Crews have started to prepare the foundation for the new lobby bar coming to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The bar replaces the resort’s iconic birdcage, as part of a larger reimagining of the lobby.
Grand Floridian Lobby Bar Construction
The birdcage was the first thing removed when construction began a few months ago. The dais it sat on was also removed, and the area has been covered with tarps. The tarps are now gone, revealing a large square hole in the ground.
The hole corresponds to the birdcage’s former dais. It had a rounded front, hence the round concrete element in front of the hole. New pipes are running through the hole.
The steel border around the hole may also be new. The surrounding carpet is dirty due to construction, but will ultimately be completely replaced.
That hole in the carpet we noted in our last construction report no longer has plywood laid over it. You can see where the carpet was cut away, as there are now pieces of masking tape on the flooring.
The concept art below shows the new birdcage-inspired bar and carpeting.
The bar will ultimately be wider than the original birdcage. But this space isn’t the only part of the lobby being updated.
Garden View Tea Room
In the background of that concept art is the Garden View Tea Room, which never reopened following the COVID-19 shutdown. We saw a few crew members in the space on Wednesday morning. Note that the concept art shows new stained glass art on the front windows of the tea room, as well as new Grand Floridian logo filigree on the overhang above.
With a peek over the construction walls, we could see the sign for the tea room is still on the wall to the right. A ladder was leaning against it.
More Grand Floridian Construction
We couldn’t see any significant changes in the resort’s check-in area. Wallpaper has been peeled away, but there are still mounted light fixtures. Upstairs, white curtains frame M. Mouse Mercantile.
The curtains hide work on the walls, with more wallpaper removed. Behind these curtains between the store’s entrance and the Monorail, the walls have been painted white with primer.
Blue painter’s tape lines the walls. The decorative element above a display window is covered in clear plastic to keep it protected.
A set of doors leading to the Monorail station is closed, also due to wall work. The curtains have doubled since our last update, now blocking part of the Basin White windows.
Behind the curtains and a potted plant, we could see black protective panels on the floor. Debris and primer splatters were on the panels. There’s a ladder next to the wall.
Another crew member was actively working behind these curtains in front of Basin White.
Yet another set of curtains and black paneling is between Basin White and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Like the tea room, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique has been closed since 2020.
Another set of curtains now blocks one of the front entryways on the first floor. A sign points guests to the other door.
Next to the front entrance, wall paneling has been removed from around the windows of a seating area. The steel framework of the wall is now exposed.
Construction work is set to continue through November 2025. The resort’s gingerbread display will not return this year due to the reimagining.
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