Fort Wilderness Resort and Campgrounds: The Great Disney Bathroom Challenge

Fort Wilderness has two public bathrooms.

And I almost didn’t go see them.

I’ll admit it.

I got lazy.

The thought of getting on a bus or taking a boat from Magic Kingdom felt like entirely too much effort for two bathrooms.

I started negotiating with myself.

They’re probably trash anyway.

Why do I need to see them?

Does anyone really care about the Fort Wilderness bathrooms?

Well.

I care.

This is the Great Disney Bathroom Challenge.

I made a commitment.

There were bathrooms waiting to be judged.

So I put on my big girl panties and got on the boat.

And actually...

It was a very nice boat ride.

Important boat note: Disney has flip-flopped the boat launches around, and the Fort Wilderness launch is now the one closest to the monorail.

You would think this would make it easy to find.

It did not.

There were signs.

Lots of signs.

I still couldn’t find it.

Eventually, a very nice Cast Member took pity on the confused woman wandering around looking for a boat and asked me where I was trying to go.

Fort Wilderness.

Bathroom business.

Very important.

And finally...

I arrived.

I tried very hard not to look at the monstrosity Disney is building over there.

Eyes away.

Nothing to see.

Instead, I focused on the charming little buildings.

The trees.

The peaceful atmosphere.

The whole wonderfully quaint Fort Wilderness feeling.

And guess what?

I am SO GLAD I made the journey.

Because those bathrooms I had already decided were going to be trash?

They are not trash.

Not even close.

Both bathrooms are quite excellent.

Apparently, I almost skipped two very worthy contenders because I didn’t feel like getting on a boat.

Bless my lazy little heart.

The boat ride was lovely.

Fort Wilderness was charming.

And the bathrooms?

Absolutely worth putting on my big girl panties for.

The Great Disney Bathroom Challenge sails on.

---

Bathroom #1: Pioneer Hall & Trail’s End #76

This bathroom is almost perfect.

Almost.

It could teach a master class to other Disney bathrooms.

Bathroom Excellence 101.

Please take your seats.

Because every little criterion floating around in my head that makes an excellent bathroom?

This one nailed it.

Let’s discuss.

This bathroom is located to the left of Pioneer Hall.

It is also the closest bathroom to Trail’s End.

And the bathroom itself is tucked into a big wooden log cabin building.

We are at Fort Wilderness.

We want logs.

We want rustic.

We want to feel like someone might ride by on a horse at any moment.

Cute setting: CHECK.

Then I walked up to the men’s and women’s bathrooms...

And groaned.

Open doorways.

Nooooooo.

I have learned something during this bathroom quest.

At Disney, an open bathroom doorway usually means one thing.

HOT.

But Fort Wilderness tricked me.

There is an open doorway...

But farther inside is ANOTHER DOOR.

A closed door.

A beautiful, glorious, cold-air-saving door.

Fort Wilderness understands me.

Closed door: CHECK.

Then we have the restroom signs.

Oh my goodness.

They are so dang cute.

They have a cowboy theme with wood surrounding them.

And they use that wonderful Wilderness Lodge green.

I love this little detail.

It connects Fort Wilderness back to Wilderness Lodge without screaming about it.

A little green family reunion.

Adorable signs: CHECK.

And then...

Companion restroom: CHECK.

We were off to an alarmingly good start.

Which made me nervous.

Because I have been fooled before.

The bathroom by Pinocchio Village Haus at Magic Kingdom still haunts me.

So I took a deep breath.

Prepared myself for disappointment.

Opened the door...

And...

WHAT IS THIS?!

A GOOD BATHROOM?!

There is even a welcoming floor mat when you walk in.

A floor mat!

Welcome, Maggie.

Come judge our toilets.

And then I looked around.

There is an actual cohesive theme.

COWBOYS.

There is a rope border running throughout the bathroom.

Cowboy and ranch pictures.

Rustic lighting.

Great floor tile.

Wooden mirrors.

You cannot possibly walk into this bathroom and wonder what the theme is supposed to be.

Cowboys live here.

But it isn't overdone.

It still feels like you are inside a log cabin at Fort Wilderness.

Nothing feels cartoonish.

Nothing feels thrown together.

Nothing made me tilt my head and whisper...

Why?

And there was country music playing quietly in the background.

Of course there was.

Good theming: CHECK.

Then we get to one of my most important categories.

The air conditioning.

Friends.

IT WAS COLD.

Not Disney "we technically have air conditioning" cold.

Actually cold.

The air conditioning was blasting.

Even the tile around the sinks was cold.

I was so tempted to lay my head on it.

Just for a second.

A tiny bathroom-tile nap.

But I refrained.

I do have standards.

Some.

