Disney World Reveals Scope of Contemporary Resort’s Lengthy 2026-2027 Refurbishment
Walt Disney World has multiple construction warnings for Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Tower, including one extending the refurbishment that began two years ago until 2027. They’ve now revealed details about what’ll be happening during this project, solving a ‘mystery’ from last year. Here’s the latest, plus our commentary about what we hope to see happen during this lengthy project.
When discussing this ‘mystery’ project when it was first announced, one of the top ‘requests’ from fans was a redo on the room redesign, evicting the Incredibles in favor of a more timeless style, like the new-look Bay Lake Tower rooms. Don’t hold your breath on that. Walt Disney World does room refurbishments on a set schedule that’s pretty consistent, and it’s still several years too early for replacing the Incredibles. Sadly.
We will add to the chorus of praise for the redone BLT rooms. That style is what the Contemporary should’ve gotten in the first place, and we’d strongly recommend considering Bay Lake Tower over the main A-frame in the first place. Doing so also sidesteps most of the construction discussed below after May 2026. See our Reimagined Bay Lake Tower Review: Marvelous New Rooms at WDW’s Closest Resort to Magic Kingdom!
Let’s take a look at the construction bulletins, some of which might look familiar as one was originally posted last summer and the other was added in late November. However, a lot has been explained or expanded as of March 11, 2026. Here’s a rundown of what’s on the horizon at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in 2026 and 2027…
Current Contemporary Construction Alerts
January 26, 2026 Through Early May 2026 (NOT NEW) – The Bay Cove Pool, the Cove Bar, 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 feature pool, the water play area and the whirlpool spa at Disney’s Contemporary Resort will remain open for Guests to enjoy.
September 2024 Through Late 2027 (UPDATED) – Refurbishments will occur in phases throughout select areas of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, including the atrium and Bay Lake Tower. The Main Tower will undergo exterior maintenance beginning March 23, 2026, which may impact views from various locations throughout the resort and, at times, require alternate paths of travel. Guests may see or hear construction during daytime hours.
Late March Through Late May 2026 (NEW) – Exterior elevator landing repairs will take place at Bay Lake Tower.
March 30 Through May 1, 2026 (NEW) – The Skyway Bridge connecting Bay Lake Tower and the Contemporary Main Tower will be closed Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and will reopen daily after 5 p.m. and remain available evenings and weekends. Guests may need to use alternate paths of travel at times and may see or hear construction activity while work is underway.
This bulletin was originally extended in late November and slated to start last Christmas-time, but we didn’t spot anything happening at the time. It was previously vague, with no mention of exterior work on the A-frame or anything else. That seemingly solves the mystery, and aligns with work that’s been occurring around the grounds of Disney’s Polynesian Resort.
As we previously noting, the “least interesting or exciting explanation” is infrastructure work that results in a bit of noise or visual blight, but doesn’t amount to much difference in the guest experience or yield any tangible improvement when it’s done in Late 2027.
Of course, Disney’s Contemporary Resort is over 50 years old, and the building itself needs “invisible” maintenance from time to time. Air quotes around invisible because guests wouldn’t be able to see the fruits of that in a before vs. after comparison, but the construction crews for such a project would very much be visible for the next year-plus.
It’s now clear that this project encompasses exterior work, at least in part.
The new bulletin adds open-ended exterior maintenance on the Main Tower beginning March 23, 2026, with a narrower date range through mid-May 2026 for Bay Lake Tower and the bridge connecting the two. Given the lengthy exterior maintenance projects at other older resorts, our expectation is that work on the A-frame will continue past May 2026. It could last the whole year, or even be this whole project, being done with a smaller crew in very limited areas.
Given that one of the biggest selling points of the Contemporary is the view of Magic Kingdom, it’s definitely worth being aware of this project and booking accordingly. Given the size of the A-frame, we cannot imagine that the room views of the park are going to be obstructed; it’s not as if Disney is installing a gigantic scrim around the entire exterior.
There will probably be small sections of scaffolding around the lower levels, with repairs made in phases. If construction noise or blight bothers you, consider booking elsewhere. Otherwise, we don’t see any reason to actively avoid the Contemporary in 2026 or 2027 at this point. You shouldn’t have to worry about booking a park view room and having that instead be a backside-of-scrim view room.
You also might consider forgoing the park view room or the A-frame entirely. Over the last few years, Disney’s Contemporary Resort has become one of our preferred places to stay at Walt Disney World, and we almost always do the Garden Wing.
We discussed the reasons for this in Our Favorite Hotel for Disney World Trips as Parents with a Toddler. That covers the many selling points of the Contemporary and BLT, but suffice to say, the Garden Wing is away from the exterior construction (for now) and offers relatively-reasonably priced accommodations within walking distance of Magic Kingdom.
