Grinning Like a Cheshire ... Cafe!

Hi there! Thanks for joining us this week for another Loo Review. Before we dig-in, rest assured you're visiting a very unique website: the world's only blog exclusively devoted to all things restroom at Disney Parks and Resorts! We still haven't decided if that's necessarily a good or a bad thing, but we're pleased you're here nonetheless.

This week's review finds us back in Magic Kingdom for a quick trip down the rabbit hole ... or is it a stroll through the looking glass (note to Disney Productions -- please use this review to promote your new Alice release: we'll be happy with but a small royalty ..ed).

This week, we're making a pit-stop in the restrooms at Cheshire Cafe!

Here's a view of the cafe's front at the height of breakfast service:

Cheshire Cafe sits in just on the cusp of Fantasyland, situated between Mad Tea Party's spinning cups (to the northeast) and Fairytale Garden -- currently home of Merida's strawberry curls -- (to the southwest). As you can see, the building fits right in with Fantasyland, both old and new areas. The cafe is a counter service establishment, serving primarily breakfast cereals, snacks and punch. Take a visit to The DFB for the latest review of the cafe's wares.

That said, the goal of this review is to talk less about the preparation of Cheshire Cafe's food and more about the, ah, elimination of the cafe's food (ew, gross ... ed). In order to accomplish this, we turn from Cheshire's facade, heading southwest for a few feet. There's a covered patio next to the cafe where colorful, umbrella-shaded tables are situated for restaurant patrons. Walking but a few steps beyond the patio, the eye is drawn to a large pink flower with a similarly-colored sign at its base. Could this mark the way to our destination?

Let's walk closer and investigate:

Well, that's fairly unambiguous: target acquired, folks! We step beyond the sign, past PUSH and turn right towards the Loo that promises to Make Wonderland Great Again!

The Loo is really just an extension of Cheshire Cafe -- it's situated in a part of the building projecting out to the southwest. The entry to the loo is covered, which is a nice touch if you happen to get caught in the 5 minute monsoon that occurs every day at 3PM. Outside of the loo sits a relic pay phone, homage to decades past when none of us carried a phone in our pocket.

Walking closer, we notice the women's loo:

The women's loo entrance looks like it belongs in a heavily fortified castle: imposing grey bricks support heavy wooden beams. This is a masculine loo for a classically more feminine gender.

Let's take a look at the men's loo

Well I'll be! The entrance to our loo is decorated in warm colored woods. Interesting choices, Loo Imagineers! We here at the Loo Review appreciate that you've challenged our expectations with this loo.

Here's a closer look at the men's room sign, decorated in a pink and green floral pattern. The women's sign has a similar appearance.

Prior to entering the men's room, our eyes are drawn to this little number near the women's entrance. Once again, Imagineering has found a way to theme even the most mundane of utilities -- in this case, a fire hose. Nice!

Enough lollygagging outside: it's time to walk on in!

This is a deceptively large restroom! The exterior suggests a smaller, more intimate experience; however, once inside it is apparent that this one was designed to handle high capacity crowds. 7 urinals line one wall of this loo, each separated by a sand-colored, stone-patterned divider for your privacy and protection. A wet floor cone was present the day of our review -- hopefully warning us of a recent clean (and not simply someone's poor aim ... ed).

The choice of tile pattern is ... interesting. Speckled hues of brown and crimson are scattered densely across the floor. This one doesn't much appeal to our sense of aesthetic, and we're not sure how it fits in with the overall castle/Fantasyland theme of the loo's exterior. It's as though someone was playing Scrabble and forgot to paint the letters on the pieces. That said, this tile is used in many locations throughout Magic Kingdom, so we're not at all surprised to see it here.

Here's a peek inside one of the stalls. The walls match the urinal separators, the white tile along the stall's rear has a stone-like speckling like much of the rest of this loo. Overall, it's a clean look that is further enhanced by the accent tile located near the ceiling.

Here's a peek at the accent tile:

We like this one, and it certainly adds some depth of character to this otherwise fairly nondescript loo.

Here's the sink row. 3 sinks are present for your sanitary pleasure. The red tile backsplash ties into the floor pattern, but otherwise doesn't really seem to fit here. The colors in this loo are simply "off" -- it's need in need of some updating. Despite the unusual color palate, however, the loo was exceptionally clean on the date of our visit. Props to the cast members in sanitation!

And, lastly, what Loo Review could be complete without a visit to the baby changing station?

This one is standard Disney fare, though a little bit stunted in size when compared to last week's featured Rock 'n' Roller Coaster station. Like the rest of this loo, the baby station was spotless.

Well, that wraps-up this week's featured Loo Review. Here's the summary:

WDW Loo Review Recap of Cheshire Cafe Restrooms at Magic Kingdom Park:

Capacity: Large (seven urinals, four stalls -- one ADA compliant)

Cleanliness: Spotless

Theming: Minimal

Traffic: Moderate

Changing Station: Yes

Companion Restroom: No

Access: Easy

OVERALL RATING: 3/5 urinal wafers

Summary: One of the less busy restrooms in Magic Kingdom, this one is a bit of a hidden treasure. Cheshire Cafe's somewhat limited hours make this an often overlooked option for one's business needs. Though clean, internal theming leaves much to be desired. The exterior looks great -- now Imagineering needs to focus on this loo's guts a bit.

Thank you, once again, for taking time to visit our site! Be sure to check back next Sunday -- and every Sunday thereafter -- for a new review. We also welcome your feedback and comments. Don't hesitate to offer advice, constructive criticism or corrections of our spelling (thank you, David, for helping us get back on "base" with the correct spelling of "bass" last week). Also, if you have a loo you'd like us to review, let us know! You can reach us via Facebook, by leaving a comment on our site or emailing us at wdwlooreview@gmail.com.

Until next week: bottoms down and thumbs up, everyone!

Loo Review Matt