The refurbishment of the Sago Cay building at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa continues with stairwell reconstruction and roof work.
Sago Cay Building Construction
Scaffolding surrounds much of the building. It’s even around the chimney on top of the building.
Sago Cay is just the latest Grand Floridian building to be refurbished. As we’ve seen with other Grand Floridian buildings, the exterior design is not being changed drastically.
The scrim around the top level of scaffolding is to keep crew members protected.
We could see lights on inside some of the rooms.
The stairwell on the end of the building was completely demolished and reconstructed.
New stairs and supports are in place, but new walls have yet to be installed around the stairwell.
New white paneling and doors will also be installed on the side of the building against the stairs.
We witnessed some crew members in cherry pickers and on the stairs working.
The resort’s iconic red shingles were removed from sections of the roof for refurbishment.
From this side, we could see some crew members working around the chimney. Construction materials are stacked on the ground all around the building.
In our last construction update, the red shingles had been completely removed from this end of the building, but they have since been restored.
We later saw crew members working on the top-floor windows.
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort Refurbishment
Reportedly, when now-former CEO Bob Chapek took over the Parks & Resorts division in 2015, he felt that the Grand Floridian was not up to standards. The comparisons to a Four Seasons didn’t befit the current state of Walt Disney World, and so it was no longer suitable as the flagship resort. But rather than shift focus to another resort hotel, the company decided to make changes.
The major overhaul of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort began with the Enchanted Rose Lounge, which replaced Mizner’s Lounge. It was given a “Beauty and the Beast” theme. Cítricos followed with a new “Mary Poppins”-inspired design. When the Grand Floridian Spa reopened in January 2022, it was revealed that it, too, had been remodeled. All the rooms of the resort are still being updated and some “Mary Poppins” theming has been added throughout guest buildings.
Narcoossee’s was closed from June 2022 to April 2023, and reopened with a revamped interior and “land and sea” menu. Read our Narcoossee’s review.
1900 Park Fare, the character dining buffet location at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, is still closed for refurbishment. The restaurant has not reopened since it closed in March 2020 with the rest of Walt Disney World Resort due to COVID-19. When physical distancing measures were still in place, 1900 Park Fare was used as overflow seating for Grand Floridian Café for a short period of time.
The Grand Floridian Resort’s lobby will also be updated in the near future.
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will celebrate its 35th anniversary on July 1, 2023.
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