Disney Trip Membership has launched its timeline for room refurbishments, resort reimaginings, and different building initiatives at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and past in 2024 & 2025. This useful resource gives the scheduled dates and particulars for work on the Deluxe Villas, and what to anticipate from every overhaul. (Up to date April 27, 2024.)
Usually, resort refurbishment schedules are launched on the annual Condominium Affiliation Assembly. Throughout this, Disney Trip Membership executives current their plans for updating villa interiors over the following 2 years. There’s often a timeline shared as a part of the presentation that signifies every resort scheduled for updates, and the size of the venture.
The previous couple of years have thrown a monkey wrench in these plans, with a number of resort refurbishments being delayed as a result of closure and its aftermath. Maybe on account of that, a timeline was not offered throughout annual conferences for a few years. Happily, a brand new timeline was unveiled for 2024-2025 on the Disney Trip Membership Condominium Affiliation Assembly held in mid-December. Right here’s what we realized throughout that and from subsequent updates by Walt Disney World…
First, a number of Disney Trip Membership resorts acquired a smaller scale refresh this yr and lots of extra of these are going to happen in 2025. For those who’re accustomed to our Walt Disney World Resort Building Tracker, you’ve most likely seen this known as a comfortable items refurbishment. This usually means updating furnishings, together with however not restricted to wall coverings, flooring, linens, decor, and a few furnishings.
Lately, the definition of a ‘comfortable items’ refurbishment has “advanced” and I imply that in a great way! (All too typically, utilizing air quotes round evolve in relation to Disney means a downgrade. Not on this case.) Each the Grand Floridian and Polynesian Villas acquired comfortable items refurbishments comparatively lately that included set up of the brand new Inova pull-down couch mattress and sofa combo. This function first debuted at Disney’s Riviera Resort, and was subsequently added to Saratoga Springs Resort throughout its full refurbishment.
Primarily based on what we noticed this yr, the resorts receiving comfortable items refurbishments going ahead ought to all proceed to have the Inova pull-down beds added. It is a colossal improve over the pull-out couches, and has been an enormous hit with Disney Trip Membership members. It has been one in all a number of purposeful enhancements which have actually improved the ‘high quality of life’ of DVC rooms–whereas Imagineering has additionally achieved a strong job weaving themed design into the upgraded items.
There are additionally a handful of Disney Trip Membership resorts slated to obtain full refurbishments within the subsequent two years. Usually, this can be a full gutting of the room, and leads to a completely new villa inside. The footprint of the room often stays the identical, and its general sq. footage dimension at all times does.
Adjustments usually embrace new furnishings, cupboards, counter tops, home equipment, flooring, tiling, fixtures, and extra. Some gadgets might be reused from the prior rooms, particularly little particulars that members take pleasure in, however these are often thought of “new rooms” whereas comfortable items refurbishments lead to “reimagined rooms.”
Disney Trip Membership makes an attempt to schedule resorts to obtain a comfortable items refresh each 7 years and a full refurbishment each 14 years. Within the final a number of years (since round 2018, so even earlier than the closure), they’d began to fall behind this schedule. That drawback solely acquired worse in 2020-2022, nevertheless it seems DVC is lastly turning the nook. Just about the whole lot that was scheduled this yr truly acquired accomplished, and roughly on schedule.
In case you are not a Disney Trip Membership member, this publish nonetheless might need relevance to you! For one factor, all of those lodging are bookable immediately from Walt Disney World or Disneyland through the “Deluxe Villa” tier, which is handled similar to a conventional resort.
For one more factor, you should utilize our Ideas for Renting Disney Trip Membership Factors to step into the sneakers of a DVC member–and get monetary savings within the course of. (We strongly suggest the second route, as Deluxe Villas are often considerably overpriced, whereas renting DVC factors presents large financial savings–they’re principally like polar opposites.)
We do common resort stays at each Walt Disney World and Disneyland, often emphasizing properties the place there are new issues, modifications, or ongoing building to see how that harms, improves, or in any other case impacts the visitor expertise. For those who’ve but to e-book lodging to your trip in 2024 or 2025 and wish to be notified about the entire newest resort modifications, enroll right here for our FREE Disney publication right here.
When reserving a Walt Disney World or Disneyland trip, we extremely suggest taking into consideration recently-completed and ongoing building initiatives on the numerous resorts, as these completely can impression the standard of your journey. (Talking of recently-completed, each Boulder Ridge at Wilderness Lodge and the Seaside Membership Villas have wrapped up refurbishments within the final yr and are wanting wonderful!)
