It's a Wonderful Life (Pavilion)
Greetings fellow WDW Loo fanatics, and welcome to 2017! We're thrilled you're joining us for another year, and, rest assured, we've got 12 more months of reviews to keep you entertained until 2018!
Before we get cracking on this edition, though, please allow us to express our sincere gratitude for an amazing 2016. Our first year in existence brought this little project of ours much more attention than we ever thought possible. Of course, we owe it all to you. Thank you for spreading the word about our efforts to enlighten Disney fanatics about an always visited -- but oft underappreciated -- feature of our beloved parks & resorts! Your comments, stories, shared photos and even guest review submissions continue to fuel our enthusiasm for WDW Loo Review, and we so look forward to delivering new perspectives on all things Walt Disney World restrooms for another year!
This week's featured loo is one we would guess many have never before seen (especially for those WDW neophytes who are new to the parks post-2007). Our destination: the Wonders of Life Pavilion!
What's this Wonders of Life place, you ask? We suspect you've at least seen it out of the corner of your eye while walking to Mission: Space or Ellen's Universe of Energy. It's that gleaming gold dome wedged between the two aforementioned attractions. Shrouded by large trees and well-off the beaten path, it's an often overlooked but uniquely-EPCOT building which, for most of the year, sits closed.
However, during EPCOT's festivals -- namely Flower and Garden, Food and Wine and (we hope) the newly announced International Festival of the Arts, the Wonders of Life Pavilion is dusted-off and opened up for visitors! In fact, our visit takes place on a warm, late October afternoon in the midst of Food and Wine 2016's last few weeks.
As we approach the pavilion, visitors can't help but get drawn in by that gold colored, reflective, geometric dome. It's a unique structure that is iconically Future World in design. Sadly, given the building's lack of routine use (and that it is well hidden), Wonders of Life just doesn't get the face time it deserves any longer.
Here's a look at the building's entrance:
Wow! This is so early Epcot, folks! Look at the colors: pink sidewalk, blue pillars, green ceiling, yellow trim, gold dome above and geometric windows! The building's facade (and, as we'll soon see, the restroom within) is a perfect snapshot of 1989, the year of its opening.
Inside, the dome above mirrors the pattern of Spaceship Earth. Triangular windows above invite tons of ambient light into this pavilion's large, open center.
Approaching the building's rear side, we find our quarry. There's a pair of loos back here, separated by a solitary pillar festooned with waste and recycling bins!
Venturing closer, we spy the men's room sign. Words cannot accurately describe what we see here: purple, green, camouflaged, inverted triangle? This is madness (no, THIS is the essence of 1980's Epcot perfectly-depicted in something as simple as a restroom sign -- ed). The women's loo sign is identical, save for a different silhouette, of course.
Peeking into the men's loo entrance, we get another taste of O.G. Epcot. Taking our first steps into the room, we're struck with the realization that we're about to move back in time (sans DeLorean and flux capacitor). The colors of purple and green, so inelegantly teased by the men's room sign, overwhelm our senses now.
Let's go on in, yes?
Yes! This hidden treasure of a loo does not disappoint! Look at this! Just soak it all in, folks! Purple floor, shades of green on the wall, emerald green stalls, stainless steel accents! It's so busy, it's so ... 1989!
From the entrance, four urinals hang to our left, each one separated by an unusually thick stainless steel divider (most of the dividers on property are thin -- these are meant to survive the Cold War -- ed).
Deeper into this loo, 5 stalls (one ADA compliant) await the anxious squatter. These structures are so strikingly, utterly green, they seem more suited for Emerald City than central Florida.
Moving into the ADA stall, we get the first opportunity to really take-in the extent of the wall and tile patterns. Look at the lime green wall tile, accentuated by a simple darker green trim pattern. It's not pretty, but it works here:
Oh, and look at the floor! Plum squares abound, accentuated by the occasional green square matched to the wall tile. It's overwhelmingly purple -- and we love it!
Before us sits a toilet, two rolls of TP and ample space for assistants, equipment, etc. This is another spacious ADA loo!
Also situated in the ADA stall, we find a sink and stainless steel paper towel dispenser.
Three cream-colored sinks are situated within a toothpaste green (holy crap -- all that green!!!!) alcove.
Another two sinks sit closer to the entrance, sharing the same wall as the other sinks, divided by a pillar housing a large paper towel dispenser.
Oh, and here's the baby-changing station, complete with purple triangle sign. Notice there's a silhouette of a woman changing this baby's diaper on the sign -- in the men's room. Love it (though we sympathize with the infant whose bare butt must endure the Arctic cold of this stainless steel changing counter)!
WDW Loo Review Recap of Epcot's Wonders of Life Pavilion Loo:
Capacity: Medium (four urinals, five stalls -- one ADA-compliant)
Cleanliness: A little dirty on the date of our visit
Theming: If you miss the 1980's, you'll want to move in!
Changing Station: Yes!
Companion Restroom: No
Access: Difficult, given that: a). this pavilion is definitely off of the beaten path; and, b). that it is not open most of the year.
OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5 urinal wafers
Look, this place is kitschy and outdated -- and that makes it all the more charming! This loo transports its users -- perhaps even more than any other in this park -- back to 1980's Epcot, a time when many WDW fans believe Epcot was at its prime. Moreover, the loo is situated in a quiet, not-to-traveled building, making it an even more exclusive place to take care of nature's business. Overall, we really love this one, and we highly encourage you to pay it a visit on your next trip!
Thank you, as as always, for paying our site a visit. If you enjoyed our review of the Wonders of Life loo, please, feel free to share it via social media. We also love it when you leave comments -- your feedback is so appreciated!
Until next time, bottoms down and thumbs up!
(oh, and happy 2017, everyone!)
Matt