the 13 YO - I am amazed she avoided the collision. Luckily tweens have very fast reaction times.

 

As the pp noted - I also had pins and needles in my feet - I don't think I was gripping my feet either. But it also stopped within a few minutes - I assumed it was from keeping my feet in the same position on the ride back from El Marrow.

 

To the earlier poster - my DD was not the youngest on the tour - the one family had 2 boys younger than her - the weight limit is very important - the gyroscope can not sense you if you are less than 90 lbs. That is a major saftey issue. The one child in our group was barley 90 lbs(maybe 88 according to his mom) - They made him do several runs to ensure it was sensing him ok before their group left - they split out group of 10 from the Grandeur into 5 and 5.

[alwaysfrantic]

We did this! It was great. Did the 2 hour Fortifications tour and it was a highlight of the week for everyone.

[sallywallygal]

We are planning to do this tour in June. Can anyone give me a general idea of what you see on each of the tours? I'm trying to decide which to do. It seems like on the two-hour tour, a lot of it is spent in the fort. Maybe we should just take the trolley to the fort after our Segway tour. :confused:

I would love to do the rainforest trip after the 45 min. Segway ride, but I guess that's a bit too much when we are only there from 7 - 3:00. :rolleyes:

[welldone60]

With your ship only being in port from 7 to 3, I don't think you would be able to do the rainforest and the Segway even with the 45 min tour. It takes about 5-10 min instruction for each rider before your 45 min tour. So the tour could last longer. They make sure the everyone is comfortable before you start your tour, then make sure you get your 45 min or 2 hour tour in. We spent about 30-40 min at the fort. Natalya is a wonderfull guide full of information that you will not get just walking around the fort. Our 2 hour tour was closer to 3 hours and there were only four of us.

[Asil65]

We did the tour on a Sunday - the auto traffic was heavy - we went through a bumper to bumper cars in one spot. Jose said Sunday is one of the worst days for traffic on the summer because so many families come into OSJ (I assume after church). The weather was a perfect 10 the day we were there. Both Jose and Nataliya too safety very seriously (as they should).

A woman with a baby stroller cut off my the 13 YO - I am amazed she avoided the collision. Luckily tweens have very fast reaction times.

 

As the pp noted - I also had pins and needles in my feet - I don't think I was gripping my feet either. But it also stopped within a few minutes - I assumed it was from keeping my feet in the same position on the ride back from El Marrow.

 

To the earlier poster - my DD was not the youngest on the tour - the one family had 2 boys younger than her - the weight limit is very important - the gyroscope can not sense you if you are less than 90 lbs. That is a major saftey issue. The one child in our group was barley 90 lbs(maybe 88 according to his mom) - They made him do several runs to ensure it was sensing him ok before their group left - they split out group of 10 from the Grandeur into 5 and 5.

 

We will be there on Sunday in June. Sounds like the traffic may be a bit scary for me with my 10 and 12 year old.:eek:

[marci22]

We did this tour last week and it was extremely fun; the time flew by. My kids (13, 16, 17 and DH) all rated it a 10 out of 10. I was afraid to try it but you do get the hang of it very quickly.

[island284]

Has anyone taken the RCCL 7:30 a.m. 2 hour Segway tour? How did that work out? Since the fort opens at 9:00 a.m, did you have enough time to see the fort? How was the car traffic on your way back as I understand it can be slightly risky when returning to the segway office. What about the temperatures? Was it extremely hot that early in the morning? We're going 5/2 and are hoping for comfortable temperatures. Does one HAVE to wear the helmets?

 

Thanks for any information you can give us.

 

island284