Walt Disney World lately prolonged the multi-year reimagining of its flagship resort to 2027, and at present introduced that the resort overhaul will embody a prolonged closure and refurbishment to the fan-favorite Grand Floridian Cafe. Listed below are dates, particulars & alternate options in the course of the updates.
The Grand Floridian Resort reimagining has been fairly the prolonged venture, formally coming into its fourth CEO tenure with Josh D’Amaro taking the helm. It really began shortly earlier than the closure of Walt Disney World with the Magnificence and the Beast lounge, and continued shortly after reopening with extra restaurant reimaginings. Then Disney decided it “wanted” feed the DVC beast through extra factors to promote, resulting in the conversion of the Large Pine Key constructing in 2022.
Following that, all the outlying buildings within the resort have been redone in an analogous fashion via 2023. Then there was an roughly two-year pause for causes unknown, earlier than Walt Disney World resumed work in earnest on the principle constructing overhaul final spring. That culminated final Christmas, with the grand opening of the Birdcage Bar and extra. Earlier this week, the reimagined Backyard View Lounge lastly reopened after a closure of over 6 years! And but, one remaining piece of the puzzle remained.
The excellent news is that the Grand Floridian is not a building zone. Not less than, not for now. There are a variety of the way the Grand Floridian now appears and feels contemporary, and is as soon as once more worthy of being thought-about the crown jewel of WDW resorts. See our Assessment: Walt Disney World’s Flagship Resort Lastly Matches Its Standing & Sky-Excessive Costs.
Forward of building crews beginning work on the porte cochere, Walt Disney World up to date the development warning for Grand Floridian and prolonged the timeline as of final month:
Renovations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will proceed in choose areas, together with the porte cochere, via early 2027. Friends might even see or hear refurbishment work throughout daytime hours or have to take alternate paths of journey.
Quick ahead to mid-March, and Walt Disney World has expanded its rationalization of the prolonged timeline as of the debut of the Backyard View Lounge. Right here’s the brand new warning bulletin:
Renovations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will proceed in choose areas, together with the coated entrance, via early 2027.
As a part of this work, from mid-July via October 2026, Grand Floridian Cafe will quickly shut for a refresh. Throughout this time, brunch will proceed to be supplied however will quickly transfer to Cítricos. All different eating areas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will stay obtainable for Friends to get pleasure from. Friends might even see or hear refurbishment work throughout daytime hours and should have to take alternate paths of journey.
Let’s talk about what work does stay excellent on the Grand Floridian, and potential impacts from now via 2027…
Grand Floridian Cafe
It’s nice to see Walt Disney World lastly announce a refresh to the Grand Floridian Cafe. This isn’t shocking within the least; as we’ve been saying for some time, one remaining piece of the puzzle after the Backyard View Lounge reopened is Grand Floridian Cafe.
I do know Grand Floridian Cafe has a legion of loyal followers, a few of whom are going to hate to listen to this, but it surely’s time. It’s past time. The restaurant actually stands proud within the redone resort, wanting like a vestige from a unique period.
Grand Floridian Cafe feels dated. And never in the way in which a Victorian design is inherently dated-looking. It’s as if some decorations appear to be they have been pulled from the fashion pages of a 1993 challenge of Nation Dwelling Journal. It does probably not remind me of the informal desk service restaurant at Walt Disney World’s flagship resort; it jogs my memory of a fancier, much less cluttered Cracker Barrel. The restaurant has felt overdue for a refresh for the final decade-plus.
There’s rather a lot happening by way of floral patterns, textures, wallpaper, and furnishings that’s much less paying homage to a Victorian meets fashionable Floridian design and extra like a quaint however prosperous farmhouse achieved up in a Victorian fashion.
Admittedly, there’s additionally a sure allure to Grand Floridian Cafe. It’s imbued with a sure ‘Florida’ high quality to the area that’s powerful for me to articulate. Possibly the nation fashion, pure gentle, and Victorian prospers give it the standard of a family-run mattress & breakfast?
