Bathroom #30: The Bathroom Hidden Behind the Croissants
One of two bathrooms!
The France Pavilion has another bathroom.
Yes.
Another one.
Besides the giant stress-inducing Remy bathroom.
And guess what?
This bathroom is actually worse.
I know.
I was surprised too.
This is the original France Pavilion bathroom, and it is hidden inside one of the busiest buildings in all of France.
And when I say busy…
I mean BUSY.
This building has everything.
The amazing bakery, Les Halles (and yes, make sure you read my blog about that because priorities).
A shop.
The France Kidcot area.
The exit for the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along.
People eating.
People shopping.
Kids coloring.
Families trying to figure out where they are going next.
People carrying trays filled with delicious pastries while trying not to drop their precious macarons.
Chaos.
Beautiful French pastry chaos.
And Disney crowds usually don’t scare me.
I go to Disney all the time.
Crowds are part of the adventure.
But this area?
Wow.
The Location
At least the sign is cute!
This bathroom is tucked into a tiny corner.
And I mean tucked.
It is right by the emergency exit doors and next to where everyone grabs their napkins and utensils for their delicious bakery treasures.
To even reach the bathroom, you have to weave through tables.
Red chairs.
People eating.
People standing.
People looking confused.
People guarding their pastries like someone is going to steal their croissant.
It is an obstacle course.
And after you survive the journey, you would assume Disney built a bathroom ready for the massive amount of people using this building.
Right?
A giant bathroom.
Lots of stalls.
Prepared for battle.
Ha.
Nope.
Guess how many bathrooms there are?
Two.
Not two sides.
Not two sections.
Two individual unisex bathrooms.
One on each side of the emergency exit.
That’s it.
Two.
The math is not mathing.
The Experience
There is always a line.
Always.
Because two bathrooms cannot handle this many people.
And once you finally get inside?
The bathroom itself is tiny.
It is not wheelchair friendly.
It feels cramped.
It feels rushed.
And honestly, it brings back a not-so-great Disney memory for me.
Years ago, before the Remy bathroom existed, I waited in this line with my oldest daughter who has Crohn’s.
We had no other choice.
We were stuck.
The line was long.
The wait was stressful.
And then being inside the bathroom was stressful too.
She was so embarrassed because she needed extra time.
And when you know people are waiting right outside the door, every second feels louder.
We have never used this bathroom again.
Oh memories.
Disney memories come in all forms.
Even bathroom trauma.
Anything Special?
Honestly?
The location.
That’s about it.
If you are already inside Les Halles and there is magically no line, then yes, it exists.
But these two little bathrooms are fighting a battle they cannot win.
There are simply too many people.
It also has to be difficult for Cast Members to keep them clean because the line never stops.
And if they close one bathroom to clean it?
They have closed half the bathrooms.
Half.
Because there are only two.
Still not over that.
The Official Ruling
Situation: Overwhelming
Cold Air: Not enough time inside to notice because anxiety has entered the chat
Stalls: Two individual bathrooms
Paper: Standard Disney paper situation
Flush: Fine
Noise: Loud outside because France is thriving
Smell: Depends on the day
Handwashing: Basic
Decor: Nothing exciting
Companion Bathroom: No
Overall Comfort: Stressful
Final Verdict
Skip it.
Seriously.
Unless there is no line and you are already standing right there, I would keep walking.
Go to the Remy bathroom.
Go to Morocco.
Are those bathrooms perfect?
No.
I have thoughts.
Many thoughts.
But at least they have multiple toilets.
Your chances are much better than waiting for these two itty-bitty France bathrooms trying to serve an entire pavilion.
Sometimes the tiny bathroom does not win the battle.
And this is one of those times.
