Disney World Makes Major Construction Progress at Polynesian Resort, But Big Impacts Are Ongoing.

Disney’s Polynesian Resort is finally winding down one of the largest hotel construction projects at Walt Disney World, reaching a major milestone over the weekend on the new ‘arrival experience’ that re-routes the entrances for buses and other vehicles. However, plenty of other work around the grounds is growing in scale and size. Here are fresh photos along with our thoughts.

To say this has been a long and drawn-out project would be an understatement. And more accurately, it has been multiple projects that have overlapped and made the Poly a near-perpetual project site for the better part of 6 years with only intermittent reprieves. The beginnings of this work can be traced all the way back to August 2020, when the resort’s reopening was delayed for a complete rebuild of the porte-cochere and monorail station. That also entailed redone guest rooms and other improvements around the resort.

Following that, there was the World Drive Phase III project that started in October 2021 and is still ongoing. We recently covered the 447 day extension of that, and its longer-term implications for a Magic Kingdom park entrance resort. Then there was replacement of the Spirit of Aloha Luau Dinner Show with construction of the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, which was built between the existing longhouses and Wedding Pavilion.

The good news is that we’re in the home stretch! (Until a new wave of projects is announced.) The Island Tower has been open for 18 months. Island Tower is a bit of a mixed bag, bringing Wailulu Bar & Grill to the table, which is a big asset. But it also adds crowds, further straining the overburdened infrastructure.

Island Tower also brings blight, unless you enjoy boxy beige buildings. Arguably the best way to avoid looking at the Island Tower’s hideous exterior is staying in it! That’s only a half-joke. We now favor staying at the Island Tower, as the guest rooms are fantastic. It’s also a shorter walk to Magic Kingdom, albeit less convenient for the monorail or boats.

Other construction at the Polynesian is now entering the home stretch. Here’s the construction bulletin on the Walt Disney World website:

Through 2026, some areas of 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. All Resort dining, pools and most amenities will remain available. Additionally, some views of the theme parks and other surrounding areas may be impacted.

This mostly concerns the years-long work to re-route and expand Floridian Way. This is a lengthy project that has had an impact to both the Poly and Grand Floridian.

Poly’s New Entrances

Walt Disney World has created new entrances to the Polynesian, which also impacts the parking lot and bus loop. Both of these are now open, and separate Disney buses and all other vehicles into separate routes. Park bound Disney buses use the former Poly main entrance road to reach the new bus stop, whereas other vehicles (including guest cars) use the new main entrance at the front of the resort.

I was at the Polynesian over the weekend, when all of these photos were taken. For now, the buses are still relocated to the porte cochere, but the bus stop looks completely finished. The shelter itself, along with all of the walkways and everything else. It appears days away from debuting; it might even be open by the time you read this! With that said, I also was there roughly two months ago and thought it was weeks away from opening.

Already, parking is back to normal and walkways leading to the porte-cochere are open. There’s no material guest impact at this point. If anything, I prefer the porte-cochere being the bus pick-up. There’s a lot more seating space and it’s slightly less of a walk from Island Tower.

Speaking of transportation, let’s turn to the next project:

From May 11 through late June, the boat dock at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort will undergo routine maintenance. The dock will be closed and boat transportation to Magic Kingdom suspended from May 11-June 5, 2026. Please allow for extra travel time when arriving at or leaving the Poly.

Great news: this is now finished! Or at least, the boat transportation has resumed. From what I could see, this project entailed replacing the wood planks on the boat itself, and that’s completed. There were no signs of ongoing construction that I could see, so it’s unclear what else is being done between now and late June 2026.

Magic Kingdom Views Impaired

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. Here’s the construction bulletin for that:

Beginning January 15, 2026, portions of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort will undergo exterior maintenance. During this time, views of the Seven Seas Lagoon from ‘Ohana may be partially or completely obstructed. We apologize for any inconvenience.

