Guests planning a stay at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge should check their calendars before booking. Walt Disney World has added a new lobby refurbishment project at Kidani Village to an already-busy renovation schedule, with work set to begin August 17, 2026, and run through early November 2026.
The scope is notable: from August 17 through October 9, the main lobby and primary entrance will be fully closed, with check-in relocating to the Palace Library. The project then moves through surrounding corridors in phases, temporarily shutting down areas including Community Hall, the Safari So Good Arcade, the laundry room, lobby restrooms, and the outdoor terrace observation deck at various points. Disney says guests may notice construction noise during daytime hours throughout the project.
The lobby work is separate from — and on top of — an ongoing hard-goods room refurbishment touching both Kidani Village and Jambo House. That project, the first full room overhaul since the Animal Kingdom Villas opened between 2007 and 2009, involves replacing furniture, flooring, fixtures, and other elements. The Kidani Village portion was expected to wrap in May 2026, with Jambo House rooms scheduled for completion by January 2027.
The relatively short notice on the new lobby project has raised some eyebrows, as last-minute scheduling has historically signaled urgent maintenance needs — which can also mean delays. The November 6 target completion date appears deliberate, landing just ahead of the busy Veterans Day holiday period.
Disney Tourist Blog, which has been closely tracking renovations across Walt Disney World's resort hotels, provided the full breakdown of project phases and context on the broader refurbishment timeline.
