We’ve said it before, and you’ll hear us say it 14 million more times — construction is ALL OVER Disney World, and that’s not stopping anytime soon. So, yes, get used to seeing all those walls and lovely green bushes in basically every park and numerous hotels, because they’ll be sticking around for the foreseeable future.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has been home of some pretty large refurbishment projects for the past few months, and while part of it is complete and looks great, it’s far from fully complete. So just what part of the hotel has reopened? Well, it’s a little tricky, so we’re here to walk you through it.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of the most gorgeous hotels on property, if you ask us, and so while we’re looking forward to it getting updates, it does mean one of our favorite hotels isn’t looking its best for the time being. There are three major refurbishments the hotel has been working on since August and September, and another one is set to start later this month. Those are:

• August 17th through October 9th: The main lobby and primary entrance will be closed. Check-in will move to the Palace Library during this time.
• September 28th through October 9th: The north side lobby corridor will be closed. During this time, the north side lobby elevators on the second floor and the outdoor terrace observation deck will be unavailable.
• October 26th through November 6th: The south side lobby corridor will be closed. During this time, Community Hall, Safari So Good Arcade, the laundry room, the Palace Library, lobby restrooms, and the outdoor terrace observation deck will be unavailable.

We went to check out the lobby on October 10th, when two of these projects were supposed to finish up. We found that the section of the lobby closest to the back savanna has reopened, which includes the refurbished stairs, giving guests access between the lobby level, Sanaa, and the savanna. This also opens up the walking path between the two sides of the resort, so there’s now one continuous indoor path to the temporary store in the Palace Library. You no longer have to go outside and come back in to get there, which is a great thing for rainy days, or when it’s late at night.

We actually ended up being one of the first guests to walk across this new section, because we caught the last moments of Cast Members sweeping and mopping the floor in anticipation of the reopening. We were right behind a family who was led by a Disney leader, so it was pretty special!

However, the rest of the lobby and Johari Treasures refurbishment is far from complete. Cast Members don’t have an estimate for when it will be finished, but it definitely won’t be soon, based on the level of construction we still saw. This means that the October 9th opening date definitely isn’t the case, so we’re curious to see just how much longer this part will take, and if Disney will update their page with a new date. Currently, the Disney World website just lists, “From May 2026 through January 2027, Guest rooms at Jambo House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge will undergo refurbishment,” so there’s no mention of the ongoing lobby refurbishment.

Want to see what Animal Kingdom Lodge is like when it’s at its prime? Check out our video below!

Be sure to stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney news!

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Have you stayed at this hotel before? Tell us in the comments!