Tom's Frigid Commode

Faster than Becky Thatcher can steal a kiss from Tom, we move this week from Hollywood Studios to the famed Magic Kingdom. Our travels take us down Main Street USA, making a left at the hub and heading first through Liberty Square en route to Frontierland, our destination. Banjos are playing, the scent of freshly-popped corn in the air, and those weird white birds with the long beaks are everywhere (you know the one's I'm talking about, right?). The day is a cool one, just a tad under 50 degrees fahrenheit, and we're layered up for a quick trip across the Rivers of America. As we pass Country Bear Jamboree, we glance to our right and see a small, but charming island where a brown shack crouches near a river raft landing. We soon head down towards a dock where, in a few moments, we'll hop a raft to Tom Sawyer's Island.

It's shortly after park opening, so the raft is empty save for we Loo Reviewers and our pilot, the journey a quiet one. A bump against the landing is our sign that it's time to disembark and explore Tom's island. Forget looking for the paintbrush, though, we've got an appointment with a commode!

The main walkway taking us away from the landing leads to a fork in the road, the left path taking us deep into the island's interior, the right one taking us closer to the humble shack seen here. The Imagineers have done a great job with this building, going so far as to create a windowed second story and faux chimney.

This place has a ton of 19th century charm: weathered clapboard siding! Take a look at the hand-made men's room sign, undoubtedly hastilty painted by Tom, himself.

Check out the nearby shelves , with a coffee pot, metal mug, canteen and lantern readily accessible to those fearless enough to explore the women's restroom!

And, just to prove how cold it is this morning, take a look at the mercury thermometer, courtesy of Farmers' Almanac, of course.

But, enough of the building's exterior. Let's get to the meat and potatoes (not sure we should use that idiom in reference to describe a restroom -- ed.). As we enter the men's room, it's surprisingly spacious for such a small building. Nothing like the Hollywood Studios Lights, Motors, Action! megaplex bathroom reviewed last week, of course, but larger than anticipated. Take a look:

The restroom houses three urinals and two stalls, and one stall is ADA compliant.

One striking aspect of this restroom is it's color scheme: peach and juniper green wall tiles with weathered peach floor tiles. It's an odd combination, and, though a little off-putting at first, we soon warm to it. For some reason, the colors seem to "fit" in this restroom (though, they are a little more consistent with the "1980's elementary school" motif than "early 19th century outhouse")

Two sinks in Tom's restroom (Huck needs his own, apparently).

Of course, what circa 1818 restroom would be complete without a rudimentary baby changing station, made out of logs, hewn from a nearby pine forest. Okay, okay: it's made of acrylic and polyester fiber, but try to use your imagination here ... it's Disney!

Some final thoughts about Tom's Landing Restroom .... First, this place is spotless. We're not sure if this is due to the fact that the park has just opened and we are likely the facility's first customers, if its due to the fact that Tom Sawyer Island doens't see as much traffic relative to the rest of the park or if it is simply due to excellent cast member cleaning. Probably a combination of all of the aforementioned. Nice work, guys -- this was a clean one!

Also, this place is frigid! Though, I could appreciate a freezing cold toilet seat were the Imagineers going for an authentic early 19th century restroom, their decision to include things like running water, electricity and toilets with automatic flush function makes it inexcusable to exclude the modern luxury of heat! I still have frostbite on my buttocks. I'm certain the temperature is much more comfortable on less cold days, but let this be a call to WDW's heating and cooling crew: turn the heat on in this restroom on cold days!

WDW Loo Review Recap of Tom Sawyer Island, Raft Landing Restroom:

Capacity: Small

Cleanliness: Very Good

Traffic: Very Slow

Changing Station: Yes

Companion Restroom: No

Access: Poor

OVERALL RATING: 4/5 urinal wafers

Summary: Despite being a bit of pain to get to, once there, this restroom is a quiet, clean, less-busy gem. If you're looking to escape the hustle and bustle to do your business, it's definitely worth crossing the Rivers of America to do so.

Thanks for taking a journey to Tom Sawyer Island with us today! We truly enjoyed having you along for the raft ride! We would love to hear your thoughts on this review and our blog in general, so do not hesitate to leave your comments below! Also, we would love it if you'd toss us a like on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. The site is still young, and we have big plans to improve, but we can only do so with more support! Thank you. Oh, and be sure to come back next week to see our next review!

--LooReview Matt

P.S. -- Those weird white birds with the curved bills? They're the American White Ibis, and they love Disney World as much as we do!