8 Disneyland Construction Impacts That Guests Need to Know in 2026

There are some major new projects on the horizon for the Disneyland Resort. Following the approval of the DisneylandForward initiative, the resort is moving ahead with ambitious expansion plans for the coming years. See all of the new rides coming to Disneyland in 2026 and beyond here.

In 2026, there are already several active construction sites for new additions, with more coming soon. Below, we will share eight construction impacts you can expect if you are planning a visit this year. At Mickey Visit, we report on all of the latest Disney news, including Disney rolling out four new popcorn buckets and Disneyland cutting many specialty French fries from menus resort-wide.

Monsters Inc. Closing Construction

While we don’t have an exact closing date at the time of writing, we know that Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue! will be permanently closing in “early 2026” to make way for the new Avatar experience at Disneyland.

While we anticipate the construction of this Avatar destination will take at least a few years, the early closure of Monsters, Inc. indicates that they will likely demolish it and use the space as a construction prep area as they get ready for the additional work.

After the ride closes, we anticipate they will start flattening it pretty quickly. Given that this area of Hollywood Land is already a little cramped, we expect the flow of traffic will be rather limited as construction walls go up in this area near the Hollywood Backlot Stage and Hollywood Lounge.  We expect some impact on the Hollywood Backlot Stage due to noise from the work going on.

Avengers Campus Construction

The biggest active construction site at Disneyland currently is behind Avengers Campus. They are continuing to make progress on the expansion that will double the size of the land with two new rides. The two new rides are Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab. In the “E-ticket” ride, Avengers Infinity Defense, guests will embark on an adventure to stop King Thanos, who has stolen the technology the Avengers use to jump between worlds. In Stark Flight Lab, recruits will sit in 2-person pods and deploy to a test station, where they will be whirled around by a robot arm in simulated flight. See all of the details about what’s coming to the land in our guide here.

These two rides will be located in what is currently a backstage area behind the land that partially wraps around behind Cars Land, so the construction is currently visible from the ground, but it does not have a major impact on guests. There are also construction walls up in the area in front of Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!, as they are in the process of remodeling that old FastPass distribution area into a much-needed seating area. Again, this construction doesn’t directly affect guests or the flow of traffic.

The biggest impact right now is the closure of the walkway between Avengers Campus and Cars Land. This is often a less-traveled way to navigate between the two lands, but right now, it’s not available. While this is blocked off, you can get to Cars Land via the Performance Corridor or San Fransokyo Square, and to Avengers Campus via the Performance Corridor or Hollywood Land.

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Coco Ride Construction Near Paradise Gardens Park and On Outside Walkway

Walls are up, and construction has officially kicked off for the new Coco ride in Disney California Adventure. The ride will take guests on a journey alongside Miguel to the Land of the Dead, drawing inspiration from Disneyland classic attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, and featuring the latest in Audio-Animatronics technology and the beloved music from the film. See the latest news on the new Coco addition.

The entrance to this will be at the end of Pixar Pier near the Paradise Gardens area, where the Pixar Pier parade gate is located today. We anticipate that during the construction, the parade gate will be moved a bit.

The biggest impact right now is that the sidewalk on Disneyland Drive running parallel to Disney California Adventure is now closed off, and shrubs are being removed to make space for the new ride. As a little side note, that unfortunately means that half of the hidden Mickey you can see from an aerial viewpoint will no longer be there.

We expect that there are more impacts coming for the inside of the parks. Right now, the most notable impact is that there is no parade at Disney California Adventure, likely due to the construction impacts. All of the 70th anniversary entertainment returned, except for the Pixar Pals parade.

There is also the possibility that they may remove Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta to make way for the Coco ride. Nothing has been announced, but this restaurant is definitely in the vicinity of the area affected by this new addition.

runDisney Pausing Due to Construction

Due to construction impacts at the Disneyland Resort, runDisney events will go on hiatus after the 2026 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend from January 29 through February 1, 2026. runDisney events only recently returned to the Disneyland Resort as of 2024 for the first time since 2017, and there is no return date at the time of writing.

It’s likely this is going to be a longer hiatus due to all of the projects that will be under construction over the next few years. Between the major construction taking place for Avengers Campus, the new Coco ride, the Avatar experience, and the new parking structure and transportation hub, there will be a lot of construction happening at the resort through at least 2029.

Downtown Disney Restaurants Construction

There have been lots of active construction sites at Downtown Disney over the past few years as the district continues its ongoing transformation. In 2026, the projects under construction include the new Porto’s Bakery location, the two-story Earl of Sandwich, and the new Arthur & Sons Steak and Bourbon and Pearl’s Roadside BBQ. All of this construction, maybe save for the two-story Earl of Sandwich, will likely take place throughout all of 2026.

Of these projects, Porto’s Bakery is the one that will likely have the biggest impact on guests. The new restaurant is massive, and there will be a lot of construction noise on the west side of the Esplanade/east side of Downtown Disney as walls are up and work is actively underway. The construction walls extend well into the Esplanade, limiting the flow of traffic a bit in this area, and it will likely stay this way for a while.

See all details about the new steakhouse and barbecue eatery, the two-story Earl of Sandwich with a celebrity chef collaboration, and the new Porto’s Bakery location.

Parking Structure and Transportation Hub Construction

Photo via Google Maps

A major new addition coming to the Disneyland Resort is a new parking structure and transportation hub that will provide approximately 6,000 parking spaces, shuttle and rideshare areas, security screening, and dedicated access for traffic off of Disney Way. This will be constructed on the east side of the resort, taking up a portion of what is currently the Manchester parking lot. There will be a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard that will lead to a new esplanade arrival experience.

Construction for this multi-year project is slated to begin in the fall of 2026. We anticipate that once construction begins, it will be at least a year until we see that structure active. The work on the bridge and the Eplanade changes will likely take longer. This infrastructure is what unlocks the ability to work on the Avatar expansion, as it’s only once the parking structure and bridge are completed that they can do this.

As we shared in our article discussing when Disneyland’s new rides will open, our educated guess is that when the area outlined in red closes for construction, the area outlined in green will serve as the temporary bus loop until the new entrance area is connected via the bridge.

Napa Rose Renovation Construction

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Disney is in the midst of renovating the upscale Napa Rose restaurant at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. These improvements will introduce a “new look that celebrates Craftsman design with an eye toward modern Californian luxury and approachability.” The restaurant will receive enhancements like expanded exhibition counters and an updated outdoor patio seating area with two new fireplaces, as well as a refreshed menu.

The restaurant was originally supposed to reopen last fall, but it is now slated to reopen in early 2026. At the time, Disneyland shared that they encountered unforeseen issues that impacted the construction schedule.

We do not yet have an exact opening date. In the meantime, due to the construction, the Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures is being held at the Trillium Room in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.

New Lounge and Room Enhancements at the Grand Californian

There is also another project currently in progress for Disney’s Grand Californian. Work is currently underway for a new 2-story Club-Level Concierge lounge that will celebrate classic California Craftsman design and draw inspiration from giant sequoias, building on the architecture of the iconic lobby.

The lounge, located on the 5th and 6th floors, is slated to open in 2026. Disney is taking care to ensure that while construction is happening, the highest potential for noise will be during the daylight hours.

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