At this point, this the big ongoing project at the Poly. The back half of Great Ceremonial House is almost completely covered by scaffolding. As a result, the Seven Seas Lagoon facing side, from Capt. Cook’s to Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace, along with ‘Ohana above, all has impacted views. Tambu Lounge largely does not. Above is the current view of Magic Kingdom from the ‘Ohana dining room.

Great Ceremonial House Scaffolding

It appears this facade work on the Great Ceremonial House consists of replacing the older materials on the outrigger assembly artifice. A lot of that wood looks rotten, or at least well past its prime. Note that this does not impact the entirety of the GCH, just the portion that juts out and is adjacent to the pool.

There’s no public-facing indication as to when this will be completed. If the pace of the bus stop is any indication (and hopefully it isn’t), this could last the remainder of the year. At the other end of the spectrum, we could see this work wrapping up as early as July. It would seem like Independence Day would be a target, but that might be a stretch.

Scaffolding on the Seven Seas Lagoon side of the Great Ceremonial House is impactful. You will absolutely see it during your stay, and it adds a lot of visual blight to the tropical-themed resort. There’s also the audible nature of the work.

Longhouse Construction Ongoing

On top of that, there’s work to multiple longhouses. Currently, Tuvalu and Aotearoa are receiving roof work; there’s also the replacement of stairways in the Tonga and Fiji longhouses.

It’s completely unclear to me how long the stairway replacement and roof repairs will last. Even once Tonga, Fiji, Tuvalu, and Aotearoa are finished, it’s possible (if not probable) that work will move on to other longhouses. Perhaps I’m misremembering, but it seems like this has been ongoing for the last couple of years.

Once this is finally finished, it’ll be time for the first longhouses that were done to receive their next refresh. That’s only a half-joke. We’re actually not too far away from when the next soft goods room refurbishment would typically be scheduled.

Tiki Terrace Closure Ongoing

As a result of the scaffolding, Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace is currently closed for refurbishment. A bulletin is on the official website, but no reopening date has been announced. There’s just a message to check back for updates.

The outdoor bar & lounge has no operating hours listed on the official Walt Disney World website as far out as the calendar currently shows, which is through August 6, 2026. I wouldn’t read too much into that. It probably just means they don’t know when the scaffolding will come down around the Great Ceremonial House.

That’s not really a huge surprise. Even if the target completion date is earlier, I’d say it’s probably about 50/50 as to whether the scaffolding around the GCH is down by August 6, 2026.

Trader Sam’s Status

Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, the hugely popular indoor counterpart to Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace, remains open as normal. Following a change made last holiday season, Grog Grotto is now open daily from 11 am until midnight.

The “secret spot” (air quotes) is tucked away behind a nondescript door on the lower level of the Great Ceremonial House. Secret because it doesn’t draw attention to itself with a prominent marquee and isn’t easy to find if you’re unfamiliar with the lobby layout, but air quotes because the location is nevertheless insanely popular.

Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto is a fan-favorite for good reason. It’s near the top of our List of the 25 Best Bars & Lounges at Walt Disney World, and we view Trader Sam’s as a must-visit for first-timers or fans of themed design. It’s really well-themed and a fun experience, but honestly, we prefer the laid-back ambiance of the outdoor area. (At least, when there isn’t construction all around.)

Parking at the Poly

On this topic, one thing worth noting is that vehicle access to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is routinely restricted to only guests of the hotel, or those with ADRs. This means that if you’re not staying at the Poly, you need to take Walt Disney World transportation to the resort in order to drink at Grog Grotto.

You might have success with security that guards the parking lot, but don’t bank on it. We’ve heard from countless guests who have said they’re going to Grog Grotto and have been rejected. We don’t think it’s even worth the gamble.

Our expectation is that the Polynesian will loosen up its parking rules now that the entrance work is finished. The biggest exception to this will be the week of Independence Day, when non-resort guests flood the Poly. This has been a problem for years, and Walt Disney World really needs to get more aggressive to address it. (On a related note, see Walt Disney World Adds Rule Restricting Resort Bound Buses for why we hope Disney does more like this.)

