TTATraveler
Active Member
Thanks to Captain Hank and Epcot82Guy for your insight into LWTL and the greenhouses. I can't wait to see the changes for myself.
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Living witht he Land reopening delayed until Tuesday
- Thread starter mousermerf
- Start date
Epcot82Guy
Well-Known Member
Ha ha. If I didn't have papers to grade and fed tax reading to do, I would probably do my best. I will try and get an abreviated version up, but it really should be done in person. The guides each take a unique approach, and much of my spiel is now antequated since the plants have switched out. But, if you would like to hear about plants that are no longer present, I can gladly oblige at some point! :lol:
Captain Hank
Well-Known Member
Yup, just like all of the other greenhouse staff, I am a guide for Behind the Seeds. It's a great tour, and I absolutely love giving it.
As for writing it out...oh dear, that could take a long, long time. I warn my tour groups that at times I might sound like I'm lapsing into a scripted spiel. There actually is no functional script for Behind the Seeds, I'm just trying to condense all that I know about the greenhouses into an hour. If I went through everything, we'd probably be there for half a day. Here are some of the things that I find most interesting, and aren't covered in the boat ride:
--One of the first plants you see in the tropics greenhouse is Cacao (pronounced Kak-ow). It is the source of chocolate. The cultures for our cacao plants actually came from Nestle, and are from the same stock that makes Nestle chocolate.
--Our coffee trees also came from Nestle.
--The large, green starfruit-like gourds that are seen in Tropics are called Fluted Pumpkins. The fruit itself is inedible, except for the seeds inside which can be roasted and taste like almonds. The crop is mainly grown for its edible leaves, used in soups, stews and stir-frys.
--Jackfruit, the trees with the large, green pods hanging from them are among our more...unique fruits. They have a close relative called the Durian. The defining characteristic of a durian is that it stinks to high heaven. In Thai hotels, where we have "No Smoking" signs, they have "No Durian" signs. The jackfruit is thought to be the main ingredient in Juicy Fruit gum.
--The Russian Sturgeon, which we have in the Aquacell, is quite a friendly fish. One time, I went in to help scrub out the tank. While I was working, the fish tended to hover by my waist, and enjoyed having their bellies rubbed. They're such a cool fish.
--The reason we don't have too many of the freshwater shrimp out on show is that they're very territorial and would do...Un-Disneylike things if grown too densely.
--The Aquacell is red because the red light helps calm the fish, and also cuts down a bit on algae growth.
--Our lemon trees in the Temperate greenhouse will produce lemons that weigh 9 lbs. At that weight, they are about the size of a milk jug. They have a skin that's about an inch thick (lots of zest!) and pretty sizable thorns (when you prune the 9 lb. lemon tree, it likes to prune back!)
--We have white eggplant in String. Most people don't realize that this was the original color of eggplant, and is actually where it gets its name--it looks like eggs growing on a plant.
--Our tomato and cucumber trees come from China. We are the only place in North America to have a tomoato tree. Each has also set world records, at 32,000+ tomatoes, and 2,563 cucumbers (counted the last one myself, and it was Mickey-shaped).
--The Cinderella pumpkins in String helped provide the visual inspiration for Cinderella's coach in the movie.
--The biotech lab that you see at the end is where the USDA is working on creating a dwarf pear tree. It's also where all of the Mickey's Mini Gardens are produced.
And that's just scratching the surface. If you have any other questions about the Land greenhouses, I'd be glad to do my best to try to answer them. Anything to add, Epcot82Guy?
tecowdw
Well-Known Member
Yup, just like all of the other greenhouse staff, I am a guide for Behind the Seeds. It's a great tour, and I absolutely love giving it.
As for writing it out...oh dear, that could take a long, long time. I warn my tour groups that at times I might sound like I'm lapsing into a scripted spiel. There actually is no functional script for Behind the Seeds, I'm just trying to condense all that I know about the greenhouses into an hour. If I went through everything, we'd probably be there for half a day. Here are some of the things that I find most interesting, and aren't covered in the boat ride:
--One of the first plants you see in the tropics greenhouse is Cacao (pronounced Kak-ow). It is the source of chocolate. The cultures for our cacao plants actually came from Nestle, and are from the same stock that makes Nestle chocolate.
