Building will as soon as once more resume at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, with work lastly shifting contained in the foyer in 2025. This publish shares the newest information from Walt Disney World and our ideas on the influence to friends with stays right here for the remainder of this 12 months. We’ll additionally handle the reimagining of rooms, eating places, foyer, and extra.
This undertaking has been a number of years within the making. It really began shortly earlier than the closure of the parks with a lounge replace, and continued shortly after reopening with extra restaurant reimaginings. Then with the pause of what’s now Disney Lakeshore Lodge, the corporate decided it “wanted” extra Disney Trip Membership factors to promote, resulting in the DVC overhaul of the Huge Pine Key constructing.
Following that, the entire outlying buildings within the resort had been redone in an identical fashion. (See Grand New Rooms at Walt Disney World’s Flagship Resort for a glance inside.) That occurred building-by-building roughly two years in the past, and was anticipated to culminate with the principle foyer in direction of the top of the 12 months. However it didn’t.
The expectation on the time was that Walt Disney World was unwilling to lose the foyer of the Grand Floridian throughout the vacation season, which is an extremely profitable time of 12 months. Resort occupancy is excessive and there’s the well-known gingerbread home within the foyer that pulls friends and sells treats. It’s completely regular for Walt Disney World to pause resort development tasks for October by means of December consequently, even at resorts that don’t have gingerbread homes.
Accordingly, we anticipated work to renew early final 12 months on the foyer. However it didn’t. Then there was the announcement that 1900 Park Fare could be reimagined previous to reopening within the spring, and we thought certainly the Grand Floridian foyer could be redone alongside that. However it wasn’t. Maybe after 1900 Park Fare reopened, which would offer the chance to shut Grand Floridian Cafe on the similar time? Nope.
After months of radio silence and Walt Disney World not together with the Grand Floridian when it launched the 2025 resort undertaking ‘warnings’ late final 12 months, we assumed the foyer overhaul had quietly died. However it didn’t!
Right here’s the newest replace from Walt Disney World:
“Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will likely be receiving enhancements to pick areas in phases, together with the foyer and conference middle, from April by means of November 2025. Visitors may even see and listen to development throughout daytime hours, and parts of the foyer will likely be closed at occasions. All swimming pools and most resort eating and different facilities will stay obtainable. Please enable additional time for journey, as path changes could also be in place.”
As of publish time, this discover (with particulars & date vary) solely seems on the Disney Trip Membership Member website. It doesn’t seem on the consumer-facing DisneyWorld.com web page for the Grand Floridian. To the perfect of my data, no discover has been despatched to journey brokers, both.
That declines to state what, precisely, the foyer and conference middle overhaul will entail, however we do have this from a pair years in the past when this was first introduced:
“2023 may also be a momentous 12 months for Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa because it celebrates its thirty fifth anniversary on July 1! The resort has been receiving some grand touches that weave acquainted storybook allure into the Victorian magnificence of this flagship resort. Visitor rooms are at the moment being up to date as we converse with extra to return because the beloved Grand Floridian ushers in its third decade of magic. The continued renovation may also embody an upcoming refurbishment of the foyer, which is able to keep the basic theming you already know and love with some contemporary new enhancements.
The story doesn’t finish there, as you’ll be able to dine beneath the beautiful London sky at Citricos, impressed by ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ … and possibly bookend your night with a shimmering sip at Enchanted Rose Lounge, impressed by “Magnificence and the Beast.” And our beloved Victoria & Albert’s – the culinary crown jewel of Walt Disney World Resort and AAA 5 Diamond Award winner – reopened its doorways this 12 months to rave critiques that includes a renovated inside.”
Past this, it was rumored that Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort would obtain a considerable overhaul to the foyer with “Enchanted Gardens” because the unifying visible fashion. (This rumor was corroborated by the official Disney Information journal for DVC members, which used the very same time period.)
By way of timing, our expectation is that work begins on the Grand Floridian foyer reimagining no sooner than April 22, 2025. There’s at the moment the favored Easter Egg show within the foyer, and that’s one other vacation (together with the entire of spring break season) that’s a well-liked time for the resort. It’s extremely unlikely work will start earlier than Easter. It’s attainable they’ll wait one other full week after that, as some faculty districts nonetheless have recesses the week after Easter.
As for when work will wrap up, the goal date is probably going earlier than Veterans Day. Usually, the Grand Floridian is without doubt one of the first resorts to open its gingerbread home, and development typically begins in late October. We’d count on that to stay true right here, and for partitions to return down round all the pieces in early November 2025.
In fact, that’s assuming the undertaking is way sufficient alongside–however we strongly suspect that Walt Disney World would pause the undertaking over having work minimize right into a portion of the vacation season. That may imply leaving an excessive amount of cash on the desk. (And keep in mind, this work additionally encompasses the conference middle–there’s nothing to say the foyer work gained’t be executed on a tighter timeframe and the conference middle will likely be what drags into November 2025.)
As for the visitor influence, we’d count on it to be pretty important.
Whereas there have been different foyer tasks which have been comparatively minor initiatives, swapping out furnishings and furnishings in a single day with zero influence on friends (BoardWalk involves thoughts), that’s not what we’ve seen with the outlying buildings on the Grand Floridian. Furthermore, there wouldn’t be a brand new development warning–for April by means of November–if this had been a easy swapping of furnishings. Disney could be glacially sluggish, but it surely doesn’t take them over 6 months to take away and exchange some sofas.
