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. Consequently, there’s a large number of routine room refurbishments as well as exterior building maintenance and more. The latest additions to the schedule below are at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club, Coronado Springs, Fort Wilderness, Old Key West, and Yacht Club (all denoted by “NEW!” below).
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 24-30, 2027 and January 24–February 2, 2028, 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 – Refurbishment work is taking place at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort. Donald’s Double Feature merchandise shop is undergoing a phased refurbishment through mid-September 2026 and will remain open during this work.
In addition, guest rooms at ASM will undergo planned refurbishment through 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 is 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 – Through mid-December 2026, Grandstand Spirits Pool Bar at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort will be closed for refurbishment. During this time, a temporary pool bar will be available nearby. Guests may see or hear construction activity in the area during daytime hours while the work is underway.
Animal Kingdom Lodge – From now through early 2027, guest rooms at Jambo House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge will undergo refurbishment. 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. The Kidani Village side of this project has now wrapped up. By the time the DVC work is done in 2027, the hotel rooms might be due for another refresh.
In addition to the room reimagining, there’s a major lobby project starting soon at Kidani Village:
Through Late 2026, the lobby and nearby areas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – Kidani Village will undergo refurbishment in phases. The work is expected to be completed in early November 2026. Closures will take place in phases:
August 17 to October 9, 2026: The main lobby and primary entrance will be closed. During this time, check-in will move to the Palace Library.August 17–28, 2026: Johari Treasures will be closed.September 28 to October 9, 2026: The north side lobby corridor will be closed. During this time, the north side lobby elevators on the second floor and outdoor terrace observation deck will be unavailable.October 26 to November 6, 2026: The south side lobby corridor will be closed. During this time, Community Hall, Safari So Good Arcade, the laundry room, the Palace Library, lobby restrooms and outdoor terrace observation deck will be unavailable.
Guests may see or hear construction activity in the lobby area during daytime hours, including periods of more noticeable noise, until the work is complete. See Disney Adds Animal Kingdom Lodge Projects to Refurbishment Calendar for 2026-2027 for more info.
Note: this project was previously slated to be completed in Fall 2026, pursuant to the above timelines. That specificity has since been removed, and the project as a whole is aiming for a Late 2026 completion. It’s our belief based on visible progress that it’s running behind schedule, which would explain the change from November/Fall 2026 to Late 2026.
Art of Animation Resort – From mid-June 2027 through October 2028, rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort will undergo refurbishment.
The work will happen in phases, with one themed area being refurbished at a time. Guests may see or hear maintenance work in the area during daytime hours, and alternate paths of travel may be in place until work is complete.
The work will begin with the Little Mermaid and Lion King rooms, continuing with Cars and Finding Nemo. This will be the first hard goods refurbishment in the resort’s history.
BoardWalk Inn – Now through 2027, 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.
The good news is that Walt Disney World has finally announced replacements for these vacant venues along the BoardWalk. Also on the horizon is a new counter service restaurant concept to replace Big River. Although Walt Disney World hasn’t stated as much, it’s possible some of this work along the promenade gets extended into 2027.
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!
Coronado Springs Resort – Through late September 2027, the Convention Center at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort will undergo a planned refurbishment. The El Centro Corridor and surrounding areas will also undergo a refurbishment tied to this work.
Work will be completed in phases, with individual spaces being temporarily inaccessible at times. The work will take place overnight to help minimize impacts to daily operations. During this time, Guests may see or hear construction activity in the area.
As discussed in Walt Disney World Calendars Year-Plus Construction Project at Coronado Springs Resort, the timing here is such that this is probably a multi-phase project, with the next room refurbishment starting once the Convention Center updates wrap up. Coronado Springs is due for a soft goods room refresh in the next year or so (outlying buildings only; not Gran Destino).
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.
Fort Wilderness Campground – Through late October 2026, soil erosion prevention work will be taking place along the sidewalk on Big Pine Trail. At times, alternate paths of travel may be in place for Guests due to roadway detours. No resort amenities will be impacted by this work, but please be aware that you may see or hear construction activity in the area during business hours.
Walt Disney World has also 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.
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.
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.
This holiday season at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Guests can enjoy elegant seasonal décor and festive offerings, along with new miniature gingerbread displays featured throughout the resort. To help keep the lobby flowing smoothly for resort Guests, the traditional large gingerbread house will not be offered this year.
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 – Due to ongoing refurbishment work along the boat route, Sassagoula River Cruise will be temporarily unavailable at Old Key West from October 12 through November 1, 2026. Bus transportation will be available during the closure.
Additionally, Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course is temporarily closed for renovations through October 2026. Views from some rooms overlooking the golf course may be impacted until the work is complete.
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.
