The Gravity of the Situation ....
Hi everyone! So glad you’ve chosen to visit us once again! Thanks for taking time from your undoubtedly busy schedule of planning your next WDW trip in order to visit our little blog! We hope our reviews continue to serve you in your efforts to plan every little detail (and we do mean every…little… detail — ed) of your next trip. If we can help you decide the best place to park your tush for a few private moments, well, let’s just say our efforts won’t be in vain.
This week, we’re feeling a pull back to Magic Kingdom, Tomorrowland, to be exact. I know what you're thinking: "Wait a second, didn't we already cover a Loo in Tomorrowland?!" By George, you're right -- we've already reviewed the oft-overlooked Tomorrowland Terrace Loo back in April. That said, folks, Tomorrowland is teeming with toilets, undulating in urinals, and we'd be remiss if we didn't cover every single one.
This week, we head deeper into Tomorrowland's futuristic heart to visit a Loo sandwiched betwixt two popular retail locations. You know where it is, of course: heck, chances are, you've even used this one.
Bordered by Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies on the South and Star Traders on the North, this week's loo sees more traffic than Orlando's International Drive. Yes, this week, we visit Tomorrowland's famous retail loo (Wait a minute, we can't call it that. "Retail Loo" is too boring for a place like Tomorrowland. Let's call it Auntie Gravity's Loo instead, yes? -- ed). Alrighty -- with our editorial staff's highest endorsement -- this week, we visit Tomorrowland's famous Auntie Gravity's Loo!
As mentioned earlier, this is one busy loo. So busy, in fact, that it's nearly impossible to take photos for the blog inside due to consistent urinal utilization (photos of urinals = good, photos of patrons using urinals = bad -- ed). As a result, you'll notice this week's photos were snapped at night, taken during an after hours event. Even at this time of low attendance, however, Tomorrowland was bustling, bladders were burgeoning and crowded colons were clamoring for relief. Given its easily-accessed location on a well-traveled thoroughfare, this loo suffers from overuse syndrome. It's just crazy busy, which is one of our biggest gripes against it.
Before we head in, however, let's pause for a little sun worship at the Coppertone-sponsored Sun Care Center, which sits just to the right of this restroom's entrances. Has anyone bothered to stop here? We'd love to hear exactly what a Sun Care Center is all about! Feel free to leave your stories in the comments below! We do love this sign: it's a purple-tinted sun glowing in Tomorrowland's galaxy-themed night. It just fits right in and adds a little charm to the area.
As usual there are a pair of restrooms here (sadly, no companion restroom at this location). The women's room sits on the right, the men's on the left. Should you desire to suffer a heart attack while in Tomorrowland, might we suggest having one near the women's loo? The AED and emergency phone are located just outside.
Here's a close-up of everyone's favorite gal:
This is our second look at the woman of the future. No longer is she a mere silhouette in blue: in Tomorrowland, our favorite sign is bright white on a backdrop of purple, framed by riveted metal. You go girl!
And fellas, here's our version:
Somehow, the guys' just can't pull off the panache of the women's sign (purple clashes with his eyes -- ed).
Peeking into the men's loo, we see a pink concrete wall which abruptly transitions to blue tile, the ground's exterior concrete similarly changing to diamond-shaped, white tile.
Let's move further in, shall we?
The entrance to the men's takes a little jog to the left as we move inside (when there's no door on the loo, this is one of the few ways to shield our delicate sensibilities from the public's prying eyes -- ed).
The wall tile here is pretty cool. We'll take a closer look in a moment, but first, let us stop and pay our respects to the yellow cone slip-and-fall guy. This poor sap has been walking on wet floors and losing his balance since 1971! Notice, also, that there is a second men's room sign up ahead, just in case one of we Cro-Magnon males didn't fully understand the sign the first time (no doubt the second sign was put up as a reminder after an uncomfortable incident or two on the women's side).
Here's a closer look at that wall tile:
Pretty cool, eh? This tile didn't really impress at the time we took the photos; however, as we've revisited the pattern in the months to follow, it's started to grow on us. We love the gunmetal blue hue of the wall, with futuristic, metallic tiles interposed. It's difficult to ascertain from the photo, but the decorative tiles embedded in this sea of blue are all shiny and reflective (some more so than others). In all, it seems to dovetail appropriately into Tomorrowland's theme.