To every their very own, but when we had been planning a keep on the Grand Floridian from late April by means of early November 2025, we’d change resorts. The foyer is simply too necessary of a function and the resort is simply too costly to accept it being a development zone. In fact, you shouldn’t substitute our judgment on your personal. Should you’re staying on the Grand Floridian for its visitor rooms, swimming pools, or proximity to the parks–and rarely step foot within the foyer–clearly this recommendation could not apply to you.
Regardless, it’s extremely irritating that Walt Disney World waited till late March 2025 to situation a warning for a undertaking that’ll begin one month later. It’s not the development about which we’re upset–that has to occur someday–it’s the shortage of discover and disrespect for friends.
This isn’t some pressing upkeep that’s being scheduled last-minute. We’ve seen that occur with just a few latest pool tasks, and are utterly understanding of these as a result of it’s unattainable to plan for issues that come up out of nowhere. (Nicely, maybe higher preventative upkeep, however you get the concept.)
In contrast, this can be a foyer reimagining that’s elective in nature. It completely wants to occur, however the timing actually shouldn’t be catching Disney without warning. They’ve undoubtedly been planning this for months, and have recognized precisely when it might occur for some time. So why not proactively present advance discover? It’s irritating, to say the least.
Even if you happen to’re unbothered by the foyer undertaking, friends ought to nonetheless demand higher give the nightly price of the Grand Floridian and Walt Disney World’s personal requirements. (One in all our favourite motels on the earth, Park Hyatt Tokyo, is within the midst of an identical undertaking. That resort closed fully for the refurbishment, and made the announcement one full 12 months upfront so potential friends may plan accordingly. Hyatt is a greater hotelier than Disney, however these are comparably priced motels.)
As famous above, Walt Disney World already introduced that the foyer “will keep the basic theming you already know and love with some contemporary new enhancements.” What meaning is unclear; it leaves plenty of latitude for a spread of modifications. Our expectation is that the scope and scale is on par with the opposite buildings, making a constant visible fashion with these.
What’s additionally unknown is what occurs with Grand Floridian Cafe and Grand Floridian Tea Room, the latter of which has nonetheless not reopened. Our expectation is that each obtain reimagined interiors, with the previous closing over the summer time to accommodate that overdue replace and the latter not reopening till the foyer undertaking is finished. (So maybe the Grand Floridian Tea Room will lastly return this vacation season? One other Festivus miracle!)
That’s simply our hypothesis, however it might make sense. October by means of December is the busiest stretch of the 12 months for Walt Disney World eating places, so that they’d probably need Grand Floridian Cafe to reopen by then. As for Grand Floridian Tea Room, there’s been fan hypothesis that it has been not directly “changed” by the Cake Bake Store. I don’t purchase that. Walt Disney World loves upmarket choices, and Grand Floridian Tea Room squarely suits the invoice. There’s no motive why the resort can’t maintain each.
In the end, I’m happy to see that the foyer reimagining of the Grand Floridian is lastly shifting ahead. I want the announcement had been made a lot earlier, and hope it’s not too late for impacted friends who don’t wish to cope with this to relocate. However as for the substance of the information, I’m blissful to see this wasn’t quietly cancelled.
That’s in all probability going to get me excoriated amongst Walt Disney World purists. As a realist, I feel the ‘Enchanted Gardens’ fashion of the outlying buildings is just about the best-case state of affairs when accounting for tastes of recent friends and the worth level of the Grand Floridian.
Whereas WDW diehards may love the present foyer and general aesthetic, I’d hazard a guess that the resort doesn’t comport with the expectations of the first-timers or informal friends who really ebook it. As I’ve mentioned earlier than, it doesn’t strike me as “pure” Victorian themed design, however reasonably, the early Nineteen Nineties interpretation of Victorian.
With that mentioned, my hope is that Imagineering can marry the visible fashion of the brand new rooms with the opulence and grandiosity of the principle foyer. It mustn’t change into an Ethan Allen showroom, however with the next ceiling. Modernized doesn’t have to imply boring and devoid of character. There’s a approach to have the perfect of each worlds, a foyer that’s each well-themed and opulent. It’s a tricky steadiness to strike, however hopefully it may be completed, if that’s what Walt Disney World opts to do.
With all of that mentioned, one factor is for certain: we should shield the masterpiece monkey and bunny work in any respect prices.
I’m not one for petitions, but when somebody had been to start out one to get these puppies added to some historic register of culturally important artworks, I’d signal it. Maybe the Grand Floridian ought to even be added to the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations as dwelling to those priceless treasures. They’re arguably why it’s known as the Grand, and is the flagship resort at Walt Disney World.
Whatever the rabbit and monkey work, we’re cautiously optimistic concerning the finish end result. The Grand Floridian is arguably probably the most well-rounded Seven Seas Lagoon Resort, with fewer drawbacks than the Polynesian or Modern (talking of which, redo the Grand Canyon Concourse subsequent, Imagineers!). As long as widespread areas and remaining eating places are modernized in a respectful fashion in step with the outlying buildings, the Grand Floridian will emerge from this as a greater possibility than earlier than, and a resort really deserving of the flagship distinction.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider the Grand Floridian’s foyer overhaul lastly taking place in 2025? Excited for the continued reimagining of Walt Disney World’s flagship resort, or fearful it’ll lose its persona and richly-themed areas within the course of? Have you ever stayed on the Grand Floridian because the new rooms debuted? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Different ideas or issues? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