Working air conditioning: CHECK.

Clean?

CHECK.

Smelled good?

CHECK.

It was also completely empty during my visit.

So I had plenty of room to wander around and inspect everything like the completely normal bathroom investigator I have become.

There are a couple of things to know.

Two stalls were out of order during my visit.

And the accessible stall is all the way in the back.

The layout could also get tight for wheelchair users or families maneuvering strollers, especially when the bathroom is crowded.

And I imagine this bathroom can become a very different creature around Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue showtimes.

But during my visit?

This bathroom was a WINNER.

The Official Ruling

Situation: Empty during my visit, but expect bigger crowds around Hoop-Dee-Doo showtimes
Cold Air: GLORIOUS. Full-blast, cold-tile glorious
Stall Situation: Good overall, but two stalls were out of order
Paper Situation: Standard Disney paper
Flush Situation: Standard
Noise Level: Peaceful, with country music playing in the background
Smell: Good
Handwashing Area: Clean, themed and blessed with wonderfully cold tile
Decor: Excellent cowboy/ranch theme that actually belongs at Fort Wilderness
Companion Restroom: Yes
Overall Comfort: Excellent, although the back accessible stall and tighter layout could make maneuvering harder when crowded

Final Verdict:

I wanted to give it an A+.

I really did.

The cold air.

The cowboy theme.

The adorable signs.

The companion restroom.

The cleanliness.

The LOG CABIN.

It had everything.

But two out-of-order stalls keep it from bathroom perfection.

So close.

A solid A.

Well done, Fort Wilderness.

You made me get on a boat to look at a bathroom...

And somehow made the whole ridiculous journey worth it.

---

Bathroom #2: By the Trading Post #77

After nearly finding bathroom perfection at Pioneer Hall, I was prepared to be disappointed.

There was no way Fort Wilderness had two great bathrooms.

That would be greedy.

Save some good bathrooms for the rest of Disney.

And...

I was halfway right.

This bathroom is good.

It is not spectacular.

It is not Pioneer Hall strutting around in its cowboy boots showing everyone how bathrooms should be done.

But it is definitely not bad.

This bathroom is located right next to the Trading Post, which makes it incredibly convenient.

And once again, Fort Wilderness understood the assignment before I even walked inside.

The whole building looks like an old-fashioned country store.

There is an adorable hanging restroom sign featuring country folks.

Then you get to the actual men's and women's restroom signs...

And the country theme continues.

And look!

Wilderness green again!

I love this.

The same green keeps popping up throughout Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge.

It is such a tiny detail.

But tiny details make me happy.

The bathroom doors are also painted with this weird shiny material.

I don't know what it is.

But it caught my attention.

So naturally, I stared at the bathroom door longer than a normal person probably would.

Then I went inside.

This is a small bathroom.

One sink.

Two stalls.

That's it.

But strangely...

It didn't feel tiny.

And I think we have the tile to thank for that.

The tile is a light color, which immediately makes the room feel brighter.

And scattered throughout the bathroom are these beautiful little paintings of...

Ducks.

Flowers.

Butterflies.

Wait.

Butterflies?

I am not entirely sure what butterflies have to do with the Wild West.

Maybe they were pioneer butterflies.

Maybe they arrived by covered wagon.

I don't know.

But they were pretty.

So I am allowing it.

The bathroom was clean.

The air conditioning worked.

And it wasn't busy at all during my visit.

But with only two stalls, I can absolutely imagine this little bathroom getting crowded.

There isn't much room for a bathroom stampede.

One other interesting detail...

This bathroom is locked from 1:00 AM to 6:00 AM, but it can be opened with a key.

And there is a sign clearly explaining this.

Thank you.

I appreciate a bathroom that communicates.

No mystery.

No standing in front of a locked bathroom door at 2:17 in the morning questioning all of your life choices.

Final Verdict:

This is a good bathroom.

Simple.

Clean.

Cold.

Convenient.

And it has enough theming and character to remind you that you are still at Fort Wilderness.

Is it Pioneer Hall bathroom-level wonderful?

No.

That bathroom came to class with a completed project, extra credit and snacks for everyone.

But this little Trading Post bathroom did its job.

And it did it well.

A solid B.

Which means I took a boat all the way to Fort Wilderness...

And didn't find a single terrible bathroom.

I was not prepared for this plot twist.

The Bathroom Adventure Continues! 🚽

One bathroom down. Approximately a million more to go. Okay, slight exaggeration. But I'm working my way through Walt Disney World, one restroom at a time. From beautiful bathrooms to questionable toilet paper, I'm inspecting it all.

Follow along with The Great Disney Bathroom Quest to discover more bathrooms, hidden details, and places you might want to know about before you really have to go.