Andy's Coming!
Very few things excite those of us fortunate enough to staff the WDW Loo Review home office than the construction of a brand new WDW restroom. Sure, there are tons of bathrooms on-property, and we certainly have favorites among them; but, it's a rare opportunity indeed to visit a new loo for the first time, absorbing the sights, the sounds, the smells (I can't believe you went there -- ed).
As you may recall, we recently reviewed the pair Valley of Mo'ara loos in Animal Kingdom's Pandora (check out those reviews here and here!); and, while we found them exceptionally clean and modern, we were admittedly disappointed their interior theming did not match that of the surrounding land. In fact, these restroom interiors, though shiny and new, were not themed in the least. As a result, visitors to Pandora enjoying the lushly themed alien environment are yanked back to 21st century Earth every time they need to empty their bladders. We felt Loo Imagineers could've done better, and our ratings of those restrooms reflected this opinion.
You can imagine, therefore, our cautious optimism upon hearing of Disney's Hollywood Studios Toy Story Land's opening. Once again, we were thrilled at the opportunity to review a brand-spanking new bathroom; however, we were praying the Department of Loo Imagineering would listen to the huddled masses crying out for a restroom whose theme would equal that of its surrounding area.
It was in this frame of mind, fellow potty zealots, which we found ourselves during a recent trip to Walt Disney World -- our first since Toy Story Land's June 2018 opening. After a Minnie Van dropped us off near Hollywood Studio's temporary (Thanks, Skyliner!) entrance, we made a beeline for the former Pixar Place.
The day was unusually warm and our pre-park coffee unusually voluminous. We were yearning for an air conditioned pit stop long before hitting Toy Story Land. Upon our arrival, we were immediately impressed -- star struck, even -- with the area's vibe: toys were everywhere! Tinkertoys, building blocks, Knex, Cooties, Scrabble pieces surrounded us while holiday bulbs lit the sky above. It's truly an amazing area, and we give big props to the Imagineers for their clever use of ... well ... props. Yet, as much as we would have enjoyed soaking in Toy Story Land's details, our bladders were ready to soak our drawers.
We had to find the loo: but where was it? Fortunately, we found several men in uniform who were ready to offer directions:
This soldier commed his commanding officer to help provide coordinates:
Upon receiving directions from our nation's finest, we found ourselves wandering to Toy Story Land's rear. Signs began to mark the way:
Moving past the bridge to Slinky Dog Dash (SDD for short), we found ourselves nearly upon Alien Swirling Saucers (ASS). This time, another sign, torn from the page of a notebook, compelled us to pivot to our left.
And, voila! We found our target, ladies and gents!
Would you look at this priceless piece of potty art?! Wow! Supported by a gigantic can of Tinkertoys to the left and a massive box of Cooties on the right, this facade has everything we would want in a Toy Story Land loo exterior! Huge Playskool blocks comprise the bulk of the building's facade, while a Scrabble "Restrooms" sign marks the way.
A pair of alphabet block columns support the pergola above:
Outside the loo, domino benches abound, affording ample places to sit while waiting on others to wrap things up inside:
And take a close look at the pair of water fountains outside the restroom, conveniently marked with a Scrabble "W" (Four points! -- ed):
Adjacent to the water fountains sits a well-themed rubbish bin, threatening to slyly blend into the block wall background:
A puffy plastic sticker sign marks the entrance to the women's loo:
And here's the men's:
We love this ingenious incorporation of a type of sticker we collected in our youth. We hadn't seen these in years and had, truthfully, forgotten all about them until spying one on the walls outside the Toy Story Land loos. What a cool nod to those of us who grew up in the 70's/80's!
So far, folks, we were impressed. This is a level of exterior loo theming on par with that of everyone's favorite Tangled loos; nonetheless, our worry over the quality of the interior theming hung heavily over our heads. It was, therefore, with not a little trepidation we cautiously peeked inside the entrance to the men's loo:
Ooooh man! With but a glimpse, our fears were allayed. Bright colors, domino tiles, cool floor patterns: this may be the loo for which we've been waiting! Let's take a closer look!
