For millions of travelers, booking an on-property hotel at Walt Disney World is the foundation of a dream vacation. Guests gladly pay a premium to stay inside the “Disney bubble,” expecting seamless park transit, world-class amenities, and a relaxing retreat away from the crowds.
Yet over the past few years, a growing number of guests have encountered an unwelcome surprise upon arrival: construction walls, scrim-wrapped facades, and the drone of daytime maintenance equipment.
Now, the resort renovation map is expanding once again.
Public records reveal that Walt Disney World has officially filed four new Notice of Commencement permits targeting multiple guest buildings across two fan-favorite properties: Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney’s Old Key West Resort. These filings confirm that construction crews are preparing to stage work at both locations, lengthening an already massive resort-overhaul pipeline that stretches through 2026 and deep into 2027.
The New Filings: What’s Slated for Caribbean Beach and Old Key West?
Because Disney rarely issues advance press releases for routine facility maintenance, county construction filings serve as the primary early-warning system for vacationers. Notice of Commencement permits signal an owner’s legal intent to start improvements, specifying site addresses, job scopes, and contracted vendors.
The newest records point to targeted updates across two sprawling properties:
1. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Three separate permits were logged along Cayman Way, the central artery running through this Moderate resort:
- 1122 Cayman Way: Targets Trinidad Village (Buildings 37, 38, and 39), which houses the resort’s Little Mermaid–themed rooms and sits next to Spyglass Grill.
- 1126 Cayman Way: Covers Barbados Village (Buildings 31, 32, and 33), located just steps from the central Old Port Royale lobby and dining complex.
- 1124 Cayman Way: Encompasses guest parking and back-of-house utility areas on the resort’s western perimeter.
All three permits designate “general construction” under Harrison Contracting Co., known for commercial painting and structural maintenance. Harrison Contracting recently repainted the iconic 40-foot electric guitar outside Rock ‘n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Their involvement strongly indicates exterior repainting and building facade upkeep.
2. Disney’s Old Key West Resort
A fourth permit was filed for 1531 North Cove Road at Old Key West, the original Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resort.
- This address is Building 11, which contains deluxe studio and multi-bedroom villa accommodations (rooms 1110 through 1124).
The contractor on record is Friedrich Watkins Company, a veteran Orlando general contractor with extensive Disney credits, including work on The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, room updates at Bay Lake Tower, and the LEGO Store remodel at Disney Springs.
A Resort-Wide Wave of Construction Through 2027
The arrival of work at Caribbean Beach and Old Key West adds to an extensive list of Disney hotels currently navigating active or scheduled refurbishments through 2027:
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn & Villas: Ongoing updates across the property include a major amenity shutdown: Luna Park Pool, the Crazy Play Area, and Leaping Horse Libations will be closed from January 11 through April 2027.
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort: Phased exterior maintenance will continue across guest buildings through late 2027.
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside: A comprehensive guest-room refurbishment is slated to run through August 2027.
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort: Construction across the Convention Center and El Centro Corridor will stretch through late September 2027.
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort: A property-wide guest-room overhaul begins in mid-June 2027.
- Transportation Closures: In addition to resort work, the Disney Skyliner—which serves Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, and Art of Animation—will pause operations for routine maintenance from January 24 through January 30, 2027, requiring guests to use bus shuttles.
How to Protect Your Upcoming Vacation
If you have a Disney reservation over the coming months, a little research can help you avoid unwelcome surprises:
- Submit Strategic Room Requests: Work at sprawling resorts like Caribbean Beach is confined to specific clusters. If you are booked there, use online check-in to request an unaffected destination, such as Jamaica or Aruba, to keep your distance from permitted zones in Trinidad or Barbados.
- Review Pool Calendars: If swimming is central to your family's afternoon routine, verify feature pool operating schedules in the My Disney Experience app before confirming your stay.
- Explore Rebooking Options: If visible scrims or daytime noise will dampen your trip, speak with Disney or your travel planner. Disney is often willing to modify reservations to unaffected sister resorts within the same tier.
Staying informed ahead of check-in ensures you can make necessary adjustments before you arrive—keeping the magic intact from the moment you unpack.
