Behind The Seeds
This weekend on my quick trip to Walt Disney World I got to experience quite a few firsts! One first that I was so excited to cross of my bucket list was my very first Walt Disney World tour. I have been planning to take the Behind the Seeds Tour at the Land Pavilion for awhile so when I had the opportunity to check it out on Friday I couldn’t pass it up!
Behind the Seeds is a backstage tour of the fish farm and four greenhouses that are located in the Land pavilion. This one hour tour is an additional charge, but it is fairly cheap in comparison to other Disney Parks tours! At $25 per adult and $20 per child, Behind the Seeds could be the perfect tour to dip your toe into the world of backstage Disney.
Pro Tip: Go with an Annual Passholder, Disney Vacation Club Member, or Disney Visa Cardholder! They are eligible for 15% off and every dollar counts, right?
Tours can be booked in advance by calling (407)-WDW-TOUR for reservations or the day of in the Land pavilion at the Tour Desk near Soarin’. We booked our tour that day and I highly suggest that option! When you’re on Disney time things can change in an instant so when it comes to a more casual tour like this, I think booking your reservation the day of is the way to go.
Behind the Seeds Tour Times:
10:30 AM
11:15 AM
12:00 PM
12:45 PM
1:30 PM
2:15 PM
3:00 PM
3:45 PM
4:30 PM
Behind the Seeds offers nine different tour times daily. You’ll want to arrive back at the Tour Desk near Soarin’ about 15 minutes before your tour begins to wait for your tour guide to arrive!
The tour begins with a lesson in Integrated Pest Management. At Epcot, the Land pavilion is eliminating pests with natural predators instead of using harmful and toxic pesticides. After getting an explanation of these insects, guests will watch video clips of these pests at work, as well as the helpful bugs who help manage their damage to plants. As someone who doesn’t spend a lot of time around plants, I found this part of the tour very interesting. There are so many insects out there that we aren’t even aware of, so getting the opportunity to view these methods up close was pretty unique!
Next guests take a peek into the Biotechnology Lab for Crop Improvement. The cast members inside are working on growing plants from tissue culturing. These plants are completely germ-free and sterile! Guests could even take home their own tiny plant tissue culture. At the Tour Desk near Soarin’, guests can purchase a Mickey’s Mini Garden, a plant tissue culture cultivated from the greenhouses inside The Land! This could be a perfect souvenir to take home to always remember Behind the Seeds.
The rest of the tour is spent traveling through The Land’s greenhouses and fish farm. You’re right on the route with the ride boats for Living With The Land — how cool! If you’re someone who never skips a chance to ride Living With The Land, you’ll enjoy the extra information you’ll receive while on the Behind the Seeds tour.
While on tour guests will get to sample cucumbers grown right in the greenhouses! Did you know the produce grown at the Land pavilion is served at several of the restaurants around Epcot?! Like most other things at Disney, some of their produce is also Mickey-shaped thanks to special molds! While tasting the cucumbers, guests get a chance to see those Mickey molds and pictures of the Mickey shaped cucumber slices as well!
Having a chance to feed the fish was probably one of my favorite experiences! The tilapia at the Land pavilion eat small pellet food that is easy to toss into their tank. It was so amazing to watch how quickly their gobbled their food up!
One fun hands-on demonstration was their “sensitive plant” knowns as Stanley! When you touched Stanley’s leaves they would close up in defense. After about ten minute or so, he reopens his leaves. So on your way back at the end of the tour, be sure to stop by and visit Stanley again!
After passing nine pound lemons, humungous winter melon, and other larger than life produce, guests come to the last greenhouse of the tour. This greenhouse has a spice theme! The tour guide will play a fun game asking guests to sniff the jars and guess which spice it contains. It was fun to get everyone’s guesses and see who really knew their spices!
Disney Friends @heyteamkelly and @mgrivero29
This area is where the tour comes to an end. Be sure to grab a quick photo with this fun hidden Mickey tree before you leave!
Pro Tip: Keep your eyes peeled for more Hidden Mickeys on the tour. There are LOTS to find throughout the greenhouses.
Behind the Seeds is one experience that you won’t want to miss! Whether it’s a sunny day or a rainy one, Behind the Seeds is something that you can experience in any weather. We took our tour on a rainy day, which was a great way to stay dry for a little while!
I’d love to take the tour again on a sunny day to see how it compares. I also think this tour would be an exciting one to experience during Flower and Garden and Food and Wine in the spring and fall seasons!
Which Disney Parks Tour would you love to experience?