The primary colors, so smartly applied to the restroom's exterior are employed within as well. The transition from exterior to interior is seamless. We're still in Andy's backyard, folks!
We love the use of white tiles, some adorned with colored circles, to represent dominoes. Brilliant!
The floor underfoot is a checkerboard!
Turning right shortly after entering the loo, we find the sink stations! There is one long trough-like station, fed water by three, modern-looking faucets.
Check out the cool hexagonal tiles -- arranged in the pattern of everyone's favorite crayons -- above the sink basin:
Oh, and we love this:
This is the Dyson Airblade V hand drying system (you know it's fancy when it's a "system")! This is Dyson's latest and most advanced hand dryer, blowing air at our wet mitts at 420 miles per hour. And, before you ask, no, Dyson is not a sponsor of the website (but, hey, Dyson, have your girl call our girl sometime ... we'll do lunch): we're simply big fans of their ... well ... big fans.
But wait, there's more! Just to the side of the large sink station is smaller basin, lower to the floor for our shorter friends. We love this thoughtful addition!
Moving onto the urinals....
All of the urinals in Toy Story Land are shorties (that's the name we use to describe the urinals situated closer to the floor for younger users -- ed). At first, we were a little surprised to see this; however, it feels apropos in a land dedicated to the toys of our childhood. We love the thoughtful inclusion of brightly colored dividers, each matching this loo's walls (both interior and exterior).
Speaking of bright colors, here are the restroom's stalls:
Here's four doors, each one primary-colored, each one marking the entrance to a corresponding stall (one ADA compliant, of course).
Our only objection to this otherwise awesome loo (and we're being nit-picky, here) is the lack of theming inside the stalls. Plain, stark white tiles stand in sharp contrast to the exceptionally colored restroom outside. The toilets are modest, functional and, on the day of our review, remarkably clean.
The ADA stall affords users tons of room to maneuver, a (thankfully) not uncommon finding here at WDW.
Making our way back towards the entrance, we happened upon a baby-changing station. Once again, Loo Imagineers didn't skimp on the decor -- even for the smallest guests!
We were astounded to find something here we've never before seen on-property: toilet paper dispensers hanging above the changing station surface. Though it seems a little odd employing traditional toilet paper to wipe baby bottoms, we appreciate WDW's efforts to better accommodate parents who are knee-deep in baby poo.
Before we depart the area, it's worth paying a visit to the companion loo:
We were not at all surprised to see the incorporation of colorful tiles, even in here!
WDW LOO REVIEW RECAP OF DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS ROY STORY LAND LOO:
Capacity: Large (four stalls -- one ADA-compliant, five urinals)
Cleanliness: Remarkably clean!
Theming: Come on! Check out those photos! One of the best-themed loos on property!
Companion Loo: Yes
Access: Though it's a bit of a jaunt to get to this loo -- located at Toy Story Land's rear -- the destination is definitely worth the journey!
WDW Loo Review Score: 4.75/5 Urinal Wafers
Folks, our faith in the newer on-property restrooms -- shaken after reviewing Pandora's loos -- is restored! The ingenious incorporation of 70's and 80's toys, the use of bright colors -- both inside and out, the employment of new technology: all work together to make this a well-themed restroom that works hard to keep users in Toy Story Land (even when they're on the toilet)! THIS, friends, is the restroom we've been waiting for! It is worth the trip? Absolutely! We can only hope the Galaxy's Edge restrooms are equally well-themed!
Thank you, again, for joining us for another world-exclusive WDW Loo Review. If you enjoyed your time here, please tell your friends (but only the one's who won't judge you too harshly), and toss us a like on Facebook or a follow on Instagram and Twitter!
Until next time, friends: bottoms down and thumbs up!
Loo Review Matt