Reserving a resort with a closed pool or building noise and cranes proper exterior your window is clearly going to be a worse expertise than a resort that simply completed its large refurbishment and nonetheless has that recent feeling and ‘new resort’ odor.
Suffice to say, a lot is occurring on the Disney Trip Membership building entrance on each coasts. Let’s check out the entire present and upcoming initiatives which have the potential to impression friends…
Now Via Late 2024: Polynesian Village Resort Villas – Work is at the moment underway at Walt Disney World to construct a new DVC tower at Polynesian Village Resort, changing Spirit of Aloha Dinner Present, between the prevailing Polynesian longhouses and Marriage ceremony Pavilion, close to the Grand Floridian.
Work is shifting quick on this new tower adjoining to the prevailing Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. The proposed Disney Trip Membership tower addition that’s being constructed at Polynesian Village Resort is at the moment slated to open in late 2024 at Walt Disney World, and it’ll nearly definitely meet that focus on date.
For those who’re staying at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort (resort facet) anytime between now and round September 2024, this building might impression you. Whereas we don’t know but when the resort will open, we’re fairly assured that the majority of seen and audible work will probably be completed by summer season, on the newest. After that, they’ll transfer to the within.
Within the meantime, we suggest requesting a room that’s not within the Aotearoa, Fiji, or Tuvalu longhouses. These buildings are adjoining to the development website, and the one ones that ought to be impacted in any materials manner.
Nevertheless, the Polynesian Villas are all on the opposite facet of the resort, so the impression to anybody staying within the current Disney Trip Membership lodging on the Poly shouldn’t be impacted. (A bit ironic that these least impacted by DVC building are DVC friends!) The DVC tower building will probably be seen from different places within the resort as soon as it goes vertical, however the impression ought to in any other case be minor.
Previous to this tower, work wrapped up on the Nice Ceremonial Home, porte-cochère, new monorail station, and gardens. Room refurbishments had been additionally a part of the Poly’s overhaul and people at the moment are completed. See our Evaluate, Images & Video: New Moana Rooms at Polynesian Village Resort for a tour and ideas on the modifications from our most up-to-date resort keep. For those who’re wanting on the DVC rooms, see our Evaluate, Images & Video: New Rooms at Polynesian Villas.
2024: BoardWalk Villas – Walt Disney World is within the midst of reimagining Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, with new rooms on the resort facet and a bunch of different modifications within the foyer and alongside the promenade.
The BoardWalk Villas are a part of this, and as a full refurbishment. Our expectation is that this wraps up someday within the first half of the yr, because it began final September and the primary rooms began to complete a pair months later. Not less than the entire BoardWalk view rooms are completed and the rest of the room stock is both additionally accomplished or at the moment in progress. We’re not 100% certain the place issues presently stand, nevertheless it’s protected to count on this to be achieved by Summer season 2024.
That is very a lot wanted, because the BoardWalk Villas had been the final rooms to be redone earlier than the present technology of overhauls. It exhibits. The previous rooms (pictured above) are the worst of each worlds: devoid of theme and character, in addition to progressive and space-saving options. They’ve large ‘nondescript chained-brand resort from the early aughts’ vibes because of this.
2024: Hilton Head & Vero Seaside – Sooner or later in 2024, each Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort and Disney’s Vero Seaside Resort will obtain comfortable items refurbishments. No different particulars or idea artwork had been supplied on the Apartment Affiliation Assembly.
I’ve mixed these not as a result of they’re sister properties (they’re actually separated by states), however as a result of they’re past my space of experience. Our most up-to-date keep at both of those was 2018, whereas we’ve stayed at each different property on this listing within the final 2 years, and have already visited all of them in 2024.
2024-2025: Bay Lake Tower at Modern Resort – Throughout final yr’s condominium affiliation assembly, DVC revealed that Bay Lake Tower is slated to obtain a full refurbishment in 2024 and 2025. They stated the venture would begin within the second half of 2024, would take roughly one-year, and be accomplished in 2025.
The VP of Resort Operations stated it’ll be a difficult venture, with renovations accomplished floor-by-floor, requiring a rerouting of utilities so that every one working flooring nonetheless obtain service. The design of the brand new rooms remains to be being evaluated and the venture may also entail a wifi infrastructure improve.