--Our coffee trees also came from Nestle.
--The large, green starfruit-like gourds that are seen in Tropics are called Fluted Pumpkins. The fruit itself is inedible, except for the seeds inside which can be roasted and taste like almonds. The crop is mainly grown for its edible leaves, used in soups, stews and stir-frys.
--Jackfruit, the trees with the large, green pods hanging from them are among our more...unique fruits. They have a close relative called the Durian. The defining characteristic of a durian is that it stinks to high heaven. In Thai hotels, where we have "No Smoking" signs, they have "No Durian" signs. The jackfruit is thought to be the main ingredient in Juicy Fruit gum.
--The Russian Sturgeon, which we have in the Aquacell, is quite a friendly fish. One time, I went in to help scrub out the tank. While I was working, the fish tended to hover by my waist, and enjoyed having their bellies rubbed. They're such a cool fish.
--The reason we don't have too many of the freshwater shrimp out on show is that they're very territorial and would do...Un-Disneylike things if grown too densely.
--The Aquacell is red because the red light helps calm the fish, and also cuts down a bit on algae growth.
--Our lemon trees in the Temperate greenhouse will produce lemons that weigh 9 lbs. At that weight, they are about the size of a milk jug. They have a skin that's about an inch thick (lots of zest!) and pretty sizable thorns (when you prune the 9 lb. lemon tree, it likes to prune back!)
--We have white eggplant in String. Most people don't realize that this was the original color of eggplant, and is actually where it gets its name--it looks like eggs growing on a plant.
--Our tomato and cucumber trees come from China. We are the only place in North America to have a tomoato tree. Each has also set world records, at 32,000+ tomatoes, and 2,563 cucumbers (counted the last one myself, and it was Mickey-shaped).
--The Cinderella pumpkins in String helped provide the visual inspiration for Cinderella's coach in the movie.
--The biotech lab that you see at the end is where the USDA is working on creating a dwarf pear tree. It's also where all of the Mickey's Mini Gardens are produced.
And that's just scratching the surface. If you have any other questions about the Land greenhouses, I'd be glad to do my best to try to answer them. Anything to add, Epcot82Guy?
Cool!! Love the info! Maybe I should take the tour again ~ it's been probably 10 years.
:sohappy:
TTATraveler
Active Member
Yup, just like all of the other greenhouse staff, I am a guide for Behind the Seeds. It's a great tour, and I absolutely love giving it.
As for writing it out...oh dear, that could take a long, long time. I warn my tour groups that at times I might sound like I'm lapsing into a scripted spiel. There actually is no functional script for Behind the Seeds, I'm just trying to condense all that I know about the greenhouses into an hour. If I went through everything, we'd probably be there for half a day. Here are some of the things that I find most interesting, and aren't covered in the boat ride:
--One of the first plants you see in the tropics greenhouse is Cacao (pronounced Kak-ow). It is the source of chocolate. The cultures for our cacao plants actually came from Nestle, and are from the same stock that makes Nestle chocolate.
--Our coffee trees also came from Nestle.
--The large, green starfruit-like gourds that are seen in Tropics are called Fluted Pumpkins. The fruit itself is inedible, except for the seeds inside which can be roasted and taste like almonds. The crop is mainly grown for its edible leaves, used in soups, stews and stir-frys.
--Jackfruit, the trees with the large, green pods hanging from them are among our more...unique fruits. They have a close relative called the Durian. The defining characteristic of a durian is that it stinks to high heaven. In Thai hotels, where we have "No Smoking" signs, they have "No Durian" signs. The jackfruit is thought to be the main ingredient in Juicy Fruit gum.
--The Russian Sturgeon, which we have in the Aquacell, is quite a friendly fish. One time, I went in to help scrub out the tank. While I was working, the fish tended to hover by my waist, and enjoyed having their bellies rubbed. They're such a cool fish.
--The reason we don't have too many of the freshwater shrimp out on show is that they're very territorial and would do...Un-Disneylike things if grown too densely.
--The Aquacell is red because the red light helps calm the fish, and also cuts down a bit on algae growth.
