2026 is going to be a year of construction at Walt Disney World. While projects like Piston Peak, Tropical Americas, and Monsters, Inc. land are receiving the majority of guests’ attention, there are also a litany of projects happening across the resort’s many hotels.
Skyliner
One of the earliest major hotel projects in 2026 will see Disney’s popular Skyliner gondola system — which directly serves Art of Animation, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach Resort, Riviera Resort, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios with indirect access for Boardwalk, Yacht, and Beach Club guests — will be closed from January 25th through the 31st. However, not every Disney hotel project has a definitive confirmed end date.
Pop Century
Disney’s pop culture-themed Value Tier resort has been in the midst of an ongoing major refurbishment of rooms, the lobby, and other common areas for a while now. According to Disney, it’s set to finish sometime in February 2026.
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
All-Star Sports
Both the Surfboard Bay Pool and its associated kiddie pool area will be closed from January through April of 2026. According to Disney, the Grand Slam Leisure Pool will still be available, as will the other pools throughout Disney’s All-Star Resorts, including the Calypso Pool, Piano Pool, and kiddie pool at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort; and the Fantasia Pool, Duck Pond Pool, and kiddie pool at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort.
Grand Slam Pool
Port Orleans
According to Disney, guest rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside will undergo refurbishment from early May 2025 through August 2027.
New rugs and furniture
Contemporary
Over at the Contemporary, an ongoing series of refurbishments that began in September of 2024 is set to last all the way through the summer of 2027. In the midst of that, the Bay Cove Pool, its water play area, and the whirlpool spa at Bay Lake Tower will close on January 26th, and remain shuttered until sometime in May.
A new Bay Lake Tower room
Animal Kingdom Lodge
The resort’s Kidani Village area will finish its current refurbishment in May 2026. When that’s complete, the Jambo House area will enter its own refurbishment from May 2026 through January 2027.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Yacht Club and Beach Club Resorts
The sibling resorts are both undergoing routine exterior maintenance through 2027.
Yacht Club beach
Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
At some point in 2026, the Meadow Swimmin’ Pool area — which has been open during construction since 2025 — will close as part of an expansion including a new zero-entry pool, a full deck, and even pickleball courts. There’s no set reopening timeframe for the new pool area.
Meadow Swimmin’ Pool
If you’re planning a Walt Disney World hotel stay in 2026, you NEED to keep these projects and closures in mind, as they might affect where you choose to rest your head at night. Stay tuned to DFB for continuing updates on the evolution of the “Most Magical Place on Earth.”
5 Most Critical Months for Disney World Fans in 2026
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