For millions of families planning a getaway to Central Florida, staying “inside the Disney bubble” is the ultimate dream. Booking an on-property hotel room is supposed to come with unmatched storytelling, seamless transportation, and a peaceful refuge after a long day of navigating theme park crowds.
Yet over the past several years, staying onsite has increasingly meant sharing your morning coffee with the hum of power tools and the sight of scrim-covered facades.
Now, that sprawling construction footprint is expanding once again.
According to freshly filed public records in Orange County, Florida, Walt Disney World has officially submitted four new Notice of Commencement permits targeting multiple guest buildings across two popular properties: Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney’s Old Key West Resort.
These new filings confirm that general contractors are staging work at both locations, adding to a massive resort-wide raft of renovations already scheduled to stretch through 2026 and well into 2027. If you have an upcoming reservation or are sketching out your next vacation, here is a breakdown of what these permits reveal, who is doing the work, and how to keep construction dust from derailing your stay.
Unpacking the Permits: Work Slated for Caribbean Beach and Old Key West
Disney rarely issues formal press announcements for routine hotel maintenance, meaning public Notice of Commencement filings serve as the primary early-warning system for travelers. These legal records document an owner’s intent to begin property improvements, listing exact street addresses, scope descriptions, and the commercial contractors hired for the job.
The four newest filings point to targeted exterior and building updates across two fan-favorite resorts:
1. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Three separate permits were recorded for parcel addresses along Cayman Way, the primary loop running through this sprawling Moderate property:
- 1122 Cayman Way: Covers the Trinidad Village section, encompassing guest Buildings 37, 38, and 39. Trinidad is famously home to the resort’s Under the Sea / The Little Mermaid-themed rooms and sits directly adjacent to the Spyglass Grill.
- 1126 Cayman Way: Targets Barbados Village, which includes Buildings 31, 32, and 33. This section is situated just steps from Old Port Royale, the resort’s central dining and check-in hub.
- 1124 Cayman Way: Lists an address primarily used for internal guest parking and back-of-house utility areas along the resort’s western edge.
All three Caribbean Beach filings specify “general construction” and assign the work to Harrison Contracting Co., known for commercial painting and structural facility maintenance. Harrison Contracting recently partnered with Disney to repaint and restore the massive 40-foot red electric guitar towering outside Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Their assignment points toward exterior painting, stucco repairs, and facade refreshes across these guest buildings.
2. Disney’s Old Key West Resort
A fourth permit was filed for 1531 North Cove Road at Disney’s Old Key West Resort, the original flagship property of the Disney Vacation Club (DVC).
- This address corresponds to Building 11, which houses villa accommodations 1110 through 1124, ranging from deluxe studios to multi-bedroom suites.
The contractor on record is Friedrich Watkins Company, a prominent Orlando-based commercial builder with an extensive track record at Disney. The firm previously oversaw renovations on the modern Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, worked on room updates at Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and handled the high-profile retail remodel of the LEGO Store at Disney Springs.
A Sprawling Pipeline of Hotel Renovations Through 2027
The addition of Caribbean Beach and Old Key West highlights just how extensive Disney’s current hospitality overhaul has become. Across nearly every resort tier, properties are undergoing phased refreshes to update guest rooms, modernize plumbing and electrical systems, and replace aging amenities.
For guests planning trips through 2027, the list of resorts seeing active construction continues to grow:
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn & Villas: Ongoing updates across the promenade property will culminate in a major amenity closure: the flagship Luna Park Pool, the Luna Park Crazy Play Area, and the Leaping Horse Libations pool bar will shut down entirely from January 11 through April 2027 for routine maintenance.
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort: Exterior maintenance and building facade work will continue in phases through late 2027.
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa: Phased refurbishment across the Victorian flagship will continue into early 2027, including structural work around the covered porte-cochère entrance.
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside: A massive, phased guest-room overhaul is currently underway and scheduled to run through August 2027.
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort: Heavy refurbishment continues across its Convention Center and the central El Centro Corridor through late September 2027.
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort: Slated to kick off a major property-wide room refurbishment program beginning in mid-June 2027.
The Transit Factor: Skyliner Downtime on the Horizon
For travelers keeping an eye on Caribbean Beach, construction is only half the logistical equation. Caribbean Beach serves as the central hub for the Disney Skyliner, the aerial gondola system ferrying guests to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Disney has already slated its annual routine maintenance downtime for the Disney Skyliner from January 24 through January 30, 2027. During that week-long closure, the entire gondola line will halt operations, forcing guests at Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, and Art of Animation to rely exclusively on temporary bus transportation. Pairing transit disruptions with hotel renovation work can create unexpected bottlenecks during morning rope-drop rushes.
How to Protect Your Disney Stay
If your upcoming vacation places you at a resort with active work permits, taking a few proactive steps can safeguard your trip:
- Leverage Online Check-In Room Requests: At massive resorts like Caribbean Beach, work is strictly compartmentalized. If your reservation is in a standard or preferred category, request villages such as Jamaica or Aruba to maintain physical distance from permitted work zones in Trinidad or Barbados.
- Review Amenity Schedules Before Booking: If your party relies on afternoon pool breaks, check Disney’s official calendar. When a feature pool like BoardWalk’s Luna Park closes, guests are shifted to leisure pools that lack waterslides and poolside bars.
- Contact Disney to Adjust Your Reservation: If the possibility of visible scaffolding, service trucks, or daytime noise conflicts with your vacation expectations, call Disney or work with an authorized vacation planner to modify your booking to an unaffected sibling resort within the same category.
While these projects are essential for keeping Disney’s resort inventory modern, navigating them requires a watchful eye. Staying informed before check-in ensures that your Disney getaway remains as relaxing as possible.
