Credit: Inside the MagicChoosing a Disney World resort hotel is one of the most consequential decisions in the entire trip planning process. It determines your commute to the parks, your dining options, your pool situation, and the overall texture of the vacation experience when you are not inside a theme park. Disney’s on-site hotels are not just places to sleep.
They are part of the trip itself, and for a lot of guests, the right resort can elevate an entire vacation while the wrong one can quietly undermine it in ways that only become obvious after check-in.
Disney regularly updates and refreshes its resort properties, which is ultimately good news for guests who want modern, well-maintained rooms. But in 2026, the scope of that work is larger than usual. Multiple resorts across multiple categories are simultaneously in various stages of refurbishment, and the practical implications for guests booking trips this year are real.
Construction noise, closed amenities, and the possibility of landing in an unrenovated room while the updated ones are still being finished are all part of the picture at several popular properties right now.
If you are planning a Walt Disney World trip in 2026 and have not checked the refurbishment status of your resort, this is the moment to do that.
Animal Kingdom Lodge: Stunning Resort, Active Construction
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of the most genuinely immersive resort experiences on Walt Disney World property. The savanna views are real wildlife, not a simulation. Giraffes and zebras roam outside balconies. The theming is deep and specific in a way that makes the resort feel like a destination in its own right rather than a place to sleep between park days.
The dining options, including signature restaurants and some of the most distinctive food on Disney property, are consistently ranked among the best the resort has to offer.
All of that remains true. And the resort is also currently under construction.
Refurbishment work began at Kidani Village in October 2025 and is scheduled to run through May 2026. Once Kidani Village is complete, construction shifts to Jambo House, the main lodge building, with that phase running from May 2026 through January 2027.
Disney has indicated that guests may see or hear construction activity during daytime hours throughout both phases. Most amenities are expected to remain available, but construction noise, visible work areas, and closed walkways are realistic possibilities during an active refurbishment.
For a resort that many guests specifically book for its serene, retreat-from-the-parks atmosphere, that is a meaningful consideration. The savanna views and the wildlife do not change. The construction work is the variable.
Guests who are visiting primarily for the dining and the animal encounters and are comfortable with the possibility of daytime noise may still have an excellent stay. Guests who are counting on that quiet, immersive escape feeling should go in with adjusted expectations or consider timing the visit carefully around the construction phases.
Port Orleans Riverside: A Long Renovation Timeline
Port Orleans Riverside has a reputation as one of the most reliable values in the Moderate resort category. The Southern bayou setting is peaceful and well-executed, the property is scenic, and it consistently draws guests who want a step up from Value pricing without committing to a Deluxe budget.
The resort is currently in the middle of a multi-year guest room refurbishment that began in May 2025 and is not expected to finish until August 2027. That is an extensive timeline that reflects how large and staged the project is. Disney is working through the property building by building, which means room quality at Riverside right now is genuinely variable.
Some guests are landing in fully refreshed rooms with modern finishes and updated design. Others are in rooms that have not yet been touched. Until the project wraps in 2027, which room you get is largely a matter of timing and luck.
The updated rooms that guests have already experienced are drawing positive feedback for maintaining the resort’s bayou character while bringing the space into a cleaner, more contemporary condition. If you are booking Riverside in 2026, requesting a recently renovated building is worth the conversation with Disney, though availability cannot be guaranteed.
Pop Century: Nearly Finished
Pop Century is at the other end of the refurbishment timeline. The Value resort has been working through a multi-phase update that included the lobby, the Everything Pop Shopping and Dining area, and now the guest rooms themselves. Room refurbishments are expected to wrap up by February 2026, which effectively positions Pop Century as one of the most comprehensively refreshed resorts on property once the work is complete.
For budget-minded families for whom Pop Century is often a first on-site Disney experience, the update matters. Cleaner layouts, refreshed finishes, and modernized rooms change the baseline feel of a Value resort stay in ways that compound over the course of a week-long trip.
Amenities are expected to remain available during the final construction push, with daytime noise the primary tradeoff for guests staying during the remaining work period.
Old Key West: Pool and Amenity Closures Through Late April
Disney’s Old Key West Resort is dealing with a different kind of disruption. As of March 5, 2026, the South Point Pool and Spa, the BBQ area, and the playground at the resort are closed for refurbishment through late April 2026. Guests with questions or concerns about construction activity are directed to the Front Desk.
Disney is encouraging guests to use the Sandcastle Pool or the resort’s two other leisure pools, the Turtle Pond Pool and Miller’s Road Pool, during the closure. The timing follows earlier refurbishment work at the Turtle Pond Pool, Spa, BBQ area, and playground, which also closed for several weeks earlier in the year. Old Key West is also undergoing a broader room refurbishment in stages across the Deluxe Villa property.
Olivia’s Cafe recently received a decor overhaul, though the update came with a controversial element: Disney removed the family vacation photos that Disney Vacation Club members had contributed to the restaurant over the years, a decision that generated significant pushback from DVC members who consider Old Key West a home resort.
How to Book Smart Around 2026 Refurbishments
The honest reality of booking a Disney resort during an active refurbishment is that Disney cannot guarantee you a renovated room or a construction-free experience. Room assignments are based on availability, and requesting an updated building is possible but not guaranteed. Arriving during a phase when construction is most active in your building section is bad timing, and there is no reliable way to fully protect against it without carefully mapping the project timeline against your travel dates.
What guests can do is make informed choices. Checking the current refurbishment status of any resort you are considering takes a few minutes and can genuinely shape which property makes the most sense for your trip.
If a quiet, resort-as-escape experience is central to your vacation, Animal Kingdom Lodge during active Jambo House construction is a different proposition than it would normally be. If the dining and the savanna views are the priority and construction noise is an acceptable tradeoff, the calculus looks different.
Before you finalize any 2026 Walt Disney World resort booking, take ten minutes to look up the current refurbishment status of your top choices. The Disney World website lists known construction and closure information, and cross-referencing that with your travel dates before you book is one of the simplest things you can do to protect your trip. If you have questions about specific resorts, drop them in the comments and we will help you think it through.