The Major Disney World Bathroom Issue You May Not Have Noticed

When Guests think of Walt Disney World bathrooms, they often think well-themed, well-cleaned, and well-located.

With over 100 restrooms in the theme parks alone, Disney has a lot of toilets on offer for Guests at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

But, what if we told you that in one theme park, Disney World has a major sewage problem?

Well, you may walk right over it every single time you visit the Magic Kingdom Park.

Disney Imagineers are renowned for their attention to detail and immersive theming, and it’s not just on attractions like The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Rise of the Resistance, and Splash Mountain.

From the beautiful Tangled bathroom in Fantasyland at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park to the galactic theming of the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge potties, Walt Disney World has a bathroom for everyone!

Disney’s Imagineers went above and beyond, however, when it came to the design of one particular land at Walt Disney World, ensuring that a permanent sewage issue was part of the magic.

Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom opened back 1971, and is themed after colonial America. The area features the famous Haunted Mansion attraction, the audio-animatronic show Hall of Presidents, and the Liberty Belle Riverboat steam paddleboat on the Rivers of America.

And not only can you find replicas of both the Liberty Bell and Liberty Tree in this popular theme park land, but also a replica of a colonial “river of poop”.

Yes, you read that correctly. Liberty Square has a river of brown poop running right through the middle of it!

Walt Disney Imagineering really stepped up their game when it came to the small details in Liberty Square, including the pavement. The streets of Liberty Square feature a river of poop, a brown pavement strip running through the middle of the red pavement that represents a real historical fact.

Colonial America didn’t exactly have indoor plumbing and so, when chamber pots needed to be emptied, they were poured out of the window into the road. And yes, they didn’t have gutters or sewers back in those days, so there was literally a river of sewage coming down the street!

Therefore, the brown pavement seen in Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom is meant to reflect this historical river of sewage.

So, Disney World does in fact have a sewage issue, which also extends to the number of restrooms in Liberty Square.

The theme of a lack of plumbing extends beyond the brown pavement – there is no “public” bathroom in Liberty Square! If you find yourself in need of using a restroom while in the colonial-themed Magic Kingdom area, you’ll need to go into one of its two restaurants: The Liberty Tree Tavern or the Columbia Harbour House.

Dining locations must, of course, have toilets, but the ones in Liberty Tree Tavern and Columbia Harbour House are technically so far back in the buildings that they actually sit within Fantasyland and Adventureland!

Liberty Tree Tavern is famous for its huge meals and its colonial theme, specifically that of New England. The menu includes tavern ham, pot roast, turkey, and Boston cream pie. Each of its dining rooms takes its name from a notable American Revolutionary War hero: Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Martha Washington, John Paul Jones, Betsy Ross, and Thomas Jefferson.

One thing we guess we should be thankful to the Disney Imagineers for is that they didn’t create a smell effect to go along with the “river of poop”, as they do in places like Disney Resort Hotel lobbies and down Main Street, U.S.A.

So, next time you’re walking in Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom Park, remember to look down and acknowledge the Imagineers’ tribute to colonial sewage history.