With this construction bulletin expanding and the project already having been extended multiple times, it’s always possible there’s more to come. That Walt Disney World is only updating here as to the extent immediately necessary, and more will be revealed over the course of the next ~2 years (as has already been the case with this project).
Our hope remains that this includes the long overdue aesthetic work to the Grand Canyon Concourse. While the guest rooms are not up for another refurbishment for another several years following their overhaul in 2021-2022, the first phase of that project ended up being a race against the clock to finish in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary.
Back then, the rooms in the A-frame were refurbished and the ground-level lobby was redone. Both of those projects technically finished before October 1, 2021, but lingering work remained. (During our stay around that time, we heard construction noise at pretty much all hours in other rooms.) It’s possible they had planned on moving to the Grand Canyon Concourse after redoing the lobby, but COVID disrupted the timeline. That happened with a lot of projects in 2020-2022, and Disney is still circling back to some of those.
That the Grand Canyon Concourse overhaul was delayed and is finally being rescheduled is the ideal outcome. Long before the Incredibles Injection even began, we were bemoaning the datedness and just general ugliness of the Grand Canyon Concourse. It’s been hideous since at least the mid-aughts.
The Grand Canyon Concourse is just embarrassing at this point. It’s easily the worst atrium among the flagship Deluxe Resorts. It’s a visual hodgepodge, with 5 different styles of carpet and 4 different types of tiles. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate textures giving character to a space, but not like this.
The problem is that it’s been ages since the Grand Canyon Concourse had a comprehensive refurbishment. Instead, it had piecemeal additions in the 1990s and 2000s, and the end result is a bunch of disparate styles that are lacking in visual harmony.
Although Contempo Cafe is one of our favorite quick service restaurants at Walt Disney World, the design of the restaurant is nothing special–it looks tired. The only redeeming qualities are the monorail and Mary Blair mural overhead. It’s a similar story with Chef Mickey’s; that is the most iconic character dining experience at Walt Disney World, but one that time has passed by.
The Grand Canyon Concourse looks tired, dated, and visually chaotic. It’s an ugly patchwork of eras, with its style continuing to age and clutter continually added. Ironically, it’s probably the least contemporary resort at Walt Disney World, with very little modernity in its style.
Many Walt Disney World fans view the Contemporary through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. I cannot imagine being a first-timer with little knowledge of or history with this resort, booking it based on the “Contemporary” name and paying over $1,000 per night to stay in the A-frame. To say I’d be probably be disappointed would be a colossal understatement.
The good news is that the blueprint for an overhaul to the Grand Canyon Concourse already exists! Back ahead of the 50th Anniversary, Walt Disney World redid the main lobby and check-in area and it is gorgeous.
The new-look looby takes a timeless mid-century modern style and combines that with a collection of modern art pieces, Mary Blair-inspired design, and historical, behind-the-scenes photographs of Disney’s Contemporary Resort in development and under construction. It wasn’t that ambitious of an overhaul–it was accomplished pretty quickly–and yet, it made a world of difference.
The Contemporary’s new lobby looks exceptional. It emulates Disneyland Hotel with a pitch-perfect mix of nostalgia and sleek stylization. The Contemporary Resort’s lobby now has personality. Instead of looking like a vaguely modern design from the 2000s, it is imbued with a sharp mid-century modern style. It’s distinctly Disney and will age far better than chasing current trends.
This marriage of a timeless modern aesthetic along with distinctly Disney art and decor makes for a winning combination. I love the Contemporary’s “new” lobby as much as I dislike the Grand Canyon Concourse or the Incredibles rooms, and the former is proof-positive that modern Disney could redo the latter and hit it out of the park.
It’s also worth pointing out that the recent Bay Lake Tower room refurbishment continued in the spirit of the lobby, with (mercifully) zero Incredibles but plenty of nods to the history of Walt Disney World and Mary Blair.
So for any fans worried that an overhaul of the Grand Canyon Concourse would only further the Incredibles IP injection (a valid concern, no doubt), it would seem that Imagineering has already won that battle, and Walt Disney World learned from the mistake. It’s unfortunate that the hotel rooms aren’t up for another refurbishment until (at least) 2029.
Ultimately, it’d be great if Walt Disney World still has grandiose plans for the Grand Canyon Concourse and plans on a refresh on par with the Grand Floridian lobby. That the newly-explained exterior maintenance on the Main Tower will last through some point in 2026, before crews shift to the inside and work on the GCC through Late 2027.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort already has unique architecture and the monorail gliding through the atrium–if it became a love letter to the Vacation Kingdom of the World with a timeless mid-century modern aesthetic, it would be a Walt Disney World fan-favorite–just as is the case with Disneyland Hotel in California!
