Jambo!

Greetings one and all, and welcome back to WDW Loo Review, (as far as we know -- and for good reason) the world's first and only website featuring in-depth reviews of restrooms at our favorite Disney Parks & Resorts! Whether you are a first time visitor (don't worry: you're not a weirdo ... ed) or if you've frequented the site since our launch in January (okay, now you guys ARE weird), we're thrilled you've joined us!

If the above photo doesn't give this week's destination away, I'm not sure if anything will. That's right folks, we're at Disney's Hollywood Studios ... I kid, I kid! This week, we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of Disney's Animal Kingdom for a visit to the Harambe loo!

This review marks only our second visit to Animal Kingdom since our blog went live in January. Don't worry, we have much more in-store -- there are a ton of loos to cover (not to mention the undoubtedly cool restrooms of Pandora, coming next year with the opening of Avatarland). This week, though, we'll keep things planetside, in Africa to be exact.

Harambe is located on the west side of the park, just beyond Discovery Island. In fact, if we head north, crossing the western most bridge connecting Discovery Island with the backside of the park, you can't miss Harambe: it's right there in front of us!

Just beyond the bridge and to our left as we head north sits my favorite watering hole in DAK! Dawa Bar is the home of one of the best bloody Marys I've ever imbibed (if you've never tried one, add it to your WDW bucket list, but be sure to get to Dawa before brunch hours end -- otherwise, you'll have to wait until the next morning).

As much as we'd love to belly-up to the bar and down a drink or twelve (we'll leave that to the experts ... ed), let's not forget we're on a mission to review an Animal Kingdom loo. Luckily, there's one just across the street!

The Harambe loo sits just beyond Dawa Bar, to our right if we're heading north. It can easily be missed given how well it's disguised. The small restroom sign jutting our from one of the decorative pillars that are situated in front of the loo is one of the few indicators of its presence. Check out the ivy cascading down the front of this facade:

And what would a visit to Animal Kingdom be without noticing some of the details. Once again, props to Team Rhode for working so hard on an authentic theme for this park!

Who but Cap'n Bob can top a trip to the loo in Animal Kingdom?

Can you not imagine a ceremony, with townsfolk decked-out in their Sunday best, crowded in the town square as the Harambe Minister of Public Works dedicates this loo to visiting travelers? Classy.

And one more. This is a close up of one of the pillars outside the loo. I am always astounded at how Imagineering gave this park such a weathered, lived-in look. The signs plastered on the pillar (this one for recycled bead jewelry) look as though they are about to peel off (though, I challenge anyone to try and tear them -- they won't budge).

Okay, I lied: here's one more, but this one is located just outside the ladies' room. Hey ladies, Barber Michael is set to cut your hair (no appointments necessary, walk-in's welcome, we hear)!

And men, don't think you can walk into your loo without some signage of your own:

Please, gents, if you haven't already done so, stop poaching the elephants and rhinoceroses of Harambe. As the sign suggests, think TEN TIMES before dabbling in poaching (because 9 times just isn't enough ... ed). Here's a close-up of the men's room signage: looks like a local hand-painted it on a piece of scrap wood, doesn't it. Termite dung was even used for the braille portion. One knows he's in for a good loo when even the sign at the entrance is themed!

Enough with the signs outside: let's go in! Here's a look-see from the doorway:

As we stand near the loo's entrance and looks inside, we see the obligatory bank of WDW urinals to our left, each separated by the always timeless stainless steel dividers (urine trouble if you don't see a splash guard separating the urinals ... ed). There's a total of seven urinals here: plenty of places to go.

Here's a close-up of the urinals. By the way, have I ever told you about the time I used the urinal in a busy restroom without urinal dividers while wearing flip-flops? Don't do it. I couldn't tell whose urine was splashed on my toes by the time I was done.

Love the tile here. It's simple with enough imperfections to make one believe that each cream-colored square was made in Harambe before being lovingly placed on the loo's walls.

This colorful, triangular accent strip runs along the upper part of each wall. Again, small imperfections are intentional here: all part of the Loo Imagineering Division's agenda to make you feel like you are using a restroom in an African village (with air conditioning, indoor plumbing, etc.). The whole effect is charming.

Nondescript stalls line the right side and back wall of this loo. 6 stalls in all (one of them ADA compliant) ensure every wildebeest's backside has a place to rest.

Let's take a look inside the ADA stall. Even the sign on the stall door appears hand-carved!

There's a lot of room in here, more than my photos let-on. Not one but two Dumbo-sized rolls of toilet paper and a sink within the stall.

Here's another view of the sink in the ADA stall. Overall, there's enough floor space in here for a wheelchair, its rider and two helpers, which is good, given the absence of a companion restroom in this location.

Now, I know what you're thinking: what about the sinks outside of the ADA stall? Well, there's just a few:

7 sinks! Who needs 7 sinks?! Not complaining, of course: but, holy cow, that's enough for a herd of scimitar-horned oryx, their offspring and the lioness chasing them all.

And finally, let's not forget our wee one's with their wet nappies in need of changing:

Once again, huge props to the Imagineer who decided to use a non-stainless steel changing station (we have a feeling it's someone who, as a child, was traumatized with frostbite on his back due to a well-intentioned parent leaving him laying on a frigid changing station for too long).

And that wraps-up another Loo Review! Here's the run-down:

WDW Loo Review Recap of Harambe Restrooms at Disney's Animal Kingdom:

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

Cleanliness: Spotless

Theming: Excellent

Traffic: Moderate

Changing Station: Yes

Companion Restroom: Yes

Access: Easy

OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5 urinal wafers

Summary: We're giving this loo a 4.5: it really hits all the marks for us. Excellent theming, proper location, great capacity, super-clean, right across the way from a bar: what more could a full bladder ask for? Be sure to hit it up next time you're in Harambe!

Thanks, once again, for joining us! By the way, we hit 3000 likes on Facebook this week! What a nice surprise for us here at the blog: and we owe it all to you! Thank you for sharing our posts, spreading the word around about our little project here. Keep up the good work, and know that we truly appreciate your kindness!

Until next week! May your bottom find each loo an adventure!

Loo Review Matt