Imagine you spent months planning your Disney World trip. You researched the parks. You made dining reservations at 6 a.m. sixty days out like the dedicated Disney person you are. You picked your resort hotel because you saw the pictures and thought yes, that is exactly the vibe I want for this vacation.
And then you checked in and there was construction.
We are not letting that happen to you. Not on our watch and not in 2026, which is shaping up to be one of the busiest refurbishment years Disney World has seen across its resort lineup in a long time. Multiple hotels across multiple categories are currently under active construction, and Disney’s official language about it tends to be politely vague in a way that does not fully prepare guests for what staying during a renovation actually feels like.
So we are going to be less vague. Here is exactly what is happening, where, and what you should do about it before you finalize any resort booking this year.
Animal Kingdom Lodge: We Love Her and She Is Currently a Construction Zone
Let us start with the one that is going to sting the most for a certain kind of Disney guest, because Animal Kingdom Lodge is not just a hotel. It is an experience. Giraffes on the savanna outside your balcony at sunrise. Zebras just existing in the background while you drink your coffee. Theming so specific and so committed that the resort genuinely feels like a different country. Dining that competes with some of the best food on Disney property. The whole package.
The whole package is currently under construction and will be for a while.
Kidani Village, one of the two main buildings, started its guest room refurbishment in October 2025 and runs through May 2026. The moment that wraps up, construction moves directly to Jambo House, the main lodge, and that phase runs from May 2026 all the way through January 2027. Disney has confirmed that guests may see or hear construction activity during daytime hours throughout both phases. Most amenities are expected to stay available but that word “expected” is doing a lot of work in that sentence.
Here is the thing about Animal Kingdom Lodge specifically. People do not book this resort because it is convenient to Magic Kingdom. They book it because it feels like a sanctuary. The animals, the sounds, the pace of the property, the feeling of being somewhere genuinely removed from theme park chaos. Construction noise during the day works directly against that feeling in a way it would not at a resort people are primarily using as a base camp.
If you are booking Animal Kingdom Lodge for the dining and the wildlife encounters and you are genuinely fine with the possibility of daytime noise around you, you can still have a wonderful stay. If the peaceful escape is the whole reason you are booking it, just know what you are walking into right now.
Port Orleans Riverside: A Renovation So Long It Has Its Own Career Arc
Port Orleans Riverside is one of those Disney hotels that has a deeply loyal following for reasons that are hard to fully explain until you have stayed there. The bayou theming is cohesive and genuinely calming. The price point sits in the Moderate category but the vibe often punches above it. Guests who discover Riverside tend to come back to it repeatedly.
Those guests should know that Riverside is currently in the middle of a guest room refurbishment that started in May 2025 and is not scheduled to finish until August 2027. Two thousand and twenty seven. That is not a typo. This is a long, staged, building-by-building project that is going to be a presence at this resort for the next year and a half.
What that means practically is that booking Riverside in 2026 is a bit of a lottery. Some guests are landing in fully refreshed rooms that are getting genuinely enthusiastic reviews for feeling cleaner and more modern while keeping the bayou character intact. Other guests are in rooms that have not been touched yet. Disney cannot promise you which version you get, and asking for an updated building at check-in is worth doing but is not a guarantee.
If Riverside is your resort and your dates are flexible, timing toward the later end of the project improves your odds. If your dates are fixed and the room condition matters to you, just go in knowing the situation so it does not catch you off guard.
Pop Century: Almost Done and Honestly Looking Great
Pop Century is the good news story in this roundup and we are choosing to appreciate it.
The Value resort has been working through a phased update for a while now, hitting the lobby first, then Everything Pop Shopping and Dining, and finally the guest rooms. Room refurbishments are expected to wrap by February 2026, which means Pop Century is about to become one of the most comprehensively refreshed resorts on Walt Disney World property.
For families who choose Pop Century because it is the budget-friendly on-site option, often a first Disney hotel experience, updated rooms matter more than the category might suggest. A week in a Value resort is a week in a Value resort, and cleaner layouts and fresher finishes make that week feel noticeably better. Amenities are expected to stay open during the remaining work with daytime noise as the main tradeoff. By the time most 2026 trips are happening, Pop Century should be essentially done.
Good job, Pop Century. We see you.
Old Key West: Pool Closed, BBQ Gone, and There Is Also a Whole Situation With the Photos
As of March 5, 2026, the South Point Pool and Spa, the BBQ area, and the playground are closed for refurbishment through late April 2026. Guests can use the Sandcastle Pool or the resort’s other two leisure pools, the Turtle Pond Pool and Miller’s Road Pool, during the closure. Disney says guests may notice maintenance activity during daytime hours and suggests visiting the Front Desk with any questions.
This follows earlier closure work at the Turtle Pond Pool, Spa, BBQ area, and playground, which also went offline for weeks earlier in the year. The resort is also undergoing a staged guest room refurbishment across the property, so there is a general sense of ongoing work happening at Old Key West on multiple fronts right now.
And then there is the Olivia’s Cafe situation, which deserves its own paragraph because Disney Vacation Club members are still having feelings about it. The restaurant recently got a decor overhaul, which sounds fine, except Disney also removed the collection of family vacation photos that DVC members had contributed to the space over the years. For people who consider Old Key West their home resort and who had their own family photos on those walls, that was not a neutral interior design decision. It landed as something more personal than that and the response reflected it.
Here Is What You Should Actually Do Right Now
If you have a Disney World resort booking coming up in 2026 and you have not checked the refurbishment status of your hotel, do it today. The Walt Disney World website has construction and closure information posted, though cross-referencing with recent guest reports gives you a more complete picture of what conditions on the ground actually look like right now versus what the official language describes.
If the resort experience is central to your trip, specifically if you are booking Animal Kingdom Lodge for the sanctuary feeling or Port Orleans Riverside for the peaceful bayou vibe, the active construction at both properties right now is worth factoring into your decision more seriously than Disney’s polite disclaimers might suggest.
If you are primarily a parks-all-day guest who uses the hotel mainly for sleeping and quick-service breakfast, the construction situation matters less and you are probably fine booking either property with adjusted expectations.
The bottom line that is not labeled the bottom line is this: 2026 is a year to do your homework on Disney resort hotels before you book rather than after you check in. The work being done is real investment in these properties and guests who visit post-renovation are going to benefit enormously. The guests visiting during renovation are the ones absorbing the transition, and you deserve to know that going in.
Drop your resort questions in the comments and we will tell you exactly what we know. That is what we are here for.
