Bathroom #5: The Beach Club Lobby Bathroom Is FINALLY Open
Guess what.
BATHROOM #5 IS OPEN.
Yes.
The bathroom I had basically accepted was going to be under construction until the end of time is officially open and ready for business.
And somewhere nearby, poor overworked Bathroom #4 just breathed a giant sigh of relief.
That bathroom has been doing entirely too much.
But now?
Bathroom #5 has arrived.
And I am obsessed.
I walked into the newly renovated Beach Club bathroom expecting it to be nice.
It is the Beach Club, after all.
But I was not prepared for the octopus.
Yes.
An octopus.
On the floor drain.
The Imagineers put a gold octopus drain cover over the bathroom drain.
Who thinks about this?
Naturally, once I discovered the octopus, I had to investigate.
The women's bathroom?
Octopus.
The companion bathroom?
Octopus.
Then I sent Dave into the men's room.
"Can you please look at the floor drain?"
He looked at me.
You know the look.
The I married this woman and now I am being sent into a men's bathroom to investigate plumbing fixtures look.
But he went.
And...
Octopus
The little gold creatures are everywhere.
I love them.
I want one.
I don't know what I would do with a gold octopus drain cover in my house, but that feels like a problem for Future Maggie.
And the octopus isn't the only wonderful little detail.
The floor tile is laid out in a beautiful wave pattern.
The restroom signs have the men's and women's figures wearing old fashioned bathing suits.
And the wheelchair accessibility symbol?
Holding a beach ball.
This is exactly what I want from Disney bathroom theming.
Give me the unnecessary details.
Give me the tiny things that someone could have skipped but didn't.
Give me an octopus guarding a drain.
This bathroom is speaking my language.
The Details
Location: Disney's Beach Club Resort lobby area
Nearest Landmark: Near the main lobby and Beach Club restaurants
Best Time: I visited when it was surprisingly quiet, but with its location, I expect crowds will change throughout the day.
Crowd Level: Mostly empty during my visit
Anything Special: Umm...
GOLD OCTOPUS DRAIN COVERS.
But there is actually a lot more.
The entrance and exit doors have touchless controls.
Just wave your hand and...
OPEN SESAME.
No grabbing a bathroom door handle on your way out.
No awkward sleeve-over-the-hand maneuver.
No trying to pull the door open with one pinky.
Wave.
Door opens.
Goodbye bathroom germs.
There are also two hooks on every stall door.
One high.
One low.
Thank you.
And there is a shelf over the toilet.
A SHELF.
Do you know how much anxiety this removes from my life?
My phone does not belong balancing precariously somewhere while I silently beg it not to fall into the toilet.
Phone goes on shelf.
Maggie relaxes.
Everybody wins.
Outside the bathroom is a beautiful blue cushioned bench, which fits perfectly with the Beach Club design.
The whole restroom area feels fresh, bright and thoughtfully designed.
The Official Ruling
Situation:
Brand-newly renovated Beach Club bathroom that has returned from the dead and is ready to help Bathroom #4 with the crowds.
Cold Air:
Yes.
The air conditioning was working and the bathroom was comfortable.
Very important.
Pretty bathrooms are lovely.
Pretty bathrooms with working air conditioning are lovelier.
Stall Situation:
Three stalls in the women's bathroom, including one accessible stall.
Not enormous, but during my visit there was plenty of room and almost nobody inside.
Paper Situation:
Okay.
We need to talk about the toilet paper.
Because this was not normal Disney toilet paper.
This toilet paper was...
AMAZING.
I realize I am getting excited about toilet paper.
Welcome to Bathroom Matters.
But seriously, this is the best toilet paper I have felt at Disney World.
It was soft.
Actually soft.
Not Disney bathroom soft.
REAL soft.
I stood there wondering...
Where did this toilet paper come from?
Who approved it?
And can they please be put in charge of toilet paper for every Disney bathroom?
Between the gold octopus drain covers and the fancy toilet paper, Bathroom #5 is getting dangerously close to bathroom royalty.
Flush Situation:
And here is where our beautiful little bathroom dream gets a bit...
aggressive.
The toilets have automatic flushers.
And these things mean BUSINESS.
They are sensitive.
They are loud.
And they are apparently very eager to perform their one job.
While I was in the bathroom, two different children cried because of the automatic flushers.
Two.
That immediately knocked the bathroom down a notch for me.
For little kids, anyone with sensory sensitivities, or people who get anxious around loud automatic toilets, these flushers could be a problem.
I don't love an aggressive flusher.
I especially don't love one that scares children.
So while Bathroom #5 has my heart with its octopuses, shelves, hooks and glorious toilet paper...
the flushers need to calm themselves down.
Nobody asked for a toilet jump scare.
Noise Level:
Quiet.
Granted, I visited while it was mostly empty, so I reserve the right to reevaluate if I walk in during Beach Club bathroom rush hour.
Smell:
Clean.
Fresh.
New-bathroom happiness.
Handwashing Area:
Beautiful, clean and modern.
But my favorite hand-related feature is actually the touchless door system.
Wave your hand.
Escape.
No germy door-handle finale.
Decor:
A+++++++
I may need additional plus signs.
Wave-pattern floor tile.
Bathing suits on the restroom signs.
A wheelchair user holding a beach ball.
Beautiful blue details.
And...
THE GOLD OCTOPUS DRAIN COVERS.
I know I keep mentioning them.
I am going to continue mentioning them.
Companion Restroom:
YES!
The companion restroom is on the left-hand side and it is huge.
There is plenty of room inside.
And most importantly...
it also has an octopus.
Obviously.
Overall Comfort:
Excellent.
Clean.
Quiet during my visit.
Thoughtfully designed.
A bench outside.
Hooks at different heights.
A shelf for your belongings.
Touchless doors.
A large companion restroom.
And enough tiny Beach Club details to make me ridiculously happy.
Final Verdict
Final Verdict
I really, really love this bathroom.
The Imagineers thought about so many little things.
The touchless doors.
The two hooks.
The shelf over the toilet.
The beautiful beach-themed signs.
The huge companion bathroom.
The wave-patterned floor.
The best toilet paper I have felt at Disney World.
And, obviously...
the gold octopus drain covers.
This bathroom is beautiful.
It is functional.
It is thoughtful.
And it makes me ridiculously happy.
But...
I can't give it a perfect score.
Those automatic flushers are aggressive.
While I was there, two children cried because of them.
And that matters.
A bathroom can be gorgeous, but if the toilet suddenly ROARS to life underneath you, that can be scary for little kids, people with sensory sensitivities, and anyone who gets anxious around automatic flushers.
So Bathroom #5...
I adore you.
I adore your octopuses.
I would happily steal your toilet paper.
But your toilets need to calm down.
Final Grade: A
You were this close to an A+.
Maybe spend a little less energy flushing...
and a little more energy being an octopus.