Regardless of the case, I’ve regularly warmed to Grand Floridian Cafe through the years. I now discover it cozy and comforting, particularly on the uncommon quiet mornings or late nights. It’s like coming house once more, so it’s simple to see why so many longtime WDW followers find it irresistible. On the similar time, my evaluation of this area after I first reviewed it almost 15 years in the past was that it was badly dated. It has not aged like advantageous wine since. I’m very prepared for a change, even when I now have a mushy spot for the (once more, badly dated) area.
There was a time that, even whereas acknowledging its datedness, I wouldn’t have wished Imagineering to the touch Grand Floridian Cafe. Again when their restaurant output consisted primarily of kinds greatest described as “rustic hipsters repurpose an previous warehouse with eclectic decor on clearance at Anthropologie” (see most of Disney Springs). Or when Millennial Grey began proliferating (a short-lived part, fortunately).
Imagineering has achieved a a lot better job since of threading the needle, and the foyer of the Grand Floridian is a superb instance of this. It’ll assist significantly that the bones of Grand Floridian Cafe are good. The restaurant feels shiny and ethereal with nice views outdoors into the backyard.
It’s additionally properly divided with numerous rooms and number of tables to interrupt up the area and provides it a larger feeling of intimacy. Grand Floridian doesn’t want almost the quantity of labor that went into 1900 Park Fare with a purpose to revitalize the area; this could actually be a refresh versus a wholesale reimagining.
Anticipate new carpet, curtains, tables and chairs, decorations and detail-work. My greatest guess is that we’re an overhaul on par with Backyard View Lounge with regards to the new-look Grand Floridian Cafe.
The one wildcard is whether or not Disney tries to weave in some IP. In that case, I’d nonetheless anticipate that to be on the refined aspect. I wouldn’t complain if Grand Floridian Cafe acquired a light-weight Aristocats integration. A bunch of feline fixtures and stained glass sounds groovy to me.
Truthfully, I additionally wouldn’t thoughts a menu replace–as long as my beloved Buttermilk-Fried Hen stays. On the very least, convey again the Lobster Thermidor Burger.
Citricos Brunch
As famous within the building bulletin, brunch will proceed to be served at Grand Floridian, however will probably be relocated upstairs to Citricos. Brunch is constant however dinner just isn’t as a result of there aren’t any different desk service choices for dinner on the Grand Floridian, whereas there are quite a few dinners.
The entire Signature Eating places are open solely for dinner and, presumably, are considered as passable alternate options. Not solely that, however with these areas all in use for dinner, there’s no open venue for relocating Grand Floridian Cafe’s menu within the night hours.
It was a really comparable story just a few years in the past when the Wave was reimagined into Steakhouse 71. Throughout that point, Walt Disney World relocated that breakfast and brunch menu upstairs to California Grill. We did that breakfast just a few occasions, benefiting from the chance for a $30 to $45 meal (for 2) in one among our favourite settings in all of Walt Disney World. By far the most cost effective meals we’ve ever had at California Grill!
The shift from Grand Floridian Cafe to Citricos just isn’t almost as excessive. You’re principally simply transferring up one flooring, right into a nicer eating room however with comparable views. The Mary Poppins-inspired eating room can be newer, feels brisker, and is tastefully achieved–however I’d anticipate one thing on par with this as soon as Grand Floridian Cafe reopens.
I’ll nonetheless completely be doing the brunch at Citricos for the novelty issue alone, however I’ve no delusions about this being a Signature-caliber brunch at mid-tier desk service costs or something.
It’ll nearly actually be the identical meals, served barely increased up. Brunch at Grand Floridian Cafe is nice, so I like to recommend it on that foundation, but it surely’s not a ‘drop every little thing and e-book this ADR’ must-do as was the case with the Wave to California Grill.
When Will Grand Floridian Cafe Reopen?
The large query is when will Grand Floridian Cafe reopen? When beforehand discussing this potential venture, we predicted its closure can be someday between mid-April and mid-October.
Really, the Grand Floridian Cafe refurbishment is beginning barely later than we might’ve anticipated, however mid-October nonetheless strikes me as a logical completion. Columbus Day weekend is the kickoff of Fall Break, and usually the beginning of a 3-month stretch that’s unimaginable profitable for resorts and eating places at Walt Disney World.
