2026-2027 Hotel Construction & Refurbishments at Disney World
Hotel refurbishments, resort construction, and character-inspired makeovers continue at Walt Disney World from now through 2027. This resource provides info on room renovations, what to avoid, where to book, and what to expect in terms of hotel work at Walt Disney World.
Walt Disney World continues to undertake refurbishments in an effort to modernize or refresh several of its resorts, as well as finish deferred maintenance that was postponed during the phased reopening. Consequently, there’s a growing number of smaller-scale projects that take certain buildings or a portion of rooms out of commission as part of more-targeted, rolling refurbishments.
We do Walt Disney World monthly hotel stays, usually emphasizing resorts where there are new things, changes, or ongoing construction to see how that harms, improves, or otherwise impacts the guest experience. If you’ve yet to book a hotel for your upcoming Walt Disney World vacation and want to be notified about all of the latest resort changes, sign up here for our FREE Disney newsletter here.
When booking a Walt Disney World vacation, we highly recommend taking into account recently-completed and ongoing construction projects at the various resorts, as these absolutely can impact the quality of your trip. Booking a hotel with a closed pool or construction noise and cranes right outside your window is obviously going to be a worse experience than a resort that just finished its big refurbishment and still has that fresh feeling and ‘new hotel’ smell.
Note that this does not include DVC villas if they do not impact the hotel side of a resort. For those projects, see our Disney Vacation Club Resort Refurbishments & Construction Timeline. That covers all of the room reimaginings at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and beyond that we just announced at the condo association meeting. Those projects also impact Boulder Ridge, Bay Lake Tower, and both Crescent Lake DVC resorts.
Suffice to say, a lot is happening on the hotel front at Walt Disney World. Let’s take a look at all of the current and upcoming major hotel projects that have the potential to impact guests, starting with the latest updates…
Ongoing or Upcoming Hotel Refurbishments
Disney Skyliner – From January 24, 2027, through January 30, 2027, Disney Skyliner will be closed for refurbishment. Complimentary bus service will be available.
Impacted Resorts:
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
We strongly recommend avoiding Skyliner resorts during this time, which does not include the Crescent Lake hotels. See Disney Skyliner Gondolas Closing for Quick Refurbishment in 2027 for more info and detailed advice.
All Star Movies Resort – Beginning in late May 2026, the rooms at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort will undergo planned refurbishment through the end of January 2027. During this time, Guests may see or hear construction work in the area, and alternate paths of travel may be in place.
This will almost assuredly by a soft goods refurbishment similar to the one recently completed at Pop Century. That  means updating furnishings, including but not limited to wall coverings, flooring, linens, decor, and some furniture. The redone rooms at Pop Century look great: First Look Photo Tour of New Rooms at Disney’s Pop Century Resort.
This is also almost assuredly the start of a phased multi-year soft goods refurbishment to all of the All Stars. See Walt Disney World Gearing Up for Years-Long Value Resorts Room Refurbishment, Likely Lasting to 2028 or 2029 for more.
All Star Sports Resort – From now through late April 2026, the Surfboard Bay Pool and the kiddie pool at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort will be closed for maintenance.
During this time, the Grand Slam Leisure Pool (pictured above) at Disney’s All-Star Sports will continue to be available. Additionally, Guests are welcome to use the other pools throughout Disney’s All-Star Resorts, including the Calypso Pool, Piano Pool and kiddie pool at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort; and the Fantasia Pool, Duck Pond Pool and kiddie pool at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort.
We’re big fans of the Grand Slam Leisure Pool, but it’ll probably be busy as a result. Accordingly, our second-favorite All Star pool is Calypso Pool at Music. Duck Pond at Movies is also a winner.
Animal Kingdom Lodge – From now through May 2026, guest rooms at Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge will undergo refurbishment, followed by refurbishment work at Jambo House from May 2026 through January 2027. During these times, guests may see or hear construction work in the area. All amenities will remain available throughout the refurbishment.
We covered what to expect from this construction at length in Room Reimagining at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge through 2027. What’s still unclear about this project involves the hotel side of Animal Kingdom Lodge, or just the Animal Kingdom Villas. The latter is the DVC side of the resort, and what is overdue for a refurbishment. Even so, by the time the DVC work is done in 2027, the hotel rooms might be due for another refresh.
Beach Club Resort – This hotel is undergoing visible exterior maintenance through late 2026, which will impact views from various locations throughout the resort, and at times, require alternate paths of travel.