--Our lemon trees in the Temperate greenhouse will produce lemons that weigh 9 lbs. At that weight, they are about the size of a milk jug. They have a skin that's about an inch thick (lots of zest!) and pretty sizable thorns (when you prune the 9 lb. lemon tree, it likes to prune back!)
--We have white eggplant in String. Most people don't realize that this was the original color of eggplant, and is actually where it gets its name--it looks like eggs growing on a plant.
--Our tomato and cucumber trees come from China. We are the only place in North America to have a tomoato tree. Each has also set world records, at 32,000+ tomatoes, and 2,563 cucumbers (counted the last one myself, and it was Mickey-shaped).
--The Cinderella pumpkins in String helped provide the visual inspiration for Cinderella's coach in the movie.
--The biotech lab that you see at the end is where the USDA is working on creating a dwarf pear tree. It's also where all of the Mickey's Mini Gardens are produced.
And that's just scratching the surface. If you have any other questions about the Land greenhouses, I'd be glad to do my best to try to answer them. Anything to add, Epcot82Guy?
Very cool. I took the tour in 2003 and it was great. For the price Disney charges, the tour is a steal.
rudilantfury
New Member
WOW! Sounds like a very informative tour, may have to rethink my plans and signup for that one.
Captain Hank
Well-Known Member
Yup, Living with the Land was open and accepting guests today.
GoofyMom2
New Member
Hey everyone! Just got back today.....
My DH and I rode LWTL yesterday (Monday). We were happily surprised to see it open. I asked a CM and he said the ride had just re-opened that day!
We also took the Behind the Seeds tour. One thing we noted during our tour: apparently a little boy was really leaning out of the boat (or climbing) and this booming voice told him to get back in the boat. I didn't see him but the voice was very loud. Our tour guide told us there are people watching the boats......guess more of this will happen without an actual CM in the boat.
My DH and I rode LWTL yesterday (Monday). We were happily surprised to see it open. I asked a CM and he said the ride had just re-opened that day!
We also took the Behind the Seeds tour. One thing we noted during our tour: apparently a little boy was really leaning out of the boat (or climbing) and this booming voice told him to get back in the boat. I didn't see him but the voice was very loud. Our tour guide told us there are people watching the boats......guess more of this will happen without an actual CM in the boat.
Captain Hank
Well-Known Member
Do you possibly remember your tour guide's name?
Magicot
Member
Wait... that's it? No comments on your LwtL experience? Nothing? C'mon GoofyMom2, what was it like?
GoofyMom2
New Member
Our tour guide's name was Jeffrey :wave: He did a wonderful job...we really enjoyed it....
Sorry about lack of details! :lol:
We just got home, kids to care for, animals needing attention etc....will be posting trip reports, pics and other info...I promise!
Will tell you we enjoyed the new LWTL ride, it was pretty informative. We have had wonderful CM on the boats in the past, so we did miss them. But, we have also had ones that didn't talk much, so this pre-taped spiel was much better than that. Is it a change for the better? Guess it depends on your POV.....change seems to be a constant at Disney....
At least they still had the giant pumpkins, 9 lb lemons (although still green), tomatoe tree (new one since last visit in April), and they have a cucumber tree on it's way to being a record winner!
Epcot82Guy
Well-Known Member
Ahh.. the voice of god. I'm glad to see it will become part of the LwtL experience for guests instead of a treat relegated to those of us in the greenhouses. How I miss the daily notification that "Boats are on the canal" or, as was more often "Btsncnal"...
GoofyMom2
New Member
:lol: That is exactly what I thought it sounded like!!!!
Captain Hank
Well-Known Member
*Booming Voice of God* "Attention in the Land, Attention in the Land, we are powering down to clear E-Stops. Track walkers, please hold your positions. IR Beam 4 confirmed..."
As for wait times, I think it peaked out at 20 minutes (as far as I saw) and was not running FastPass.
And GoofyMom2, glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour. Jeff is a great guide.
Yup, just like all of the other greenhouse staff, I am a guide for Behind the Seeds. It's a great tour, and I absolutely love giving it.