Having Grand Floridian Cafe reopen by October 9, 2026 would be the goal if in any respect potential. Nonetheless, with the tendency of tasks to be delayed and seemingly tight timeline, I wouldn’t financial institution on the restaurant reopening till the weekend earlier than Veterans Day (roughly November 6, 2026), although. That’s when Birdcage Bar mushy opened final 12 months, for reference.
With the refresh of Grand Floridian Cafe formally introduced, let’s rapidly talk about the opposite ongoing tasks and query marks at Walt Disney World’s flagship resort. Most of that is floor we’ve beforehand coated, so in case you’ve been following the Grand Floridian overhaul, there’s no new-news within the following…
Porte Cochere
Amusingly, the most recent bulletin has switched from calling out the porte cochere venture to the “coated entrance” venture. On the threat of stating the plain, they’re the identical factor. It could appear that the time period porte cochere was complicated company, although.
Regardless, it’s secure to say this is likely one of the bigger, if not the most important, venture that’ll happen in the course of the added ~6 months of the overhaul. Partitions lately when up across the present porte cochere/coated entrance, however the full scope of this work has but to be revealed. If this can be a full rebuild, it’ll simply final into early 2027. If not, it might be achieved as early as summer season.
We simply noticed the partial rebuilding of the porte cochere at Disney’s Seaside Membership Resort. Probably the most disruptive a part of that porte cochere venture was the timing. It was largely achieved in the course of the summer season via early fall, and pushing arrivals farther away from the entrance entrance into an uncovered space in the course of the hottest and rainiest time was not best.
If Grand Floridian’s porte cochere might want to shut throughout a later part of building, my honest hope is that that is timed to occur someday between October and February 2027. Though these are busier months than summer season, they’re cooler and fewer wet.
Gingerbread Home
Again when the foyer reimagining and the Birdcage Bar have been introduced round this time final 12 months, Walt Disney World additionally revealed that there can be No Gingerbread Home at Grand Floridian for Christmas. Disney normally begins constructing this life-sized edible creation in mid-October, so it made sense that it wouldn’t seem final 12 months.
Primarily based on a few of what Walt Disney World shared in regards to the modifications/building on the time, it’s been our sturdy suspicion that the Gingerbread Home would by no means return to the foyer. It’s not an enormous hit with company who keep on the flagship and the foyer is already busy because of the Birdcage Bar. Bringing again the Gingerbread Home would make it really feel extremely cramped, crowded, and chaotic.
Our hope is that the Gingerbread Home returns to the Grand Floridian Conference Heart at Christmas 2026, but it surely wouldn’t shock us if that does occur. What’ll be attention-grabbing to see is whether or not this building extension is used as an excuse for not bringing it again. That wouldn’t actually make sense at this level on condition that not one of the work is within the foyer. We’re additionally advantageous with among the extra far-flung resorts getting love.
Finally, we’re cautiously optimistic in regards to the the rest of the Grand Floridian reimagining, as a complete. Walt Disney World’s flagship resort has been modernized properly, with a very good stability of class, sophistication, allure, and whimsy. It lastly feels worthy of its standing–and price ticket.
The venture’s extension via early 2027 is a bit disappointing from the angle of additional dragging out a venture that has already been happening for an extended, very long time. However we additionally anticipate this to largely revolve across the porte cochere, with the foyer not being impacted, until you rely Grand Floridian Cafe closing from mid-July via October 2026, and being closed off throughout that point.
The underside line is that, until there’s an sudden announcement from out of left subject, we don’t anticipate the continuing overhaul on the Grand Floridian to influence the visitor expertise (besides when arriving by automotive and first unloading baggage) at any level between now and 2027. We might not hesitate to remain at Walt Disney World’s flagship resort; on the contrary, we as soon as once more extremely advocate it!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Find out about lodges on our Walt Disney World Motels Opinions web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Opinions. To save cash on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a novel take a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Experience Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, one of the best place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every little thing you could know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Ideas on the refresh of Grand Floridian Cafe? Are you disenchanted that the acquainted, fan-favorite is getting redone after so many many years? Or do you agree with us that it’s (past) time for an replace? Have you ever stayed on the Grand Floridian for the reason that foyer overhaul? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Different ideas or considerations? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