As part of this work, the Tidal leisure pool will be closed for routine maintenance through early May 2026. Guests may see or hear refurbishment work in the area until the work is complete.
BoardWalk Inn – Throughout 2026, refurbishment work will take place in select areas of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn. While Guests may see or hear work during daytime hours, most Resort amenities—including dining, recreation, and merchandise locations—will remain available.
Walt Disney World still has not revealed what, exactly, this project entails. Based on what BoardWalk needs done, there’s a wide range of possibilities. At minimum, we know it’s a major project by virtue of it lasting throughout 2026. As for possibilities, see our comprehensive discussion in Big BoardWalk Mystery Construction Project in 2026.
From January 11, 2027 to April 2027, the Luna Park Pool, the Luna Park Crazy Play Area, and Leaping Horse Libations at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn & Villas will be closed for routine maintenance. Guests may see and hear construction until the work is complete. However, the Villas Pool and the Inn Pool will remain open for Guests to enjoy.
Luna Park Pool is the feature pool at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, and it was last redone back in late 2020 to remove the “creepy clown” from the water slide. Hopefully this project is to reinstall that beloved, dead-eyed, spaghettios-haired clown!
Contemporary Resort – From now through late 2027, refurbishments will occur in select areas of Disney’s Contemporary Resort—including Bay Lake Tower and the main A-frame atrium. Please allow for extra travel time. Guests may also see and hear construction during their stay.
This multi-phased project has been underway for over a year already, and previously revolved around BLT. That’s finished now, and the description has been updated to drop the Convention Center and add the atrium. No visible work has begun in the A-frame, but is expected to start soon.
Additionally, from now through early May 2026, the Bay Cove Pool, the water play area and the whirlpool spa at Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort will temporarily be closed for maintenance. The Bay Lake Pool, the Cove Bar, the feature pool, the water play area and the whirlpool spa at Disney’s Contemporary Resort will remain open for Guests to enjoy.
From now through Late May 2026, there will also be exterior elevator landing repairs taking place at Bay Lake Tower. Consequently, the Skyway Bridge connecting Bay Lake Tower and the Contemporary Main Tower will be closed Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., reopening daily after 5 p.m. and remaining available evenings and weekends through May 1, 2026. Guests may need to use alternate paths of travel at times and may see or hear construction activity while work is underway.
Fort Wilderness Campground – Walt Disney World has introduced New DVC Cabins to Fort Wilderness Campground. More than 350 new cabins have replaced the old cabins, turning the resort side of the campground into a Disney Vacation Club property. This occurred loop by loop over the last two years and is now finished.
From now through mid-2026, construction will take place near the Meadow Swimmin’ Pool area. The Meadow Swimmin’ Pool and Wilderness Swimmin’ Pool will remain open for Guests to enjoy. During this time, seating availability around the Meadow Swimmin’ Pool may be limited and Guests may see or hear construction in the area. The nearby tennis courts, volleyball court and the Meadow Playground may be closed temporarily. Please note that Guests may see and hear construction in the area until the work is complete.
Right next door to Fort Wilderness is the construction of Disney Lakeshore Lodge (formerly Reflections), which has now reached its top height of 10 stories tall! This quite literally towers over the Settlement area, and construction has an outsized impact on Fort Wilderness guests, as cranes build that massive new resort about 100 yards from Fort Wilderness.
Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – Disney Vacation Club overhauled the Big Pine Key building of hotel rooms at Walt Disney World’s flagship resort. This building has since reopened and the new rooms have debuted–see Grand New Rooms at Walt Disney World’s Flagship Resort for a look inside. These reimagined rooms have since debuted on the regular resort side of the Grand Floridian, and all of the outlying buildings are now finished.
As part of the ongoing enhancements at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, refurbishment work will continue in select areas, including the porte cochere, through early 2027. Guests may see or hear refurbishment work during daytime hours or need to take alternate paths of travel. This project was recently extended from mid-2026 to early 2027 with the “including the porte cochere” line.
As part of this work, from mid-July through October 2026, Grand Floridian Cafe will temporarily close for a refresh. During this time, brunch will continue to be offered but will temporarily move to CÃtricos. All other dining locations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will remain available for Guests to enjoy. Guests may see or hear refurbishment work during daytime hours and may need to take alternate paths of travel.
The main fruit of this project is the lobby overhaul, which is now completed. This includes “The Perch,” or the Birdcage Bar that replaced the iconic aviary in the lobby.
Old Key West Resort – Now through late April 2026, the South Point Pool and Spa, BBQ area and playground at Disney’s Old Key West Resort will be closed for routine maintenance.
