"The Land" News: Updated Boat Ride Spiel and More

Just a few weeks ago, the Orlando Theme Park News Team shared some interesting updates concerning The Land pavilion at Epcot. Today, we have some more news to share with you, which will surely be pleasing to many. While our past update focused mostly on the Harvest Theater (home of the Circle of Life attraction) and Soarin', this time we will take a look at some improvements that have been made (or will soon be implemented) at Living with the Land:

UPDATED GREENHOUSE SPIEL - One of the most important changes that have been recently spotted is an updated spiel that can now be heard throughout the greenhouse section of this amazing boat ride. In the past few weeks, only one boat was testing this new spiel (it was first reported by WDWThemeParks.com), which was then approved and extended to the remaining boats. We have a new video of the entire ride to share with you. As you will see, the dark ride portion of the attraction still has the same spiel, which then changes once the boat enters the greenhouse (in the "Tropics" area). 

Among the changes, you will notice that a lot more information about unusual (but edible) plants are given while the boat is in the Tropics greenhouse. Also, in the Production greenhouse, the famous nine-pound lemon tree has been moved to the back. In the Strings greenhouse (the area where most plants are hanging from... strings) there are many more plants that were recently added, and the section before the finale was recently refurbished and now includes a new way to furnish water to plants. All of these additions and changes are finally reflected in the updated spiel. Take a look:

If you can't remember anything about the former greenhouse spiel used at Living with the Land, you don't have to worry. We have an older video (recorded in 2010) that includes the former spiel:

THE RETURN OF THE SLIDING DOORS - A very good source told us a news that we find particularly great. if you had the chance to visit Epcot in the past, you may remember that the dark ride section of Living with the Land was physically separated from the greenhouses using thin doors that used to slide from the ceiling to the flume. There are about four sliding doors throughout the ride, but they were all turned off many years ago as they stopped working and... well, nobody fixed them.

Now, we have been told that these doors are finally coming back, as the temperature in the greenhouse has been fluctuating too much. In fact, the doors were not included in the original ride just to "surprise" Guests as they were entering into the greenhouses; they were also installed to maintain a set temperature in the greenhouses and to control the humidity levels. It seems like it took them way too long to understand that these doors are actually essential.

CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING AROUND THE BOAT STORAGE AREA - While this may not sound very interesting, we have been told that the boat storage building is now being completely refurbished, and new railings are being installed on the roof of the building (like it is being done property-wide). The more interesting news we received is that a lot of building material has been delivered and placed in the area. Could this be something related to another nearby project?

ALL IS QUIET AT SOARIN' - As we reported in our last update, the entire area behind the Soarin' showbuilding was recently vacated. All the trailers that were behind the existing theaters have all been relocated. What is happening now? Unfortunately... nothing. While there are still plenty of flags and other markings all around the area, the plot of land behind Soarin' is currently used as a temporary parking space, possibly due to the high volume of Cast Members required to work at Epcot during the Food & Wine Festival, one of the busiest times of the year for the park.

All of this being said, you should not see this as a negative news. The plot is emptied NIGHTLY, so construction could begin anytime. As always, we just have to wait and see how things develop.

Thank you for reading. Now we would like to hear from you. What do you think about the updated spiel of Living with the Land? Do you think it is an improvement over the old spiel? Also, are you excited about a possible expansion of Soarin'? Feel free to share your thoughts by commenting here on our site or on our Facebook and/or Twitter accounts. We love hearing your opinions!