It’s not too difficult to find construction at the Walt Disney World Resort. From new construction to refurbishments to regular maintenance, all are pretty common occurrences in The Most Magical Place on Earth. We’ve heard a lot of news about Disney World Resort refurbishments and construction recently. We can’t help but wonder which resort could be next? It seems that Disney is focused on touching up all sorts of areas around Disney World in the months leading up to Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary in October. It is always important to know about resort refurbishments and construction when planning your Disney vacation.
Polynesian Village Resort & Villas
Much topic of discussion has focused on the refurbishments underway at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. We did an entire post dedicated entirely to the Moana inspired room re-theme and you can read that here. As we mentioned, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is also getting a major refurbishment to the Great Ceremonial House lobby building, monorail station, pool area, and more.The Great Ceremonial House is getting several improvements including a dramatic overhaul to the porte cochere in the front that will turn it into a high-pitch, open-truss roof covered in a thatched style with pops of color. Nearby, the monorail station will receive new wooden screens with tropical colors. This work is to update and touch-up one of the TWO opening day Disney World Resorts (can you guess which resort is the other?).
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
This announcement was released with the reveal of the Moana themed rooms at the Polynesian. It hints at other rumored resort remodelings, like the upcoming project at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The Polynesian’s neighbor and the other opening day resort, the Contemporary is getting it’s own round of refurbishments. The Main Tower Guest Rooms will be under refurbishment from April through September. Most resort areas and amenities will still be available for guests to enjoy. Disney released the announcement for this refurbishment on the Disney World website, but we still don’t know too many details. Could the Contemporary rooms get a similar treatment to the ones over at the Polynesian?
This remodeling comes following rumblings of thematic touches from Pixar’s The Incredibles being added. Some time ago it was rumored that The Wave of American Flavors would be converted into “The Incredibles Steakhouse”. Even we thought it was a stretch (see what we did there) until The Incredibles-themed test rooms showed up in August 2019. We also saw the new Pixar Play Zone open. The above quote does not confirm that The Incredibles are coming to the Contemporary Resort, but paired with the rumors and test rooms it certainly seems to hint that it might be. As the above also indicates, this is just the beginning. We dedicated an entire post to Disney’s dependency on Intellectual Properties and we might be on to something. Disney will seemingly roll through every one of their properties and infuse Intellectual Properties into them as part of this new initiative. We’ll be watching for news about Disney’s Contemporary as we head into next month and the refurbishment begins.
Grand Floridian
Just days before Walt Disney World’s closure began last March, Citricos began closing for a top to bottom restaurant refurbishment. Disney never released specific details, but the project was rumored to be a significant overhaul, similar to that of the Enchanted Rose Bar from the previous year. Citricos has remained closed and walled-off since Grand Floridian reopened last fall, and it’s unclear what, if any, work has occurred. Beyond Citricos, don’t be surprised if Grand Floridian is next up for a reimagining once the Contemporary and Poly are finished. There were rumors of a refurbishment last year before the closure, but those have since quieted. However, it would make sense to take those rooms down next if occupancy remains low and other Magic Kingdom resorts can absorb the displaced guests.
Saratoga Springs Resort
Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is receiving a top to bottom refurbishment for the first time since it opened 15 years ago. Both the exterior and interior of the resort will be updated. The reimagined room concept will feature a new style sofa bed similar to what’s being used at Disney’s Riviera Resort. This project is now underway and will last through at least Summer 2021. Preferred rooms in Congress Park, Springs, and Paddock sections are now finished and work has now moved on to the Carousel.
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
This is a big project, with a top to bottom room redesign for the hotel side of Wilderness Lodge. Work has now been completed on the top three floors, including Club Level rooms and Old Faithful Club Lounge. Work is now underway on the lower two levels. Everything should be completed well ahead of schedule. In 2022, Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge will receive a full refurbishment, including redesigned rooms. There is no concept art for those rooms yet, but our expectation is they’ll meld the style of Copper Creek with the functionality of the new rooms at Saratoga Springs.
