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 Boat Launch – From January 12, 2026 through early April 2026, the boat dock at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge will undergo routine maintenance. The dock will be closed and boat transportation temporarily suspended from January 12–30, 2026.
Just to clarify, this is a 3-month project, but the closure will only last through January 30, 2026. After that, the refurbishment will continue while the dock is in use. Boat service will be offered from Wilderness Lodge in February and March 2026.
Currently, boats travel in a loop from Magic Kingdom to Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness Campground. In the afternoon, boat transportation also adds Disney’s Contemporary Resort to the loop.
Our expectation is that Walt Disney World will increase bus service to Magic Kingdom during the January 2026 portion of the project. Buses already travel in a loop around Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness, and Magic Kingdom. Perhaps a dedicated bus for Magic Kingdom, and then a loop for Fort Wilderness and Contemporary in the afternoon.
Disney Skyliner – From January 25, 2026, through January 31, 2026, all routes of the Disney Skyliner gondolas will be closed for refurbishment. Complimentary bus service will be available.
From January 24, 2027, through January 30, 2027, Disney Skyliner will be closed for refurbishment. Complimentary bus service will be available.
Impacted Resorts (Both 2026 & 2027):
- 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 2026 for more info and detailed advice.
All Star Sports Resort – From January 2026 until 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 (and perhaps overcrowded in March and April) 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 from 2025 to 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.
The Samawati Springs Pool Slide at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – Kidani Village is currently closed for routine maintenance. Guests are welcome to enjoy the waterslide at Uzima Springs Pool during the temporary closure. No reopening date has been announced, but this project is believed to be brief.
Beach Club Resort – This hotel exterior will be undergoing routine maintenance from early June through 2027. This previously involved rebuilding the porte cochere, but we can confirm this portion of the project has been completed.
While efforts will be made to minimize disruptions, construction may be noticeable during daytime hours. All services—including valet, luggage assistance, and transportation—will remain available, and most Resort amenities will continue to be offered.
On a positive note, Stormalong Bay and Shipwreck Pool at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts have reopened following multi-month maintenance. There were no material guest changes to the feature pool, lazy river, or water slide–this was all routine work. Stormalong Bay is looking great!
BoardWalk Inn (NEW!) – Beginning late November 2025 and continuing 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.
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 (EXTENDED!) – From now through late 2027 (previously July 2026), refurbishments will occur in select areas of Disney’s Contemporary Resort—including Bay Lake Tower and the Convention Center. Please allow for extra travel time. Guests may also see and hear construction during their stay.
From January 26, 2026 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.
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.
Additionally, a “collection of improvement projects” are underway at Fort Wilderness aimed at enhancing the guest experience, including proposed pool and walking trail upgrades. Construction is now taking place near the Meadow Swimmin’ Pool area to expand this area, during which time these pools will remain open. However, the nearby tennis courts, volleyball court and the Meadow Playground will 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 through mid-2026. Guests may see or hear work during daytime hours. Efforts will be made to minimize disruptions, and most pools, dining, and other amenities will remain available for Guests to enjoy.
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. Speaking of icons, due to this construction, the Grand Floridian Gingerbread House will not be presented during Christmas 2025. Our expectation is that it never returns. At least, not to the main lobby.
The Garden View Lounge will reopen after the reimagining is finished, albeit potentially as a new concept. Moreover, we expect the Grand Floridian Cafe to receive a reimagining at some point in 2026, but that has yet to be announced.
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. This was the big construction project at the Poly for the last two years, and it being finished greatly reduces the noise and blight around the resort.
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. All Resort dining, pools and amenities will remain available. Additionally, some views of the theme parks and other surrounding areas may be impacted.
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. Don’t worry about it.
Pop Century – From now through mid-February 2026, guest rooms at Disney’s Pop Century Resort will undergo refurbishment. While all resort amenities will remain available, you may notice construction during daytime hours. The good news here is that all of the common areas–the lobby, Petals Pool Bar, and Everything Pop–are all finished.
The even bigger project is the guest room refurbishment. This is a soft goods project, which means updating furnishings, including but not limited to wall coverings, flooring, linens, decor, and some furniture. Multiple buildings are now completed and the redone rooms look great! See First Look Photo Tour of New Rooms at Disney’s Pop Century Resort!
For an update on construction progress as of November 2025, see Progress on Pop Century Resort’s Year-Long Overhaul, Finishing in 2026.
Port Orleans Riverside – Walt Disney World has started its next slate of room reimaginings at Port Orleans Riverside, from now through late February 2026. This will impact the Magnolia Bend rooms, which are mostly the Royal Rooms. It’s unclear whether this experiment in themed rooms is being refreshed in a similar style, or going away in favor of standard rooms.
Regardless of this room redo, our bet is that there’s much more to come. In all likelihood, those crews will move over to Port Orleans Riverside and the refurbishment will last longer than presently scheduled. By the time Magnolia Bend is done in Winter 2026, it’ll be time for Alligator Bayou to receive its next round of room redos.
As we previously speculated, this project has now been expanded: Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort Room Reimagining Extended by Year-Plus to 2027. Although not officially confirmed, it’s a near-certainty that the normal rooms in Alligator Bayou will also receive a hard goods refurbishment.
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.
Yacht Club – Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is undergoing routine exterior maintenance through late 2026. This work may impact views from various locations throughout the resort, and at times, alternate paths of travel may be in place.
While efforts will be made to minimize disruptions, construction may be noticeable during daytime hours. All services—including valet, luggage assistance, and transportation—will remain available. All pools, resort dining and most other amenities will remain available.
As discussed at length in Yacht & Beach Club Refurbishments Extended to 2027, there’s also the unknown of the room refurbishment project at Yacht Club that was previously scheduled earlier this year for “some” guest rooms. It’s unclear whether that project was completely finished or remains ongoing, and is lumped in with the above work.
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 2026? 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!