If you’re staying at a Disney World Hotel this month, first of all, we’re super jealous and hope you have the best time, but second, there are some changes you need to know about before your trip starts.

With all the construction happening around Disney World as a whole, not to mention all the new additions that have already arrived or are about to, there’s a lot that changes month to month around the entire resort. It’s our job to keep you updated, so, here’s a full list of EVERYTHING that’s changing at the Disney World hotels this month.

Construction

The refurbishment of the Grand Floridian Lobby is well underway, and while we cannot wait to see how it turns out, the construction in the meantime is ROUGH.

We’ve noticed that construction here changes not only weekly, but almost every day. You’ll notice that one section isn’t blocked off one day, then the next, it’s behind walls, and another section has opened up. You’ll also likely hear a decent amount of construction work during the day, so while it won’t affect your sleep (unless you’re in the main building taking a midday nap), if you want to avoid construction as a whole, we recommend choosing a different hotel until the construction is complete.

This isn’t the only hotel with sections under construction, as there are also multiple pool closures happening around the hotels. The Paddock Pool at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort is closed through early December (along with the splash pad area and The Paddock Grill), so if you were hoping to swim, this likely won’t be the pool to go to. Instead, you can swim at the three leisure pools throughout the rest of the resort.

Additionally, the Fantasia Kiddie Pool at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort is set to be closed through late October, but no official date has been announced just yet. Instead, you can visit the Fantasia Feature Pool and Duck Pond Pool.

Finally, the Samawati Springs Pool Slide at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has also been closed since September 8th, and Disney also hasn’t released a reopening date for this slide.

The pool itself is still open, but if you do want to experience a water slide, you can experience the slide at the Uzima Springs Pool.

Price Increases

Disney also just released a LARGE number of price increases all across the resort, and unfortunately, dining options at the Disney World hotels was included on that list. There are hundreds of price increases that have now taken effect, so if you had already budgeted out your trip and what snacks to get, it’s important to take a look at these items again to see if they’ll cost you $1-$2 more than expected.

A few of the items included in this change that you’ll find spread across the resort, including hotels are:

• Mickey Pretzels went from $7.99 to $8.49
• Dasani Water went from $4 to $4.25
• SmartWater went from $6 to $6.25
• Bottle Sodas increased from $5.29 to $5.50

Meanwhile, you’ll also find a few more specific price increases at select hotels, like:

• Specialty Character Drink at Trattoria al Forno: Increased from $6.75 to $7
• Sunshine Margarita at Cove Bar: Increased from $17.50 to $18.50
• Mickey Mouse Celebration Cake at Primo Piatto: Increased from $39 to $45
• Foot-Long All-Beef Chili-Cheese Hot Dog at The Market Ale & Compass: $14.99 to $15.49
• Roaring Breakfast Platter at Roaring Fork: Increased from $12.99 to $13.49

These are only a few of the items affected, so if you’ve got your list of must-try snacks, we suggest checking all their prices again on Disney World’s website or the My Disney Experience app to be safe.

Halloween Festivities at Hotels

There are lots of fun fall and Halloween treats to find all around the Disney World hotels and parks, but did you know you can also experience some spooky fun right near Halloween and on the actual day without a park ticket? Head on over to the Swan and Dolphin Resorts on October 31st for Trick or Treating and a Costume Contest!

Then from October 31st-November 2nd (Halloween weekend), you can also experience the following fun events:

• Mystical Face Painting
• Scavenger Hunt Adventure
• Inflatable Maze Fun
• Spooky Arts and Crafts
• Hair Braiding
• Poolside DJ

From what we’ve read, you don’t need to be staying at the resort to participate in these activities (other than perhaps the Poolside DJ, as pools are reserved for hotel guests), so if you’re in the area, it’s certainly worth checking out. However, you can book a stay at Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground to see a super cool Halloween parade that also doesn’t require a park ticket!

Every Halloween, guests get together to deck their golf carts (rented from the resort) out in the COOLEST Halloween costumes and parade them around the resort! It’s truly an event like no other.

It starts at the hitching area right by the front entrance and follows the longer (straighter) stretch of road through the Meadow section, where they pass the judge’s tent and scored points in categories based on creativity and theme. The judges will narrow the entries down to six finalists, and others staying at the resort will then crown one winner.

Due to the immense popularity of this event, it’s reserved only for those staying at the resort, so if you really want to see it (or participate!), you’ll need to book at least a one night stay.

We’ve stayed at all the Disney World resorts and are in the parks every single day to make sure that we’re keeping you updated on all the latest changes so you know what to expect. If you’re looking for someone to help walk you through the process of booking your vacation, look into our travel agent friends, Small World Vacations!

There’s so much happening in the month of October at Disney World parks AND hotels, so be sure to take advantage of as much of it as you can! Stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney World news so you stay up-to-date while planning your next vacation!

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How are you planning to spend October in Disney World? Tell us in the comments!