The phased project starts in mid-June 2027 and covers both standard rooms and family suites. It joins a resort-wide construction list that now touches nearly every hotel at Walt Disney World.
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is getting its largest room refurbishment since it opened.
The phased project begins in mid-June 2027 and runs through October 2028, covering both standard guest rooms and the resort’s family suites.
That is roughly 16 months of work.
How the Art of Animation refurbishment works
The resort stays open the whole time.
Rather than closing the property, Disney will work through one section at a time. A Disney spokesperson first confirmed the project in May 2026, giving a summer 2027 window. The full timeline surfaced this week.
For anyone booking a 2027 or 2028 stay, the practical question is which building you land in. Disney has not published a section-by-section schedule.
Art of Animation’s family suites sleep up to six, which makes them one of the few affordable options at Walt Disney World for larger families. Those are included in the work.
Nearly every Disney World resort has active construction
Art of Animation joins a list that has grown long enough to be its own planning problem.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House rooms are under refurbishment from May 2026 through January 2027.
Disney’s Beach Club has exterior maintenance running from June 2025 into 2027. The Contemporary Resort has work in Bay Lake Tower, the Main Tower and the convention area through late 2027.
Port Orleans Riverside guest rooms have been under refurbishment since April 2025 and continue through February 2027.
Wilderness Lodge exterior work and Polynesian Village public area refurbishments both run through late 2026. Grand Floridian Cafe closed in July and returns in October.
At BoardWalk Inn & Villas, the Luna Park Pool, Luna Park Crazy Play area and Leaping Horse Libations all close Jan. 11, 2027 through April 2027.
Should you avoid these resorts?
Construction at Disney World is close to unavoidable right now.
Exterior work and room refurbishments at an occupied resort typically run during daylight hours. Guests may hear noise, encounter scrim or take alternate walking routes.
If a specific pool, restaurant or view is why you picked a resort, confirm its status separately from the resort’s main page. Amenity closures are announced less prominently than room work.
What else is closing at Disney World this fall
Two attraction closures land before the resort work begins.
The Walt Disney World Railroad closes Sept. 28, expected back in November. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure closes Nov. 2 for its first refurbishment since opening, with a December return expected.
The Play Disney Parks app retires Sept. 16.
Disney publishes refurbishment dates in the My Disney Experience app, which tends to show further out than the online operating calendar does.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
WDWInfo, the mid-June 2027 through October 2028 timeline and the phased approach
AllEars, the original Disney spokesperson confirmation covering both standard rooms and family suites
Carry On The Magic Vacations, the consolidated September 2026 resort refurbishment list
WDW News Today, the Germany Train Garden additions including the Snow White cottage and Biergarten archways
KennythePirate, the miniature construction site with its pixie dust sign, the store closures and the Kidcot relocation
Inside the Magic, the June construction start, the general construction permit and the July 28 roof work
Disney Food Blog, the Das Kaufhaus roof condition and the restroom closure