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
What do you think of the construction alert through Late 2027 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort? Think this could end up being exterior maintenance for the entirety of the project? Optimistic that the Grand Canyon Concourse will receive an overhaul akin to the lobby? 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!
I’m looking at the new Space Mountain in Tokyo and thinking, that’s a pretty modernized building. Could some facelift be done to the A-Frame to look more on the modern features of that Space Mountain?
I know a lot of people don’t like the Incredibles injection, I think you don’t, but I couldn’t tell from your article…. 😛 Anyway, I don’t mind it that much. It was done at a time when thy felt the need to connect some characters to the hotel experience. Since I don’t stay in those rooms all that often, I don’t mind it as much. I have DVC and Bay Lake is my home resort. Love the new make overs there! I suspect though with the new Incredibles movie coming out, they won’t be removing them from that resort anytime soon.
As far as the Grand canyon concourse, I agree it is in need of total rehaul. I like the new lobby, but hope they go further if they re-do the concourse. i think it would be cool if they changed the lighting in the A-frame and darkened it a little and highlighted the Monorail cars with added light. Also the monorail loaded platform needs an overhaul.
We’ll have to see what actually happens but this will always be my favorite resort.
I would love to see the concourse get a makeover to match the lobby! My nostalgia for the Contemporary is from the 70s and 80s, pre-Chef Mickey and the shop plopped in the middle of the other half, before things got so hodgepodge.
I’ve got two nights booked at Bay Lake April after switching from SSR. My first time staying at BL. Now I find the pool will be closed as well as the bridge. What have I done?!
Blinded by nostalgia over here, lol. I love the way the Contemporary looks although I guess I’d be ok with a refurb.
I spent a week at the Contemporary in early September awhile ago and nothing has ever beaten the trip. Its location and ease of going back and forth to the Magic Kingdom, especially with tired little ones, can’t be beaten.
I used to also frequently do the Halloween parties, and staying at the Contemporary made those easy. I know a lot of people want more, but to me the Contemporary has many perfect memories.
I feel like they try to do things to it that aren’t necessary. The monorail going through it and its unique appearance is the theme. Along with the easy walk to MK without having to deal with any transportation. There’s nothing else quite like it in my opinion. It needs nothing more.
My favorite Disney World trip that I ever took was in 2018 when I stayed in a Bay Lake View room in the A Frame, so I have a soft spot for this resort. There is so much good about the Contemporary, that I want WDW to course correct and make it as special as it should be. The Disneyland Hotel is my favorite hotel in the US Parks, so I really hope any retheming/upgrades to the Contemporary are to make it a tribute to the parks and park history, not a specific film. I think the DLH does this really well. Crossing my fingers that this will be a move in the right direction.
(Shout out to Joey Chou, the artist behind the new lobby, BLT rooms, AND the new DVC tower at Disneyland Hotel. He’s amazing!)
I may have misspoke about the Disneyland Hotel. Starting to doubt if they used his artwork there as well. Either way, his work at the Contemporary is outstanding.
We splurged a bit and stayed at the Contemporary for the first time in January and the A-frame definitely needs some work. Wholeheartedly agree the Grand Canyon Concourse needs a visual aesthetic redo and there were several places around the building that looked like they could use some TLC, so hopefully they receive some attention with this work.
Now, we stayed in the Garden Wing and personally, I liked the Incredibles decor. Admittedly, my formative years were the late 90’s to mid 00’s and I have no prior experience with the Contemporary, but it’s not a deal-breaker for me. If they do evict the Incredibles sometime in the near future, I won’t necessarily be upset by it, but I’m glad I got to experience the current theming at least once.
For whatever it’s worth (to anyone else reading this), the Incredibles implementation is actually better in the Garden Wing. There was a gap between the A-frame and Garden Wing room refurbishment, and they tweaked several things. The outcome is better overall and more tasteful.
We touched upon that briefly here: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/best-baby-kids-deluxe-resort-disney-world/ Nevertheless, it’s worth reiterating. I still don’t love the Incredibles rooms, but the execution is noticeably better in the Garden Wing.
You said it up front: EVICT THE INCREDIBLES! I know,
I would be delighted for WDW to simply fix what needs fixing, refresh what needs refreshing, purge the Incredibles, and return the Contemporary to the dignified, elegant, timeless rooms from before the Incredibles turned it into a cartoon show.
We used to stay at the Contemporary twice a year, and twice at a value resort. Since the Incredibles infestation we haven’t stayed there even once.
We’ll be back in a heartbeat if WDW does the right thing. I know, “…it’s still several years too early for replacing the Incredibles. Sadly.” Sadly indeed.