The resort hotels of Walt Disney World occasionally undergo refurbishments to maintain building facilities, refresh soft goods, add new amenities, or update designs.
A Disney World deluxe resort is in the middle of a three-year refurbishment with additional changes just announced. In this article, we’ll share what was added to the refurbishment schedule and how those additions may affect guests staying at this resort. At Mickey Visit, we cover the latest Disney news, like the reveal of Disney’s new head of theme parks and menu changes coming to a popular Disney World restaurant. There was also a recent Walt Disney World resort restaurant closure set.
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Refurbishments Added to Ongoing Work at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World is currently undergoing a major refurbishment that will continue through late 2027.
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Some of the work currently happening has been ongoing for a while. For example, the Bay Cove Pool, the Cove Bar, the water play area, and the whirlpool spa all closed for maintenance in January 2026 and will reopen in early May 2026. The resort’s other pool, Bay Lake Pool, remains open during this time.
We now know of additional refurbishments coming to Disney’s Contemporary Resort as soon as later this month.
Beginning March 23, 2026, Disney will begin an exterior refurbishment on the main tower of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The main tower is the resort’s large, A-frame-shaped building that the monorail passes through.
While we don’t know exactly what kind of work will be happening, we don’t expect any major design changes, especially considering guests will still be staying in rooms while this exterior work takes place.
Other incoming refurbishments at Disney’s Contemporary Resort relate to Bay Lake Tower, the cylinder-shaped building next to the main tower.
Disney will perform repairs on Bay Lake Tower’s exterior elevator landings from late March through early May 2026.
Additionally, the Skyway Bridge, which connects Bay Lake Tower to the main tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, will be closed in spurts during periods of lower traffic. The bridge will be closed Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. from March 30 – May 1, 2026.
Outside of those select hours, the Skyway Bridge will remain open. Guests using the bridge to head to the parks first thing in the morning and return to their rooms at the end of the day will still be able to do so.
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How the Refurbishment May Affect Your Stay
Guests staying overnight at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Tower might be affected by the refurbishment projects construction in several small ways.
Construction may be visible or audible to guests throughout the refurbishment process. However, Disney is always mindful to perform construction during daytime hours. We don’t expect guests to be disrupted by construction noises while trying to sleep.
The Skyway Bridge may present some inconvenience for guests staying at Bay Lake Tower who use the bridge to access the amenities and transportation, namely the monorail, at the main tower. During the select hours of the bridge’s closures on weekdays, guests seeking those options will need to instead head to the ground level of Bay Lake Tower and walk along the path to the main tower.
As with any resort refurbishment, Disney may create alternate, temporary walking paths, and we expect signage to those alternate routes to be clear.
This phase of the refurbishment at Disney’s Contemporary Resort only pertains to the main building exterior, the Skyway Bridge, Bay Lake Tower exterior elevators, and select pools. Other amenities property-wide are unaffected. This deluxe resort’s many amenities include additional pools; transportation via bus, boat, and monorail; well-known restaurants such as Chef Mickey’s and California Grill; a convention center; and an arcade, all of which we expect to stay open throughout the spring 2026 phase of construction.
Additional refurbishment projects may still be to come for Disney’s Contemporary Resort through late 2027.
More Changes at and Near Disney’s Contemporary Resort
The refurbishments happening in spring 2026 are part of a full sweep of renovations at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
These changes began in September 2024 and were originally slated to be complete by September 2025, then by July 2026, and now by late 2027, according to Disney.
So far, these updates have included refurbishments of every room in the main tower and Garden Wing of Disney’s Contemporary Resort to add interior theming based on The Incredibles.
Meanwhile on the other side of Bay Lake across from Disney’s Contemporary Resort, construction continues on Disney Lakeshore Lodge, a new resort opening in 2027. Pictured above is that resort’s progress as of March 2026. Construction is visible from some rooms at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, including Bay Lake Tower.
WDW Magic reported the news of Contemporary Resort’s spring 2026 refurbishments.
Other Resort Refurbishments Happening at Disney World
The changes happening at Disney’s Contemporary Resort represent just one project of many underway at Disney World hotels. You can see all the current resort refurbishments here.
At Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, the Surfboard Bay Pool and the kiddie pool are both closed until late April 2026. The resort’s other pool, the Grand Slam Leisure Pool, remains open.
Exterior refurbishment is ongoing at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge through April 2026, though all amenities remain open.
At Disney’s Beach Club Resort, the Tidal Pool is closed for routine maintenance until early May 2026. Guests of the resort still have access to Stormalong Bay, as well as another leisure pool, the Dunes Cove Pool. The third leisure pool, the Admiral Pool, shared with Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, will also be closed for maintenance until early May 2026.
Also at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, the Crew’s Cup Lounge is currently closed and will reopen in May 2026. In turn, the resort’s Yachtsman Steakhouse will close for refurbishment in May 2026 and will reopen by August 2026.
Guest rooms at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort will be refurbished starting in late May 2026, to be completed by January 2027.
At Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, the Luna Park Pool and Crazy Play Area will be under refurbishment from January 11, 2027, until April 2027. The pool bar Leaping Horse Libations will also be closed during that time. The Villas Pool and the Inn Pool will stay open.
We’ll continue to provide updates here at Mickey Visit on all of these projects as they move forward.
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