During this time, Guests may see or hear maintenance activity during daytime hours and are encouraged to use the Sandcastle Pool or one of the resort’s other two leisure pools – the Turtle Pond Pool and Miller’s Road Pool.
Speaking of which, this follows the completion of the Turtle Pond Pool, Turtle Pond Pool Spa, the BBQ area refurbishment. It seems that Old Key West might be doing a phased refurbishment to its leisure pools.
Polynesian Village Resort – The good news is that the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows between the existing Polynesian longhouses and Wedding Pavilion, near the Grand Floridian, is now open. The bad news is that work at the Polynesian isn’t finished.
Through 2026, some areas of the Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows are being refurbished. This work includes the reconfiguration of the front entrance roadway and bus area. While construction activity will be noticeable during daytime hours, efforts will be made to minimize disruptions.
Walt Disney World filed permits for a new entrance to the Polynesian (which would also impact the parking lot and bus loop), and there’s major work being done to re-route and expand Floridian Way, so that’s probably what’s referenced for the construction and refurbishments through 2026. This will be a lengthy project that is very minimally impactful to both the Poly and Grand Floridian.
Additionally, some views of the theme parks and other surrounding areas may be impacted. This is now noticeable around the Great Ceremonial House, to the point that Walt Disney World is warning guests who book ‘Ohana about impaired views of Magic Kingdom. Although this impacts ‘Ohana, we recently dined at the adjacent Tambu Lounge and enjoyed unblemished views.
Finally, there’s a new construction notice that was just added: from May 11, 2026 through late June 2026, the boat dock at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort will undergo routine maintenance. The dock will be closed and boat transportation to suspended from May 11-June 5, 2026. Please allow for extra travel time when arriving at or leaving the Poly.
We’d recommend heeding this ‘allow extra travel time’ warning, especially when leaving the Poly during peak periods. We already encountered long lines more than once for the monorail at times in April 2026, and that was before the boat dock refurbishment started. Without that to help absorb some of the crowd, the monorail station will be even busier.
Pop Century – From now through late April 2026, the kiddie pool deck at Disney’s Pop Century Resort will be closed for routine maintenance. During this time, the Hippy Dippy Pool and all other amenities will remain available. Guests may see or hear maintenance activity in the area during daytime hours.
The good news is that Pop Century is otherwise in tip-top shape, with the year-long resort refurbishment having wrapped up. We stayed at Pop Century this month (April 2026) prior to the pool deck closure, and the resort is looking fantastic!
Port Orleans Riverside – Walt Disney World has started its next slate of room reimaginings at Port Orleans Riverside, from now through August 2027.
The first phase of this project, impacts the Magnolia Bend rooms, which are mostly the Royal Rooms. When Magnolia Bend is done (which should be really soon), it’ll be time for Alligator Bayou to receive its next round of room redos and crews will move to that side of the resort. Accordingly, making a room request for Magnolia Bend in Spring 2026 and beyond will mitigate exposure to the second phase of this project.
Although not officially confirmed, it’s a near-certainty that the normal rooms in Alligator Bayou receiving a hard goods refurbishment is the second phase of this project. See Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort Room Reimagining Extended by Year-Plus to 2027 for more.
Saratoga Springs – Through mid-September 2026, The Turf Club Bar & Grill and The Turf Club Lounge at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will be under refurbishment. During portions of the refurbishment, some areas will be temporarily closed, including:
- Through early August 2026:Â The Turf Club Lounge (The Turf Club Bar & Grill will remain open with a pop-up bar serving a modified Lounge food & beverage menu)
- Early to mid-August 2026: The Turf Club patio
- Mid-August – mid-September, 2026: The Turf Club Bar & Grill (The Turf Club Lounge will remain open)
Turf Club Bar & Grill is the restaurant itself, so the notable portion of this refurbishment doesn’t start until August 2026 and should wrap up in the span of a month. Fortunately, there’s ample options a short walk away at Disney Springs.
The tennis courts at Saratoga Springs are now closed for refurbishment and are expected to reopen in June 2026. During this time, the basketball court will also be closed.
Wilderness Lodge – Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge are undergoing exterior refurbishment work expected to continue through late 2026. These enhancements may impact views from various locations throughout the Resort. While most resort amenities will remain available, Guests may see and hear construction work during daytime hours.
