2024 Construction at Disney’s Polynesian Resort (DVC Tower Updates)

This timeline shares construction updates for the new Disney Vacation Club Tower being built at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

Disney’s Polynesian Resort recently underwent an extensive refurbishment that included many updates. With those updates, we saw the debut of new rooms featuring design elements from the popular Disney film Moana.

During that time, the resort’s entrance underwent significant changes. For instance, a new facade was installed over the monorail station, and the entrance received freshly stamped concrete and entirely new landscaping.

Then, just when it seemed the construction dust had settled, a new Disney Vacation Club tower hotel was announced. This announcement was made in March of 2022. Within weeks, we saw physical signs that construction would begin almost immediately.

It was announced that the new tower will join the existing condo association, Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows.

New: Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas Concept Photos Released

Disney has released new concept photos of the new Island Tower that is projected to open later this year at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Here’s the opening statement from the announcement and the photos Disney shared.

The new Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows will take you on a storytelling journey that brings to life the spirit of Polynesia.

Projected to open in December 2024, the proposed 10-story tower overlooking the stunning views of the Seven Seas Lagoon will celebrate the natural world, and of course, the magic of Disney. 

Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows will be within convenient walking distance to the Disney Monorail, making it the perfect base for visiting Magic Kingdom Park and EPCOT. 

Reference Disney Parks Blog

Reservations will open on June 4, 2024, for Disney Vacation Club members, June 5, 2024, for Walt Disney World annual passholders, and June 6, 2024 for all guests.

April and May 2024 Polynesian DVC Tower Updates

Things are moving right along at Disney’s Polynesian’s new tower hotel. We have a few photos from last week, between the end of April and the beginning of May. We’ll start with a view from the shoreline to see how the permanent structure has changed the sight lines.

Here’s another angle.

This view below was taken from the resort’s boat dock.

Another angle shows (toward the middle right of the photo) where the zero-depth-entry begins for the pool. It looks like it will lead out to an inifinity edge near the shoreline. Right now it’s hard to tell how the walkway between the Polynesian and Grand Floridian will shape up.

We’ll finish up with a couple of photos of the front side, taken from the monorail.

February 2024 Polynesian DVC Tower Updates

We’ve had a couple of bright and sunny days recently, so earlier this week, I decided to make an entire circle around the Polynesian DVC Tower to see how it was progressing. We’ll start with an angle taken from a resort bus.

It will be interesting to see how this comes to fruition.

After a quick visit to the Grand Floridian, I hopped on a resort boat back to the Polynesian. Neither the lighting nor my camera settings were working in my favor.

Here is another angle from the boat dock.

Below, we see a zoomed-in view from the resort.

Then, I hopped on the monorail for a closer look.

When you’re on the monorail, the tower is really in your face. It’s always interesting to overhear guests on the monorail when they see it for the first time. That can likely be attributed to the fact that you can’t really see the structure from the interior grounds of the Polynesian. So, it is a bit of a shock the first time you hop on the monorail. As you depart the station, you’re looking out to the stunning tropical landscape that’s suddenly obstructed by a massive tower. It’s so close it almost feels like you can reach out and touch it.

Here is a view of the main tower.

We can see a better look at the paint from this angle.

Polynesian DVC Tower Updates History

Here is one of Disney’s renderings for the new hotel.

Like most new builds, something must be lost to accommodate the gains. Unfortunately, the scenic walkway between the Grand Floridian and Polynesian closed.

Luau Cove, the former Spirit of Aloha dinner show, was also leveled to make way for the new Disney Vacation Club Tower. The area between the Polynesian and Grand Floridian is now a construction site. We’ve updated the photo below to show the construction status as of mid-January 2024.

Like most of our visits, we can tell that significant changes were made over the last 30 days.

On our last few visits, we noticed a sign saying the walkway to the Grand Floridan was closed. Given the progress of the construction, it would be understandable if the walkway remained closed for some time. The original walkway will likely be restored between the resorts after construction.

In the meantime, you can take the monorail from the Polynesian to the Grand Floridian. Then, take a boat from the Grand Floridian to the Polynesian for the quickest return route.

We also noticed the villages were undergoing some refurbishment during our visit. Disney recently announced that work would take place on the exterior of the buildings throughout the Polynesian. Guest room balconies might be affected. You might also see and hear painting work during regular hours, usually from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Here are a few photos.

Below, we have more photos showing different perspectives of the construction over the last year.

Next, we’ll look at a timeline of construction photos showing the progression of the new build. We’ll start with when the cranes first arrived.

We saw significant changes toward the end of March as the first portion of the tower was erected.

By mid-May, the towers facing the lagoon were connected.

Framework appeared to be near completion by mid-June. Based on the rendering, we should see an additional section of the building added to the far left side. It will be at an angle looking back to the Polynesian.

Here is that new section toward the first of September.

Metal studs have been added, and windows are going in on the opposite side. Our next update will likely look quite different.

It’s been some time since we last updated with new construction photos. As of December, we see that windows and sliding doors have been installed. It’s hard to tell from this angle, but a portion of the center has been painted brown, perhaps as a test run. Since then, the far right side of the building has been painted white, which I assume is a primer.

Here is a view of the tower from the monorail.

Progress continues with an architectural element added to the roof in this 2024 update.

We also see a coat of brown paint and what appears to be framework for a covered area toward the back of the resort.

Views of the DVC Tower from the Polynesian

Since starting this timeline, I’ve taken a few photos of the DVC Tower from the Polynesian. It’s important to note that when you’re inside the Polynesian grounds (i.e., the marina, Great Ceremonial House, Lava Pool), you’re almost oblivious to the construction next door.

For example, this next photo was taken on the walkway between the marina and the lobby. We could only see a minimal amount of construction from this area.

Here is a view from the opposite side of the Lava Pool.

You might wonder what villages are closest to the construction site at the Polynesian. Below, we see Tuvalu, a lagoon-facing building near the construction.

Fuji, which sits directly behind Tuvalu (perpendicular), has rooms facing the marina. However, rooms on the opposite side of this building directly face the new construction.

Lastly, the end of Aotearoa juts up against the tarp that sits along the construction walkway. So, this end of the building is closest to the new tower’s construction.

Here are a few more angles of the construction over the past year.

Moving forward, we’ll update the timeline when we see significant changes. Here are a few photos of last year’s lobby updates, including new furniture and rugs.

As to what might impact your upcoming stay at the Polynesian, here are the items we noted:

• Staying in any building facing the construction will result in construction views and possible construction noise during the day.
• If you enjoy walking between the Polynesian and Grand Floridian, the construction walkway is unpleasant, or it may not be available.

We’ll check back in at the Polynesian in the next month to see the next wave of progress. I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to stay at the new tower hotel. Hopefully, it will bring much-needed recreation and fresh dining options to the popular resort.

For more information about the resort, we have a guide that lists all of our articles:

• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

For other construction and refurbishments at the Walt Disney World Resorts, you might enjoy the following:

• Disney World Resort Refurbishment Schedule
• Disney’s Boardwalk Construction Updates
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Renovation and Refurbishment

In the Comments

What do you think about the new hotel construction at Disney’s Polynesian? Are you looking forward to more availability at the resort? Share your thoughts below.