Fort Wilderness Campground
Work has been completed on the new Tri-Circle-D Ranch, and that location is now open to resort guests and those with reservations. Other work on a new playground and other enhancements in the Settlement is also finished and those walls have come down. There are still walls up around the beach at Fort Wilderness and leading towards the former River Country water park site. This was for the next DVC project, but now it’s rumored that Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge has been cancelled. This is based on zero construction crews on site in months, the removal of concrete & rebar, and Disney quietly removing references to the project online. Accordingly, there is no visible construction impact at Fort Wilderness, aside from the beach walls.
Beach Club Resort
While no official announcement was made by Disney Vacation Club, the Beach Club Villas have had some work done on the exterior. Equipment and construction workers have been on scene. The work is minimal and appears to be cosmetic. Additionally, work has now started on the exterior of the hotel half of Disney’s Beach Club Resort. Construction walls occupy part of the resort’s courtyard entrance, which has been temporarily relocated to the side over by Cape May Cafe. The Beach Club Resort is set to reopen on May 30, 2021. We are not sure if the work will be complete by then or if it will extend into Summer 2021.
Yacht Club Resort
Select lobbies have received new furniture as well. Refurbishment and redesign have been spotted over on Crescent Lake at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. A lobby renovation began with repainting the ceilings and has now moved on to upgrading the furniture as well. Previously, the furniture in the Yacht Club lobby was fitting to the theme but a little outdated. The new furniture and area rugs looks fresh and modern. They added sleek new couches and pairs of adorable orange and striped chairs that really brighten up the place!
Port Orleans Riverside
The fan favorite moderate resort is undergoing a soft goods refurbishment. Soft goods refurbishments usually occur in between complete room overhalls, also known as hard goods refurbs. They freshen up and extend the life of the room design. The project includes the addition of Princess and the Frog thematic elements and other functional design changes. It is nearly complete at Port Orleans Riverside, but the Royal Rooms are still left to be renovated. It’s unclear as to when the project will be complete. It’s likely some light re-theming and signage changes could occur prior to Riverside reopening. There is a strong possibility that neither Port Orleans hotel will reopen until 2022.
Art of Animation Resort
We’ve spotted touch-ups on other resort hotels around Disney property as well. Most notably, we recently spotted that the character art was removed, refurbished, and replaced at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. The Big Blue Pool is currently under refurbishment! The pool remains drained, and honestly, it’s a little sad to see it without water. This refurb is supposed to last through early April, so hopefully we’ll get to swim with Nemo and friends again soon! In the meantime, the Flippin’ Fins Pool, and the Cozy Cone Pool are open to all guests at the resort. Room refurbishments are also now done on all sections of the resort.
Pop Century Resort
Some work is still being done over at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. The Hippy Dippy Pool in the 70s section of the resort is under refurbishment, and it’s fully drained just like at Art of Animation. The pool is supposed to reopen in early March and is currently getting some regular maintenance done. The other pools at Pop Century are still open to all guests of that resort! The overall room renovation project is totally finished so all guests will be staying in a new room. These updated rooms have murphy beds, laminate flooring, a refrigerator and a coffee maker! Additionally, the Disney Skyliner station at Pop Century, which is shared with Art of Animation, is now completed. This gondola offers efficient transportation to both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
All Star Resorts
All three of the All Star Resorts are receiving room redesigns similar to that in Pop Century. All Star Movies is set to reopen in 2021 and work is complete. All Star Music’s refurb is ongoing and should reopen in the Summer. Construction at All Star Sports has yet to begin. It is now uncertain whether All Star Sports will receive the new room designs after that, or if Disney will hold off to avoid the cost. If work goes forward at All Star Sports, it’s unlikely to be finished before 2022.
It looks like construction will be a major theme at Walt Disney World in the months leading up to the 50th Anniversary on October 1, 2021. We’re excited to see the finished products, and we’ll be sure to let you know if we spot any more refurbishments or if any more are announced! Stay tuned and follow along on Facebook and/or Instagram. You can also check out each resort on the Disney World website. What do you think of all the changes happening? Are there any you are very excited for or not happy about? Comment below or email us on the “Contact Us” page.