'Zafari-Out, Man
Welcome back, one and all, to another exciting WDW Loo Review! We've got a cool one in store for you this week, chock full of Animal Kingdom goodness, so we are quite excited to get started. That said, we want to first offer you our endless gratitude for your ongoing efforts to spread the word about our niche blog. Thanks to you, we have crested 8000 "Likes" on Facebook (quite a feat considering that we never expected to find more than a few hundred like-minded folks who would be interested in reading about Disney Parks and Resorts restrooms -- ed). It's important you know just how much your continued interest fuels our desire to keep pursuing this little labor of love. Your willingness to share our posts with friends, shamelessly outing your inner Disney-geek to the rest of the world by touting the hipness of a blog about the loos at WDW ... well, that's really something special. So, from the bottom of our heart: THANK YOU!!!
And now, on with the show!
You'll recall our last trip to Animal Kingdom took us to the fabulously-themed restroom at Harambe Market. This week, we're not going quite so deep into the park, settling in on Discovery Island's Southwest side. This is where intrepid travelers will find riveting attractions such as Island Mercantile, Creature Comforts and TWO AED stations! Oh, and let's not forget Pizzafari, where Americanized Italian food meets Africa in an epic clash of culture and cuisine! Oh, and if this weren't enough of an E-ticket attraction, there's a restroom just outside as well! Yes, this week, we're headed to the Pizzafari Loo!
Would you look at that! A pair of overhead cheetas (my Autocorrect wants me to use the word "Cheetos" instead of "cheetas" here -- ed) welcome famished travelers to this little restaurant. As much as we'd love to dive into a pizza pie, we first must make more room for food by diving into the adjacent loo.
The loos here sit to the restaurant's North. There's a cool statue of a bison-esque animal which marks the way (not to mention the a cryptic sign which may point the way as well).
We think this sign is written is Swahili (translated, it reads, "Little blue people, look out for the arrow!"):
En route to the loo, which sits back from the beaten path, there's quite a bit of themed pieces to admire. Here's a pocked mural of colorful monkeys:
This unusual window sits on Pizzafari's North side. Note the upside-down lizard and upside-down bird reliefs here. We're not sure if these animals are being represented as dead (nothing sells pizza faster than depictions of dead or dying animals around the windows -- ed) or if these are action scenes (the lizard creature appears to be playing with a stone on its belly -- much like an otter -- while the birds, we suppose, could be diving). Ah, Pizzafari -- your mysteries are bountiful and complex!
The stone wall outside the men's room:
The mural, the window frame animals in relief, the distressed stone wall -- these are prime examples of the little themed touches that, though oft overlooked, serve to truly immerse Animal Kingdom visitors (even if on a subconscious level) in the park's lands. Props again to Joe Rhode and crew -- we can hardly wait to see what's in store for Pandora!
Moving beyond the loo's door and into the men's restroom itself, we're treated to a small hallway which shortly jogs to the right. Look at that tile!!
Here's a closer look at that gecko-adorned accent strip:
Say what you will about Animal Kingdom, but its colors and tile work are, hands-down, the best of all WDW parks. The bar is truly set here, not only for the other three parks on property, but for all theme parks world-wide. Impressive!
It goes without saying in this day and age; however, even the no smoking sign is tiled, its colors themed to the rest of the loo:
The amazing tile work is carried throughout the entire loo, with geckos crawling at eye level no matter where the eye looks. Looking farther into the loo, we see sinks in abundance -- four in all -- including one for the kiddos.
Opposite the sinks, four urinals squat conspicuously. Once again, as is often customary at WDW, a lower urinal is proffered for the vertically challenged.
Deeper in the loo, we discover three stalls: two regular sized and one super (ADA compliant).
Here's the all-inclusive ADA compliant stall, which affords the user room in abundance for equipment and multiple assistants (if needed).
Oh, and check out the floors here: classic color, modern flair and entirely appropriate for the theme of this loo:
What loo review wouldn't be complete without a parting shot of the poopy diaper station? Once again, we see that even this small section of the loo (which easily could have been hastily constructed and not at all themed) was completed in painstaking detail.
Here's a look at everyone's favorite blue baby:
Wow! What a memorable loo! Let's wrap things up, shall we?
WDW Loo Review Recap of Animal Kingdom's Pizzafari Loo:
Capacity: Medium (4 urinals, 3 stalls -- 1 ADA compliant)
Cleanliness: Spotless
Theming: Animalkingdompalooza
Traffic: Varies (peak traffic during lunch and dinner)
Changing Station: Yes
Companion Restroom: No
Access: Hakuna Matata
OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5 urinal wafers
This is a wonderful loo! Again, Animal Kingdom's restrooms truly are the ones to beat! We'd gladly rest our cheeks here anytime (even without first eating at Pizzafari) and encourage our readers to do the same! You won't regret it!
Until next week, folks: bottoms down and thumbs up!
Loo Review Matt