We lastly have an replace from DisneyWorld.com narrowing the scope of the venture together with dates: “From September 2024 to September 2025, room refurbishment work will happen in Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Modern Resort. Throughout this time, Company will see and listen to building work all through Bay Lake Tower. Please permit further time for journey as alternate paths could also be utilized.”
From our perspective, the BLT information is the one piece of combined information from the 2024-2025 timeline. On the one hand, it’s good to have this confirmed and at last shifting ahead. However, we had been actually hoping it’d begin in mid-January and be achieved by September 2024. So it’s beginning later and taking longer than anticipated.
Bay Lake Tower is overdue for a refurbishment, and the rooms have been worse for put on for at the least 5 years now. The rooms at Bay Lake Tower had been poorly constructed within the first place and constructed simply earlier than the present ‘wave’ of progressive lodging that marry space-saving kinds with well-themed ones. The studios are additionally small by Disney Trip Membership requirements, particularly when contrasted with the Polynesian.
Consequently, BLT may gain advantage tremendously from getting the Riviera remedy. We actually stay up for returning to Bay Lake Tower as soon as that occurs…however received’t till it does! At this level, I suppose which means banking and reserving a keep at BLT for Christmas 2025 or in 2026.
2025: Villas at Grand Californian – This one has been teased for some time and it’s lastly on the official calendar. The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa are wanting actually drained and are a pointy distinction to the brand new rooms within the Villas at Disneyland Resort.
Hopefully the idea takes thematic and stylistic parts of the new-look GCH rooms (possibly with a touch of Boulder Ridge) and combines that with the brand new Inova pull-down beds. That might be an enormous win.
This was initially slated to occur final yr…then 2024…now 2025. Right here’s hoping this isn’t delayed once more. We love the Grand Californian and can keep within the previous rooms if it means not paying the resort’s pricing, however they’re undoubtedly exhibiting their age–similar to Boulder Ridge was.
2025: Animal Kingdom Villas (Kidani & Jambo Home) – Comparable story right here as with Grand Californian. Animal Kingdom Lodge accomplished an superior room reimagining a number of years in the past that completely threaded the needle on type and performance.
I do know on the time, the DVC rooms weren’t fairly able to obtain an replace. They’re now. I’m not a type of individuals, but when these are achieved with the identical stability because the Jambo Home resort rooms, I’m high-quality with it.
2025: Copper Creek Villas at Wilderness Lodge – These are comparatively new rooms, so that is essentially a comfortable items refurbishment primarily based solely on timing. Actually, that’s completely high-quality with us–and we’re frankly to see Copper Creek make this listing!
Copper Creek opened simply earlier than the wave of Inova pull-down beds, so it’ll nearly definitely get that. Hopefully, Disney additionally corrects among the questionable design decisions, which made it a little bit of a thematic hodgepodge. Copper Creek had flashes of excellence earlier than, and if this brings it on par with Boulder Ridge, it’ll be an enormous win.
2025: Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs Resort – Actually, I’m apprehensive about this one. We love the Treehouse Villas, and recurrently dream about doing a return keep there for an enormous household reunion with the grandparents from each side of our household.
We actually love the quirky, rustic model of the Treehouses, and hope Disney doesn’t get too heavy-handed with modernizing these rooms. Whereas the brand new rooms at Saratoga Springs are a pleasant improve for that facet of the resort, if that very same model is utilized to the Treehouses, it wouldn’t work. It’d be too bland and generically trendy. Right here’s hoping that Disney realizes this and appears to Wilderness Lodge for inspiration, as an alternative of Saratoga Springs.
For complete planning recommendation, seek the advice of our Disneyland Trip Planning Information or our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for the whole lot you could know! For those who’re contemplating becoming a member of DVC, first you’ll want to learn our Final Information to Disney Trip Membership. For those who nonetheless can’t determine whether or not membership is best for you, “attempt before you purchase” with the suggestions in The way to Save BIG on Deluxe Disney Lodging Renting DVC Factors.
YOUR THOUGHTS
Ideas on the 2024-2025 room refurbishment timeline for Disney Trip Membership resorts? Have any latest observations or experiences with resort building at Walt Disney World or Disneyland to share? The place are you planning to remain in 2024 or 2025? Any resorts you’re deliberately avoiding? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments of those resort refurbishment or reimagining initiatives? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to suggestions about your experiences is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
