Hotel refurbishments, resort building, and character-inspired makeovers proceed at Walt Disney World in 2023. This useful resource offers data on room renovations, what to keep away from, the place to e-book, and what to anticipate by way of resort work at Walt Disney World. (Updated December 20, 2022.)
Walt Disney World continues to undertake refurbishments as staffing shortages preclude full occupancy of the resorts. Consequently, there are a selection of smaller-scale initiatives that take sure buildings or a portion of rooms out of fee as a part of more-targeted, rolling refurbishments.
We do Walt Disney World month-to-month resort stays, often emphasizing resorts the place there are new issues, modifications, or ongoing building to see how that harms, improves, or in any other case impacts the visitor expertise. If you’ve but to e-book a resort in your upcoming Walt Disney World trip and wish to be notified about the entire newest resort modifications, join right here for our FREE Disney publication right here.
When reserving a Walt Disney World trip, we extremely advocate bearing in mind recently-completed and ongoing building initiatives on the numerous resorts, as these completely can influence the standard of your journey. Booking a resort with a closed pool or building noise and cranes proper exterior your window is clearly going to be a worse expertise than a resort that simply completed its huge refurbishment and nonetheless has that recent feeling and ‘new hotel’ scent.
Note that this doesn’t embody DVC villas if they don’t influence the resort facet of a resort. For these initiatives, see our 2023-2024 Disney Vacation Club Resort Refurbishments & Construction Timeline. That covers the entire room reimaginings at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and past that we simply introduced on the apartment affiliation assembly. Those initiatives additionally influence Boulder Ridge, Bay Lake Tower, and each Crescent Lake DVC resorts.
Suffice to say, a lot is going on on the resort entrance at Walt Disney World. Let’s check out the entire present and upcoming main resort initiatives which have the potential to influence friends…
Ongoing or Upcoming Hotel Refurbishments
All Star Movies – While the room renovations at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort are actually completed, extra updates are anticipated within the subsequent couple of years.
Looking manner down the street to early 2024, the Fantasia Pool at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort will likely be closed for routine upkeep from January by way of April 2024. Guests may even see or hear building work throughout daytime hours. During this time, resort friends are welcome to swim within the Duck Pond Pool at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort.
All Star Sports – Walt Disney World delayed the reopening of All Star Sports Resort to “refresh the Sports theme area.” Many of the facades and props acquired thorough cleanings and a recent coat of paint, and are trying nice.
The room refurbishment is now continuing at All Star Sports. Work is now completed within the Touchdown (soccer) and Homerun Hotel (baseball) sections of the resort–above is a photograph of our reimagined room taken in December 2022. This undertaking needs to be accomplished by early 2023.
BoardWalk Inn – Over the subsequent few years, Disney’s BoardWalk Inn will likely be reimagined. No timeline has been given for when the work will finish, however our expectation is late 2023. Currently, the foyer present store is being changed by Carousel Coffee Shop, which ought to open by early 2023.
Walt Disney World can be including and altering components of the beloved turn-of-the-century promenade and contained in the Deluxe Resort, together with a brand new foyer design, close by espresso bar, delectable eating choices, refreshed visitor rooms, and extra. The largest change is {that a} new restaurant will substitute ESPN Club, and can open in 2023.
Caribbean Beach – The Pirate Rooms at Caribbean Beach Resort have been retired and are at present being changed by ‘Under the Sea’ Inspired Little Mermaid Rooms. That undertaking will doubtless final by way of mid-2023, with the chance that the common rooms obtain comparable therapy after that.
Additionally, from January 2024 by way of April 2024, the Fuentes del Morro Pool at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort will likely be closed for routine upkeep. Guests may even see or hear building work throughout daytime hours. During this time, resort friends are welcome to swim in any of the 5 leisure swimming pools at Caribbean Beach Resort.
Contemporary Resort – Work on room overhauls in each the A-frame tower and Garden Wing of Disney’s Contemporary Resort is now completed. Additionally, the redesigned foyer and Steakhouse 71 restaurant have opened. See Photos & Review: Contemporary’s Hit & Miss Makeover for a go searching.
Additionally, the Feature Pool and whirlpool spa will once more be closed for refurbishment from January 9, 2023 by way of early April 2023. The water play space and Bay Lake Pool will stay open throughout that undertaking.
Fort Wilderness Campground – Through April 3, 2023, Meadow Swimmin’ Pool and whirlpool spa will likely be closed for refurbishment. The water play space and Meadow Snack Bar together with the Wilderness Swimmin’ pool will stay open.
The seashore refurbishment at Fort Wilderness is completed. This started at first of summer time, and occurred in sections. There are nonetheless lingering vestiges of the cancelled Reflections — A Disney Lakeside Lodge undertaking. However, there isn’t any audible/seen building influence at Fort Wilderness.
Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – Disney Vacation Club overhauled the Big Pine Key constructing of resort rooms at Walt Disney World’s flagship resort. This constructing has since reopened and the brand new rooms have debuted–see Grand New Rooms at Walt Disney World’s Flagship Resort for a glance inside.
Additionally, Narcoossee’s–the waterfront restaurant at Grand Floridian–is now closed. Narcoossee’s is predicted to reopen in 2023 as an enhanced eating expertise. In the meantime, Citricos is now open seven days per week.
In 2023, Grand Floridian will even obtain a considerable overhaul with “Enchanted Gardens” because the unifying visible fashion. The scope and scale usually are not but recognized, however the almost certainly situation is the resort rooms receiving a reimagining that’s much like the DVC facet. See our Grand Floridian Resort Reimagining Report for extra particulars.
Polynesian Village Resort – Walt Disney World is constructing a new DVC tower at Polynesian Village Resort between the present Polynesian longhouses and Wedding Pavilion, close to the Grand Floridian. In gentle of this, Walt Disney World’s official website has this message: “As we prepare for the proposed expansion at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, you will see and hear construction at certain times of day. To minimize disruptions during your stay, activities that may create noise will not start earlier than 9 a.m.”
Additionally, a pool closure will happen in Winter 2023–the Lava Pool water slide at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort will likely be closed for refurbishment starting January 3, 2023. The water slide is at present scheduled to reopen in early February 2023.
According to Disney: “To ensure our facilities are maintained to the highest quality standards, we conduct routine maintenance from time to time…While Guests may see or hear refurbishment work in the area, the Lava Pool will remain available to Guests throughout the refurbishment; only the water slide will be closed. The Oasis Pool will also be available for use.”
If you’re staying at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort anytime within the subsequent 2 years, we’d advocate requesting a room that’s not within the Aotearoa, Fiji, or Tuvalu longhouses. Those buildings are adjoining to the development website, and the one ones that needs to be impacted in any materials manner. The DVC tower building will likely be seen from different areas within the resort as soon as it goes vertical, however the influence ought to in any other case be minor.
Actually, we advocate avoiding the Polynesian utterly for the subsequent couple of years. As defined in Worst Hotels at Walt Disney World for 2023, the development influence will likely be ongoing and it’s doubtless that smaller initiatives will likely be undertaken along with what’s already been introduced to arrange the resort infrastructure for the tower and its added DVC friends.
Prior to this tower, work wrapped up on the Great Ceremonial House, porte-cochère, new monorail station, and gardens. Room refurbishments had been additionally a part of the Poly’s overhaul and people are actually completed. See our Review, Photos & Video: New Moana Rooms at Polynesian Village Resort for a tour and ideas on the modifications from our most up-to-date resort keep.
Port Orleans French Quarter – From January 2024 by way of April 2024, the Doubloon Lagoon pool at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter will likely be closed for routine upkeep.
Guests may even see or hear building work throughout day time hours. During this time, resort patrons are welcome to swim within the Ol’ Man Island pool at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside. (That’s a couple of 10-15 minute stroll from Port Orleans French Quarter.)
Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa – From early January 2023 by way of late-March 2023, High Rock Spring Pool and On the Rocks Pool Bar will likely be closed whereas the pool undergoes refurbishment. The Grandstand Pool, The Paddock Pool, and Congress Park Pool will stay open.
Otherwise, the multi-year enhancement undertaking is now completed, and Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa is trying nice! Every single room new and has numerous useful and aesthetic enhancements. We’ve stayed in these overhauled lodging at SSR, and share the expertise in our Photos & Video: New Rooms at Saratoga Springs Resort publish.
Along with the brand new rooms, numerous upgrades have been made round Saratoga Springs Resort within the final couple of years. The foyer was renovated and modernized, with seating added on this space and elsewhere in the principle constructing. In addition to that, the Paddock pool and its slide had been refurbishment.
Major Completed Refurbishments
All Star Movies & Music – Following their reopening, the room overhauls are completed at each All Star Music and Movies.
We’ve stayed in these new rooms, which you’ll be able to examine in Photos & Video: Newly Reimagined Rooms on the All Star Resorts. This is a big improve from the earlier design, which was extra minor leagues than all-star caliber. Suffice to say, we’re followers.
Wilderness Lodge – This huge prime to backside room redesign for the resort facet of Wilderness Lodge is now completed. In addition to straightforward visitor rooms being redesigned, the identical has occurred with Club Level rooms and Old Faithful Club Lounge. Work on the grounds round Wilderness Lodge additionally has concluded, with Fire Rock Geyser being refurbished and a few bigger bushes eliminated.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Learn about lodges on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To get monetary savings on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips publish takes a singular take a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the very best place to start out is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for all the things you want to know!
Your Thoughts
Have any latest observations or experiences with resort building at Walt Disney World you’d be keen to share? Where at Walt Disney World are you staying in 2023 or 2024? Any resorts you’re deliberately avoiding? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments of those resort refurbishment or reimagining initiatives? Any questions we might help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!