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

This timeline shares construction updates for the new Disney Vacation Club Tower being built at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. The construction of the Island Tower was completed in late 2024, and the resort formally opened on December 17, 2024. This article has been moved to our archives and remains available for historical reference.

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. 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 in March 2022. Within weeks, we saw physical signs that construction would begin almost immediately. The new Island Tower joins the resort’s existing condo association, Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows.

Island Tower is Now Complete (December 2024)

You can continue reading more about the construction of the Island Tower below, or you might like our first look at the new resort.

Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas Concept Art Released

Disney has released new concept art of the Island Tower, which 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 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 to an infinity edge near the shoreline. Right now it’s hard to tell how the walkway between the Polynesian and Grand Floridian will turn out.

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

February 2024 Polynesian DVC Tower Updates

We’ve had a few bright and sunny days recently, so earlier this week, I decided to circle 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.

The tower is in your face when you’re on the monorail. 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 central 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 former scenic walkway between the Grand Floridian and Polynesian closed.

The former Spirit of Aloha dinner show, Luau Cove, 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.

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 construction progress, 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 refurbishment during our visit. Disney recently announced that work would be done on the exteriors of the buildings throughout the Polynesian Islands. 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 are more photos showing different perspectives of the construction over the last year.

Next, we’ll examine a timeline of construction photos showing the progression of the new building. We’ll start with the cranes’ first arrival.

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. From this angle, it’s hard to tell, 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 a 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. From this area, we could see only a minimal amount of construction.

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

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

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

Lastly, the end of Aotearoa juts up against the tarp along the construction walkway, which is closest to the new tower’s construction.

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

Before we wrap things up, 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.
• The construction walkway between the Polynesian and Grand Floridian may be unpleasant or unavailable.

We’ll visit the Polynesian soon to see the next wave of progress. I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to stay at the new tower. Hopefully, it will bring much-needed recreation and fresh dining options to the popular resort. For more information, you might like our complete guide to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Or, for more construction and refurbishments, you might enjoy our Disney World Resort Refurbishment Schedule.

In the Comments

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