Walt Disney World recently extended the multi-year reimagining of its flagship hotel to 2027, and today announced that the resort overhaul will encompass a lengthy closure and refurbishment to the fan-favorite Grand Floridian Cafe. Here are dates, details & alternatives during the updates.
The Grand Floridian Resort reimagining has been quite the lengthy project, officially entering its fourth CEO tenure with Josh D’Amaro taking the helm. It actually started shortly before the closure of Walt Disney World with the Beauty and the Beast lounge, and continued shortly after reopening with more restaurant reimaginings. Then Disney determined it “needed” feed the DVC beast via more points to sell, leading to the conversion of the Big Pine Key building in 2022.
Following that, all of the outlying buildings in the hotel were redone in a similar style through 2023. Then there was an approximately two-year pause for reasons unknown, before Walt Disney World resumed work in earnest on the main building overhaul last spring. That culminated last Christmas, with the grand opening of the Birdcage Bar and more. Earlier this week, the reimagined Garden View Lounge finally reopened after a closure of over 6 years! And yet, one final piece of the puzzle remained.
The good news is that the Grand Floridian is no longer a construction zone. At least, not for now. There are a number of ways the Grand Floridian now looks and feels fresh, and is once again worthy of being considered the crown jewel of WDW resorts. See our Review: Walt Disney World’s Flagship Hotel Finally Fits Its Status & Sky-High Prices.
Ahead of construction crews starting work on the porte cochere, Walt Disney World updated the construction warning for Grand Floridian and extended the timeline as of last month:
Renovations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 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.
Fast forward to mid-March, and Walt Disney World has expanded its explanation of the extended timeline as of the debut of the Garden View Lounge. Here’s the new warning bulletin:
Renovations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will continue in select areas, including the covered entrance, through early 2027.
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 Cítricos. 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.
Let’s discuss what work does remain outstanding at the Grand Floridian, and potential impacts from now through 2027…
Grand Floridian Cafe
It’s great to see Walt Disney World finally announce a refresh to the Grand Floridian Cafe. This isn’t surprising in the least; as we’ve been saying for a while, one remaining piece of the puzzle after the Garden View Lounge reopened is Grand Floridian Cafe.
I know Grand Floridian Cafe has a legion of loyal fans, some of whom are going to hate to hear this, but it’s time. It’s beyond time. The restaurant really sticks out in the redone hotel, looking like a vestige from a different era.
Grand Floridian Cafe feels dated. And not in the way a Victorian design is inherently dated-looking. It’s as if some decorations look like they were pulled from the style pages of a 1993 issue of Country Living Magazine. It does not really remind me of the casual table service restaurant at Walt Disney World’s flagship resort; it reminds me of a fancier, less cluttered Cracker Barrel. The restaurant has felt overdue for a refresh for the last decade-plus.
There’s a lot going on in terms of floral patterns, textures, wallpaper, and furnishings that is less reminiscent of a Victorian meets modern Floridian design and more like a quaint but affluent farmhouse done up in a Victorian style.
Admittedly, there’s also a certain charm to Grand Floridian Cafe. It is imbued with a certain ‘Florida’ quality to the space that’s tough for me to articulate. Maybe the country style, natural light, and Victorian flourishes give it the quality of a family-run bed & breakfast?
Whatever the case, I have gradually warmed to Grand Floridian Cafe over the years. I now find it cozy and comforting, especially on the rare quiet mornings or late nights. It’s like coming home again, so it’s easy to see why so many longtime WDW fans love it. At the same time, my assessment of this space when I first reviewed it nearly 15 years ago was that it was badly dated. It has not aged like fine wine since. I’m very ready for a change, even if I now have a soft spot for the (again, badly dated) space.
There was a time that, even while acknowledging its datedness, I wouldn’t have wanted Imagineering to touch Grand Floridian Cafe. Back when their restaurant output consisted primarily of styles best described as “rustic hipsters repurpose an old warehouse with eclectic decor on clearance at Anthropologie” (see most of Disney Springs). Or when Millennial Gray started proliferating (a short-lived phase, thankfully).
Imagineering has done a much better job since of threading the needle, and the lobby of the Grand Floridian is a great example of this. It’ll help considerably that the bones of Grand Floridian Cafe are good. The restaurant feels bright and airy with great views outside into the garden.
It’s also nicely divided with a number of rooms and variety of tables to break up the space and give it a greater feeling of intimacy. Grand Floridian does not need nearly the amount of work that went into 1900 Park Fare in order to revitalize the space; this should truly be a refresh as opposed to a wholesale reimagining.
Expect new carpet, curtains, tables and chairs, decorations and detail-work. My best guess is that we’re looking at an overhaul on par with Garden View Lounge when it comes to the new-look Grand Floridian Cafe.
The only wildcard is whether Disney tries to weave in some IP. If so, I’d still expect that to be on the subtle side. I wouldn’t complain if Grand Floridian Cafe got a light Aristocats integration. A bunch of feline fixtures and stained glass sounds groovy to me.
Honestly, I also wouldn’t mind a menu update–so long as my beloved Buttermilk-Fried Chicken stays. At the very least, bring back the Lobster Thermidor Burger.
Citricos Brunch
As noted in the construction bulletin, brunch will continue to be served at Grand Floridian, but will be relocated upstairs to Citricos. Brunch is continuing but dinner is not because there are no other table service options for dinner at the Grand Floridian, whereas there are numerous dinners.