Additionally, the reconfiguration of the front entrance roadway is now complete and the new bus stops have opened. With this, there’s a new traffic flow to road, that reduces congestion to the arrival area of the Poly.
The bad news is that work at the Polynesian isn’t finished. Through late 2026, some areas of the Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows are being refurbished. Most resort dining, pools and amenities will remain available.
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.
Through late October 2026, Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort will be temporarily closed due to refurbishment work at the Grand Ceremonial House.
While construction activity will be noticeable during daytime hours, efforts will be made to minimize disruptions. Please allow for extra travel time when arriving at or leaving the Resort.
Port Orleans Riverside – Walt Disney World has started its next slate of room reimaginings at Port Orleans Riverside, from now through mid-2027.
The first phase of this project impacted the Magnolia Bend rooms, and is now completed. Alligator Bayou is now receiving its next round of room redos, and crews have moved to that side of the resort. Accordingly, making a room request for Magnolia Bend 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.
Port Orleans French Quarter – Beginning on October 6, 2026, Scat Cat’s Club – Café and Scat Cat’s Club – Lounge at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter will temporarily close for refurbishment. The café is expected to reopen in December 2026 and the lounge is expected to reopen in January 2027.
- Temporary Bar: A temporary bar will be available near the café from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Relocated Beignets & Coffee: Beignets and coffee will be available at Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory. Ghoulish Delight beignets will also be available there through November 1, 2026.
Saratoga Springs – Through Fall 2026, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will have areas under refurbishment, including the porte cochere (covered arrival area) and Tennis Courts. Guests may see or hear construction activity during daytime hours.
Additionally, Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course is temporarily closed for renovations through October 2026. The Golf Shop will remain open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. During this time, Guests are welcome to enjoy Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course and Disney’s Palm Golf Course. Guests may see or hear work in the area during daytime hours, and views from some rooms overlooking the golf course may be impacted until the work is complete.
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.
As part of this project, the security kiosk is being expanded through mid-October. 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.
Yacht & Beach 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.
Through late 2027, Disney’s Beach Club Resort is undergoing visible exterior maintenance, which impacts views from various locations across the Resort hotel and—at times—requires alternate paths of travel. Guests may see or hear work in the area during daytime hours until the refurbishment is complete.
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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!
Does anyone know how renovations are going at All Star Movies?
Hi, we’ve just booked for Feb 2020, staying at Port Orleans French Quarter. Will there be any construction work there at that time?
Regarding the all star resorts refurbishment, anyone know about how long they are taking to complete each building? I’m staying at music early fall and hoping they won’t have started at music yet. Don’t mind remodeling going on, just hoping to be in calypso, but if one building is down, could be put in jazz building, which is also considered preferred. Thanks
My daughter and I just got back on May 3, 2019, from our stay at Riverside. We were in building #24 which had just reopened that very day. Ours was the only occupied building in the 20s, all the others were in various stages of remodeling. It was very strange, like being in a ghost town- very few people staying there. Lots of construction workers! But it was nice being in such quiet. The only problem was that we couldn’t get into our room until at least an hour after the usual 3pm occupation time. We had to call a couple of times to finally get into the room. I think there was a bit of last minute detail work that had to be done. But we loved the room, it was right by the pool and very close to the bus stop.
My family stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge in a two bedroom Savanna View villa in March of this year (2019) and we didn’t see any construction (other than the parking lot). We had lovely views of the animals all day long and quite enjoyed our morning coffee on the balcony. I loved Animal Kingdom Lodge and would stay there very time if I could.
I feel like Grand Floridian could use a refurb. I know it hasn’t been long, but for the price, those rooms and especially bathrooms are looking rough and dated.
Does anyone have any updates on the animal kingdom lodge construction work? I have literally just seen this and fly out in 3 days which is causing a lot of worry. Our travel agents have not notified us of any work being done there and we paid to upgrade to a savanna view.
We stayed in a club level savanna room on floor 4 furtherest from the lobby since it was ready (initially requested a room near the lobby). It had significant noise from the construction and the electricity was out in our room the whole first night (supposed to be only a few hours). They ended up giving us a free night and moved us to the opposite side, in which you couldn’t hear construction, but didn’t have such a nice view. Just ask and hopefully they can help you out. It’s my favorite hotel just was disappointed we weren’t informed prior.
I want to Stay at Coronado Springs Resort in May 2020. Can anyone tell me whether all the rooms have been renovated at this hotel or just some of the rooms?
I believe they all are…we’ve stayed twice last year and beginning of this year and didn’t even have to request a renovated room. Both were new and fabulous! Lots of places to charge things too! Without a doubt when you stay all will be complete!
Do the rooms at Caribbean Beach have Keurig coffee machines?
no but when we were there in December they had single “pod” coffee makers- its more of a tea bag style than k cups- I don’t recall what they were called
Hey Tom,
The work at All Star Movies has continued. They skipped the other Fantasia building for now and went to one of the Dalmatian buildings.
