Construction has wrapped up on Narcoossee’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and the restaurant is back open, but work continues on guest room buildings. Crew members have been working on the Sago Cay building next to the Magic Kingdom walkway for the past several weeks.
Sago Cay Construction
A few days ago, we saw crew members in two cherry-picker vehicles working on the stairwell, which was almost completely demolished. We saw stairwells on other buildings demolished and rebuilt.
A few new sections of stairs had just been installed.
On our next Monorail trip, there were now stairs zig-zagging all the way up the exposed stairwell.
Walls and railings still need to be installed around the stairs, and new paneling will be installed on the building behind them.
Around the corner, scaffolding covers the side of the building. Crew members have been removing the red shingles from the roof, another project we’ve seen on other buildings.
Though the shingles are being removed, they will later be replaced.
A few days later, more shingles were gone, exposing the weather-proof sheathing beneath.
The roof is where we have seen the most construction activity.
Multiple construction vehicles are parked nearby, with boards on the ground for them to drive over.
There are also stacks of steel.
Shingles have also been removed from the other end of the building.
We saw a row of materials atop the far end of the roof.
Scaffolding also covers the balconies on this end.
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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