Bathroom #35: The Bathroom That Needed a Ball Gown

So beautiful!

This bathroom is fancy.

Like…

Really fancy.

Sophisticated fancy.

“Should I even be allowed in here wearing sweaty park clothes?” fancy.

Should I have packed a ball gown?

Maybe some gloves?

A tiny purse that serves no purpose?

Because walking into this bathroom after a hot Disney day wearing shorts and a T-shirt feels slightly wrong.

This bathroom has standards.

And I was not prepared.

Welcome to the BoardWalk lobby bathroom.

The Story

The first thing you notice?

The walls.

There are no basic bathroom tiles here.

No boring white walls.

No “we bought this in bulk because we have 400 bathrooms to decorate” feeling.

Nope.

This bathroom has floral wallpaper.

Actual delicate, fancy wallpaper.

And here is the shocking part…

It looks good.

It is not ripped.

It is not stained.

It is not peeling off the walls.

It is somehow surviving inside a public Disney bathroom, which honestly deserves its own award.

I am not sure of the picture choice.

There are even pictures hanging on the walls.

In frames.

Actual frames.

Because apparently this bathroom woke up and decided it was a Victorian sitting room.

The doors are bright white.

The colors match.

Everything feels intentional.

Everything feels elegant.

Everything feels…

Fancy.

Did I mention fancy?

Because fancy.

I would love to meet the person who designed this bathroom and ask one simple question.

Why?

Why did you decide this hidden hallway bathroom near the BoardWalk lobby deserved this level of elegance?

Because I have questions.

And speaking of questions…

We need to talk about the gold artwork between the bathroom entrances.

Someone please tell me why?

I have looked at this sculpture many times.

Many.

And I still do not understand what is happening.

Is she smiling?

Is she screaming?

Where is the rest of her body?

Why are roses growing around her?

Is there a story?

Did I miss a very important art lesson?

But here is the thing.

The roses match the wallpaper.

Of course they do.

Because this bathroom commits to the theme.

Fancy.

Anything Special?

The handicap stall.

Again, so very beautiful!

This might be one of the prettiest handicap stalls I have ever seen.

It feels huge.

Almost like you entered your own tiny bathroom mansion.

The wallpaper continues inside.

The pretty details continue.

And then…

There is a window.

A real window!

Yes.

A window.

Inside the handicap stall.

It is covered for privacy, but it lets in natural light.

Natural light.

In a bathroom stall.

Instead of feeling like you are tucked away in a dark little cave, someone actually thought about making this space feel nice.

Someone cared.

And I love that.

The doorway does feel a little tight if you are using a wheelchair, but once you are inside, the space itself is wonderful.

This is exactly the kind of thoughtful design I love finding.

The Official Ruling

Situation: Hidden near the BoardWalk lobby.

A little fancy bathroom surprise.

Cold Air: Good.

The air conditioning works, which automatically earns points from sweaty Florida people everywhere.

Stalls:Great.

Especially the handicap stall.

Paper: Disney bathroom paper.

You know the story.

Flush: Gets the job done.

Noise: Usually calm.

Sometimes it gets busy because it is near the lobby, but it never feels overwhelming.

Smell: Good.

The fancy bathroom would never allow anything else.

Handwashing Area: Clean and pretty.

Decor: Amazing.

Wallpaper.

Pictures.

Matching details.

A mysterious gold sculpture I will never understand.

Overall Comfort

Here is where things get complicated.

Because this bathroom is beautiful.

This bathroom is clean.

This bathroom is well maintained.

This should be one of my go-to bathrooms.

And for a long time…

It was.

But.

There is always a but.

The BoardWalk lobby is on the second floor.

Which means this bathroom is on the second floor.

And stairs are G’s nemesis.

She can sometimes do a few stairs.

But it hurts.

Every step hurts.

So getting to this amazing, thoughtfully designed handicap stall means we have two choices.

The stairs.

Or the elevator.

And for us?

It is always the elevator.

The tiny elevator.

The hot elevator.

The elevator that feels like the air conditioning gave up years ago and moved away.

When G was using a wheelchair, the elevator was so small that basically only she and I could fit.

That was it.

And then it shakes its way up one floor while you silently hope everyone makes it.

And that is the hard part.

Because G just wants to use the bathroom.

That’s it.

A normal everyday thing.

She does not want a whole production.

She does not want to be reminded that something simple is harder for her.

She does not want to feel different.

And that is why this bathroom is so ironic to me.

One of the prettiest and most thoughtfully designed handicap stalls…

is also one of the most frustrating ones for us to reach.

Final Verdict

This bathroom is beautiful.

It is fancy.

It is unique.

It feels like someone cared about every little detail.

But accessibility is more than what happens once you get inside the stall.

It is the entire journey.

And when I am by myself?

I still love this bathroom.

When I am with G?

It is no longer my first choice.

Because the best bathroom is not just the prettiest one.

It is the one everyone can actually use comfortably.