The exterior work could actually impact Wilderness Lodge until 2027 if permits are accurate. As we discuss in greater detail in this post about Wilderness Lodge construction, that doesn’t really give us pause about staying there. With room requests, you may not notice any of the work at all.
In addition to this, there’s the above-mentioned resumption of work on Disney Lakeshore Lodge on the former River Country water park site. That will be less impactful to guests staying at Wilderness Lodge than Fort Wilderness, but there will be audible and visible construction from the Boulder Ridge side of the resort, especially.
From now through late July 2026, the boat dock at Wilderness Lodge will undergo routine maintenance. The dock will be closed and boat transportation temporarily suspended through May 1, 2026. This is the second phased closure of the boat dock this year, and bus transportation was available as an alternative during the first. We’d expect the same this go-round.
Yacht Club – Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is undergoing visible exterior maintenance through late 2026, which will impact views from various locations throughout the resort, and at times, require alternate paths of travel.
As part of this work, from now through early May 2026, the Admiral leisure pool will be closed for routine maintenance. Guests may see or hear work in the area during daytime hours until the refurbishment is complete.
In addition, Crew’s Cup Lounge is now closed, and is expected to reopen in May 2026. Following that, Yachtsman Steakhouse will temporarily close for a refresh in May 2026 and is expected to reopen by August 2026.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Have any recent observations or experiences with hotel construction at Walt Disney World you’d be willing to share? Where at Walt Disney World are you staying this year or in 2027? Any resorts you’re intentionally avoiding? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments of these resort refurbishment or reimagining projects? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Hi,
Heading down to Pop on 10/1, any word on how the refurbishment are going? We are hoping that they will be finished, hearing that the Movies food court is still being worked on. Thanks!
Thank you for keeping us all updated on all of the goings-on at WDW! We were just at Fort Wilderness a few weeks ago and can verify that the new DVC cabins are decidedly NOT being pre-fabricated offsite and that mulitple cabins are in the process of being built ONSITE and it is very busy/loud (though it shouldn’t affect campers too much as it isn’t in the same part of the campground.)
Hi Tom!
I’ve booked at Beach Club for June 29th through July 6th. I received an email stating that the pool would be closed during my stay. Do you think that this was an automatically generated email simply because my reservation begins in June or do you think it is possible that they are expecting the pool refurbishment to extend into Fourth of July week? We’re ok with the pool being closed on June 29th and 30th but would hate to have it closed all week. Thanks for your imput!
I wish they would add a floating shelf for the Beach Club Villas on that one side of the bed. I would at least give it something. Plus they still need to fix the drawer space. I guess it is a matter of what they THINK it needs.
Hi Tom
We are staying at Boulder Ridge in December. Do you expect construction work on the new project nearby to begin by then? Wondering if we should switch to the main building to avoid construction noise ruining the ambiance
It’s really difficult to say. My guess is that it’ll take some time to ramp up once it is announced–and that hasn’t happened yet.
If it were me, I’d stick with Boulder Ridge for now–I wouldn’t be too worried just yet. But I’d also pay attention the next month or so and see how quickly work gets moving (if it does).
Hi Tom,
Do you think the Art of Animation family suites will be updated soon?
I’m considering a stay here with our family of five. My youngest is a big Cars fan and the outdoor area looks amazing. The Nemo pool looks so fun as well.
Some guests online are saying that the family suites are a bit dated. When was the last refurb?
In the past, we’ve been able to stay in the 5th sleeper rooms, but as my kids are getting older the family suites seem more appealing. The price is a bit high especially if they haven’t been updated in a while.
I appreciate your thoughts!
Thanks,
Jenn
Boo. I’m booked at the new Poly Tower in April 2025. I was hoping the resort would be done with construction by then (wishful thinking haha). It’s hard to pick a deluxe resort without construction for 2025, especially around the Magic Kingdom. I’m sure it will all be wonderful when finished but I’m wondering if it will be perpetual updates for the time being and picking which is the least impactful.
wow, we are going sept 11th to 19th. haven’t gotten an email yet about pop century food court refurb. do you think not all guests will be notified or offered something else?