Here's a close up of one of those patterns. Inasmuch was one shouldn't touch anything in a loo, this textured pattern just begs for it.
And here's the view from just inside. We love the brushed metal of the paper towel dispensers. It catches really catches the light, and is one of those little touches that ends up adding so much to this loo. Four sinks (one pint-sized) sit recessed in a speckled, dark blue counter. You can see the same speckled pattern mirrored on the stall doors ahead. And speaking of mirrors: there aren't any above the sinks! Hey, it's the future: where we're going, we don't need mirrors!
Five stalls line the deepest reaches of this loo (four regular sized, one super-sized for ADA compliance). Take a look at the floor, by the way. These maroon, dark blue, light-blue and cream tiles don't seem to do much by themselves, but they compliment the colors of the rest of the room perfectly.
Here's a look into the ADA stall. It's huge! Once again, WDW Loo Imagineers spared no expense to ensure this loo's ADA stall could accommodate a full sized motorized wheelchair and several attendants. As you can see, this stall comes with its own sink (as do many of the ADA stalls at WDW). Before we move on, take a look at this photo's top left. See how that multi-squared tile piece is catching all sorts of blue hues? This is a really cool effect that can be found throughout the loo, but if one only takes time to appreciate it.
And here's the usual urinal suspects, lining the wall opposite the sinks. There's even one sized for Ant-Man, should he feel the urge. In this great big, beautiful Tomorrowland, nobody has to touch the urinals to achieve maximum flushiness -- everything is automatic here.
Take a quick look at one of the wall sconces hanging over the bathroom sinks. We love the brushed metal that frames this bulb. Again, it's a small touch that goes a long way to making this loo distinctive.
And finally, we visit the baby-changing station. We didn't get one of these in last week's review of the loo at Hollywood Brown Derby: ahh, sweet reunion this week! Thankfully, Tomorrowland finds it unacceptable to place baby bottoms on stainless steel changing surfaces (this despite plenty of steel decorating this loo).
And that just about wraps up our visit to Tomorrowland's Auntie Gravity's loo! I have to be honest: we've always disliked this loo. It's busy and loud and always crowded -- so much so that we've found it very difficult to actually appreciate the thinking that went into this loo's design. It took a late night visit at a time when crowds were thin to really stop and smell the .... well, you get the idea. This loo has some really cool touches that sets it apart from other loos in Tomorrowland. Moreover, Tomorrowland music is piped in for an added cool effect.
Sadly, given how busy it is, this loo is often among the most dirty in the parks. It's hard to enjoy a bathroom break when there's hustle, bustle and trash all around. Again, our visit was late at night, and the loo had clearly just been cleaned prior to our visit, affording us a new opinion of this traditionally dingy location. Under these near-perfect circumstances, we could grow to really love this loo.
Here's the wrap-up:
WDW Loo Review Recap of Tomorrowland's Auntie Gravity Loo at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom:
Capacity: Medium (6 urinals, 5 stalls -- one ADA compliant)
Cleanliness: Usually cluttered (though surprisingly clean during our visit)
Theming: Good
Traffic: Busy
Changing Station: Yes
Companion Restroom: No
Access: Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 3/5 urinal wafers
Summary: If this loo were at another, less busy location, where the patron could be afforded moments of quiet, less-cluttered contemplation, this restroom would have easily garnered 4.5 urinal wafers. As it stands, though, we've got to dock some points for noise, crowds and lack of cleanliness. That said, if your early morning or late night visit to Magic Kingdom needs be interrupted by a trip to the loo, it's worth swinging by to see if crowds/conditions are favorable for a trip here. In the right environment, this loo is a winner.
Thank you all, again, for giving us a few minutes of your time! We hope you enjoyed this week's review. If you have any questions, thoughts or constructive criticism, please do not hesitate to leave it in the comments below. Moreover, toss us a like on Facebook, and then leave your comment there as well. We appreciate you all so much for sharing us with your friends on social media!
Until next week: bottoms down and thumbs up, friends!
Best wishes,
Loo Review Matt