“At this time, there is minimal construction going on at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and it would just be for the rooms not the resort itself. You should not be affected by the refurbishments while you are visiting.”
This is the reply I just received from a Disney online chat representative.
I hope this is the case Amanda. Thank you for making things a wee bit more optimistic after have a panic attack after reading the article.
We will be heading to AKL next week. I would be very perturbed if there is any interruption or obstruction to our Savannah view without having been advised of such when the final payment on our package was made. We are coming in from the UK and were at AKL last year with a brilliant view and experience.
Veronica – would you be able to update us here after your stay? I’m having trouble finding out if there are any issues with Animal Kingdom Lodge from someone who is actually there on-site. I intend to be there in late July, and don’t want to stay there if the savannah view will be disrupted. Thank you!
@Kari Hatfield – I certainly will post my findings.
See reply responding to Caroline about my experience. I stayed mid April.
UPDATE to all and especially @Kari. A heads-up on Jambo House. There is construction near the 200 building with room renos. However, it seems closed to guests and we were placed in the 400 building with open unobstucted views and even more animals as they seem to be migrating in this area. So not a problem on our end. Now on to 10 days of fun<
My husband and I are planning on staying at AKL Kidani Village in May of 2020. Does anyone have a guess about whether or not construction will still be happening? We are staying in a standard room. Thanks!
My mom and I go to Disney every fall for a “mother/daughter” vacation. AKL was on our bucket list so we decided to splurge last year. Biggest disappointment ever. The most prominent view out our balcony (Savannah view) was a chain link fence. Our room smelled so bad, like someone spent a week at the park in 90 degree weather without deodorant!! Won’t stay there again.
They need to make more rooms for Families of 5 including the DVC Deluxe Studios. It’s a shame we have to get 2 connecting rooms and pay double for 1 extra person. It limits our choices and we would Love to stay at others.
AGREED!!!!
We have a stay booked at AKL for late May 2019. I have phoned a few times to ask about the refurbishments at the lodge and have been told each time there are no refurbishments ongoing at this time at AKL. Why are the reps not aware of this? Please advise.
I have been told the same thing by Disney as well, that no refurbishments are going on at AKL.
Because the people you’re talking to are not actually *at* Animal Kingdom Lodge, they are in remote call centers that aren’t even at Walt Disney World. For some reason, this project is not showing up in Disney’s booking system, but it is very much happening.
Thank you. I will see if I can book at another location.
My kids are so excited (as am I) about our upcoming trip to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. This is a splurge for us, usually we are “moderate” people. However, our kids are obsessed with giraffes and we though it would be worth it. The construction interfering with the savanna has me really concerned. Our stay is planned for late July, any suggestions on what we may be able to do to avoid a problem?
I am in the same boat – we are splurging on Animal Kingdom Lodge in late July – we have only ever stayed in a value resort. The only reason for this splurge is the savannah view. Needing to know if we should find another option to avoid disappointment…..thanks!
Can you update us please when you return I’m going in September thank you
Could you let us know if they have restarted renos at All Star Movies or when they intend to? Thanks
We will be staying at art of Animation in one of the Cars family suites in a few weeks. Are they renovated or in need of attention? Any tips for staying that far away from MK?
We will be staying at Caribbean Beach resort at the end of September in a pirate room. Will we be impacted by construction there? Are there buildings/rooms better for avoiding construction issues? Thanks.
Hi Tom,
So how about some refurbishment updates and pictures for the Port Orleans Riverside? Specifically the Alligator Bayou section. I’ve been able to find some pics/videos however very limited detail. I would like to see close up of the refurbished rooms with the 5th sleeper as we are staying there in Aug. 2019 for 10 days. Wondering how the playpen/crib for our 2 yr son will fit in the room? We did stat in refurbished room at Pop Century last Feb and his playpen fit pretty well by the entrance to the bathroom, however, it appears this resort has limited space due to additional furniture? I was thinking we could move one of the chairs next to the air conditioner/heater right up between the wall and the heater where the garbage can appears to be placed and then push the table right against it and move the other chair elsewhere, however not sure there would still be enough room there? So like putting it at the head or foot of the 5th sleeper between the table and the 5th sleeper along that wall? Make sense?
We stayed in AB last August. It had the 5th drop down bed with Tiana imagery then. You’re right without moving anything you’d have to put the pen right by the air conditioning. To be fair the room isn’t bad size and rather than 1 spot consider moving it depending on your needs. By the door next to your beds (cases can go under beds now) should be ok and for sleeping perhaps the other side of the curtain by the sinks? Never easy with rugrats! We’re there again in August and at AB so will probably see you! We’ll be the English family of 4 looking sweaty and arguing a lot! Sorry in advance!