food IS a theme park
Let’s be honest: if you are paying Disney World prices, you want every possible second of park time squeezed out of that vacation like the last drop of cold brew on a rope-drop morning.
EPCOT
And thankfully, some hotels really do help with that.
There’s a LOT happening this week in Disney World, so if you’re visiting this week or in the upcoming months, you’ve gotta know about these changes ASAP.
Hey Timon!
While there is construction and changes happening all over the resort, a bunch of the changes happening this week are located inside the parks — specifically EPCOT and Animal Kingdom. Yes, this is indeed the week we’ve been dreading, and it’s here — this week, not only does Festival of the Arts end in EPCOT, but Rafiki’s Planet Watch closes for MONTHS to make way for a new Bluey experience, and we may never see it the same again.
Which hotel you stay at during a Disney World vacation always comes down to personal choice, but there are a few hotels we need to warn you about.
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
We LOVE the Disney World hotels. The theming, perks, proximity to the parks, and fantastic amenities keep us coming back for more. With all that said, 2026 is shaping up to be a year where you’re going to want to be very picky about where you stay. Not all Disney World hotels are created equal, and some of these resorts may disappoint you during your next stay…
Ah, Disney World. We know you’ve got a lot of exciting attractions on the way, but for right now? These closures are kinda crushing our vibe, especially when more and more keep being added!
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
This isn’t just limited to the parks, either. Nope, we found out this week that a current construction project will now take us all the way into 2027 (after it’s already been going on for what feels like FOREVER), and considering it’s one of the resort’s most expensive hotels to stay at? Yeah, people aren’t thrilled. There is a bit of good news, though — a popular EPCOT attraction reopened EARLY following an animatronic refurbishment, and now we’re thrilled we won’t be creeped out when we ride it anymore.
While construction is everywhere in Disney World right now, there’s one park that’s really getting hit extra hard — Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
New Animal Kingdom Map
This week, the remainder of DinoLand U.S.A. closed forever to make way for the new Tropical Americas land, which takes another ride away from guests visiting the park for now, as well as other attractions like certain meet and greets, dining at Restaurantosaurus, and the closure has made walking around certain parts of the park much harder. We thought things couldn’t get harder for this park, and then Disney made ANOTHER announcement about a temporary closure.
Another part of Disney World will be closing for good this week. It has been more than a year since the first round of closures started at DinoLand U.S.A. in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This week, we have to say a final goodbye to this land. We have so many amazing memories in this area, and we are going to miss it!
We will miss you, Dinoland U.S.A.!
While the closure will make way for something new at Disney World, it is still a sad time to lose something that has brought so much happiness over the years. We will miss you greatly, DinoLand U.S.A.!
If you were planning on spending a relaxing day by the pool at Disney World, you need to know about another Disney World hotel pool closure that is starting this week! It is a popular time for Disney to temporarily close pools for maintenance, as cooler weather in Florida makes them less in demand. With this week’s newest pool closure, there are now 5 Disney World hotel pools closed.
Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort
We are here to make sure you always know what is happening at Disney World. We have all the details on this week’s closures, so you won’t be caught by surprise. We are rounding up ALL the closures in Disney World this week, so let’s get started!
2026 is a year of construction around Walt Disney World!
Skyliner
While projects like Piston Peak, Tropical Americas, and Monsters, Inc. land are receiving the majority of guests’ attention, there are also a litany of projects happening across the resort’s many hotels. Let’s take a look!
We’ve got some rough news for those who were hoping to stay at a fully refurbished Contemporary Resort soon.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Construction is currently ongoing ALL around Disney World Resort, and while it’s all to make things better, more exciting, and add more value to the parks for guests, when it’s all happening at the same time? That can get a little rough! We’ve been keeping a close eye on the refurbishment happening over at the Contemporary Resort, and it looks like something unfortunate has happened — the construction has just been extended yet again, now meaning it’s going to take over three years to complete this project.
Disney World is visited by millions of people every year. There are busier times and slower times, but no matter what, security lines to get into the parks can be VERY long. It’s important that Disney has security at the entry to every park, but you’ll want to budget time in for standing in the lines.
Security at Disney World
As you head to the parks, you’ll want to plan accordingly, especially on days expected to be crowded (such as major holidays). So we’re sharing 6 ways to skip those long security lines in Disney World and save a little time.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
