This week, we visited EPCOT at Walt Disney World to try out this year’s International Food & Wine Festival offerings. Typically, we go closer to November when it’s cooler, but I needed that Alpine cheese, man! Unfortunately, not only was it a hot day, but our efforts to stay cool brought us face-to-face with Disney’s current substandard maintenance practices.
Not too often do you encounter a shop within the Disney World parks that’s almost exclusively pure white. Usually, you’ll find the stores featuring darker tones or lots of wood grain. Lords and Ladies is lush with pastels and bright white walls sporting elaborate trim and ceiling decorations. That’s where we first spotted the issue.
The store in the United Kingdom section of the World Showcase isn’t packed with people, unlike the Queen’s Table. So, this was our spot to take a break from our ever-present Florida heat. Standing near one of the entrances, under the AC slot diffuser, we looked up and got a nice view of dirt, grime, cobwebs, and something black growing on the vent.
Oh, dear. I get that keeping the EPCOT’s stores spotless is a somewhat impossible task as guests file in and out all day. However, the decorative columns and diffusers look as if they’d not been wiped down or dusted in a long time. I was half tempted to find a container of Clorox wipes and start cleaning.
I’m uncertain of Disney’s current maintenance standards for basic cleaning, but if they use a cobweb brush to grab only the noticeable stuff, that’s not enough. The black substance on the diffuser is an entirely different issue.
I considered returning to EPCOT with a black mold kit and taking samples from the shops, where I could see growth, but I’m pretty sure that would have gotten me banned. A lot of condensation is building up on these, so it may be mildew. However, as these things are blowing directly on guests, they must be cleaned regularly.
It’s a bit jarring, really—walking into what should be a clean, immersive experience, only to be met with grime-lined columns and air diffusers dustier than a forgotten attic. It’s the kind of oversight that chips away at the magic. When surfaces meant to sparkle start looking like they’ve aged in dog years, it signals more than just a busy day. It shows that regular cleaning just isn’t cutting it anymore.
This is the moment when a true deep clean is needed—not the quick once-over, but a top-to-bottom reset. Melissa and a Mop offers the kind of commercial deep cleaning service that doesn’t flinch at stubborn buildup or hard-to-reach fixtures. They get into the details, the nooks and surfaces that everyone else seems to ignore until it’s too late. With the right tools and a determination worthy of a fairy tale villain, they make neglected spaces shine again.
Hopefully, this will make its way to Mickey’s ears, and it will get cleaned.
Pirates & Princesses (TM) (Stylized as PNP) is an independent, opinionated News and Information site focused on Travel, Entertainment, Fashion, the “Geek Girl” Lifestyle, and more. We focus heavily on Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Universal Orlando Resort, and other themed entertainment and travel destinations. Our news staff includes former theme park and entertainment industry employees, journalists and dedicated pop culture and theme park enthusiasts. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of this site, our affiliates or our sponsors.