As for writing it out...oh dear, that could take a long, long time. I warn my tour groups that at times I might sound like I'm lapsing into a scripted spiel. There actually is no functional script for Behind the Seeds, I'm just trying to condense all that I know about the greenhouses into an hour. If I went through everything, we'd probably be there for half a day. Here are some of the things that I find most interesting, and aren't covered in the boat ride:
--One of the first plants you see in the tropics greenhouse is Cacao (pronounced Kak-ow). It is the source of chocolate. The cultures for our cacao plants actually came from Nestle, and are from the same stock that makes Nestle chocolate.
--Our coffee trees also came from Nestle.
--The large, green starfruit-like gourds that are seen in Tropics are called Fluted Pumpkins. The fruit itself is inedible, except for the seeds inside which can be roasted and taste like almonds. The crop is mainly grown for its edible leaves, used in soups, stews and stir-frys.
--Jackfruit, the trees with the large, green pods hanging from them are among our more...unique fruits. They have a close relative called the Durian. The defining characteristic of a durian is that it stinks to high heaven. In Thai hotels, where we have "No Smoking" signs, they have "No Durian" signs. The jackfruit is thought to be the main ingredient in Juicy Fruit gum.
--The Russian Sturgeon, which we have in the Aquacell, is quite a friendly fish. One time, I went in to help scrub out the tank. While I was working, the fish tended to hover by my waist, and enjoyed having their bellies rubbed. They're such a cool fish.
--The reason we don't have too many of the freshwater shrimp out on show is that they're very territorial and would do...Un-Disneylike things if grown too densely.
--The Aquacell is red because the red light helps calm the fish, and also cuts down a bit on algae growth.
--Our lemon trees in the Temperate greenhouse will produce lemons that weigh 9 lbs. At that weight, they are about the size of a milk jug. They have a skin that's about an inch thick (lots of zest!) and pretty sizable thorns (when you prune the 9 lb. lemon tree, it likes to prune back!)
--We have white eggplant in String. Most people don't realize that this was the original color of eggplant, and is actually where it gets its name--it looks like eggs growing on a plant.
--Our tomato and cucumber trees come from China. We are the only place in North America to have a tomoato tree. Each has also set world records, at 32,000+ tomatoes, and 2,563 cucumbers (counted the last one myself, and it was Mickey-shaped).
--The Cinderella pumpkins in String helped provide the visual inspiration for Cinderella's coach in the movie.
--The biotech lab that you see at the end is where the USDA is working on creating a dwarf pear tree. It's also where all of the Mickey's Mini Gardens are produced.
And that's just scratching the surface. If you have any other questions about the Land greenhouses, I'd be glad to do my best to try to answer them. Anything to add, Epcot82Guy?
Awesome!! Thanks! Maybe I'll run into you in November.
Should we maybe start a new Q&A thread in the general discussion forum?
SewIn2Disney
Well-Known Member
Regarding Captain Hank's post about his speil:
I only heard about half of those items on my tour, which just goes to show how different every tour guide could be. I plan on taking it again as I really had a lot of fun! My tour guide in June was Bill. Great tour, and great guide, I recommend it to all!
I only heard about half of those items on my tour, which just goes to show how different every tour guide could be. I plan on taking it again as I really had a lot of fun! My tour guide in June was Bill. Great tour, and great guide, I recommend it to all!
Yellow Shoes
Well-Known Member
Wow, Capt'n, your synopsis really makes me want to take the tour next week.
Living with the Land has always been a favorite of mine, and was the site of some Disney CM magic on my last trip. 7 year old melt down nipped in the bud (sorry!) by quick-thinking Yolanda's distribution of FastPasses.
Please excuse my asking again, but how and where could I sign up for the tour? What is their frequency? Hourly? 2-3 times perday?
Thanks!
PS--are you really a "Hank"? My son, Henry, mysteriously became Hank when he got to high school.
Living with the Land has always been a favorite of mine, and was the site of some Disney CM magic on my last trip. 7 year old melt down nipped in the bud (sorry!) by quick-thinking Yolanda's distribution of FastPasses.
Please excuse my asking again, but how and where could I sign up for the tour? What is their frequency? Hourly? 2-3 times perday?
Thanks!
PS--are you really a "Hank"? My son, Henry, mysteriously became Hank when he got to high school.