Animal Kingdom Refurbishment 2025

[Girlstar30]

Those won’t start to come out until the first set of rooms are finished and released back into the inventory…

Although, if the AKL refurb process is anything like the BLT refurb there will be plenty of photos posted online of the furniture in the construction staging area (as well as zoomed in photos through room windows as the refurb progresses) so we should have at least a basic idea of what the new rooms look like before the first set of rooms becomes available

I remember seeing those furniture posts lolll

 

[hockeydad21]

Those won’t start to come out until the first set of rooms are finished and released back into the inventory…

Although, if the AKL refurb process is anything like the BLT refurb there will be plenty of photos posted online of the furniture in the construction staging area (as well as zoomed in photos through room windows as the refurb progresses) so we should have at least a basic idea of what the new rooms look like before the first set of rooms becomes available

I have a feeling they’re going to knock this refurbishment out of the park. My guess is the early feedback from boardwalk’s refurb was heard load and clear, and they won’t make that mistake again. I look at Saratoga, bay lake tower, even the new poly tower, big pine key, riviera, and Hilton head/vero - all of them look great and feel like the upgrades were really tasteful in their approach. Boardwalk was really the outlier where the color palette was so muted and seemed like they just tried to slap a few Mickey pictures on the wall to get by. All the other resorts have pops of color here and there, even subtle at times, to brighten up the tone of the room.

Fingers crossed AKL crushes it and they keep the original feel while somehow brightening it up and modernizing it with Murphy beds, USBs, outlets, etc.

 

[DeeCee735]

I missed the refurb dates. I have a one bedroom savanna view at Kidani booked for mid December. Will they be in the middle of the refurb or not yet started by then? TIA

Dee

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I missed the refurb dates. I have a one bedroom savanna view at Kidani booked for mid December. Will they be in the middle of the refurb or not yet started by then? TIA

Dee

Based on recent info, they'll likely be in the middle of the refurb at Kidani (last I read it's supposed to start at Kidani in October). It may or may not be impactful for your particular stay.

 

[nlenguyen]

I missed the refurb dates. I have a one bedroom savanna view at Kidani booked for mid December. Will they be in the middle of the refurb or not yet started by then? TIA

Dee

I think that it will be impacting bookings for quite a while once they start. Maybe they will try to do a section at a time rather than a floor

 

[Doingitagain]

I think that it will be impacting bookings for quite a while once they start. Maybe they will try to do a section at a time rather than a floor

Even if they do, there is always the risk of construction noise and construction skrim impacting views.

 

[sndral]

I suspect the construction will be mostly inside the building. They refurbed several public areas in 2022 - including the bus stops & savanna overlooks, in 2023 they replaced the roof, & last year they did a refresh of the resort exterior.
I personally wish that Disney would just go in, do all of their refurb work at the same time, & then leave the resort alone, so if you don’t want to deal w/ construction you can skip a year staying there. They’ve been ‘working on’ various parts of the GF for what feels like years now plus all the construction next door at the Poly Tower.

 

[nlenguyen]

Then after they finish Kidani, they will work on Jambo so the circle will continue

 

[sndral]

Funny this conversation happened... I just updated that article. Notice of Commencement was filed yesterday for Kidani with completion for that part anticipated for May 2026.

Work is officially set to begin on the scheduled hard goods refurbishment at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village!​

A newly filed notice of commencement confirms the project is underway, with completion expected by May 28, 2026. Jambo House will follow in 2026.

Full details on what's coming to this fan-favorite resort, including brighter rooms and Murphy beds, are in our latest update:
https://dvcfan.com/news/refurbishment-details-announced-for-disneys-animal-kingdom-villas/

#DVC #DisneyVacationClub #AnimalKingdomVillas #KidaniVillage #DVCFan #DisneyNews #RefurbishmentUpdate

Inserting this here to bump the thread. I’ll note that the construction company - Barton Marlow - has pulled general construction permits for Kidani on 10/4/24, 4/4/25, 4/11/25, & 5/29/25. They don’t appear to be doing any other projects currently at WDW. Typically the refurb. permits seem to be pulled right before work starts.
I’m also curious about the choice of Barton Marlow - they’re big, but seem to focus on stadiums, hospitals, battery storage facilities, etc. see https://www.bartonmalow.com/contact/orlando/. Very interesting .

 

[Girlstar30]

I really hope we get the inova Murphy bed! The owners have made their preference loud and clear

Inserting this here to bump the thread. I’ll note that the construction company - Barton Marlow - has pulled general construction permits for Kidani on 10/4/24, 4/4/25, 4/11/25, & 5/29/25. They don’t appear to be doing any other projects currently at WDW. Typically the refurb. permits seem to be pulled right before work starts.
I’m also curious about the choice of Barton Marlow - they’re big, but seem to focus on stadiums, hospitals, battery storage facilities, etc. see https://www.bartonmalow.com/contact/orlando/. Very interesting .

 

[Girlstar30]

It says they've done stuff for sea world so at least they've worked with a theme park before

Inserting this here to bump the thread. I’ll note that the construction company - Barton Marlow - has pulled general construction permits for Kidani on 10/4/24, 4/4/25, 4/11/25, & 5/29/25. They don’t appear to be doing any other projects currently at WDW. Typically the refurb. permits seem to be pulled right before work starts.
I’m also curious about the choice of Barton Marlow - they’re big, but seem to focus on stadiums, hospitals, battery storage facilities, etc. see https://www.bartonmalow.com/contact/orlando/. Very interesting .