Credit: Frank Phillips, FlickrThe lobby overhaul at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is well underway. Here’s the latest update on the construction at this Deluxe Walt Disney World Resort hotel.
In April, Walt Disney World Resort shared concept art for the modernization of the lobby at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. It vowed that the updated lobby area would keep the elegant Victorian feel that the Deluxe Disney Resort is known for while introducing customized new carpeting and luxe furniture.
The historic cage-style elevator and grand piano will remain, but one part of the lobby isn’t surviving the renovation–at least not in its classic form. Walt Disney World Resort revealed that the large golden birdcage, once home to real avian residents, would be removed and replaced with a birdcage-inspired bar–the first lobby bar at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The cage-shaped lobby bar will feature polished brass and stained glass murals with bird motifs, harkening back to the original structure.
Earlier this year, construction walls surrounded the birdcage in the lobby at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Guests watched from the second floor as crews disassembled the iconic structure and laid a foundation for the new bar. In other lobby areas, crews installed updated wallpaper and blocked certain guest pathways for painting and installing new flooring.
As of August 6, crews have ramped up construction of the lobby bar. The actual structure hasn’t been built, but WDWNT reported seeing several workers and construction equipment in the area where the foundation was previously installed.
The renovations have begun affecting other parts of the lobby. The PhotoPass studio near M. Mouse Mercantile is blocked by a curtain, and guests have been blocked from accessing the Disney Resort hotel’s iconic grand staircase on both the second and first floors.
Crews are also working on the roof of the Convention Center at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Although little is known about plans for this space, Disney has said that it will be updated alongside the lobby throughout the 2025 overhaul.
Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t issued an opening date for the finished lobby or the birdcage bar at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. However, work is expected to continue through November 2025, and the Disney Resort’s annual life-sized gingerbread house display has been canceled for this year.
What do you think of the concept art for the new lobby at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa? Inside the Magic would love to hear from you in the comments!