Living with the Land Accessibility
Living with the Land is arguably the crown jewel of EPCOT’s Land pavilion. The attraction is a wonderful representation of the park’s signature “edutainment” focus, and a perennial favorite for fans, with seasonally changing displays tied into festivals and holidays. It also has the bonuses of being indoors, air-conditioned, and rarely crowded. While Living with the Land is highly accessible for most park guests, there are a few accessibility considerations to keep in mind before riding.
Consideration: physical accessibility & transferring
The Land Pavilion opened in 1982, and the Living with the Land queue reflects that. ECV users will need to park and transfer to a wheelchair to navigate the line. Bariatric wheelchair users may find some turns to be a little tight. Happily, there is an ADA boat that wheelchairs can directly enter. This boat also includes companion seating.
Consideration: motion sickness
Living with the Land is a slow-moving boat ride. Certain individuals who experience extreme and debilitating motion sickness related to water should either medicate appropriately or avoid this ride altogether. There is an alternate (paid) way to experience some of Living with the Land in a non-boat environment: participating in the Behind the Seeds tour.
Consideration: Safety & Supervision
The Living with the Land ride vehicle has bench seats with no restraints. Children under 7 must ride with someone 14 or older and should be supervised at all times. Individuals who have significant difficulty with impulse control, maintaining personal safety, and following verbal directions from an unfamiliar speaker should not ride without a companion seated physically close to them for both their safety and for safe ride operations.
Altogether, this ride is peaceful. It also doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of sensory input for individuals to process. It does, however, require riders to sit relatively still for 15 minutes and not grab at displays or splash in the water.
Available accommodations: Disney Handheld Devices
Finally, individuals with vision or hearing impairment may want to use a Disney Handheld Device on Living with the Land. These devices offer the following technologies:
Audio description
Walt Disney World theme parks offer audio descriptions through Disney Handheld Devices for select attractions and entertainment.
Handheld captioning
Disney Handheld Device features Handheld Captioning—a portable captioning system that displays on-screen text in select theaters and attractions.
All Disney Handheld Device descriptions are taken directly from the Disney website.
Disney Handheld Devices are available at Guest Relations. They require a $25 refundable deposit and must be returned on the same day within the same park. Visit Disney World’s Accessibility page for more information.
Additionally, Guest Relations CMs recommended using cash or charging Disney Handled Device deposits to your room (if staying on property) to avoid potential holds on credit cards.
Living with the Land and the Disability Access Service (DAS)
Living with the Land can be booked using the Disability Access Service (DAS) through the My Disney Experience App. You will use the Lightning Lane entrance. It’s usually a very short wait.
Summary
EPCOT’s Living with the Land is a relaxing, educational, and accessible boat ride that balances the comfortable familiarity of permanent displays with changes in the seasons and crops for a fun and fresh experience year-round!