We were notified by email a few months after booking that Pop Century food court will be closed during our stay, September 19 – 30th, and we were not offered to switch to any other accommodations. I wrote back to WDW about this notice expressing my concern that I have a food allergy and because of this allergy I preferred ordering in person so that my allergy can be addressed with the chef on site and my food order handled accordingly as has been done during our stays in the past. I also expressed concern that there was not a lot of selections offered on the mobile order app and that there was no way to add or request alterations to items due to my allergy. They responded back to me that although food stations would be closed someone would be available at the food court who could address my concerns regarding my allergy. They also advised me that during our stay/ the refurbishment of the food court the drink station would remain open and seating areas would still be available in the food court area. I was not offered any alternative accommodations. I paid extra for a preferred room to be closer to the food court. Very disappointed right now. I was really looking forward to having fresh made “egg free” waffles with berries and bacon for breakfast, a big treat for me that I’ve had at the Value Resorts on many past WDW vacations. We’ll see what happens when we get there, but right now Im afraid it looks like all I might be able get for breakfast at Pop Century on the Mobile App for the 11 days were there is yogurt. I’ve never used the mobile app there before but when I looked up the menu offered on the app for Pop Century it does not look very good. I tried looking to see if there were any other Value Resorts with availability that I could try to switch our stay over to, but they’re all booked up for our dates, and according to this article at least the All Star Movies resort is also undergoing food court refurbishment, possibly all the others as well.
We have just been told POP Century will have the food court refurb 29july to 30 September this year been offered all stars as alternative! I’m looking at Caribbean beach or Coronado springs any thoughts? Thanks
Hey Sue, I don’t know the members of your party but Coronado Springs wasn’t very “Disney” compared to other resorts. I have stayed Poly, AKL, and some AS for reference.
Hey Tom!
We are staying at Pop in Late July. I’m hearing where people staying at pop are getting emails saying that the Food Court will close for refurb and be Mobile Order only. People are getting emails that are staying in June and people are getting emails that are staying in Sept. Have you heard of anything?
Just had out email the food court will be closed 29 July to 30 September,
Tom
We are staying at French Quarter later in October this year. Do you think we should request a room that is already refurbished? Or do you think things should be winding down by then given the time frame they gave?
hi i have same question as we are booked at Fr Qtr for Nov17-24th and i just found out there is construction AGAIN,….last trip the pool was closed for reno now rooms ……I wish was told that rooms will be reno an if i could also have choice of new room….
Hi, Tom!!! We are booked at PO Riverside in July. We have a 5th sleeper pet friendly room booked…I know that can be pretty much anywhere on the Alligator Bayou side…any recommendations to ensure that we get a room that has been refurbished? The biggest concern for us will be the bedding…hubby and I both have some back issues!! Thanks in Advance. Hope you are living your best lives in Tokyo!!
We just returned from Disney Port Orleans Riverside. We had a standard view (building 14) and it was refurbished. Plus close to the food and pool.
Hope that helps!
What about BLT? Or is that too far ahead at this point?
Good to know about the Skyliner as we were going to book Pop for our late January trip specifically for that!
I believe BLT is Sept 2024 – Sept 2025.
According to folks on the disboards who have been at Fort Wilderness recently, the cabins are not actually prefabricated as expected and they are being built (or at least put together) on site.
Staying at the GF in a few weeks…are the main building guest rooms open? Any update on the lobby construction? I think I read that the rooms have all been renovated, but the pictures on their website show a mix of old/new rooms. I definitely prefer a renovated room!
What do you expect the impact of Bay Lake Tower work to be on guests staying at the Contemporary in 2025? Would you recommend avoiding Contemporary during BLT reno? Most likely would be staying in the garden wing.
Maybe anecdotal but many years ago we were at BLT while some work was being done. Unfortunately for us, the bridge was unavailable along with some elevators. We had to take the elevator down to the main level, walk across, and go up the escalator (I believe – it was around 10 years ago). Our particular room was FAR from the available elevators.
What I remember most about that trip was the beads of sweat on my forehead walking between buildings and how exhausted I was lugging groceries from the market to our room lol.
With that said, we still had a great time and are working on becoming BLT owners – but that’s also because of the pending refurb!
It would be really nice to have those Kidani rooms updated! Shouldn’t they be next?
Thanks for the awesome newsletter.
Just one comment: I think Disney recently extended the Beach Club pool closure to be January to June (was January to May).
You’re right–my bad!
Sarah even reminded me to update that and I still glossed right over it. Thanks for (another) reminder!
Regarding yacht club like Tom said I thought the rooms were updated and great. The halls, elevators and common areas were rough in 2023 so hopefully that is part of this refurb. Great hotel that needs to be brought back to its glory. And move the globe back where it belongs!
hey tom, what would be your advice if budget is somewhat a consideration. book 4 nights in march at a disney value hotel, or about 100 dollars more a night, and stay at sapphire falls? (of which i have done in the past at sapphire falls, and loved it)
thank you!