Wailulu Roof Repairs

Work remains ongoing over at Island Tower on the roof to Wailulu Bar & Grill. Here’s the warning that Walt Disney World has posted:

From April 23 through late June, updates will be made to the exterior roofing at Wailulu Bar & Grill in the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Wailulu Bar & Grill will remain open for service during the work. Each day from open until 5 p.m., the bar will offer walk-up service only, and seating will be unavailable. Seating will resume from 5 p.m. to close. While construction activity will be noticeable during daytime hours, efforts will be made to minimize disruptions.

This is actually far less impactful than we would’ve expected, and is limited to just the bar side of Wailulu Bar & Grill. This being completed by or even before late June seems completely plausible.

Finally, a few more construction photos before we turn to whether to avoid the Polynesian during these projects:

Should You Stay at the Poly or Skip It?

As for the overall construction impact and whether you should avoid the Polynesian, that’s tough. We have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the Poly.

During quieter times, it is the quintessential ‘Vacation Kingdom of the World’ resort at Walt Disney World. At its best, nothing can beat the Poly. This is doubly true when the weather is nice and occupancy is just a tad below normal.

When it’s busy, all bets are off. Because of that, we find ourselves booking strategically during slower seasons or staying at Island Tower, which better avoids the chaos completely.

With the Great Ceremonial House surrounded by scaffolding on the Seven Seas Lagoon and pool side, I would probably avoid the Poly between now and at least July 5, 2026. That’s not a strong recommendation, so if you’ve already booked the Poly and are enthusiastic about staying there, I don’t think this rises to the level of needing to rebook elsewhere.

Part of this is the noise and visual construction blight, which has worsened since my last visit. Another part is the uncertainty around when the GCH work will be finished, and my assumption that it will not be done by early July.

The final piece of the puzzle is that I simply would not stay at the Polynesian, even when it’s firing on all cylinders, over the Independence Day holiday. Resort management still hasn’t figured out crowd control and keeping out non-paying guests, and that makes paying $700+ per night a non-starter for me. The beach has gotten bad over the years.

For mid-to-late July 2026 and beyond, the answer is more “it depends.” With the dock back in service, entrances open, and parking restored, the resort is heading in the right direction. Once the Great Ceremonial House refurbishment is complete, we’ll have zero reservations about recommending the Poly.

The other issue is that every monorail loop resort has work ongoing. Ditto Crescent Lake, and both of the lodges. If you’re looking to avoid any and all construction and want a Deluxe Resort, I’m not really sure where you go. There’s a lot happening right now all around the Walt Disney World resorts.

If you’re planning a stay later in the year, we’d recommend making a room request to avoid construction and refurbishments (ideally during online check-in, and then confirming again with the front desk upon arrival before entering your room).

It’ll be interesting to see whether construction at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is finally finished once the Great Ceremonial House refurbishment wraps up. Our hope, honestly, is that it is not. As discussed in Abandoned Areas at Walt Disney World, we’d love for the next project to be bringing back Tangaroa Terrace, a stout building over by the monorail tracks and near-ish the bus stops.

Reopening Tangaroa Terrace as another restaurant, lounge, dinner show, or Moana character dining experience would be a huge win. Island Tower should’ve been built with a rooftop restaurant, but this is the best consolation prize. The return of Tangaroa Terrace would make a great ‘singles and doubles’ announcement at the 2026 D23 Expo. Or maybe they’ll take a year off from the work and reveal that at 2027 Destination D23. Either way, this is badly needed and we’d love to see it happen, but it might be wishful thinking.

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Your Thoughts

Have you experienced the current construction, closures, etc. at the Poly? Did you find the work impacted your experience, or was it mostly avoidable? Would you stay at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort this summer while these projects are ongoing? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? 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!