All of the Signature Restaurants are open only for dinner and, presumably, are viewed as satisfactory alternatives. Not only that, but with those spaces all in use for dinner, there’s no open venue for relocating Grand Floridian Cafe’s menu in the evening hours.
It was a very similar story a few years ago when the Wave was reimagined into Steakhouse 71. During that time, Walt Disney World relocated that breakfast and brunch menu upstairs to California Grill. We did that breakfast a few times, taking advantage of the opportunity for a $30 to $45 meal (for two) in one of our favorite settings in all of Walt Disney World. By far the cheapest meals we’ve ever had at California Grill!
The shift from Grand Floridian Cafe to Citricos is not nearly as extreme. You’re basically just moving up one floor, into a nicer dining room but with similar views. The Mary Poppins-inspired dining room is also newer, feels fresher, and is tastefully done–but I’d expect something on par with this once Grand Floridian Cafe reopens.
I’ll still absolutely be doing the brunch at Citricos for the novelty factor alone, but I have no delusions about this being a Signature-caliber brunch at mid-tier table service prices or anything.
It’ll almost certainly be the same food, served slightly higher up. Brunch at Grand Floridian Cafe is good, so I recommend it on that basis, but it’s not a ‘drop everything and book this ADR’ must-do as was the case with the Wave to California Grill.
When Will Grand Floridian Cafe Reopen?
The big question is when will Grand Floridian Cafe reopen? When previously discussing this potential project, we predicted its closure would be sometime between mid-April and mid-October.
In actuality, the Grand Floridian Cafe refurbishment is starting slightly later than we would’ve expected, but mid-October still strikes me as a logical completion. Columbus Day weekend is the kickoff of Fall Break, and typically the start of a 3-month stretch that’s incredible lucrative for resorts and restaurants at Walt Disney World.
Having Grand Floridian Cafe reopen by October 9, 2026 will be the target if at all possible. However, with the tendency of projects to be delayed and seemingly tight timeline, I wouldn’t bank on the restaurant reopening until the weekend before Veterans Day (roughly November 6, 2026), though. That’s when Birdcage Bar soft opened last year, for reference.
With the refresh of Grand Floridian Cafe officially announced, let’s quickly discuss the other ongoing projects and question marks at Walt Disney World’s flagship resort. Most of this is ground we’ve previously covered, so if you’ve been following the Grand Floridian overhaul, there’s no new-news in the following…
Porte Cochere
Amusingly, the newest bulletin has switched from calling out the porte cochere project to the “covered entrance” project. At the risk of stating the obvious, they are the same thing. It would seem that the term porte cochere was confusing guests, though.
Regardless, it’s safe to say this is one of the larger, if not the largest, project that’ll occur during the added ~6 months of the overhaul. Walls recently when up around the current porte cochere/covered entrance, but the full scope of this work has yet to be revealed. If this is a full rebuild, it’ll easily last into early 2027. If not, it could be done as early as summer.
We just saw the partial rebuilding of the porte cochere at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. The most disruptive part of that porte cochere project was the timing. It was largely done during the summer through early fall, and pushing arrivals farther away from the front entrance into an uncovered area during the hottest and rainiest time was not ideal.
If Grand Floridian’s porte cochere will need to close during a later phase of construction, my sincere hope is that this is timed to happen sometime between October and February 2027. Even though those are busier months than summer, they’re cooler and less rainy.
Gingerbread House
Back when the lobby reimagining and the Birdcage Bar were announced around this time last year, Walt Disney World also revealed that there would be No Gingerbread House at Grand Floridian for Christmas. Disney usually starts building this life-sized edible creation in mid-October, so it made sense that it wouldn’t appear last year.
Based on some of what Walt Disney World shared about the changes/construction at the time, it’s been our strong suspicion that the Gingerbread House would never return to the lobby. It’s not a huge hit with guests who stay at the flagship and the lobby is already busy thanks to the Birdcage Bar. Bringing back the Gingerbread House would make it feel incredibly cramped, crowded, and chaotic.
Our hope is that the Gingerbread House returns to the Grand Floridian Convention Center at Christmas 2026, but it wouldn’t surprise us if that does happen. What’ll be interesting to see is whether this construction extension is used as an excuse for not bringing it back. That wouldn’t really make sense at this point given that none of the work is in the lobby. We’re also fine with some of the more far-flung resorts getting love.
Ultimately, we’re cautiously optimistic about the remainder of the Grand Floridian reimagining, as a whole. Walt Disney World’s flagship hotel has been modernized nicely, with a good balance of elegance, sophistication, charm, and whimsy. It finally feels worthy of its status–and price tag.
The project’s extension through early 2027 is a bit disappointing from the perspective of further dragging out a project that has already been going on for a long, long time. But we also expect this to mostly revolve around the porte cochere, with the lobby not being impacted, unless you count Grand Floridian Cafe closing from mid-July through October 2026, and being closed off during that time.
The bottom line is that, unless there’s an unexpected announcement from out of left field, we do not expect the ongoing overhaul at the Grand Floridian to impact the guest experience (except when arriving by car and first unloading luggage) at any point between now and 2027. We would not hesitate to stay at Walt Disney World’s flagship resort; to the contrary, we once again highly recommend it!
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
Thoughts on the refresh of Grand Floridian Cafe? Are you disappointed that the familiar, fan-favorite is getting redone after so many decades? Or do you agree with us that it’s (beyond) time for an update? Have you stayed at the Grand Floridian since the lobby overhaul? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Other thoughts or concerns? 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!